Surprise! Picture Book Week Again!

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Mysterious paper sculptures at the Book Festival

Here it is, a little more than a month since the last time I posted a whole week of picture book reviews and I find myself with enough worthy titles to share with you all over again! This is especially notable (and amazing) to me in a year where there was so much noise (negative and positive) made over the demise of the picture book. In fact, this is my fifth picture book week post of the year! Most of the books are new, but I am always recalling something from the past that bears mentioning like DB Johnson's amazing books about a bear named Henry...

But first, someone I have long overlooked who is a true artist and master of the picture book form of story telling, Oliver Jeffers.

Mysterious paper sculptures

PS:  Look for my annual round-up of the best picture books of the year coming soon! The list, along with my top 20 middle grade books of the 2011, will be up at a very cool website, Pragmatic Mom, then at books4yourkids.com on January 1, 2012.


PPS: The pictures above are of sculptures made from books that mysteriously turned up in Scotland's libraries during the Edinburgh International Book Festival this summer. The creator, a sort of Banksy of Books, also left cryptic, but lovely notes like: "This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas..." Signed, @ByLeaveWeLive. Robert Krulwich has a great story with many more wonderful images of the 10 sculptures at: Krulwich Wonders: An NPR Sciency Blog. Thanks to my sister-in-law, Laurel Turek, for calling this to my attention.

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