Bookbug Staff Picks Summer 2010

Little Michigan (ages 0-3)
Brand new from Michigan-based Sleeping Bear Press comes their fist board book version (meant for the tiniest hands) celebration of our state. Featuring riddled text and vibrant colors, this one's a must-have for all the new Michiganders arriving daily

Flowers (ages 0-3)
Yet another stunning board book from Portland-based artist/graphic designer Matthew Porter. Why introduce an infant or toddler to their colors with anything less than magnificent artistry and the bountiful blooms of the season?

One Tree (ages 0-3)
Part of a new collection of eco-friendly published pint-sized picture books, we love “One Tree” for its simple description of a single tree's wondrous role in keeping our planet healthy and happy.
 

Chalk (ages 3-8)
This amazing new picture book needs barely a word to tell the story of three kids who are “given” a bag of chalk on their way to the park. As they doodle on the asphalt, they watch happily as their sketches turn into much more. This one's the perfect summertime gift paired with a small box of chalk for your favorite sidewalk artist.

 
Mirror (ages 4-8)
Whether you know artist Suzy Lee from her other summertime favorites (“Wave” and “The Zoo”) or “Mirror” first introduces you to the artist's playful brilliance, you're sure to like the character and story she creates. This one features yet another simply-sketched but thoughtfully creative little girl who plays with her mirrored self on each page. The fold between the pages is a border between illusion and reality, or is it?
 

Palazzo Inverso (ages 4-8)
In this inventive story inspired by the impossible buildings of artist M.C. Escher, a young boy is catapulted into a topsy-turvy world of a grand Palazzo's construction. It's a book that will not only be opened again again, but turned on its side, upside-down and inside out time and again.

 
Pepi Sings a New Song (ages 4-8)
From our all-time favorite Swedish artist, Laura Ljungkvist, comes a smiling new picture book featuring a lovable bird, Pepi, who's looking for a new song, and eventually finds it in the bakery, music hall, art studio, market, and park. Don't miss out on his new rendition of a classic favorite bedtime tune!

The Night Fairy (ages 6-11)
From Newbery Medal Winner Laura Amy Schlitz comes a thoroughly original fairy. Flory has lost her wings and can no longer fly. Still young and no taller than an acorn, her spirit is fierce and determined, but the world is big and dangerous and not every creature is willing to bend to her demands. The result: a beautifully imaginative story that perfectly captures the power of intelligence and love.

 
Cosmic (ages 8-12)
Twelve year-old Liam is mature beyond his years and not just because he's “Gifted and Talented” (as his parents like to remind themselves), but because he's so tall and developed that he often gets mistaken as an adult. This has some outstanding perks, of course, but, together with his ingenuity and wit, it eventually launches him off into space as the “adult” chaperone of the most Cosmic “thrill ride” ever. Things go a bit awry and Liam is forced to find his own version of “grown-upness,” which, hey, is mostly “wasted on the grown-ups anyway.”

 
Mockingbird (ages 9-12)
The bravery and intelligence of young girl struggling not only with her own autism, but with the recent loss of an older brother who treated her as his own “Scout,” becomes apparent as she helps her family and community come to terms with the unfathomable injustice of his death. Inspired throughout by “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this modern tale brings a timeless message of hope to a new generation.

 
Out of My Mind (ages 10 and up)
Eleven year-old Melody is the sharpest person in her family, and in her school, for that matter, but most people assume the opposite. Unable to speak or move most of her body parts without assistance because of her cerebral palsy, she's trapped in her own racingly astute mind. Slowly she's able to convince those closest to her that she has quite a bit to say, and eventually she finds a remarkable way of saying it. This is our favorite book yet from multi award-winning author Sharon Draper.

Incarceron (ages 12 and up)
Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, but Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named who claims to live there- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. Fans of Garth Nix, Suzanne Collins, and Nancy Farmer, be prepared to add author Catherine Fisher to your list of favorites.