The Best Book I Read This Month: Crimes Through Time by Rosie McCormick

The best book I read this month was written for children but can be fun for adults too. Crimes Through Time: Mischief, Missteps and Dastardly Deeds by Rosie McCormick is a jaunt through history with a focus on what is and isn’t legal in selected societies around the globe.

Full disclosure: I have known Rosie for more than a decade and have been excited for this book since she first told me about it. It does not disappoint.

In Crimes Through Time, readers explore 11 different societies, from ancient Mesopotamia to Gold Rush California. They read a blurb about the culture and what behaviors are illegal in that society. Then readers are challenged to find the crimes in an illustrated street scene. A follow-up blurb identifies the crimes that readers should have found and explains what makes each instance a crime.

Diegofer Otero’s illustrations are delightful, full of whimsy and character. Some snippets of dialogue in the illustrations are quips that adults are more likely to recognize and appreciate (just like some of the dialogue in Disney movies and Looney Tunes), but young readers won’t miss anything by not getting the references.

In short, Rosie McCormick’s Crimes Through Time is a lot of fun—and a fun way to learn about history.

The Best Book I Read This Month: The Day Leap Soared by Blair Braverman

I have been in a reading slump the last few months. I started three books and did not finish them—not because of the books but because my brain could not focus. But last week, I read a book that brightened my day and my mood. It’s a picture book by Blair Braverman called The Day Leap Soared.

I’ve been a fan of Braverman’s for a while. I’ve read her memoir, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube, about her time a Norwegian folk school, and her book Dogs on the Trail, about life with her sled dogs in northern Wisconsin. This is her first picture book, and it is delightful.

The story focuses on one of Braverman’s sled dog puppies, Leap, and features other members of her team. Puppy Leap looks at the grown-up dogs around her and notices their special talents and wonders what her special talent will be. It’s an adorable story about finding yourself.

Olivia When’s illustrations are cute as heck and whimsical and capture each dog’s unique personality. (I loved When’s art so much that I bought some postcards from her shop.)

On the whole, Braverman’s book looks beautiful and shares a beautiful message about being true to yourself. It’s worth checking out.