Chris P. Bacon: My Life So Far... by Len Lucero and Kristina Tracy; illustrated by Penny Weber | Not YA

This book is precious, and so is Chris P. Bacon! Chris P. Bacon's back legs did not work, but when Dr. Len gave him a set of wheels of his very own, Chris became an Internet star thanks to his bravery and peppy attitude. Told in bright, happy illustrations as well as a few real life photos, Chris' story is heartwarming and cute. I especially like that they included quite a few actual pictures at the end of the book. It's a message about remaining positive even when you face difficult trials, and it is told from Chris' point of view, which most kids will probably immensely enjoy. It's an inspirational tale and after reading it with a child, you could go online and watch videos of Chris or look up more pictures of this awesome little pig.

Dream Animals by Emily Winfield Martin | Not YA

This is a really sweet little book! In the story, animals let children ride them off into wonderful dreams where they get to do all sorts of lovely, fun fantasy things. In real life, the animals are usually a nightlight or a stuffed animal or a figure on a mobile; they always appear with the picture of the sleeping child as a real-life object. The illustrations are gentle and soft and whimsical, perfect for easing a kid into sleep. The muted colors help accent the idea that it's bedtime and things are calming down. The illustrations also indicate that if a kid goes to bed, he or she gets to go on some really awesome adventures, some of which include having tea with mermaids and landing on the moon to paint the stars. It's a fantastic, gentle book that would be great in a bedtime/nap time collection.

Friends by Eric Carle | Not YA

Done in Eric Carle's hand-painted tissue-paper collage style, Friends is a cute story about a boy's quest to find his best friend. It seems to be have been inspired by a real-life event in Carle's life where he moved away from a friend when he was little and never saw her again. In the story, however, the little boy does find his friend after a long journey through rain, over a mountain and across a river, among other things. The collage illustrations are bright and heavily textured, evoking movement even in their static statement. This would be a good book to consider reading to a child who has a friend moving away or who is upset about a friend leaving. It will probably be most enjoyable for preschool and early elementary aged children.

700 Books Resolution

Okay, so it's a brand new year and therefore it's time for a brand new reading goal for the year. This year, I'm going to read 700 books. Which is sort of insanity, but I want to give it a try. I'm going to count basically any book-type thing I read, from picture books all the way up to big ol' nonfiction books, so I thiiiink I can manage. I'm at least going to give it a whirl. If I post any non-YA book reviews here, I'll label it as NOT YA.