10 for 10; 10 Days Late 10 Books I had to Buy TODAY!

So I missed the 10 for 10 picture book celebration 10 days ago, and this morning the Central Ohio Blogger got together over granola. Cathy and Mandy both reminded me that they noticed that there was one person that didn't participate in the event. I tried explaining that I was out of town on a college visit to Ball State, but when Mary Lee reminded me that she was in Belgium, I knew I owed them a list. Mary Lee even came up with the 10 for 10, 10 Days Late title. Once we had been to Cover to Cover, I knew what my 10 would be. I haven't been to the book store all summer so today, I was like a kid in a candy store, so here's 10 that I came out with.

1. Bailey by Harry Bliss: I read this one from the library this week and it immediately made it to my list. When I walked into Cover to Cover and saw the feature display, I knew I had a winner. It sold faster than Northstar Cafe Granola does to Central Ohio Kidlit Bloggers! Of course I love the name, Bailey, like my school, but the little dog going to school and being, as Sally says, "a little off" make Bailey a new fave and will be well received in THE PIT!

2. Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door by Adam Rubin; Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri: I already reviewed this one here and can guarantee that it will be one of the first books I read in THE PIT this year. I still haven't gotten Franki to fall in love with the squirrels, but I'm not giving up! Old Man Fookwire is one of my all time favorite characters and grumpy old men.

3. Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin; Illustrated by James Dean: Pete's back and he is ROCKIN' in his school shoes, in the cafeteria, the library, the playground, all over the school. As big of a hit that the first Pete the Cat was, I had to buy this one to ROCK THE PIT.

4. Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by Philip C. Stead: From the same creator of 2011 Caldecott Winner A Sick Day for Amos McGee Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat is the adventure of a boy looking for his lost teddy bear, Frederick. Only, the bear isn't really lost, his parents traded him for a toaster. The story builds with interesting animal characters as the crew of the big blue boat and collage illustrations are fascinating to look at.

5. Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby: Wiener Dog is bored with his cooped up life and chases the call of the wild. He hooks up with a wild wolf pack and runs with the big boys...until they go hunting and catch something. Wiener Wolf longs for his quiet life back home and his friends in the dog park. When he arrives home he is welcomed with open arms and a new sweater. The story is fun and the pictures made me laugh.

6. Cookiebot: A Harry and Horsie Adventure by Katie Van Camp; Illustrated by Lincoln Agnew: The first Harry and Horsie was a huge hit in THE PIT, especially with the younger kids, so I couldn't resist this one either. Harry wants cookies but the cookie jar is too high. He and Horsie build a robot to help get the cookies but when things get out of control, it's Horsie to the rescue.

7. Blackout by John Rocco: I read this one quite a while ago and sort of forgot about it. I'm so glad my friends reminded me today. It's a hot night in the city and the family is too busy on their electronics cooking to spend time together. When the lights go out the whole block comes outside to spend some quality time together. Very few words in this beautiful picture book. It's definitely on my Caldecott List.

8. I Will Not Read This Book by Cece Meng; Illustrated by Joy Ang: I'd never heard of this one, but my blogging partner Karen found it and knew I would love to read it out loud in THE PIT. I took one look and knew she was right. A boy gives every reason in the world why he will not read this book, needs a drink, to scratch his nose, to feed his fish. He gives all sorts of ways that will not force him to read this book, hanging upside down by his toe, over a cliff while tickling his feet! The book keeps building and building until he fears being dropped and then he may read the book.

9. A Place to Call Home by Alexis Deacon; Illustrated by Viviane Schwarz: The little critters are born in a small dark hole, but quickly outgrow it. They have to look for another small dark place to live, and that's where it gets funny. As they emerge into the world they are afraid they will never find another small dark place to live until one puts a cup on his head, another a straw, another a book, another a spigot, the picture of this is TOO FUNNY! Done sort of in a graphic novel style, I still haven't finished reading the book because every time I look at those critters with those things on their heads I laugh out loud! I think the kids in THE PIT will too. I almost didn't buy this one, but super sales person Beth made me take a look at it. She and I share a similar sense of humor when it comes to picture books, so she was pretty sure I would like it. She's good!

10. Time to Eat by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page: I reviewed it here. You can't really go wrong with anything this team puts together! Every one is high quality non fiction.

That's my 10 for 10, 10 days late. There were more purchases made today and I also picked up a couple ARCs, so all in all it was a good morning with the Central Ohio Bloggers.