I read 28 books in November! And it was mostly a combination of romances and children’s picture books, which, uh…would make for a very strange (and long) post. So instead I’ll divide them roughly by type and split them into multiple posts! Here’s part 1: picture books.
Btw, definitely recommend picking up a picture book or two if you ever get the reading blahs. They’re quick, they have pretty pictures, and the good ones are little nuggets of happiness.
Homer, the Library Cat – Reeve Lindbergh & ill. by Anne Wilsdorf ★★★½
A quiet-loving cat gets spooked by sound and accidentally runs away from home, meeting lots of people and things that make loud noises before finding solace in, of course, the library. Very cute artwork! Bright colors, cheerful sketchy-ish style, and the cat is adorable.
The Wolves in the Walls – Neil Gaiman; ill. by Dave McKean ★★★★
Surreal story about, uh, wolves that live in the walls of a British family’s home. And then they come OUT of the walls, and Things Happen. Art by Dave McKean which is lovely to look at as an adult, but probably would’ve terrified me as a child. Good book to read aloud, I think.
Library Mouse and Library Mouse: A Friend’s Tale – Daniel Kirk ★★★
Two books about a mouse who lives in a library and writes books. The first book is about the process of writing and being confident. The second book is about friendship and finding one’s talents. I liked the art, for the most part, except that the mouse character has very unsettling teeth.
Late for the Library! – Peter Maloney; ill. by Felicia Zekauskas ★★★
Kid’s kept his library book for over a year and panics about overdue fines. Has a happy, if somewhat unrealistic, ending– the kid’s okay, but IRL I think probably his account would’ve been sent to collections, depending on how strict the library is. Horrible artwork, as well, with badly-proportioned, half-formed people roaming around.
Fire Race: A Karuk Coyote Tale of How Fire Came to the People – Jonathan London and Lanny Pinola; ill. by Sylvia Long ★★★★
Exactly what it says: a charming story of how coyote and company stole fire from the yellow jacket sisters, featuring wonderfully detailed art and interesting character designs. If you’ve ever read a Jan Brett book, this one’s comparable in scope and art-style, except I think the colors are a bit more vibrant than the ones she usually uses. Definitely recommend picking this up if you’re interested in Native American folklore, books about animals, or stories with great artwork in them.