The weekly post where I recap some of the KidLit books I’ve been reading. Ocasionally, I’ll also talk about some adult fiction books as well.
Be sure to check out Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to see what other Kidlit readers are reading. Because, you know, we can never have too many books in our TBR piles.
Congrats to ejmam for winning a copy of CALM DOWN, ZEBRA. If anyone knows ejmam, and knows how I can get a hold of them, please leave a comment below as I haven’t been able to track them down. Ejmam, if you see this, please email me at rebecca.anne.herzog (at) gmail.com with your address and I’ll get your copy sent to you!
I’ve been on a bit of a reading slump lately. But I’m looking to jump back in. I’m hoping to check out some great new speculative (esp horror) middle grade fiction. Where is your go to place to find new and soon to be released titles?
Picture Books
I recently was asked to read and review 4 new books from Akashic Books. They have taken lyrics written by beloved songwriters and turned them into illustrated picture books. Each book has its own style and the stories are often a new way to look at the lyrics.
I am excited to be giving away a book bundle of the four books below! To enter, please comment on this post and leave me a way to get in contact if you win! I will draw a winner on June 22nd, 2020!
written by Peter Tosh
illustrated by Rachel Moss
(Akashic Books, 2020)
I loved the illustrations in this book. Jamaican artist Rachel Moss beautifully captures Peter Tosh’s lyrics by using bright colors and a vibrant energy.
written by Christine McVie
illustrated by Nusha Ashjaee
(Akashic Books, 2020)
I love the creativity in the visual storytelling. I would not have thought of hibernating woodland creatures to pair with song, but Nusha Ashjaee’s illustrations are so cute!
written by Dee Snider
illustrated by Margaret McCartney
(Akashic Books, 2020)
As a big Dee Snider (and Twisted Sister) fan, I was excited to see what Margaret McCartney would come up with for this book. And it is great! It is a tug-of-war that any parent of toddlers will be able to relate to and very fitting for the lyrics.
written by Mike Love
illustrated by Brian Wilson
(Akashic Books, 2020)
The Beach Boys were my favorite band in 4th grade, so I was excited to see this one. I think they sketchy loose style of Brian Wilson’s illustrations mimic the relaxed vibe of the song.
Remember that I am giving away a bundle of these four books to one person! Just comment below to enter. Good luck!
Sloth Reads 
These books sound great! I’ve never seen picture books based around existing song lyrics. I’ll let someone else win these books, but thanks for the great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Rebecca, what a great giveaway! I hope you can contact me via twitter since we follow each other.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooooh, pick me, pick me! These books look fantastic!! I love it when song lyrics work nicely as a picture book. Also, I believe EJMAM is Beth from Library Chicken (http://libraryfrog.blogspot.com). Have a wonderful week, Rebecca!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!! I was at a loss on how to track her down!
LikeLike
I admit to being intrigued by these interpretations of the songs. It’s just I can’t quite get my head around the fact that some of the tunes of my mispent youth have been turned into picture books.
LikeLike
Huh, I forgot that WordPress uses my initials for my login, instead of my email or something.
Don’t let me win again — but I think I sent your my email. Although those do look like fun books… I hope you find some good books for your slump. Horror is a tough genre for me, but some authors I trust just put out some so I will dip my toes in.
(Beth Mitcham @ Library Chicken)
LikeLike
I loved the lyrics reads, too! They were really well done.
Happy erading this week 🙂
LikeLike
Ugh *reading… 🙂
LikeLike
Oh my goodness- adorable!! I have a small collection at school of lyric books- I brought Sing! Illustrated by Lichtenheld And All You Need is Love illustrated by Rosenthal home during quarantine to read to my niece 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
LikeLike