Reading — One Last List for 2011

I’ve been reading a lot of picture books lately, so I thought I better go ahead and post a last reading list for 2011.  Of course, even knowing that these are picture books, I look at the list and wonder if I’ve accomplished anything else in the last month or so.  Whew!

1. Manners Mash-Up: A Goofy Guide to Good Behavior (Dial)
2. Adler, David A. Bones and the Dinosaur Mystery (Viking)
3. Adler, David A. Young Cam Jansen and the 100th Day of School.  (Viking)
4. Adler, David A. Young Cam Jansen and the Ice Skate Mystery.  (Viking)
5. Alexander, Tasha. A Poisoned Season: A Novel of Suspense (William Morrow)
6. Auch, Mary Jane and Herm. The Plot Chickens (Holiday House)
7. Barretta, Gene. Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions of Ben Franklin (Henry Holt)
8. Beecher, Suzanne. Muffins and Mayhem (Touchstone: Simon & Schuster)
9. Black, Michael Ian. Chicken Cheeks (Simon and Schuster)
10. Black, Michael Ian. The Purple Kangaroo (Simon and Schuster)
11. Blackall, Sophie Are You Awake (Christy Ottaviano Books: Henry Holt)
12. Brett, Jan. Home for Christmas (GP Putnams)
13. Brown, Peter. Children Make Terrible Pets (Little Brown and Co)
14. Capaldi, Gina and Q.L. Pearce. Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist (Carolrhoda Books)
15. Carlstrom, Nancy White. This Is the Day! (Zonderkidz)
16. Chaconas, Dori. Cork and Fuzz: Good Sports.   (Viking)
17. Chast, Roz. Too Busy Marco (Atheneum)
18. Chin, Jason. Redwoods (A Neal Porter Book: Roaring Brook Press)
19. Collins, Ross. Dear Vampa (Katherine Tegan Books)
20. Crisp, Marty. Titanicat (Sleeping Bear Press)
21. Cronin, Doreen. Rescue Bunnies (Balzer + Bray)
22. Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Holiday Drama (Viking)
23. Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Home with Mama (Viking)
24. Dewdney, Anna. Llama Llama Red Pajama (Viking)
25. DiPucchio, Kelly and Matthew Myers. Clink (Balzer + Bray)
26. Dormer, Frank. Socksquatch (Henry Holt and Company)
27. Edwardson, Debby Dahl. My Name is Not Easy (Marshall Cavendish)
28. Feiffer, Kate. My Side of the Car (Candlewick Press)
29. Ferraris, Zoe. City of Veils
30. Grey, Mini. Three by the Sea (Alfred A. Knopf)
31. Haskell, Merrie. The Princess Curse (HarperCollins)
32. Hawkes, Kevin. The Wicked Big Toddlah Goes to New York (Alfred A. Knopf)
33. Huntley, Amy. The Everafter (Balzer +Bray).
34. Krensky, Stephen. Lionel’s Birthday  (Viking)
35. Lehman, Barbara. The Secret Box (Houghton Mifflin Children’s books)
36. Loewen, Nancy. The Last Day of Kindergarten (Marshall Cavendish)
37. Lunda, Darrin. After the Kill (Charlesbridge)
38. Lunde, Darrin. Hello, Baby Beluga (Charlesbridge)
39. Lyon, George Ella and Katherine Tillotson. All the Water in the World (Richard Jackson: Atheneum)
40. Marshall, Edward.. Fox and His Friends (Viking)
41. McDonnell, Christine. Goyangi Means Cat (Viking)
42. McMullan, Kate. Park and Wagner: One Funny Day (Viking)
43. Myers, Walter Dean. Looking for the Easy Life (Harper)
44. Nargi, Lela. The Honeybee Man (Schwartz & Wade)
45. Numeroff, Laura. If You Give a Dog a Doughnut (Balzer and Bray)
46. Penny, Louise. A Trick of the Light: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (Minotaur Books)
47. Pulver, Robin. Happy Endings: A Story about Suffixes (Holiday House)
48. Roberts, Sheila. The Nine Lives of Christmas (St. Martins Press)
49. Sands, Lynsay. The Deed (Avon)
50. Sayre, April Pulley. Rah, Rah, Radishes! (Beach Lane Books)
51. Sayre, April Pulley. If You’re Hoppy (Greenwillow Books)
52. Sill, Cathryn. About Hummingbirds (Peachtree)
53. Sill, Cathryn. About Raptors (Peachtree)
54. Smallcomb, Pam. I’m Not (Schwartz & Wade)
55. Stein, David Ezra. Interrupting Chicken (Candlewick Press)
56. Stockdale, Susan. Bring on the Birds (Peachtree)
57. Sullivan, Sarah. Passing the Music Down (Candlewick Press)
58. Tillman, Nancy. The Crown on Your Head (Feiwel and Friends)
59. Tullet, Hervé. Press Here. (Handprint Books: Chronicle Books)
60. Van Leeuwen, Jean. Oliver and Amanda: Amanda Pig, First Grader. (Viking)
61. Walsh, Dan. Remembering Christmas (Revell)
62. Weston, Mark. Honda: The Boy who Dreamed of Cars (Lee & Low)
63. Wild, Margaret. Harry & Hopper (Feiwel and Friends)
64. Willems, Mo City Dog, Country Frog (Hyperion)
65. Willems, Mo Knuffle Bunny Free (Balzer + Bray)
66. Yorinks, Arthur. The Invisible Man (Harper)

What did I learn doing so blasted much reading?  First of all, accuracy is a must.  I avoided reviewing a book by an author that I adore because of an inaccurate illustration.

I’ve also started reading some more beginning readers and can now see just how hard it is to create a beginning reader that is simple, has a story and also text that flows.  Its that flow that is so often the hard part.  So many read short and choppy.

But most of all I marveled at the wide variety of books out there.  Its like a smorgasbord.  Yum!

Be sure to visit your local library or bookstore soon and gather together a variety of titles to enjoy!

–SueBE