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Weekly picture book reads 11/5/12

Top Picks:

Creepy Carrots: Definitely not a typical story arc. The freshness held my attention. I think I like the trend toward darker picture books.

The Princess and the Pig: This book had me laughing out loud, literally. My husband had to come and look at it to see what was amusing me so. Loved it.

Olivia and the Fairy Princess: I’ve never picked up an Olivia book before. This one seems to be a continuation from the previous one. I felt as if I had missed the punch line of a joke. The way the art is handled is intriguing.

Pierre the Penguin: A non-fiction in a fictional format. I have a feeling there will be a lot more books like this now that the schools have Common Core Curriculum. Definitely one to look at if you want to create books for the school market. I liked it.

The Jewel Fish of Karnak: Another Graeme Base book. I love his art. This book has an interactive component. Secret decoder ring in the back cover with a web site to see if you cracked the code correctly. I didn’t solve it and go to the web site, but if I was a kid, I probably would have kept trying until I got it. I love puzzles.

I Can Do It Myself: The story line is pretty standard fare along the lines of the title. What really makes this book a pleaser is the illustrations for each activity the child is doing. Quite humorous interpretations in unexpected ways. A must see for artists interested in book illustration.

Santa Retires: Cute.

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Clover: Another one in this “old lady swallowed” series. I think this joke has run its course. The text seemed forced and illogical in places. A young child unfamiliar with the formula might be amused.

Wild About You: Cute story in a zoo about adoption.

The Monsters’ Monster: Just this side of preachy. Illustrations were well done.

Wanda and the Wild Hair: Won this one as a door prize at the MO-SCBWI fall conference on Saturday. Was a bit of a disappointment.