Strange Books

A companion to "Things I've Found Cleaning Out the Office" this is a list of the truly spectacular gems I've found while weeding fiction and non-fiction paperbacks- because Summer Reading season is the PERFECT time to start a gigantic weeding project.

Snapshots from the Wedding by Gary Soto

A look at traditional Mexican wedding traditions this book has the creepiest illustrations ever. In addition to not really sharing any wedding traditions that are uniquely Mexican, the illustrator choose to have the groom in an arm sling, and feature dirty feet and keg beer. In a children's book.

It also somehow won a Pura Belpre award for illustration. To each their own.

 

  

Cats Sleep Anywhere by Eleanor Farjeon 

It's true, they do. I just didn't know someone had written a book about it.

The Shaggy Dog: The Movie Storybook
This book has never circ'ed. Not once. And it serves as a prime example of what our collections person called "Trivial" when explaining the MUSTIE method of weeding.




















Ice Mummy: Discovery of a 5,00 Year Old Man by Mark Dubowsi
I just really like the text on the back cover. It seems like a free verse poem doesn't it?

If You Were There in 1492 by Barbara Brenner
I really take issue with the cover illustration. A tiny blond white boy would not, I repeat, not be rowing a nicely dressed black girl anywhere in 1492. Even if you can explain away the racial issues, which isn't likely, they are unchaperoned and that is simply unacceptable.

Benny the Penny and the Big Secret by Philip Edles
Is the big secret that you shouldn't litter?


















Jane's Class Makes Big News and The Children Who Wanted to Know by Lillian Caesar-Sutherland
 I can't decide what I like the least: the poorly drawn illustrations, the passive aggressive attempts to make you seek out more of this author's books or the level of detail on kidney disease and dialysis that is completely inappropriate for the age range that it is targeting. 

Meet My Neighbor: The Hip-Hop Dancer by Marc Crabtree
The Meet My Neighbor series is awesome for last page "huh?" plot twists. Meet My Neighbor: The Librarian spends the final half of the book talking about the librarian's upcoming wedding and the inclusion of her Indian culture into the ceremony but the Hip-Hop one takes the cake. After getting to know our neighbor, Marcello, his dance crew and a series of dance moves he just up and takes off for "The Artic" to teach a bunch of kids there the love of dance.

 Straight gangster.

Sticker placement Fails
Finally, these just really made me giggle. Due to the placement of author initial stickers, these well known picture books take on a whole new identity.

Nappy Hair becomes Happy Hair
The true story of a girl whose hair stood on end when she was happy and fell down when she was sad.

 The Bicycle Man becomes She Bicycle Man
A delicate examination of transgender identity so rarely seen in picture books.