Welcome to another edition of Must Read Monday!

This feature is where I spotlight older, recent, or upcoming releases I am looking forward to. The lists will include all genres I like to read, everything from picture books to comics, children’s lit to adult fiction!

This week: picture books from two incredible author-illustrators. I haven’t done a Must Read on picture books on a little while, and my list of have-to-reads in this genre is growing immensely! First up is Ben Hatke’s Nobody Likes a Goblin. I have adored everything Hatke has published- from Zita the Spacegirl to Little Robot. Needless to say, I am a big fan and cannot wait to pore over his newest book. Hatke’s latest is a picture book, and it looks as tremendously, vibrantly and whimsically illustrated- and well-written- as all of his other work. Second up is Bring Me a Rock! by Daniel Miyares.  Miyares, author-illustrator of the gorgeous and moving wordless picture book Float and the witty Pardon Me! has a new wonderful-looking and sounding picture book out in the world. Sounding very much like a classic parable/folktale- which are perfect for storytimes and read alouds!- I cannot wait to see and read what Miyares has done in with this tale.

Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke
Publication: June 7, 2016 by First Second

Goblin, a cheerful little homebody, lives in a cosy, rat-infested dungeon, with his only friend, Skeleton. Every day, Goblin and Skeleton play with the treasure in their dungeon. But one day, a gang of “heroic” adventurers bursts in. These marauders trash the place, steal all the treasure, and make off with Skeleton—leaving Goblin all alone!

It’s up to Goblin to save the day. But first he’s going to have to leave the dungeon and find out how the rest of the world feels about goblins.

Bring Me a Rock! by Daniel Miyares
Publication: June 7, 2016 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

From the author-illustrator of Pardon Me! and Float comes a funny and fun picture book about a little bug who proves that even the small can be mighty.

When a power-hungry grasshopper king wants a throne to loom over his bug subjects, he summons each of them to “bring me a rock!” One by one, the bugs bring him the biggest rocks they can carry, but one little bug can contribute only a very small pebble. The grasshopper king shuns the little bug. But when his throne is in danger of tipping, that little bug might be the only one who can save him.

With beautiful, bold illustrations and a folk-tale sensibility, Bring Me a Rock! is a classic underdog tale with a humorous twist.