So my trip to stacks this week was not for me, but instead to make sure that a friend’s little one does not enter a home without the essentials. I had to limit myself a bit, because there are so many, but what I got is a start.

Babylit Sherlock Homes in the Hound of the Baskervilles

by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver

and

Babylit Alice in Wonderland

by Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver

I love the use of classics to explore colors, sounds and new ideas. These books have beautiful art and draw in unexpected, fun ways on their source material. 

Where the Wild Things Are

by Maurice Sendak

My hero in children’s books; I am inspired by his illustration and writing with every thousand-and-one reads. He captures childhood so effortlessly. (Again my hero, I loved how he matter-of-factly rejected the future of books in electronic form.)

I stopped there for now, but these are without question needed in the future:

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

An entrancing rhythm and flow, and a message that is so important. I still find a guiding light in this book myself. 

Adventures with Barefoot Critters

by Teagan White

The illustration is perfect, the get-up-and-play tone is easy to believe in, and there is more complexity in this book than I even noticed without the help of a very observant niece. This book does so many things!

And while I was browsing the children’s section, a new middle-grade caught my eye:

My Life with the Liars

by Caela Carter

This appears to be a middle-grade dystopian, a girl living in black and white when there is color beyond. I am intrigued by the contrast.