I’m a little late posting this month’s list. I’m behind on a lot of things. Because of my involvement with the Rainbow Book List Committee, this list is slowly transforming into a list of things I wish I had time to read. (Again, anything with queer content is excluded for a reason.)
I’m starting to realize—well, more like admit to myself—that I don’t really read YA unless it has queer content. In fact, I don’t read a lot of things unless they have queer content. Except picture books. And, since my one true love is early literacy, that’s where a lot of my RA energy goes. I’m trying to read broadly, so please let me know if I missed something you’re jazzed about.
Picture & Board Books
Cooper, Elisha. Big Cat, Little Cat. (3/14/17)
3 stars. It’s pretty much a minimalist cat book. What could be better besides real cats reading this?
Gravett, Emily. Tidy. (3/21/17)
1 star. Pete the badger is me. The tidy part, not the destroying the forest part (I watched Fern Gully and became an environmentalist).
Jay, Alison. Bee & Me. (3/14/17)
0 stars. Her work is stunning. Why doesn’t she get any stars, people? What’s wrong with you? I look forward to her latest wordless masterpiece.
Kang, Anna. I Am (Not) Scared. illus. Christopher Weyant. (3/21/17)
0 stars. Geisel contender alert! Geisel contender alert! See here for more.
Kraegel, Kenneth. Green Pants. (3/21/17)
1 star. Jameson only ever wears green pants. I only want to wear green pants. But, more than that, I can’t wait to try this at storytime.
Lehrhaupt, Adam. I Don’t Draw, I Color!. illus. Felicita Sala. (3/21/17)
0 stars. Lehrhaupt has done some hilarious metafictive picture books, and this one looks completely different.
Martin, Stephen W. Charlotte and the Rock. illus. Samantha Cotterill. (3/14/17)
0 stars. Pet rocks are cool.
Na, Il Sung. Bird, Balloon, Bear. (3/14/17)
1 star. The colors alone have wooed me.
Vega, Denise. If Your Monster Won’t Go to Bed. illus. Zachariah OHora. (3/14/17)
0 stars. Alert! Alert! Alert! You may already know this but Zachariah OHora is my favorite. My favorite favorite. I have loved everything and I look forward to loving this one.
Juvenile Nonfiction
Alexander, Kwame with Crhist Colderley & Marjory Wentworth. Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets. illus. Ekua Holmes. (3/14/17)
3 stars. Heard about this on NPR. Man, I love Kwame. When he talks about poetry, I feel so inspired.
Keats, John. A Song About Myself. illus. Chris Raschka. (3/14/17)
2 stars. Kohn Keats’ only written work for children, illustrated by a master? Count me in!
McAlister, Caroline. John Ronald’s Dragons: The Story of J. R. R. Tolkien. illus. Eliza Wheeler. (3/21/17)
0 stars. Ok, I’m not much of an LOTR fan besides Gollum but I love reading children’s biographies of writers and creators.
Juvenile Fiction
Carter, Caela. Forever, or a Long, Long Time. (3/7/17)
3 stars. After learning about Oregon’s foster care crisis last year, I’ve been really fixated on the idea of fostering children.
Frank, Steven B. Armstrong & Charlie. (3/7/17)
1 star. I don’t think I would usually pick this book up. That’s exactly why I want to read it.
Gravel, Elise. Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere. (3/14/17)
0 stars. A coworker turned me onto The Slug and I’ve been hooked on Gravel’s work ever since!
Kelly, Erin Entrada. Hello, Universe. (3/14/17)
3 stars. Honestly? I’m totally judging this book by its awesome cover. But also I’m excited about the diverse cast.
Khan, Hena. Amina’s Voice. (3/14/17)
2 stars. First book from Salaam Reads, a new Muslim imprint from S&S. I’m totally here for this.
Graphic Novels
Napoli, Donna Jo and David Wiesner. Fish Girl (3/17/17)
0 stars. With these two at the helm, how could I not want to check this out?
Young Adult Fiction & Nonfiction
Elliott, David. Bull. (3/28/17)
3 stars. I like Percy Jackson and all but the idea of a verse novel retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur thrills me 1000 times over.
Ridge, Judith, ed. The Book that Made Me: A Collection of 32 Personal Stories. (3/14/17)
0 stars. I have an unhealthy obsession with books about writing and writers.
The Stories Guy 