It's a Shame . . .

Have I ever mentioned that I have a horrible tendency to fall in love with books that are impossible to recommend to others because they are about incredibly strange topics that don't translate well to being shortened? The latest in this long line of titles is Johannes Cabal the Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard. It's about a necromancer who sells his soul to the Devil and then realizes that he wants it back. To get it, he must provide Satan with 100 new souls in one year, and he's given a run-down carnival/sideshow to assist him in this task. See what I mean? Most of you have probably already stopped reading and maybe think I'm a bit off. But if the topic doesn't turn you off completely, then you'll find that Howard's use of language is playful and astounding, and that this is a wonderful book.

Another Great Pairing

Like chocolate and peanut butter or hammers and nails, some things are unbelievably wonderful in combination. The new picture book, City Dog, Country Frog, represents one of these wonderful combinations. Author Mo Willems is one of the most brilliant writers for children that I can think of. His picture books starring Pigeon and Knuffle Bunny are hilarious, and great read-alouds. Then he branched out into easy readers, which are actually the correct level of difficulty for beginning readers AND capture the logic and emotions of children that age. Illustrator Jon Muth creates the most beautiful watercolors (which is quite a compliment coming from someone who isn't overly fond of watercolors). Just look at the illustrations for I Will Hold You 'til You Sleep (written by Linda Zuckerman) and try not to fall in love with the gorgeous expanses of blue that populate the pictures. With two such brilliant men pairing up for City Dog, Country Frog, I think it can't help but be wonderful.

Brilliant!!!

In spite of the fact that I can't stand them (and the fact that most of them are out of print), "Choose Your Own Adventure" books are a perennial favorite in libraries. And everybody knows that graphic novels are insanely popular for kids of all ages. So why hasn't anybody combined these two genres into an insanely popular hybrid? Somebody has! Jason Shiga's new book, Meanwhile, is a graphic novel that features different "paths" through the different comic panels. The reader must make choices that lead him along these different paths--following tabs to different sections of the book and always facing different choices. There are also special codes and top-secret pages. I can't even STAND how popular I think this book is going to be!!!