What we're reading around here...

That's my mom's cat Fia, or Fifi, or Feefs, short for Fiammetta, who was the muse of Boccaccio. (My mom's other cats are Dante and Beatrice, and none of them have tails.) Anyway, that little stack of pages she's sitting on are the page proofs for DREAMS OF GODS & MONSTERS. Whew. Which I have to read yet again. It's always hard at this point to do all these re-readings in short order. My brain wants to switch off.

Below, this larger stack is a suitably brainless activity that's allowing me some movie watching time while I sign secret pages, heh heh heh, about which I shall tell you at a later date. These are the first 1500 of 3000. There are 8000 of another thing, and then an additional 1500 of yet another thing to sign. That's a lot of movie-watching, for which my tired brain says thank you. As for my hand, it doesn't mind at all. I love signing books. Could do it all day :-)

Well, I still haven't managed to think any New Year's thoughts. I have, however, started exercising and also eating better, a big component of which is planning and cooking more, and being more centered in this world versus Eretz :-) Maybe there will still be thinking and pondering and new-yearing. Maybe not. Right now, I mostly just wanted to show you some of the kids books we're reading around here.

This one is a hoot. BEAR DESPAIR by Gaetan Doremus.

We chuckle our butts off every time we read it. Well, "read" it, as it's wordless. 

See, Bear is having a nap with his teddy when Wolf comes along and snitches it!

Other animals get involved. 

Let's just say: one shouldn't snitch teddies. There are consequences.

It resolves well, unlike I Want My Hat Back, which I found vaguely troubling. Anyway, we love this book. Something in the characterization is hysterical to me.

We found it at Green Bean Books. I'm not sure if they ship. 

Orderable here.

Same day, we found HERMAN AND ROSIE by Gus Gordon. Love.

Herman and Rosie live in neighboring buildings in Manhattan. They don't know each other. 

But they obviously should.

With a shared love of music and Jacques Cousteau movies, they're clearly soul mates. 

Watch their paths wind and eventually cross. So sweet and satisfying.

It's wonderfully New Yorky.

We also find great books at Cosmic Monkey comics, the best comic book store anywhere. More and more they've got a great selection for kids, which is awesome. 

Here's THE STONE FROG by David Nytra.

It's published by Toon-Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, that does four reading levels, from early learners to competent readers. And the books are fabulous. The Stone Frog is the highest reading level, which is still an "easy to read" comic, and not very text-heavy. I really really love their art and design sensibility, and of the books we've read so far, the content is perfect for young children, not too scary or edgy, as is a risk with crossing over into graphic novels that tend to be for slightly older kids.

Brother and sister Leah and Alan awaken in an enchanted forest. Their adventures follow. The art is exquisite. Clementine declares it "the best white and black book she's ever had."

Here's an explanation of the reading levels:

We have a few others, including this level two:

Check out their catalogue here. 

We love The Big Wet Balloon, and don't those two new titles look awesome?

So that's it for today.