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This was not a good reading week for me.  I did finish The Complete Talking Heads by Alan Bennett just in time to start performances of selections from it at St. Louis Actors' Studio this weekend.  This is really just stellar writing and amazing character building.  See them if you can, but if you can't, they're still worth a read. After that, I read less than a full chapter of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, for the May meeting of Teen Reads, so I don't have much to say about that. I did get through some picture books though.  On the finished side, I read What Will Hatch? by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Susie Ghahremani, for Jennifer's Children's Book Week event.  It's a very visually appealing and accessible light-science picture book that can also be played as a guessing game.  Younger kids should love it.

Then there were some yet-to-be-published books from Penguin: An Otis Christmas by Loren Long
Everyone's favorite tractor is back with a tale in the classic Christmas spirit, although it might be a bit heavy for some (a horse almost dies in childbirth).
I read an F&G from Philomel. Friends by Eric Carle
This is...odd.  I really like the beginning, and it's nice to see a friendship between a boy and a girl.  I really like the middle, which reframes the traditional illustrations and puts the reader in the setting rather than the character.  But the end is...odd.  And abrupt. Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Anna Dewdney
Llama Llama adds a worthy installment to the ongoing discussion on bullying.
I read an F&G from Viking. Madeline and the Old House in Paris by John Bemelmans Marciano
A nice new installment to the Madeline series, this one featuring a ghost. Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by K.G. Campbell
A very cute story with a lot of visual humor kids will love. Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
A worthy successor to Dragons Love Tacos.  Often laugh-out-loud funny.
I read an F&G from Dial. Flo and Wendell by William Wegman
Wegman combines his iconic Weimaraners with splashy paintings for a silly book about siblings. Ladybug Girl and the Big Snow by David Soman and Jacky Davis
Another solid entry in the Ladybug Girl series, this one dealing with overcoming frustration. The Christmas Cat by Maryann Macdonald, illustrated by Amy June Bates
A beautiful religious story of the connection between Jesus and his pet cat, inspired by the work of da Vinci. Little Santa by Jon Agee
A strange little Santa origin story. Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward
A magical adventure of a book.  Love the collage illustrations. Sometimes I Forget You're a Robot by Sam Brown
It's basically an explodingdog picture book.  Which means it's visually striking, unexpectedly poignant and so exciting. Bits and Pieces by Judy Schachner You Know What I Love? by Lorena Siminovich
Cute and sweet with bright retro illustrations. Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella by Jan Brett
This is, in many ways, a classic Jan Brett book.  Except that it's about chickens acting out Cinderella.
I read an F&G from Putnam. Little Burro by Jim Arnosky
A fiction story from Arnosky, this evokes the same love of the wild that his nonfiction books do. Gifts of the Heart by Patricia Polacco
A somewhat wordy, but nice, Christmas story. Strega Nona Does It Again by Tomie dePaola
I'm not quite sure I've ever understood the appeal of these books.  This one just doesn't seem like it has much to do with anything kids care about.
I read an F&G from Nancy Paulsen Books. Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora
A very pretty African reimagining of Old MacDonald.  Bonus for a "true facts" section at the back that doesn't get too wordy. Bones and the Apple Pie Mystery by David A. Adler, illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman
A cute mystery for young readers with some light humor.
I read an F&G from Penguin Young Readers.

This week I'll be finishing City of Bones, then reading A Black Hole Is NOT a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristfano, illustrated by Michael Carroll, for Carolyn's Children's Book Week event.

Posted by Sarah at 2:39 PM Labels: Beginning Reader Books, Drama, Fantasy, It's Monday What Are You Reading?, Paranormal Fiction, Picture Books, Science, Young Adult Novels Choose Kind