Future PICKS FROM THE PIT

I've read quite few new picture books this summer and just realized I hadn't posted any of them. I'll try to get a few of them done over the next week or so. When my budget opens again, I'll be headed to my favorite book store, Cover to Cover, to make some purchases.

13 Words by Lemony Snicket: I've never been a fan of Lemony, I thought the Unfortunate Event books were just weird and creepy. I know, kids loved them and that's great, but they weren't for me. This book is a bit out there too, but what else would we expect from this author. Lemony takes 13 random completely unrelated words and turns them into a totally random story about a dog, a bird and an opera singer. While I'm not a huge fan of the book myself, I can certainly see some uses in the classroom for creative writing. It might be fun to choose a number of words in some random fashion and see what the kids come up with. Sort of like Mad Libs only different.

Skippyjon Jones: Class Action by Judith Schachner: I'm a HUGE fan of the Siamese cat who thinks he's a chihuahua, he makes me laugh every time! This episode is no exception. Skippy goes to school to help his friends the chimichangas take on the bully, a teacup chihuahua that wears a sweater and rules the school. Plenty of PIT sing along and clapping will follow. Check out this muy cool website!

The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley Illustrated by Sophie Blackall: When I was a kid, my mom signed me up for the Weekly Reader Summer Book Club. As a member I received a new hardback book each month or so. There were some real classics, Fredrick, Lyle the Crocodile and The Crows of Pearblossom. I loved them all but I haven't seen a copy of the crows in forever. I was very excited to see that Sophie Blackall has released a newly illustrated version. In the story, Mr. and Mrs. Crow fool the evil rattle snake that keeps eating their eggs. I was fascinated to read in the back that this is the only children's story written by Huxley, the author of Brave New World. He wrote it as a Christmas gift for his niece. Thankfully it was illustrated and published because the original manuscript was lost in a fire. Now I just have to find my copy from the 1960s!