Otto's Orange Day by Jay Lynch and Frank Cammuso

Otto loves the color orange. He loves it so much that when a genie gives him the opportunity to make a wish, he knows just what to wish for: everything should be orange! At first everything seems awesome, but then Otto starts realizing that maybe not everything should be orange after all... I love TOON books. They're fun, clever, and have such great humour. Otto's Orange Day is no exception. Divided into three chapters, it's a good choice for readers who are making the jump from reading together to reading on their own. The storyline of 'be careful what you wish for' isn't new, but I love how Otto handles it, and I admit that I was surprised by how the ending was resolved. Definitely check this (and other TOON books) out.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
Benny and Penny in the Big No No by Geoffrey Hayes
Knights of the Lunch Table: The Dodgeball Chronicles by Frank Cammuso
Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever by Dean Haspiel and Jay Lynch
Be Careful What You Wish For by R.L. Stein

Non-Review: 150th Post

I'm breaking form a bit and doing a non-review post.

This is my 150th post in just about a year and a half, but I've only been seriously doing it on a regular basis for maybe eight months. I'm in a little in-between period where I have so many books on the go but I haven't finished any yet, so there won't be any new reviews until next week.

In the meantime, here is an almost A-Z list of some of the books from the last 148 reviews:

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Feminism and Pop Culture by Andi Zeisler
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Sandiford
I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
The Kids Are All Right by Diana and Liz Welch with Amanda and Dan Welch
Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
Me Hungry by Jeremy Tankard
The Next Competitor by K.P. Kincaid
Overqualified by Joey Comeau
Paulina P. (for Peterson) by Lisa Cinar
Redwoods by Jason Chin
The Screwed-Up Life of Charlie the Second by Drew Ferguson
The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na
A Very Fine Line by Julie Johnston
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Yummy by Lucy Cousins
Zoom by Tim Wynne-Jones

If anyone has some great Q, U, or X recommendations, leave them in the comments!

Benny and Penny in The Toy Breaker by Geoffrey Hayes

Benny and Penny have lots of great toys. They also have a cousin, Bo, who has a reputation as a toy breaker. When he comes for a visit, they try to hide all of their toys so he can't find them. Will they be able to get through his visit with all of their toys intact?

Fans of Benny and Penny's earlier adventures will enjoy this new story, perfect for kids who are just learning to read. Reading this book made me struggle between my memories of being a kid and my headspace of being an adult. The adult in me wondered if Benny and Penny were being too hard on Bo, if maybe he acts out because others treat him badly. But then I would remember what it was like to be a kid and have to play with people who took over, who broke things, who just ruined it. I think it's a book that will speak to a lot of people - and the positive ending a good message for everyone of any age.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
Luke on the Loose by Harry Bliss
Cat the Cat, Who is That? by Mo Willems
Benny and Penny in Just Pretend by Geoffrey Hayes
Stinky by Eleanor Davis

Benny and Penny in The Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes

A new neighbour has just moved in next door to Benny and Penny. Penny hopes it's a girl; Benny hopes it's a boy. But they are both quite surprised when all they see are big, scary, muddy footprints. Could the new neighbour be a monster? Meanwhile, Benny's pail is missing. Could the new neighbour have anything to do with that? Going into the neighbour's yard is a big no-no, but that might be the only way that Benny and Penny can find out what's going on...

When I picked this book up, I only intended to thumb through it to get a sense of what it was like, and the next thing I knew I was reading from page to page, unable to put it down. The illustrations and the story worked together to keep me interested. I liked the way the characters talked with each other; the language, though simple, tells a very sophisticated story. If Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith hadn't already worked its magic on me, this book would convince me to pay attention to any book that TOON releases.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
I Spy Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
Benny and Penny in Just Pretend by Geoffrey Hayes
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith

Little Mouse is getting ready! But clothes can be so hard to put on: snaps, buttons, velcro, tail holes... is it too much for a Little Mouse to handle? The images in this book are beautiful; Jeff Smith has created a lovely book that is both useful and funny. I laughed out loud when I got to the end, the kind of laugh that builds up and you're laughing harder and harder. I hope kids will also enjoy it; I think that many would. Little Mouse Gets Ready was a 2010 Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Winner at the recent ALA awards.

Find it on Amazon.

Read it with:
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes