Wonderful Weirdos of Literature Series




This event officially came into being here on September 10, 2010, and will continue annually each Friday in September - or until the world runs out of kids' books with wonderfully weird characters (which is highly unlikely).

If you're curious as to how this thing got started, click on the link in the first sentence, and it will take you to the original post. If that doesn't answer all of your questions, please email me at bugsandbunnies (at) verizon (dot) net, and let me know what else you'd like to know.

And if you know of a book with wonderfully weird characters that you think is just perfect for inclusion in the Series, email and let me know that, too.

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Now that all of the explanatory stuff is out of the way, you probably want to get reading. Just click on any link below, and you'll be taken directly to the post for that installment.

 
Installment #19, September 26, 2014
Theme: Animals are People, Too (And Vice Versa)
Books discussed:
Stuart Little, written by E.B. White, pictures by Garth Williams
I'm a Manatee, by John Lithgow, illustrated by Ard Hoyt
Have you ever seen a Moose taking a bath? Story by Jamie McClaine, art by April Goodman Willy
No Moon, No Milk! By Chris Babcock, illustrated by Mark Teague  

Installment #18, September 19, 2014
Theme: Supernatural
Books discussed: 
The Monster Trap, story and pictures by Dean Morrissey, written by Dean Morrissey and Stephen Krensky
I Need My Monster, written by Amanda Noll, illustrated by Howard McWilliam

Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo, written and illustrated by Mercer Mayer
The Mysterious Tadpole, written and illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Installment #17, September 12, 2014
Theme: Waxing Poetic
Books discussed:
A Light in the Attic, poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein
The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders, rhymes by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by Petra Mathers
A Bad Case of the Giggles: Kids' Favorite Funny Poems, selected by Bruce Lansky, illustrated by Stephen Carpenter
Frog Trouble and Eleven Other Pretty Serious Songs, songs and illustrations by Sandra Boynton 

Installment #16, September 5, 2014
Theme: Weirdly True
Books discussed:  
Pigs Over Colorado, written and illustrated by Kerry Lee MacLean
If Dinosaurs Came to Town, written and illustrated by Dom Mansell Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why Every Punctuation Mark Counts! by Lynne Truss, illustrated by Bonnie Timmons
How Much is a Million? by David M. Schwartz, pictures by Steven Kellogg
The Truth About Poop, by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by Elwood H. Smith

Installment #15, September 27, 2013
Theme: Out of this World
Books Discussed: 
Liesl and Po, written by Lauren Oliver, illustrated by Kei Acedera
Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger, written by Kevin Bolger, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, written by Catherynne M. Valente, illustrated by Ana Juan
A Hat Full of Sky, written by Terry Pratchett 

Installment #14, September 20, 2013
Theme: Orphans in Odd Situations
Books Discussed: 
Fly By Night, written by Frances Hardinge
Dodger, written by Terry Pratchett
The Magician's Elephant, written by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka
The BFG, written by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Installment #13, September 13, 2013
Theme: Outliers
Books Discussed:
Liar and Spy, written by Rebecca Stead
Stargirl, written by Jerry Spinelli
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, written and illustrated by Bill Watterson
The Adventures of Captain Underpants, The First Epic Novel, written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey

Installment #12, September 6, 2013
Theme: Odd Ducks
Books Discussed: 
Max's Chocolate Chicken, written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells
Moosetache, written by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Henry Cole
Philadelphia Chickens: A Too-Illogical Zoological Musical Revue, written, illustrated and directed by Sandra Boynton
Wind in the Willows, written by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard

Installment #11, September 28, 2012 
Theme: Activism, Or: Something to Believe In
Books Discussed
CLICK, CLACK, MOO Cows That Type, written by Doreen Cronin, pictures by Betsy Lewin
That Girl Lucy Moon, by Amy Timberlake
Neversink, by Barry Wolverton, with drawings by Sam Nielson
Chomp, by Carl Hiaasen
Here Lies the Librarian, by Richard Peck

Installment #10, September 21, 2012
Theme: She Marches to the Beat of a Different Drummer
Books Discussed: 
The Higher Power of Lucky, written by Susan Patron, illustrated by Matt Phelan
Savvy, by Ingrid Law
Silly Sally, written and illustrated by Audrey Wood
The Amelia Bedelia Treasury: Three Books by Peggy Parish, illustrated by Fritz Siebel and Barbara Siebel Thomas
The Mousehunter, written and illustrated by Alex Milway

Installment #9, September 14, 2012
Theme: Strange Goings-On
Books discussed:
To Catch a Mermaid, by Suzanne Selfors
The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy, with illustrations by Ian Schoenherr
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs
The Twits, written by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, written by Judi Barrett, and drawn by Ron Barrett

Installment #8, September 7, 2012
Theme: Classics...and Classic Twists
Books discussed: 
Kenny and the Dragon, written and illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi
I, Crocodile, written and illustrated by Fred Marcellino
Frog and Toad Together, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel
The House on East 88th Street, written and illustrated by Bernard Waber
The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be, written and illustrated by Mini Grey

Installment #7, September 30, 2011 
Theme: Characters Who Just Might Remind You of Someone You Know
Books discussed: 
Arthur, For the Very First Time, by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrations by Lloyd Bloom
Another Whole Nother Story, As told by (The Incomparable) Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Fish, by Gregory Mone
Franny B. Kranny, There's a Bird in Your Hair! by Harriet Lerner and Susan Goldhor, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
The Napping House, by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood
Love, Ruby Lavender, by Deborah Wiles

Installment #6, September 23, 2011
Theme: Magic
Books discussed:
Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm, by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by Mark Buehner
Magpie Gabbard and the Quest for the Buried Moon, by Sally M. Keehn
Hey, Al, by Arthur Yorinks, illustrated by Richard Egielski
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier
Tuesday, by David Wiesner
The Wee Free Men: A Tiffany Aching Adventure, by Terry Pratchett

Installment #5, September 16, 2011 
Theme: The Anthropomorphic
Books discussed:
Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes
Chick 'n' Pug, by Jennifer Sattler
Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
The Three Pigs, by David Wiesner;
The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale (A Benefit for the Starbright Foundation), by various celebrities and artists

Installment #4, September 2, 2011
Theme: Stinky in Name, Title or Deed
Books discussed
Stink, Solar System Superhero, by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Three Rotten Eggs, by Gregory Maguire, illustrated by Elaine Clayton
The Dirty Cowboy, by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Adam Rex
Walter the Farting Dog, by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray, illustrated by Audrey Colman
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
Good Families Don't, by Robert Munsch, illustrated by Alan Daniel

Installment #3, September 24, 2010
Books discussed: 
Chester's Way, by Kevin Henkes
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood
Weird Parents, by Audrey Wood
Weirdos From Another Planet, by Bill Watterson
Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow

Installment #2, September 17, 2010
Books discussed: 
Holes, by Louis Sachar
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, by Josh Berk
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney
The Adventures of Captain Underpants, by Dav Pilkey
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

Installment #1, September 10, 2010 
Books discussed: 
Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen
A Whole Nother Story, as told by (The One and Only) Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Surviving the Applewhites, by Stephanie S. Tolan
How to Train Your Dragon, by Cressida Cowell
A Long Way from Chicago, by Richard Peck
The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart
Geronimo Stilton chapter book series, by Geronimo Stilton
Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein

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New installments will be added as they are posted (every Friday in September).