Book Recommendations (Fiction)

Froggy Went A-Courtin'
by Tyler, Gillian

Publisher Review: The popular romantic ballad has been freshly translated into a lyrical text and illustrated with the delicate art of Gillian Tyler. Froggy went a-courtin’ and he did ride, Sword and pistol by his side. He rode up to Miss Mousie’s door, Where he had often been before. For four hundred years, young listeners have raptly followed the adventures of Froggy as he woos his true love, Miss Mouse, and prepares for the wedding to follow. Now a new generation of children is invited to the nuptials, where they’ll meet Uncle Rat, a turtledove who brings her love, a bumblebee, a nimble flea, and all the others who gather to celebrate the most musical of marriages…

My Map Book
by Fanelli, Sara

Kirkus Review: Fanelli's first book uses a map analogy to explore the varied facets of a child's life. Thus, the cartographic motif extends to the subject's neighborhood, face, family, dog, tummy, heart--any location with a promising artistic geography. Each spread is one map; the only words are labels and terse captions. The imitation of a child's style, with purposefully sloppy collage techniques and outside-the-lines drawing, makes the book intimate and spontaneous. Fanelli's color schemes are audacious, and her shapes and scale telling: "my house," and "my playground" are roughly the same size…exploring this book is like entering a wilderness without a compass. For the artistically intrepid, it's a trip worth taking.