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Picture Books
Walt Disney’s Cinderella retold by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mary Blair (my review here)
The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story by Jeanette Winter
Emily by Michael Bedard, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Sootface: An Ojibawa Cinderella Story retold by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Daniel San Souci
Bear Hunt by Anthony Browne
Pumpkinhead by Eric Rohmann
Edna by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Joanna Yardley
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and his Hired Sportsman by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake
The Little Worm by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II by Lita Judge
Eleanor by Barbara Cooney
Would You Rather by John Burningham
Black and White by David Macauley
Shortcut by David Macauley
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Babar’s Museum of Art by Laurent de Brunhoff
Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

Early Chapter Books
Summer Reading is Killing Me by Jon Scieszcka
Piper Reed, Navy Brat by Kimberly Willis Holt (my review here)

Middle Grade
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (my review here)
The Quikpick Adventure Society by Sam Riddleburger (my review here)
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren, translated by Tiina Nunnally, illustrated by Lauren Child
Seeing Sky-Blue Pink by Candice Ransom
Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty (review forthcoming)
Letters from Rapunzel by Sara Lewis Holmes

Young Adult
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi (graphic novel)

Nonfiction
We are the Ship by Kadir Nelson (my review here)
Walt Whitman: Words for America by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick (my review here)
Living Color by Steve Jenkins (my review here)
Stealing Home: Jackie Robinson Against the Odds by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Mike Wimmer
The Laugh Stand: Adventures in Humor by Brian Cleary (my review here)
Lazily, Crazily, Just a Bit Nasily: More About Adverbs by Brian Cleary (my review here)
Stop and Go, Yes and No: What is an Antonym by Brian Cleary (my review here)
The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis
Tibet through the Red Box by Peter Sis
Black Whiteness by Robert Burleigh

Poetry
Birmingham, 1963 by Carole Boston Weatherford (review forthcoming)
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait by Stephanie Hemphill (my review here)
Here’s a Little Poem edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

Adult
The Annotated Secret Garden edited by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina


Rereads
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Stinky Cheeseman and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszcka
Haunting in Williamsburg by Lou Kassem

It's been a great month of reading. I think I may have set an all-time record for number of books checked out of the library. Everytime I walk in people watch me with eyes bugged out and mouths dropping. I'm sure it will slow down in February though. I'm taking a graduate class in postmodernism in children's literature for my MFA and I'm teaching an undergraduate children's literature class. So most of my reading will be focusing on those two classes from now until May. I'm hoping I'll still get to post, but perhaps not as frequently.

Projects in the works:
As you can see by my lengthy picture book list, I have been overdosing on picture books. I am currently working on some illustrator series to feature an illustrator's work with a book a day. I've got several I'm working on and there will be more to come soon. Also, I'm working on an annotated list of folktale and tall tale retellings. I know there are thousands of books, but I'm reading what I can get my hands on and writing short summaries on each.

Picture Books
The Kiss that Missed by David Melling
Move by Steven Jenkins and Robin Page (my review here)
Meerkat Mail by Emily Gravett (illustrator series forthcoming)
Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman (my review here)
Punk Farm on Tour by Jarrett Krosoczka
The Princess and the Pea written and illustrated by Lauren Child (my review here)
Dog Blue by Polly Dunbar (illustrator series forthcoming)
Not Just Tutus by Rachel Isadora
Very Hairy Bear by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Matt Phelan
Lili at Ballet by Rachel Isadora
On Your Toes: A Ballet ABC by Rachel Isadora
Cowboy Ned and Andy by David Ezra Stein
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator series forthcoming)
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems
Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers (illustrator series forthcoming)
Do Not Open this Book by Michaela Munteam, illustrated by Pascal Lamaitre
Billy's Bucket by Kes Gray and Gary Parsons
Flyaway Katie by Polly Dunbar (illustrator series forthcoming)
Sunshine by Jan Ormerod
The Secret in the Dungeon by Fernando Krahn
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman (my review here)
Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman (my review here)
Anno's Journey by Mitsumasa Anno
First Snow by Emily Arnold McCully
Imagine a Day by Sarah Thomsen, illustrated by Ron Gonsalves
Time Flies by Eric Rohmann (illustrator series forthcoming)
The Cinder-Eyed Cats by Eric Rohmann (illustrator series forthcoming)
Clara and Asha by Eric Rohmann (illustrator series forthcoming)
My Book Box by Will Hillenbrand
Jitterbug Jam by Barbara Jean Hicks and Alexis Deacon
Dear Fish by Chris Gall (my review here)
Heat Wave by Eileen Spinelli (my review here)
Workshop by Andrew Clements (my review here)
The Princess and the Pea by Rachel Isadora (my review here)
The Dumpster Diver by Janet Wong
Strong Man: The Story of Charles Atlas by Megan McCarthy
Jack and the Beanstalk by Steven Kellogg
Rumplestiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky
The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Smoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella by Alan Schroeder, illustrated by Brad Sneed
John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Once I Ate a Pie by Patricia Maclachlan and Emily Maclachlan Charest, illustrated by Katy Schneider
The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney
Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg
Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
The Jack Tales by Ray Hicks, as told to Lynn Salsi, illustrated by Owen Smith
The House in the Sky by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Will Clay
Brave Margaret: An Irish Adventure by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Sally Wren Comport
The Hired Hand by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Tree Ring Circus by Adam Rex (illustrator series forthcoming)
Walter was Worried by Laura Vaccarro Seeger (illustrator series forthcoming)
Jack and the Beanstalk retold by Ann Keay Benduce, illustrated by Gennady Spirin
Beauty and the Beasty retold and illustrated by Jan Brett
Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg
Town Mouse, Country Mouse by Jan Brett
I Was Born 10,000 Years Ago by Steven Kellogg
The Mitten adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett
Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind Crockett by Steven Kellogg
The Three Little Pigs by Steven Kellogg
Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella by Tomie dePaola
The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Steven Johnson
The Book that Jack Wrote by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Daniel Adel
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg
I Miss You Everyday by Simms Taback
Sleepover Larry by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Jill Pinkwater
No Laughing, No Smiling, No Giggling by James Stevenson
City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male by Meghan McCarthy
The All-I'll-Ever-Want-For Christmas Doll by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life by Jeradine Nolen, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Straight to the Pole by Kevin O'Malley
Buzzy's Balloon by Harriett Ziefert, illustrated by Emily Bolam
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle
Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg
The Very Smart Pea and the Princess to Be by Mini Grey (my review here)
Chicken Sunday by Patricia Polacco
The Cowboy and the Black-Eyed Pea by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Warren Ludwig (my review here)
The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson (my review here)



Middle Grade
(I swear I'm going to start reviewing more middle grade. There are so many I love).
Me and the Pumpkin Queen by Marlane Kennedy (my review here)
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex (my review here)
The Princess Test by Gail Carson Levine (my review here)
The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman



Young Adult
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
Taken by Edward Bloor
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow (my review here)
Click by Linda Sue Park, and many others
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements

Poetry
Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe
Peacock and other Poems by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Natalie Babbitt (my Poetry Friday entry here)
How Beastly! A Menagerie of Nonsense Poems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by James Marshall (my Poetry Friday entry here)


Nonfiction
The Perfect Wizard: Hans Christian Andersen by Jane Yolen (my review here)
Lightship by Brian Floca

Audio
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson

I had lots of favorite books of 2007. Here are just some of my very, very favorites. If they have links, they are linked to my reviews.

Picture Books

Mama’s Saris by Pooja Makhijani, illustrated by Elena Gomez
I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry
Chester by Melanie Watt
Penguin by Polly Dunbar
Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Psst! By Adam Rex
The Incredible Book Eating Boy written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Doug Chayka
Go to Bed Monster by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Sylvie Kantorovitz
Scribble by Deborah Freedman
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Middle Grade

Edward’s Eyes by Patricia MacLachlan
No Talking by Andrew Clements
Iron Thunder by Avi
Aurora County All Stars by Deborah Wiles
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

YA

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

Poetry

Jabberwocky reimagined and illustrated by Christopher Myers
Dogku by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Tim Bowers
Today and Today haiku by Issa, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Hey You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes, and Other Fun Things by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Robert Rayevsky
This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pam Zagarenski

Picture Books
I have read over 20 of the Cybils books that have been nominated. For the full list, go here.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (my review here)
I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite
Little Red Riding Hood retold and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (my review here)
Pictures from our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins

Early Chapter Book
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything by Lenore Look

Middle Grade Fiction
*While I didn't manage to do reviews on any of these books, I would highly recommend them all.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Nonfiction for Kids
Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine (my review here)
E. E. Cummings: A Poet's Life by Catherine Reef (my review here)

Young Adult
Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (my review here)

Adult
What to Eat: An Aisle by Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Good Eating by Marion Nestle
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far by Amy Grant

I didn't get to participate in the 48 Hour Book Challenge sponsored by MotherReader because it was the last weekend before school was out, and I was totally swamped. I knew I couldn't do it justice. But I have been reading with my 2 year old for the summer reading program at the library. We've had to write down all of the books and the time we spent reading. So, since I was doing it for her, I decided to do it for myself. I wrote down all of the books I read this month. I read more than I thought, but I'm only a fraction of the way through my "To Read" pile for the summer.

Here it goes:

June 2007

Pictures books (These are ONLY the ones I read for myself for craft purposes and general enjoyment. I read about 75 other ones to my daughter.)

1. Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell
2. The Last Brother: A Civil War Tale by Trinka Hakes Noble
3. Freedom School, Yes! by Amy Littlesugar
4. Knock on Wood: Poems about Superstitions by Janet Wong
5. Jazz by Walter Dean Myers
6. A Bird or Two: A Story about Henri Matisse by Bijou Le Tord
7. Wolves by Emily Gravett (my review here)
8. Appalachia: The voices of sleeping birds by Cynthia Rylant
9. The Flying Bed by Nancy Willard
10. The Last Resort by J. Patrick Lewis and Roberto Innocenti (my review here)
11. Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (my review here)

Middle Grade Novels

1. Ghost Cadet by Elaine Marie Alphin
2. Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin
3. Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker

YA

1. American Born Chinese by Gene Luan Yang (my review here)
2. Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
3. The Perfect Shot by Elaine Marie Alphin
4. An Unlikely Friendship: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln and Elizabeth Keckley by Ann Rinaldi

Nonfiction

1. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns (my review here)
2. Pocahontas: Princess of the New World by Kathleen Krull
3. Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer
4. Who's Saying What in Jamestown, Thomas Savage? by Jean Fritz
5. 1607: A New Look at Jamestown by Karen E. Lange (my review here)

Poetry

1. Ludie's Life by Cynthia Rylant (my review here)
2. Come with Me: Poems for a Journey by Naomi Shihab Nye
3. Autumnblings by Douglas Florian
4. 19 Varieties of Gazelle by Naomi Shihab Nye (my review here)
5. Ordinary Things: Poems from a Walk in Early Spring by Ralph Fletcher