Reading Ahead – April 2009

Over the past two months, we have kept a steady pace of new arrivals.  We are down from the 10-a-day of two years ago, and there is a part of me that misses the daily Adrenalin rush that comes with a new box of books.

The realist, though, is happy.  While we may be missing out on the opportunity to be one of the “first” readers of the next great treasure, our blogging friends tell us about great finds … and we head to the library to find them.

Here are some of the books we have received that get us excited about reading. We haven’t gotten any bilingual books since February, so there is nothing to add this time.

Picture Books (all ages)

The Little Pot written and illustrated by Dawn Stephens (bPlus Books) It may be my green thumb that draws me to this one, but the little clay pot with a face on the cover is just too cute.

..

Mother Goose in California written and illustrated by Doug Hansen (Heyday Books) This is part alphabet book, part nursery rhyme collection. What really grabbed my attention, though, were the illustrations. California landscapes are the backdrop for classic Mother Goose rhymes.

line one

line two

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea written by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Steven James Petruccio (Soundprints, 2009) This is part of the Smithsonian Oceanic Collection, so that speaks “quality” by itself. Also, I am an admitted Halfmann fan, so I’m looking forward to seeing what young readers think of this.

line1

When I Visit the Farm written and illustrated by Crystal Beshara (Lobster Press, 2009) The cover is just adorable: a young girl in a sundress and bare feet, with four little ducklings following her. The text seems to have a sense of poetry about it.

Easy Readers & Illustrated Chapter Books

Abby and Tess Pet Sitters written by Trina Wiebe, illustrated by Meredith Johnson (Lobster Press, 2009) These are the tales of Abby (third grader) and her younger sister Tess. The titles alone will grab young readers: Piglets Don’t Watch Television, Hamsters Don’t Glow in the Dark, Goldfish Don’t Take Bubble Baths, and Lizards Don’t Wear Lip Gloss.

line1

Maybelle, Bunny of the North written and illustrated by Keith Patterson (Bees Knees Books, 2009) This is most definitely an easy reader – bit print, simple sentences, with full-page illustrations. Without reading it, I can’t quite put my finger on why I’m drawn to keep picking it up.

Middle Grade and Young Adult

Wolf Pack of the Winisk River written by Paul Brown, illustrated by Robert Kakegamic (Lobster Press, 2009) The cover illustration for this book is particularly striking … but open it up. The entire book is written in verse format (centered on each line), without punctuation, and with capital letters only for the wolves names. Very intriguing.

..

The Year the Swallows Came Early written by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (HarperCollins, 2009) The illustration on the front draws you in (young girl with her hands in the air as swallows fly by. It also fits snugly in your hands. I like that in books for middle graders. I know reviews are starting to pop up around the blogosphere, so I may be behind on this one. Don’t know for sure … I never read them until we’ve done our review.