September Recommendations

Picture Books:

In EVERY DOG IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, Louis wants a dog more than anything, but his grandma, who “knows everything,” tells him there are already enough dogs in the neighborhood. Of course, Louis then wants to know how exactly many, and when Grandma won’t answer and the folks at City Hall can’t answer, Louis decides to count them himself. He is thorough, and kind, and, while he counts all the dogs, Grandma is busy with her own civic project. The text is moving without being overly sentimental, the pictures nimbly tell their half of the story, and it all comes together beautifully.

TELLING STORIES WRONG, written by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna, and translated from the Italian by Antony Shugaar, is full of charming interplay between a girl and her grandpa as he attempts to tell her the story of Little Red Riding Hood. As the title indicates, Grandpa gets many things wrong, but the girl helpfully sets him straight and keeps the classic tale on track. This impish ode to storytelling is gorgeously illustrated by the ever-wonderful Alemagna with both playfulness and sophistication.

In another old tale, THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF, this one retold by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen, there’s a poor hungry troll who’s only recent meal was “a leather boot and some goop he’d found in his belly button.” But then “Clip, clop! Clip, clop!” a “goat smorgasbord” comes his way. Told with droll wit and a fair amount of rhyme, Barnett’s delivers a fine version of this familiar story that’s illustrated with Klassen’s signature, minimal style that’s populated by oddball creatures and rendered mostly in browns and tans. Read it aloud for maximum fun!

In LITTLE HOUSES, written by Kevin Henkes and illustrated by Laura Dronzek, when a girl visits her grandparents at the beach, in a house “so close to the water, you can hear the waves,” she and her grandma spend their mornings looking for shells. And when Grandma “reminds [her] that shells are little houses,” the girl begins to wonder about many things… Intelligent and lyrical, thought-provoking and full of wonder, this gentle book takes a deep dive into beach treasures and what makes a house.

And since I love monsters so much, here are two commendable board books about monsters:

In I’M THE BOSS, by Elise Gravel, a little monster named Lulu wants a lot of big things, but her caregiver keeps saying no. Finally Lulu asks for the perfect big thing and is appeased. Playful text and adorable art that’s simply and effectively done.

MONSTER CLOTHES, by Daisy Hirst, shows all the fun things that different monsters might wear. And then there’s Evie…! More adorable monsters in this one, also rendered cleanly and clearly.

--Lynn