Reading Roundup: April 2015

By the Numbers
Picture Books: 21
Early Readers: 1

Sources
Library: 21

Standouts
Writing: The New Arrival by Vanya Nastanlieva
There are a lot of books about a person being wary of their new surroundings. What about those surroundings being wary of the new person? This folded both in, with bonus hedgehogs and bunnies.
Illustration: Roger is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen, trans. Laura Watkinson
I love the collage effect of these illustrations, which take on most of the storytelling load about poor Roger driven to distraction by his neighbor's noisy ways. Also, keep your eye on the dog.
Overall: Supertruck by Stephen Savage
Trucks as superheroes? It's a combination guaranteed to make your average three year old's head explode with glee.

Because I Want To Awards
Begs to be Performed: Monkey and Duck Quack Up! by Jennifer Hamburg, ill. Ed Fotheringham
Note I said "performed," not just "read aloud." With its specific call-and-response rhythms, this needs to be performed by a pair that really gets how to do it, and that would be awesome.
Poor Monster!: Bunnies!!! by Kevan Atteberry
An overenthusiastic monster keeps frightening the bunnies away. But all he wants to do is play! Awwww.
Do We Ever Get to See the Monkeys?: Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett, ill. Kevin Cornell
Page after page, we are denied simian antics because some other critter interfered. When will we see monkeys? When?!