pretty much an A to Z month of reading

September was a great month for reading!

Here are my favorites:

Hand Lettering A to Z by Abbey Sy

I loved this book the very first moment I laid eyes on it. There's more than enough inspiration from the cover alone. I liked this book so much more than other lettering books because the letters are likable, no-fuss, and easy-to-read. There's also gobs of instruction, which seems to be lacking in other lettering books. I cannot wait to get started and will probably use a combination of styles in my first project simply because it's impossible to choose just one.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R.B.G. Vs. Inequality byJonah Winter and Stacy Innerst 



This is the second book I've read about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The first, "I dissent," is pretty good. This one is excellent. I really loved this glimpse into her life. The moments about her mom were incredibly bittersweet. The nod to her childhood library made my heart glow. And then there's the fact that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a very inspirational, hardworking, stellar lady who has positively impacted the lives of millions, possibly billions, of people.

P.S. The illustrations are marvelous, particularly the endpapers.

Love Is by Diane Adams and Claire Keane



The story was a little too sugary and perfect for my tastes. But I do have a fondness for happy endings, even when they make my eyes roll. And there's no way that illustrations of a girl and her duck can ever be too sweet, right? I loved the attention to detail and how the muted colors really spotlighted the little girl and her duck. My favorite moment is the giant hug shared between the little girl and her duck towards the end.



Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of A Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlmann



The illustrations are flawless, imaginative, and profoundly absorbing. And the story is superb as well, with such a clever ending and fascinating blurbs about human astronauts at the end. Every piece the mouse used to construct his space shuttle was ingenious and appropriately-sized for a mouse. This is one of those rare books that consumed me the moment I opened it. It also gave me that same special feeling that my favorite hidey places gave me as a child. It's quite possible I shrunk to the same size as the mouse in this story and scurried everywhere he did, collecting parts, Once I begrudgingly closed the book, I became the size of a human once again. 



Lindbergh: The Tale of A Flying Mouse by Torben Kuhlmann



I have nothing but praise for Torben Kuhlmann. I love Lindbergh as much as Armstrong, and for most of the same reasons. The illustrations are sublime and so incredibly absorbing. The story scoops the reader up and doesn't let go, not even at the very end, because it's so indelible. In this story owls and cats are after the mouse, and I was so delightfully spooked by the illustrations of the owls.

Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli and Mariachiara Di Giorgio

This is another wordless book that completely slurped me up. There are so many beautiful details - for instance on the subway when the crocodile has to stand with his head up so that he can squeeze in and the fact that he gets dressed for his job (which I'll keep mum). This is definitely one of those books that can be read over and over again in dozens of different ways. I also really love how the crocodile's morning routine is depicted - he dresses with care, moseys to work rather leisurely, buys a baked treat and flowers for a special lady, and even has a personalized locker at his 'office.'  It's very much how my six-year-old self imagined my adult self would get ready and commute to work.