Half of an Elephant

Half of an Elephant by Gusti. Copy supplied by publisher, Kane/Miller. Originally published in Mexico 2006.

The Plot:
An elephant is fast asleep when CRACK the world is split in two. He wakes up half an elephant and now has to search for his other half.

The Good:
The plot is a mix of silly and serious as elephant (and every other animal) has to go looking for it's other half. In a weird way, this is like an adult romance break up and get back together story: elephant has to learn to be strong on it's own! Elephant is so desperate to be whole that it hooks up with the wrong half of an animal! And at the end, when the two halves reunite because after all, they belong together, each half retains its independence. It applies to any situation where someone "cannot live without the other person" yet find out... yes, the can.

The illustrations are very inventive; as described on the book flap, they are "digital images of numerous discarded objects to show children that art can be created from objects that usually end up in the garbage can." As such, I can easily see this being used to inspire art projects. Aside from the story itself, it's fun to look at the various animals and figure out what they are made of.

For some reason; I think because of the combination of "found objects" and the way the half animals survive despite being cut in two; I also read this as magical realism in picture book format. OK, so magical realism isn't quite the term I mean... but I cannot think of a term to use where the text of the story is so serious and factual while discussing something that is impossible. The serious treatment of something magical; the treating it as every day and normal; appealed to me, especially since the illustrations are also other-worldly.

Links:
Kane/Miller Play Pages (great for parents & teachers) PDF
Propernoun review
Kids Lit review
a whimsy Pick for 2006
Big A little a review

A Girl, A Boy, And A Monster Cat

A Girl, A Boy And A Monster Cat by Gail Gauthier, illustrated by Joe Cepeda. ARC supplied by author. Publication date June 2007.

The Plot. A girl. A boy. A monster cat.

OK, there's more than that, but I couldn't resist. As an aside, since the title reminds me of my blog name, I now have to refer to this book as Monster Cat.

Brandon's ideal afterschool activity? Watching TV. Hannah's ideal afterschool activity? Hunting dinosaurs (aka turkeys) in the backyard, sailing a pirate ship (tree in the backyard), saving the world from her monster cat (aka Buttercup.)

Hannah's mom babysits for Brandon after school three days a week. So Brandon gets dragged into Hannah's school games. With surprising and amusing results.

The Good: Gauthier brings the funny. The humor is often very dry; for example, when Brandon describes Hannah he says "Her games are like really bad TV shows. Only you can't turn the channel to something better because you're part of the show."

Brandon often likes Hannah's games, tho he won't always admit it. Especially since Hannah has the knack of pushing the game a wee bit too far. And of giving Brandon the worst part of the game. Often, the cat has a better role than Brandon.

Part of the humor is from Hannah herself; she is blunt, confident, and has no idea she may rub someone the wrong way. Upon meeting the new neighbor, Hannah asks "is your house haunted?" Brandon recognizes that the new neighbor does the equivalent of back away slowly from Hannah; Hannah herself has no idea that she's scared the neighbor.

Monster Cat is under 9o pages; and perfect for the "just finished easy readers, scared off by how long chapter books are now that everyone thinks they have to compete with Harry Potter" crowd. Brandon and Hannah are in third grade; and this will be a fun read for younger grades.

Monster Cat is the perfect book to show that reading is fun. In addition to the manageable overall length, the individual chapters are short, each one able to stand alone as a short story (there is an overall story arc, also); and Cepeda's illustrations are amusing. (Hey, I just realized he did the illustrations for one of my favorite picture books ever!)

What else? I like that this is one of those books that creates Drama from the everyday life of real kids. At it's heart, it's about two imaginative kids, their neighborhood, a cat, a dog.

Links:

More info on the origins of Monster Cat (first in a series) at Gail's website.
Gail's blog, Original Content.

Bloodsong

Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess, sequel / companion to Bloodtide. Copy supplied by publisher. The first image is the UK version; the second is the US version. Review based on uncorrected book proof.

The Plot: Sigurd is born to be a hero; and Bloodsong begins with Sigurd facing the classic hero quest: slay the dragon.

The Good: Loved it. A Best Book for 2007.

Bloodtide and Bloodsong are set in a future that's barely recognizable. It's a post--apocalyptic world that is as bloody and brutal as anything out of the medieval past. It's a world of death and violence. Science has made magic real; with cloning and machines, and "magic rings" studied under microscopes.

Yet magic is not lost; gods such as Odin and Loki are real (or are they the result of some high tech machine?) For example, Sigurd says he is born to do great things: "You think I'm arrogant; I'm not. I was made for this -- literally. My father designed me for it. Every gene in my body was picked for this purpose. My mother brought me up for it; the gods shaped me as the keystone for this time and place. It's no credit to me. I have less choice than anyone." Magical swords coexist with people that are part pig and part dog because of DNA manipulation.

Bloodsong is about adventure; love; greatness; weakness. It is bloody and violent and heartless. And it's realistic, in the sense that things don't always work out they way you think they should or the way you want them to. Bloodsong takes some unexpected twists and turns, changing the story entirely. I never knew what was going to happen next, which is refreshing. And it's why I won't tell anything of the plot beyond Sigurd is off to slay a dragon.

Burgess often shifts POV; mixing it up, so sometimes it's first person, other times third person, and it's not consistent. It's a bit unsettling at first; but it works because it means that, despite the UK cover ("one hero. one kingdom. one chance to make it his own"), there is no one hero; we see Sigurd's view of himself, as well as how others view him; we get into the heads of all the characters, as well as seeing them more objectively. Which makes the violence, the betrayals, the hope and lost hope all the more real and all the more heart-shattering.

The US cover says "a legacy's final heir. a country's only hope." As mentioned above, Burgess provides a slick mix of Sigurd being the heir and the hope not just because the gods say so, but also because Sigurd himself has been genetically engineered to be heir and hope.

Do you have to read Bloodtide to read Bloodsong? No; I read Bloodtide when it first came out and had forgotten much of the details. While I want to reread it, I didn't have the time. No worries; while there are some connections I may have missed, for the most part Bloodsong stands alone. Actually, anyone reading Bloodtide expecting a true sequel may be disappointed; Bloodsong does not continue the story of Bloodtide, but rather tells the story of Sigurd, son of Sigmund, one of the characters in Bloodtide. It's like first reading the story of Henry II and then reading a book about Richard I.

While my copy of Bloodsong didn't mention it, these books are based on the Volsunga Saga. Many of the names are the same; others are close: Sigurd is a Volson, for example. Those of you familiar with the saga will be less surprised than I at the twists and turns of Sigurd's story, and instead will take greater enjoyment at how that story is reborn, retold and reimagined.

Links, all of which refer to the source material so all are highly spoilerific
The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga)
More on the Volsunga saga.
Interview with author. (video interview)

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Copy from publisher, First Second; Cybils winner.

The Plot: Three stories are being told: of the Monkey King, who strives to be something he is not; and is then mocked and excluded and humiliated for being who he is. Of Jin Wang, from San Francisco, who is always introduced as being "from China", with his name mangled, despite being born in America. He wants to fit in. Then there is Danny and his cousin, with his cousin the embodiment of every negative stereotype in the world, from how he pronounces his words to his clothes to what he does.

The Good: As the chapters alternate stories, from myth (Monkey King) to realistic (Jin Wang) to bizarre (Danny is obviously Caucasian and his cousin is every negative Asian Stereotype personified) the reader wonders, how does this all fit together? Once the pieces of the puzzle click together, it's very satisfying and the reader wants to go back and start over, to pick up what was missed and to see how the stories overlap.

American Born Chinese is about the Chinese American experience; about growing up when people think because of your appearance you cannot be "American". But it is also about conflicts between immigrants and first generation children, about discovering your self, about teenagers and high school politics, about perceptions of yourself and others. For those teachers who match up modern day YA books with classics, I would match this up with any book that is about the first generation experience in America.

American Born Chinese won this year's Printz Award, as well as the Cybils for Graphic Novels (age 13 plus.)

Links:
the infamous rant against Graphic Novels and the National Book Award.
Gene Yang responds.
Outside of a Cat review.
The Brookshelf review.
Librarina review.
Reading YA: Readers' Rants review.
The Rock & Roll Librarian review.

Confession: I went looking for links and between the Printz and Cybils, I was overwhelmed by the number of blogs mentioning this title. So if I left out your review, let me know in the links, and I'll fix that right quick.

Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda

Deogratias: A Tale Of Rwanda by J.P. Stassen. Copy donated by publisher, First Second; Cybils long list. Graphic Novel.

One of my Best Books of 2006.

The Plot: A historical note at the front explains that Deogratias is set in late 1994, early 1995, in Rwanda, and gives background about the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority of Rwanda. This is a work of fiction; it is the story of Deogratias, a teenage boy who is a Hutu; and two teenage sisters who are Tutsi, Apollinaria and Benina. It begins after the Rwandan Genocide (800,00 to 1,000,000 dead); and has characters from all sides, the Hutus, the Tutsis, the observers, those who acted and those who did not.

The Good: A must read. Stassen accomplishes much with few pages (less than 80!) and few words. He tells of life before and after the Genocide; he includes the various factions and entities present, from the UN peacekeeping force to the Rwandan Patriotic Front to the Interahamwe. The brevity helps; too many words would drown this story. The simplicity emphasizes the horror.

Deogratias is told in flashbacks; at first it is a bit confusing (what is happening when?) but it quickly becomes apparent that Deogratias's appearance lets the reader know whether the setting is the present (1995), with Deogratias dressed in rags, or the past (1994), with his clothes fresh and clean and whole. And, of course, the change in his dress is not just because time has passed; the battered outward appearance reflects Deogratias's emotional and psychological damage.*

There is a mounting sense of dread in this book; Deogratias is alive, obviously affected by the events that unfolded, but just how badly he has been injured is not known until the last pages. How did he get to where he is? And why is he so shattered, when he was not part of the ethnic group that was targeted for extermination? And what happened to those two sisters? With each page, there are glimpses of just how bad it will get, and little bits of hope to hang onto.

What happens to a person who lives thru such horror? What is moral? And of course -- what would you do?

This is an incredible chilling and powerful story; not only because it is about such a horrific time, but also because Deogratias's personal story is so tragic. What would someone do, at that time, in that place?

You will remember these people and this story for a long time.

*For some reason, lately, when I've been reading graphic novels one of the questions I've asked myself is, "did this have to be told in a GN format?" Why use pictures instead of words? Deogratias is one of those books that would not have worked half so well without the illustrations; something would have been lost if only words had been used.

Links:
The film Hotel Rwanda, based on true events.
Reading YA: Readers Rant review.
Bookslut In Training review, from column Kids At War.
Words, words, words review.
Chasing Ray loved this book, also, and like me wonders, where are the awards for this book?

The Rwandan Genocide happened over a decade ago. What about events going on today?
Here are links about what you can do about Darfur:
Save Darfur;
Darfur: A Genocide We Can Stop;
Human Rights Watch: Darfur;
UNICEF.
Darfur Eyewitness (from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).

Surrender

Surrender by Sonya Hartnett.

There will be spoilers. And it is better to read this book without spoilers. So I will try to have all non spoilers at the top and spoilers afterwards, clearly marked. And I cannot do much more to make you read this book without spoilers short of showing up at your house and forcing you.

The Plot: Gabriel is dying. He lies in bed, aged only twenty, his life slipping by and looks back on his life; his strict parents, his isolated town, his brother, his beloved dog, and his friendship with the Finnigan, a Huck Finn type child who is wild and unruly, the opposite of Gabriel.

But nothing is what it seems; even Gabriel's name isn't Gabriel. Surrender is his dog; but it's much more than that, as Gabriel surrenders to his fate.

The Good: The language is stunning. "The sun's like a coin that's been buried for years." It's the type of writing that you almost forget what you're reading, as you enjoy the words and the language.

I began this book, disliked it, read the last chapter, had a very "meh" response. Because it's an adbooks contender, I picked it up to read the whole thing. Turned out, there was a lot I missed; and while I'm not sure I can say I liked this book, I am fascinated by it, and impressed by the language, which is why I'm adding it to my Best Books of 2006 list (see sidebar).

And now, ladies and gentlemen and readers of all ages....

In order to say why I am fascinated, I have to go into full on spoiler mode.

S
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The Plot: Gabriel's real name is Anwell; and he relates a story of growing up in a small, isolated town in Australia; of meeting a wild boy, Finnigan, who is Anwell's opposite in everything, Bad to Anwell's Good; of strict parents; of a disabled brother; of Anwell, at the age of 7, causing the death of that brother; of his Mother knowing what had happened with enough time to rescue the brother, but not doing so; of his beloved dog, Surrender; of his father making Anwell shoot his dog; and finally, Anwell taking a hatchet to his parents.

But. Gabriel is in a white room (a hospital? a prison? home?), ill and dying; he fears and wishes for Finnigan to visit; and by the end, it is clear that there is no Finnigan and never was, but that Finnigan is very real to Gabriel and Finnigan is killing Gabriel. At this point, almost anything could be argued as not being real and being imaginations and hallucinations of Anwell/Gabriel.

The Good: The part about Finnigan not being real left me very "meh". Seen it, in various stories by Stephen King and in The Other (the book and movie by Thomas Tryon.) And the idea of Finnigan being Anwell/Gabriel's other half, or the ghost of his brother; well, there is plenty to discuss for book discussions.

But I began rereading, this book with beautiful language, that I thought was an inside look at mental illness and suddenly BAM the older brother is locked in a fridge while Mom watches with a hint of a smile and then BAM Gabriel takes the axe -- it was like I was suddenly reading a book version of The Descent but with pretty language. (Yeah, a scary gross horror film; but one that is just as much about the descent into madness as Surrender is not just the name of a dog.) It's not just the metaphor, a frequent horror film device; the language.... it's the equivalent of watching the shooting scene during Face/Off when the Wizard of Oz song is playing in the background. Sort of like Stephen King in a PBS dress.

The killings take Surrender from a psychological drama with plenty of book discussion type questions (who is Anwell? Who is Finnegan? Who is starting the fires? What does Anwell/ Gabriel know about what is going on? Is Gabriel even really dying? Did any of it really happen?) to out right horror, as the mother looks at the refrigerator knowing her son is in there, then turns to back to her nap, or later, as the blood and the brains of the parents spatter the room.

Is any of it real? Is it all the imaginings of a tortured mind? Does Gabriel only think he killed his parents, because that was the only way to be free of them? Or is he a tortured child, driven to the unthinkable?

Who is the right audience is for this book; why teens? Why not adults? Would this get a bigger audience if it was sold adult?

Anyway... it's one of those odd books that I cannot say "I loved it" because it is so disturbing. But I can say it haunts me. And I can say it is one of the best books I've read this past year.

Links: the Gail Giles review. The Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Review.

Witch Catcher

Witch Catcher by Mary Downing Hahn. Copy from library.

The Plot: Jen's widowed father inherits a castle in West Virginia; well, actually, it's an old house that looks like a castle. And it is full of antiques and treasures and strange things; including a tower in the back, with a padlocked door. Jen, 12, cannot resist the temptation to go exploring and discovers a strange glass globe. Moura, a friend of her father's, asks Jen if she's seen a glass globe -- a "witch catcher."

Jen doesn't like this new woman, and doesn't admit it's upstairs in her room. It turns out that there is something trapped in the globe; something that looks like a girl. Jen's cat, Tink, breaks the witch catcher, releasing what was trapped inside.

Is Moura a friend, or foe? What about the witch -- or thing -- trapped in the globe? Who should Jen trust?

The Good: This is the type of book I adored as a kid. Inheriting a big old house, full of rooms to explore and treasure to uncover? A dream come true.

It was such a disappointment to look at my family tree and realize that while books were full of people who were the only living relative of distant, barely known rich relatives, I was doomed to a life of knowing all my relatives and even if a distant, rich one existed somewhere, and died, plenty of other relatives would have dibs on the house. Life just isn't fair.

Jen soon figures out that Moura has bewitched Jen's father. It's not just that her father has fallen for Moura, and that Jen, an only child, is jealous; it's that her father has started acting strangely (meaning rudely and mean) towards Jen. Jen knows enough to know that her father would never change towards her just because of some woman; there has to be something more going on!

Now, this is another point that is well done. Because while it turns out Jen is right -- Moura is a witch and has evil reasons for wanting the witch catcher and her power over Jen's father in an attempt to get the witch catcher -- many kids do have parents who change dramatically once a new partner (or potential partner) enters the picture. While Witch Catcher is a fantasy, it realistically depicts Jen's sense of outrage and betrayal at having a "new person" enter her tight family circle and having her father "choose" someone else.

Witches and fairies, good and bad, enter the picture. Jen has to battle Moura, protect her father, and also figure out that while Moura may be her enemy, are the enemies of her enemies (that is, the creatures that were trapped in the glass globes) really her friends?

One more cool thing: along the way, Jen gets turned into a variety of animals. As I said, I would have loved this book as a kid. She's a cat, she's a squirrel, she's a bat.

Last thing: Because I know how much the child me would have liked this book, it's a Best Book of 2006.

Links: An interview with the author. Photos of "witch balls." The Planet Esme Review.

Pop!

Pop! by Aury Wallington.

The Plot: Marit has made a decision: she's going to lose her virginity. She's also going to get a boyfriend. The thing is, she has also decided that these two things have nothing to do with each other. She has a crush on the new guy at school, Noah; but she believes her nervousness about sex is getting in the way. Luckily, there's her best friend Jamie. She doesn't love him, but she trusts him. Things don't always go according to plan...

The Good: I think Pop! is one of the frankest books I've read about someone losing their virginity; I'm not surprised to find out that Wallington was a writer for Sex and The City. (She also wrote for Veronica Mars! How cool is she!) What's weird is it's also the second book I've read recently where a teenage girl makes this decision based on society. Here, Marit is convinced that she's the last virgin in her class; in This Is All, Cordelia wanted to go against statistics and have sex before teens statistically have sex. (Another interesting point -- in neither of these books are those assumptions questioned; Marit truly believes she's the last virgin, Cordelia truly believes the stats about the average age a teenager has sex; and both use it as a jumping off point for action. It's treated no differently than someone saying, the average age people learn how to swim is 16 and I need to start lessons now!)

Anyway, while the sex is explicit, it is described in an almost clinical way; it's not a romance novel version of sex. There was some controversy about this title; I think realistic first time sex is a lot healthier for a teen to read about than those books that are all romance novel sex. (And I say this as a reader of the romance genre; I'm not putting down that genre. I'm just saying, what is better, the myth of romance novels of the realism of Pop?.) The book is the upper YA range, it's not for middle school. As a comparison, it's no more explicit than This Is All, Doing It, or King Dork.

I liked Marit; but I did find her choices a little odd. Sex with one boy, dating another.... It's like she fears the emotional intimacy of sex, so enters into a sexual relationship with someone who is a friend to keep a certain emotional distance from it. She creates a relationship where she can create physical intimacy with one person without emotional intimacy; and emotional intimacy without physical intimacy. Of course, nothing works out the way she imagines it will, or hopes it will, and the ending... I don't give too much away about the ending, but there is much to chat about in the comments, if you like.

I have to say, when Noah finds out what's been going on, I felt sympathy for him -- and I hope he doesn't get together with Marit. And I feel sorry for Jamie. Marit realizes the dilemma: "Because sleeping with one guy when you were trying to get something started with another? Ranked right up there on the Top Ten Tackiest Ways to Ruin a Friendship."

Are you wondering why I'm reviewing this, as it's a bit clear that personally I was a bit surprised by Marit's motivation and choices? The thing is, whether or not I agree with her moral choices, it is depicted realistically, with respect, and with humor. And this is a very funny book because Marit is funny. On looking at a self portrait she's drawn, she muses that "It was supposed to be a pop-art portrait, but in it, I looked more like a Japanimation action hero. Apparently, when I looked in a mirror, what I saw was Sailor Moon."

Not surprisingly, I kept on picturing this as a movie or TV show and I think with a good actress in the lead role, I would have a better understanding of what Marit did . Things I liked: the dialogue between the characters, the stuff they did for fun (watching movies, hangout out), I even pictured Noah as Jared Padalecki while Marit was a young Claire Danes.

What I liked best about this book is that Marit and her friends are outsiders, deliberately not involved in school. Noah, on the other hand, is Mr. School Spirit. But guess what? This is NOT a makeover story!! Marit attends a few rah rah events because of Noah's involvement, but never does she have to compromise who she is or change her hair. It's nice to see the Popular Guy/ Arty Girl done in a way where the Arty Girl doesn't have to become someone else.

Links: Bookshelves of Doom review. The teenwire.com interview. Dispatches from an MFA Seeking Writer's take on the controversy and then more thoughts from Dispatches.

Cybils Nominations: Fiction Picture Books

The nominated picture books for the Cybils. If I read it, it's in bold.

Across the Alley
Written by Richard Michelson; illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Putnam

Adele & Simon
Written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon
Written and illustrated by Mini Grey
Knopf Books for Young Readers

The Adventures of Margaret Mouse: School Days
Written by Cherokee Wyatt; illustrated by Angela M. Redmon
Margaretmouse.com

The Adventures of Odysseus
Written by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden; illustrated by Christina Balit
Barefoot Books

AlphaOops: The Day Z Went First
Written by Alethea Kontis; illustrated by Bob Kolar
Candlewick

Ancient Thunder
Written and illustrated by Leo Yerxa
Groundwood Books

Are You Quite Polite? Silly Dilly Manners Songs
Written by Alan Katz; illustrated by David Catrow
Margaret K. McElderry

Augustine
Melanie Watt
Kids Can Press

Bats at the Beach
Written and illustrated by Brian Lies
Houghton Mifflin

Beach
Written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper
Orchard Books

Black? White! Day? Night!-A Book of Opposites
Written and illustrated Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Roaring Brook Press

Boo’s Dinosaur
Written by Betsy Byars; illustrated by Erik Brooks
Henry Holt and Co.

Bringing Asha Home
Written by Uma Krishnaswami; illustrated by Jamel Akib
Lee & Low Books

The Buffalo Soldier
Written by Sherry Garland; illustrated by Ronald Himler
Pelican Publishing Company

Caleb’s Birthday Wish
Written by David Villanueva; illustrated by Edmundo Sanchez
A Better Be Write Publisher

Carrot Soup
Written and illustrated by John Segal
Margaret K. McElderry

Ceci Ann’s Day of Why
Written by Christopher Phillips; illustrated by Shino Arihara
Tricycle Press

Cheep! Cheep!
Written by Julie Stiegemeyer; illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Christmas at the Candle Factory
Written by Barbara L. Johns; illustrated by Carolyn R. Stich
Steeple Ridge Publications

Christmas in the Trenches
Written by John McCutcheon; illustrated by Henri Sorensen
Peachtree Publishers

Chowder
Written and illustrated by Peter Brown
Little, Brown Young Readers

The Closet Ghosts
Written by Uma Krishnaswami; illustrated by Shiraaz Bhabha
Children's Book Press

A Coach’s Letter to his Son
Written by by Mel Allen; illustrated by John Thompson
Creative Editions

Destructo Boy and Spillerella…We Are Who We Are!
Written and illustrated by Howard Shapiro
Trafford Publishing

Duck and Goose
Written and illustrated by Tad Hills
Schwartz & Wade

Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct
Written and illustrated by Mo Willems
Hyperion

Emily’s Balloon
Written and illustrated by Komako Sakai
Chronicle Books

Estelle Takes a Bath
Written by Jill Esbaum; illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma
Henry Holt and Co.

Fish Kisses and Gorilla Hugs
Written and illustrated by Marianne Richmond
Marianne Richmond Studios

Fletcher and the Falling Leaves
Written by Julia Rawlinson; illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Greenwillow

Flotsam
Written and illustrated by by David Wiesner
Clarion Books

The Flower Ball
Written by Sigrid Laube; illustrated by Silke Leffler
Pumpkin House, Ltd.

Fly, Little Bird
Written and illustrated by Tina Burke
Kane/Miller Book Publishers

For You are a Kenyan Child
Written by Kelly Cunnane; illustrated by Ana Juan
Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books

The Giraffe Who Was Afraid of Heights
Written by David A. Uffer; illustrated by Kirsten Carlson
Sylvan Dell

Glitter Girl and the Crazy Cheese
Written by Frank Hollon, Mary Grace, Dusty Baker; illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba
MacAdam/Cage Publishing

Granny Gert and the Bunion Brothers
Written by Dotti Enderle; illustrated by Joe Kulka
Pelican Publishing Company

Gwango’s Lonesome Trail
Written and illustrated by Justin Parpan
Red Cygnet Press, Inc.

Half of an Elephant
Written by Gusti
Kane/Miller Book Publishers

Hippo! No, Rhino
Written and illustrated by Jeff Newman
Little, Brown Young Readers

Hop! Plop!
Written by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Tali Klein; illustrated by Olivier Dunrea
Walker Books for Young Readers

How the Moon Regained her Shape
Written by Janet Ruth Heller; illustrated by Ben Hodson
Sylvan Dell

If You Were a Parrot
Written by Katherine Rawson; illustrated by Sherry Rogers
Sylvan Dell

I’m Not a Baby
Written and illustrated by Jill Mcelmurry
Schwartz & Wade

Im Not Cute!
Written and illustrated by Jonathan Allen
Hyperion

Jack and the Beanstalk
Written by E. Nesbit; illustrated by Matt Tavares
Candlewick

John, Paul, George, and Ben
Written and illustrated by Lane Smith
Hyperion

Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel
Written by Anthony D. Robles; illustrated by Carl Angel; translated by Eloisa D. de Jesus
Children's Book Press

Learning to Fly
Written and illustrated by Sebastian Meschenmoser
Kane/Miller

Library Lion
Written by Michelle Knudsen; illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Candlewick

Little Bunny Kung Fu
Written and illustrated by Regan Johnson
Blooming Tree Press

Little Dog
Written and illustrated by Lisa Jahn-Clough
Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books

Little Sap and Monsieur Rodin
Written by Michelle Lord; illustrated by Felicia Hoshino
Lee & Low Books

Lucy Goose Goes to Texas
Written by Holly Bea; illustrated by Joe Boddy
HJ Kramer/New World Library

Lost and Found
Written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Philomel

Love, Ruby Valentine
Written by Laurie B. Friedman; illustrated by Lynne Woodcock
Cravath Lerner Publishing Group

Love You When You Whine
Written by Emily Jenkins; illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Mama, I’ll Give You the World
Written by Roni Schotter; illustrated by S. Saelig Gallagher
Schwartz & Wade

Max’s Words
Written by Kate Banks; illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Mia’s Story
Written and illustrated by Michael Foreman
Candlewick

The Mice of Bistrot de Sept Freres
Written and illustrated by Marie LeTourneau
Tanglewood Press

Mine! Mine! Mine!
Written by Shelly Becker; illustrated by Hideko Takahashi
Sterling

Mom and Dad are Palindromes: A Dilemma for Words...and Backwards
Written by Mark Shulman; illustrated by Adam McCauley
Chronicle Books

Mommy?
by Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks, and Matthew Reinhart
Michael di Capua Books / Scholastic; Pop-Up edition

Moongirl
Written by Henry Selick; illustrated by Peter Chan and Courtney Booker
Candlewick

The Mountain that Loved a Bird
Written by Alice McLerran; illustrated by Stephen Aitken
Tulika Books

The Munched-up Garden
Written by Nancy Allen; illustrations by K. Michael Crawford
Red Pebble Press

Museum Trip
Written and illustrated by Barbara Lehman
Houghton Mifflin

Ninety-Three in My Family
Written by Erica S. Perl; illustrated by Mike Lester
Abrams Books for Young Readers

Nutmeg
Written and illustrated by David Lucas
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Oh No, Not Ghosts!
Written by Richard Michelson; illustrated by Adam McCauley
Harcourt Children's Books

Once Upon a Banana
Written by Jennifer Armstrong; illustrated by David Small
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

On Top of Spaghetti
Written and illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson
Scholastic Press

Pinkalicious
Written by Elizabeth Kann; illustrated by Victoria Kann
HarperCollins

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow
Written by Amy Lee-Tai; illustrated by Felicia Hoshino
Children's Book Press

The Plight of the Queen Bee
Written and illustrated by Simone Fairchild
Better Be Write Publisher Llc

The Prince’s Bedtime
Written by Joanne Oppenheim; illustrated by Caroline Pedler and Miriam Latimer
Barefoot Books

The Princess and the Pea
Written and illustrated by Lauren Child; photographs by Polly Borland
Hyperion

Probuditi!
Written and illustrated by by Chris Van Allsburg
Houghton Mifflin

Red Fox at McCloskey’s Farm
Written by Brian Heinz; illustrated by Chris Sheban
Creative Editions

The Red Lemon
Written and illustrated by Bob Staake
Golden Books

Rock 'n' Roll Dogs
Written by David Davis; illustrated by Chuck Galey
Pelican Publishing Company

Sadie Can Count
Written by Ann Cunningham
Sadie Concept Books

Sail Away, Little Boat
Written by Janet Buell; illustrated by Jui Ishida
Carolrhoda Books

Scaredy Squirrel
Melanie Watt
Kids Can Press

Shadow: The Curious Morgan Horse
Written and illustrated by Ellen F. Feld
Willow Bend

Shelby
Written by Stacy A. Nyikos; illustrated by Shawn N. Sisneros
Stonehorse Publishing

The Shivers in the Fridge
Written by Fran Manushkin; illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Dutton Juvenile

Silly Suzy Goose
Written and illustrated by by Petr Horacek
Candlewick

Singing Shijimi Clams
Written and illustrated by Naomi Kojima
Kane/Miller Book Publishers

So Few of Me
Written and illustrated Peter H. Reynolds
Candlewick

Sound of Colors: A Journey of the Imagination
Written and illustrated by Jimmy Liao
Little, Brown Young Readers

Sparks Fly High: The Legend of Dancing Point
Written by Mary Quattlebaum; illustrated by Leonid Gore
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Stanley Goes Fishing
Written and illustrated by Craig Frazier
Chronicle Books

Stoo Hample's Book of Bad Manners
Written and illustrated by Stoo Hample
Candlewick

The Talking Vegetables
Written by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert; illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Henry Holt and Co.

The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers
Written by Caroline Arnold; illustrated by John Sandford
Boyds Mills Press

The Three Witches
Written by Zora Neale Hurston; illustrated Faith Ringgold
HarperCollins

Tudley Didn’t Know
Written and illustrated by John Himmelman
Sylvan Dell

Uno’s Garden
Written and illustrated by Graeme Base
Abrams Books for Young Readers

Waiting for Gregory
Written by Kimberly Willis Holt; illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
Henry Holt and Co.

Walk On: A Guide for Babies of All Ages
Written and illustrated by Marla Frazee
Harcourt Children's Books

When Giants Come to Play
Written by Andrea Beaty; illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Abrams Books for Young Readers

When You Were Small
Written by Sara O'Leary; illustrated by Julie Morstad
Simply Read Books

Winter is the Warmest Season
Written and illustrated by Lauren Stringer
Harcourt Children's Books

Wolves
Written and illustrated by Emily Gravett
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Wrestler Oddie
Written by Grant Slatter; illustrated by Taylor and Wearin
Oddies

Year of the Dog: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac
Written by Oliver Chin; illustrated by Jerimiah Alcorn
Immedium

Yesta's Sweater
Written by Sylvia Olsen; illustrated by Joan Larson

Zoolidays
Written by Rolandas Kiaulevicius; illustrated by Bruce Glassman
Red Cygnet Press

Note: edited as a I read them