Wednesday, August 28, 2024

 DOG DAYS OF AUGUST

August is not quite over but I'm heading out of town so this is dropping a little early!  The top three books listed are all fun Halloween books. 
Keep Up, Duck! by Ivan and Rachel Bates was probably my favorite new picture book. Life After Whale examines what happens when a whale dies and floats to the bottom of the ocean. It's pretty amazing! If you get a chance, check out the graphic novel version of A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. I promise it will brighten your day!

 ¡Vamos! Let's Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos by Raúl the Third III I Got the Spooky Spirit by Connie Schofield-Morrison Trick or Treat, Bugs to Eat by Tracy C. Gold

 Summer Is Here by Renée  Watson Keep Up, Duck! by Ivan Bates Hidden Gem by Linda  Liu Moo Hoo by Audrey Perrott Prunella by Beth Ferry Rescue Cat by Stephen A. Savage We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang Being Home by Traci Sorell  A Terrible Place for a Nest by Sara   Levine Quiet as Mud by Jane Yolen  Stanley the Baker by William Bee There are No Dragons in This Book by Donna Lambo-Weidner  Ducks! by Deborah Underwood The Duck Never Blinks by Alex Latimer Dalmartian by Lucy Ruth Cummins How to Catch a Fairy Godmother by Alice Walstead If You Spot a Shell by Aimée  Sicuro 

 The Woolly Bear Caterpillar by Julia Donaldson Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle  Sleepy by Jennifer Ward Mr. Pei’s Perfect Shapes by Julie Leung The Little Books of the Little Brontës by Sara O'Leary A Mind of Her Own by Robyn McGrath 

Dog Gets a Pet by Jeff Mack Blue, Barry & Pancakes by Dan  Jason Detective Sweet Pea by Sara Varon  And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps 

 Art Club by Rashad Doucet  Sprouting Wings by Christian Slade Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess by Megan Brennan Bunnybirds #1 by Natalie Linn Cloud Puppy by Kelly Leigh Miller Lightfall by Tim Probert  Welcome to Scare School (1) by Jarrett Lerner Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne Marvel Meow by Nao Fuji 

 But I Live by Miriam Libicki

Thursday, August 1, 2024

CELEBRATE JULY!

I read (and listened to) some really fantastic books this month which makes it hard to pick my top three.  There were some really funny picture books and some great  middle school graphic novels. Loren Long's The Yellow Bus is a thought provoking book about joy. And the story about how he created it is simply fascinating. Cicada Symphony by Sue Fliess is one I might have overlooked. I mean, who wants to read about cicadas? But it's on the TLA 2x2 list and I am so glad that it was because I now have a new appreciation for those noisy, somewhat scary critters. Spoiler - they won't hurt you!! And Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol. If you've been following Ilona Maher - medal winning USA rugby star - then I think you would enjoy Jane's story also. 

Happy reading!

The Yellow Bus by Loren Long  Cicada Symphony by Sue Fliess 

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

Our family has a ton of birthdays in July. This year was special because my oldest came to Texas to celebrate! We had a great week with family and exploring Big Bend, outer space (thanks McDonald Observatory!), and Gormenghast.  On our journey, we listened to the surreal fantasy classic Titus Groan by Mervyn Peak. It is the first book in the Goremenghast series, which was published in 1946.

I also received several digital review copies this month. I am still plowing my way through them but I did read The Fly Who Flew to Space which publishes in September and Pedro the Pirate: A Foster Kid's New Crew which publishes in November. Also A Flash of Color & Light: A Biography of Dale Chihuly which published in 2020 but is possibly being republished? You can check out my reviews on Goodreads if you are interested.

   The Fly Who Flew to Space by Lauren Sanchez A Flash of Color and Light by Sharon Mentyka

A Crocodile Should Never Skip Breakfast by Colleen Larmour Under the Table by Allan Ahlberg The Wrong Book by Drew Daywalt  Scorch, Hedgehog of Doom by Cate Berry Go and Get with Rex by David LaRochelle  The Perfect Place by Matt de la Peña A Friend for Eddy by Ann Kim Ha  You're Going to Love This Book! by Jory John Ursula Upside Down by Corey R. Tabor Later, When I’m Big by Bette Westera My Book and Me by Linda Sue Park  Just What to Do by Kyle Lukoff How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich in 17 Easy Steps by Bambi Edlund Kisses from Space by Anna Menon I Love My Magic! by Kelly Leigh Miller 

 Butt or Face? by Kari Lavelle  Whale Fall by Melissa Stewart Return of the Wild by Helen Scales

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld Summer Vamp by Violet Chan Karim  Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson  Lucky Scramble by Peter Raymundo

Louder Than Hunger by John Schu Frindle by Andrew Clements Bear and Bird by Jarvis 

 Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake  The Brightwood Code by Monica Hesse 

I am currently reading Code Name Kingfisher by Liz Kessler.