With Pictures

Something Rotten, by Jasper Fforde. This book took a long time to come together. It seemed like there were three or four unrelated plots that had been thrown in willy-nilly. It didn't start to make sense until over half-way through, which I think is too long. It also lacked new book-world theories or technologies, which I had thought very fun in the previous books. On the plus-side however, any author who knows how to correctly use semi-colons and abstains from fragments is good enough for me. There are some sketches interspersed throughout the book, on the purpose of which I am not clear, nor do I think they are terribly good. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff, with Felicia Bond. These came up in conversation some weeks ago, along with the nine's multiplication table trick, in conversation while my husband and I were waiting to see School House Rocks, Jr. at the Neill Public Library. I hadn't ever read them, but it turns out they are totally awesome. The story is very cute, but I really like the pictures: they were so detailed and well done. Also see: If You Give a Pig a Pancake, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, If You Give a Pig a Party, If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, and If You Take a Mouse to School. Ms. Numeroff has numerous other picture books, which I have not yet had the pleasure of perusing.