September Genre Challenge: Graphic Novels and Picture Books
This month's theme for the 12 genres in 12 months reading challenge caught me by surpriseāin a good way! I felt exhausted by the end of August and the idea of reading a shorter, simpler book with illustrations appealed to me.
Recommended Reads
I read a lot of picture books as a kid. To jog my memory I looked at lists such as The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time, 19 Classic Picture Books You Should Still Have On Your Shelf As An Adult, and the Caldecott Medal Winners list. There are so many good ones! It's funny to realize that some books like Swimmy and the Madeline series I only remember for the illustrations; I have no memory of the stories at all. In contrast, I do remember the basic plot of The Little House, but only because the sequential pictures so clearly illustrated the story point by point.
Here are the books that made my short list:
Possibility #1: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Why this interests me: I love the idea of a kid's book focused on yarn.
Recommended by: A Teacher's Idea: Caldecott Award Winning Picture Books
Possibility #2: What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss
Why it interests me: I thought I'd read every Dr. Seuss book, but this title didn't look familiar. I'm fascinated by a newer edition that claims to use glow-in-the-dark ink!
Recommended by: Next Year Linky Writing (scroll down to BE BRAVE). The photo collage of the recommended "brave" books from this blog is all over Pinterest, but no one seems to be linking back to this original blog post which is a collection of links for teachers.
Possibility #3: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
Why it interests me: I've occasionally run across Roz's funny cartoons from The New Yorker. I'm interested in seeing how she develops a longer story line.
Recommended by: 9 Graphic Novels Every Grown-Up Should Read (Reader's Digest)
Possibility #4: Hark!: a vagrant by Kate Beaton
Why it interests me: I'm intrigued by the mix of people from literature and history that this book covers. (Nancy Drew and Napoleon are two mentioned in a description of the book. Have I ever read a book that covered them both? I don't think so.)
Recommended by: Best Graphic Novels for Women
I'll be reading one (or possibly more) of these books this month.
For other book ideas, check out my Book Recommendations board on Pinterest. I'll be adding book lists throughout the year as I come across intriguing ones.
Next Month (October): Spooky/Horror