Perhaps you'll notice, I'm half a month late in getting my monthly list out. Did anyone care?
Working on final art for a pic book plus sketches for a poetry book, plus back-of-brain stuff on two forthcoming pic books. Waters are a little choppy at the moment.
Ten of my faves from last month:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CG-dajWxznR1OIFYJRuVuioeebUnI9Mxpj-diqAuUawcYV0VEVb0NEgNmCIuWbZr3v_gQs5en64TxIBzWUP_GIIFaczckAXBenFiW82FGrEiETt7th0H3-EwiJih2cJrdgboygGBzFoF/s400/blog_ten_giantseeds.jpg)
1.
GIANTS SUNFLOWER SEEDS. I've been a seed fanatic since I was, maybe, 12 or something. I've always been a
David man, but I ran across these last month in a Wisconsin grocery store. The name does not lie. The seeds are, in fact, giant. Steroids? The "salt and pepper" ones are quite nice.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY2M0uQXrUbXW8DiIZRQEVVaNVHkLG3LCYli4tWTAE09GmUPWV53-Bsa6pkA-zs0hsjpSVwa2TsoPg1uNB2z_crrkDDlpyduZ_pNPxvAyiZ3StfDz6NbAmUv_5_ZCkn1Jb1UhU50QpM1pa/s400/blog_ten_macbook.jpg)
2. BIRTHDAY GIFT. Last month, I celebrated another birthday. I'm... thirty-something. I got a spectacular gift for this one. Julie and a few other kind relatives put together some moneys to afford me this laptop. It has been sweet. I take it to the library when I'm working there on stories, and I used it for a school visit already (and more to come, I hope!).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB24WAxiMojdHLFJwJCs3Pz9RzfYEBn4JmJ2H4UAtvuL3D9WvenwDa_8Kj192pFmDfu0aVROErInoK5T4Rh6Cih-TYlwerBGhJ3zDrGTduEEnT0Yt2c5qOWH3nM_cFZCWl2P2wnkWdS5qp/s400/blog_ten_steig_dominic.jpg)
3.
DOMINIC. Read this super cool William Steig chapter book last month. Another excellent little known Steig discovery (for me).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowmmj8oQGbXqL3rz7vpiDbKaPI-_JnG8tfDFaIoq2909Tof79j6-lamXwgc25JBOcwSEuBuoy1gsLqMpNU5dSuYTL8rDlHlXJ2Aj9EWlf1OVR3DRMF0kBXg8WE0yLDJAYEUuzmgsmimxb/s400/blog_ten_jeffers_heart.jpg)
4.
THE HEART AND THE BOTTLE. I saw this one by Oliver Jeffers sitting face out at the library last month. I liked art and story enough to use a b+n gift card to buy a copy.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3EVU5q4mbSlh2E5HqhTwqqGqHp59e-zQ8m_4lZx7OTv4S_Leil95jlgL20qfej3RmwojttBqt4QbrOcUOm9nFFn5Ox4B095ZZhYwMe-SZd_r7FmWSgJArBJtyhbtf2LZie-Fp-ib3yCH/s400/blog_ten_ts3_golden.jpg)
5.
TOY STORY 3, A LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK. We found this book at our local grocer's. Little Golden rolls like that. The art is superb. Do not discount the LGB.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97WEoOKMXgBrP9TE7_4Nf5ZbnIWa67OqGuBps0OX2kzkvM_dvXCeJuMgXb5kvxBiVPOYZlGKJs7Qm5xuijsrrN7yateWDOYADtovmrSBKMQHmNXHsmerC3sTOpSZY4FkpVw69zMwGeU4V/s400/blog_ten_juliet-naked-hornby.jpg)
6.
JULIET, NAKED. Looking for something to read, I read another Hornby. Again, I was impressed. I like that guy's style. And I like that this is sorta/kinda playing off Dylan/Dylanology/Dylanmania. It's funny. Cool cover too.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5uneWctg0nfO-0rXKB0EMlBpLRMJqpTEnZTBNqxTa7hO97g8iD0Rit6oCDtfxZVXwXohKUB_DJOb07nnrnLz1ctaHd319x7wyo0mS5YHIFEmA8AD2IcPvaLIDags-0z6d9cGFeAtTRoW/s400/blog_ten_bored.jpg)
7.
BORED TO DEATH. We are now in Season 2. And I love this show. Danson (awesome), Galifianakis, Schwartzman, et al. The writing is sharp and funny as heck. I love how they joke-check things like the Amazon sales rank and the New Yorker cartoon caption contest. Where else will you find that?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivdknnN1jY1k5roDk_XgW1qYOl4JsFFWcPCoKIUrcb5bI1xwd2aTH0fm0ZQDbbhZj9RsKrr5yMzmAfHNHuKfnH6eTR5s9QS6uVwXF6lFBbN5yqL8cItTKG2-8jyHFxKPKADcoE5miX8NYT/s400/blog_ten_pomtea.jpg)
8.
POMEGRANATE PIZZAZZ. To serious tea drinkers, these Bigelow bags are probably trash. But I came across this one last month and I shall endorse it. It's got built-in juice, man!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigmw0whVZ7L6fvukdPnU64IECcWMCdQlD8akWfn15NGO6nBJW7OJbceewmkITmbq7BLlRUTtMP-MTq-J1z5-EAi3U6J6s8c3031VCzkzX6p05eF-vtWLHiy-Bq1VT7aO4k-UiNe_I1RsDM/s400/blog_ten_jonathan.jpg)
9. OUR JONATHANS. We have a
Jonathan apple tree in our backyard. It yields a massive crop every fall, and last month the apples were popping and dropping, kids. It was fun to go back there with a ladder and fill bag after bag. Although, I did get tapped square in the eye by a renegade Jonny. Risk you run.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7Oh7RVhyphenhyphenc8AiStPf34ZKe7LViaB3MzftCSoKpUy9TFLemY8WNtA2IkCr2trbzW7g0L9RNQ1wrlBwMA55TUvPGe9PgXF5XCFkRdxNwoN0pYTt0_w4SDUVTfCID29xRTtCZFyEU9G-2a1x/s400/blog_ten_arcade_suburbs.jpg)
10. THE SUBURBS. The newest offering from indie darlings,
Arcade Fire. Though I still like the debut best, this is good and has had copious listens in the studio.