Kate

You know how some famous folks go by one name? Madonna. Beyonce. Well, I feel like my most famous person is discussed in my home and among my circle of friends often enough she could also go by just her first name. However, for some reason, I always say her full name. As if her full name is just one name. I guess she's more of a "Bond, James Bond" kinda famous just with the names in regular order.

Kate. Kate DiCamillo.

Oscar will probably grow up thinking her name is just one name.

Katedicamillo.

Like that.

I missed her a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I missed her three times. She was at the library in Concord. (Mas and the boys went!) She was in Boston the next day at the Boston Book Festival. She was at Jeff Kinney's bookstore, An Unlikely Story, the next day. #newmomproblems

It was a tough decision to miss her but I've seen her probably no less than 10 times so I told myself I would get to see her again. Then, I ordered every book I could think of from the Boston Public Library - well, the ones I hadn't yet read - and surrounded myself with her words instead. I think she would be ok with that.

The first time I met Kate. 2006? 2007? Brookline, MA

Then this time, 2009? In LA

Uh, yeah, then again in Somerville, MA in 2010 or 11.
This was extra special because we all watched the move Because of Winn Dixie
WITH Kate in the theater. I know, right???

At the Boston Public Library in 2014 with the young ladies
in my Girl's Book Club. There were only about 30 people there. It was so special!

If you are new to Kate, these books aren't the ones I first knew her by but dang - are they good. If I were to start with some Kate, Because of Winn Dixie, Tale of Despereaux, and The Magician's Elephant are where I'd go first. So I guess if you have read all of those - have you checked these other ones out? And if you haven't read those - why be an "or" person! Read them all!

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

I am ashamed to say that I am late to the Mercy Watson game. Probably a few people read my Kate DiCamillo suggested starter list and laughed that Mercy Watson wasn't on there. In fact, some folks only know Kate because of Mercy Watson. Mercy is a pig who lives in a house with people. Her neighbor, Eugenia Lincoln (who now has her own series), doesn't like the pig. However, Eugenia's sister, Baby, is good friends with Mercy. And Mercy - she loves buttered toast. This is a series geared toward early readers. Think Frog and Toad crowd. I read it to my kindergarteners as a read aloud though and they loved it!

La La La

The nearly wordless story, illustrated by Jaime Kim, features only the word La repeated and emphasized and dragged out, and, well, you would be surprised how much can be expressed by the word la. A little girl, who loves to sing, makes her way through the world looking for a singing partner. The colors in this book are downright gorgeous! Readers, both young and old, will enjoy figuring out this story as they sing along.

Good Rosie!

If you are still on Facebook, I recommend following Kate. This woman is so talented even her Facebook posts are beautiful writing! One thing I have learned about Kate, from seeing her in person and reading her posts, is that she loves dogs. This graphic novel (oh dang! I just remembered her other graphic novel Flora & Ulysses. Ok, you have to read that one too) is all about Rosie and her search for happiness. She and her human wander into a dog park one day and her life is changed forever. If you love dogs, you will love this book. I would say this is a great read for early graphic novel readers, in the 2nd - 3rd grade range, or if you have older readers who struggle to read, or if you just like a good book.

The moral of the story here? Read Kate. Read Kate DiCamillo. Find every single book she makes. Follow her on Facebook. She is truly, truly, one of the most brilliant writers I've ever read. I know I'll write many more blog posts about her. And she has too many other books that I haven't even mentioned yet. Read Kate.