But the bloggers have been busy reviewing and considering new children's titles from picture book to young adult. Some highlights from the past few days include:
PICTURE BOOKS
- In the picture book category, Wendy considers Rosemary Wells' First Tomato at Blog from the Windowsill.
- A Fuse #8 Productions tries to avoid the word "cute," but can't in the face of Jonathan Allen's I'm Not Cute. Our intrepid librarian finds I'm Not Cute "perfection" and concludes, "I’ll do whatever I can to let the world know that this THIS is a book well worth reading. A fluffy magnificent gift for any small child who happens to believe that they are a warrior at heart."
- Tasha at KidsLit recommends D Is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Yongsheng Xuan. The cover art for this one is beautiful and I'll definitely look for it.
- PJ Librarian discusses Laura Numeroff picture books (especially those other than the If you give.. ones) at The Magic of Books. I have to admit, I had no idea Numeroff had written picture books other than the If you give... titles.
- Sheila at Wands and Worlds highly recommends The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Freres, written and illustrated by Marie Le Tourneau. Sheila finds the The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Freres, "a delightful picture book with charming illustrations. French words (and their English translations) are interspersed throughout the story."
- Anne at Book Buds reviews Elisa Kleven's new picture book, The Wishing Ball. I adore Kleven's illustrations with their collage elements and Chagallesque composition and was happy to learn she has a new book out.
- Liz B. at A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy reviews two new Kane/Miller picture books, I'm a Pill Bug and Learning to Fly, the second while blogging with child on lap!
MIDDLE GRADE
- Jen Robinson reviews Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks and praises it highly for its narration: "The viewpoint of the book shifts seamlessly between the four sisters, leaving the reader with a feeling of knowing them all well by the end of the story."
- A Fuse #8 Productions provides a mixed review for Patrick Carman's The Dark Hills Divide ("Enjoyable but frustrating," "lazy")
YOUNG ADULT
- ProfessorNana has reviewed many interesting titles this week at The Goddess of YA, including a "book that makes you go hmmm...." (Jack Gantos' The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs). She's also reviewed Sonia Levitin's The Goodness Gene, Helen Hemphill's Long Gone Daddy and Nancy Garden's Endgame.
- Leila at Bookshelves of Doom keeps up with book challenges around the U.S., recommends a truly funny blog (Literally, A Web Log), is sick of Naomi Wolf (I'm with her there), and reviews Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
- Speaking of Naomi Wolf, Gail Gauthier has undertaken a noble, yet great challenge at Original Content. She's actually reading the teen novels so famously criticized by Wolf. Check out her recent review of Best Friends for Never, one of The Clique series by Lisi Harrison. Gail promises a review of an A-List title soon.
- Speaking of lists and young adult fiction, Little Willow has contributed a great post on "tough issues" and young adult reads at Slayground. LW recommends titles for kids struggling with a variety of "tough issues" from eating disorders to academics. The comment thread is great too.
LISTS
- Speaking of lists, there are a couple of good ones this week. Camille recommends Titanic Books at Book Moot and Susan shares some recent home favorites at Chicken Spaghetti.
FANTASY
- Michele at Scholar's Blog has been busy this week, reviewing three fantasy titles (two from Juliet E. McKenna and one from Garth Nix). Michele, as usual, does a great job at reviewing both recently released titles and some older ones, as well as differentiating types of fantasy for her readers.
