Brian Selznick's Wonderful Horn Book Cover

There is a tradition at Horn Book magazine to have the current winner of the Caldecott Medal design the cover for the July/August issue. This year's winner Brian Selznick, who won for the epic 500 page plus The Invention of Hugo Cabret, truly outdid himself. The cover shows his titular character riding on a plane heading to the ALA awards ceremony held in Anaheim, California. And in a beautiful and brilliant touch, Hugo is reading the current year's Newbery winner, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by the wonderful Laura Amy Schlitz. The issue also contains the slides that accompanied Selznick's Caldecott speech. My favorite slide shows Hugo receiving the phone call telling him that his book has won.

A Trio of Winners: 3 Great New Read Alouds

The Cow That Laid an Egg, written by Andy Cutbill, illustrated by Russell Ayto
According to this silly book, every cow has a special talent...except for Marjorie. She cannot ride a bike or do handstands...like the other cows. So a bunch of concerned chickens decide to give Marjorie a confidence boost by creating the illusion that she has just laid an egg. Cutbill's hilarious tale will remind some of the Seuss classic Horton Hatches the Egg. Thanks to Ayto's wild illustrations and Cutbill's understated humor, this book definitely beats to the sound of its drummer. And nice surprise ending.

Mr. Pusskins and Little Whiskers, written and illustrated by Sam Lloyd
In this delightful follow-up to Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story, Mr. Pusskins, a moody feline, enjoys life with owner Emily...until she brings home a cute new kitten named Little Whiskers. The new addition seems precious and harmless, but Mr. Pusskins starts to see through the charade. However, it's too late...he soon finds himself punished after Little Whiskers causes a ruckus. Lloyd's expressive characters leap off the page. And although the story earns some big laughs, there is a nice message about forgiveness at the end.





Roadwork, written by Sally Sutton, illustrated by Brian Lovelock
Packed with sound effects that invite audience participation, this is a bouncy and boisterous look at the building of a road. Construction vehicles and workers clunk, crash, and bang as they plan the road, move the earth, roll the tar, and perform other tasks. I have read this book to four different preschool groups already and the children loved the book. Brian Lovelock's colorful illustrations deftly support Sally Sutton's rhythmic text. And there's even an informative page of "Machine Facts" on the final page.