Each November, the editors and reviewers of the Horn Book Magazine go back through the five-hundred-some books reviewed that year to make a list of the very best. There is no set number of titles nor quotas for genre or reading level; while we believe that there is an audience for each book named to the list, popularity (either proved or predicted) is not a factor we consider. At the risk of grandiosity, let me say simply that the annual Fanfare list is composed of titles that the Horn Book thinks make the world of books a better place. Below, our choices for 2012.

—Roger Sutton

Picture Books

Extra Yarn
written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen; Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
(Primary)
Industrious Annabelle finds a box containing an endless supply of yarn. Soon everyone in town is wearing her multicolored sweaters and hats — even the animals and houses. An evil archduke steals the box, but it miraculously makes its way back to Annabelle. Barnett’s folktale-like story receives a classically retro look in Klassen’s homespun ink and digital illustrations. Review 1/12.

Z Is for Moose
written by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky; Greenwillow
(Preschool, Primary)
Impatient Moose intrudes on early spreads of this alphabet book, before discovering M is actually for Mouse. After Moose’s subsequent epic tantrum, his gracious friend Zebra comes to the rescue. Both Bingham and Zelinsky cleverly enhance the basic ABC formula: she through the zany narrative and he through boisterous, frame-breaking illustrations. Review 3/12.

Jimmy the Greatest!
written by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng, translated from the Spanish by Elisa Amado; Groundwood
(Primary)
This story of a young boxer who defers (and redefines) his dream of success gains great personality and humanity from its loopy but warmhearted portrait of a hardscrabble tropical village. Muhammad Ali is Jimmy’s hero; Jimmy may well become yours. Review 7/12.

Little Dog Lost:
The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic
written and illustrated by Mônica Carnesi; Paulsen/Penguin
(Preschool, Primary)
In this edge-of-your-seat adventure story for the very youngest, a little dog is stranded in the middle of an ice-strewn river, heading toward open sea. Simple yet dramatic watercolors effectively convey the wintry setting; a hyper-engaging text (“Don’t be scared, Dog! A ship is coming!”) will keep readers involved all the way to the happy ending. Review 1/12.

And Then It’s Spring
written by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead; Porter/Roaring Brook
(Primary)
A small boy and his three animal companions patiently await spring. Fogliano’s understated, poetic text is perfectly paced, building tension as that sudden, glorious first spring day approaches. Stead captures humorous details in her woodblock and pencil illustrations, contrasting the browns and grays of late winter with the hopeful green of new growth. Review 1/12.

Dreaming Up:
A Celebration of Building
written and illustrated by Christy Hale; Lee & Low
(Preschool, Primary)
On left-hand pages, young children build with blocks, cups, pillows, sand — whatever’s available — as simple concrete poems describe the constructions. Right-hand pages are photographs of architectural marvels (the Guggenheim, Fallingwater) that echo the kids’ structures; endnotes provide additional information. This celebration of play, creation, and imagination is visually appealing and wholly original. Review 1/13.

This Is Not My Hat
written and illustrated by Jon Klassen; Candlewick
(Primary)
In this darkly hilarious picture book, a small fish — the most unreliable of unreliable narrators — assures readers he will get away with stealing a big fish’s hat. Well, “probably.” Slyly and subtly humorous illustrations belie each of the narrator’s claims, letting readers in on the joke from the very start. Review 9/12.

Green
written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger; Porter/Roaring Brook
(Preschool)
Seeger has once again created a (gorgeous) concept book that works on several levels. Thick impasto paint and clever die cuts introduce various shades of green (“forest green”; “sea green”) and end with a commentary on sustainability (“never green”; “forever green”). Review 3/12.

A Home for Bird
written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead; Porter/Roaring Brook
(Primary)
A little blue wooden bird jettisoned from a moving truck is rescued by a toad named Vernon. Despite his new friend’s persistent silence, Vernon is determined to help Bird find home. Stead’s loose-lined illustrations enhance the humor of Vernon’s one-sided patter right up to the story’s eminently rewarding — and satisfyingly circular — conclusion. Review 7/12.

Fiction

Chickadee [Birchbark House]
written and illustrated by Louise Erdrich; Harper/HarperCollins
(Intermediate)
In this fourth book in the series, eight-year-old Chickadee is kidnapped from his Ojibwe camp, and his family leaves the Great Plains (and their traditional nomadic way of life) to find him. Erdrich gives young readers a story full of suspense, humor, and child-appealing incident and adventure even as she captures a pivotal moment in our national history. Review 9/12.

The Fault in Our Stars
written by John Green; Dutton
(High School)
Seventeen-year-old Hazel meets Augustus at a cancer support group. The wise-beyond-their-years teens are both facing the possibility of dying young but embrace a chance at love together. Green’s poignant story transcends its teen-illness premise by combining the right amounts of romance, humor, and the author’s signature dose of heady, lively dialogue. Review 3/12.

Penny and Her Doll
written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes; Greenwillow
(Primary)
This memorable second easy reader about mouse Penny explores the universal childhood experience of naming things, with Penny pondering what to call the new doll Gram has sent her. Henkes skillfully develops his characters and story using three brief chapters, accessible language, intentional repetition, subtle clues, and expressive illustrations to great effect. Review 9/12.

A Certain October
written by Angela Johnson; Simon
(High School)
After a terrible train accident leaves her autistic younger half-brother in a coma and the boy she was flirting with dead, East Cleveland teen Scotty must come to terms with events — and stop blaming herself for what happened. The story unfolds gradually and in a nonlinear way, with uncommon nuance, sensitivity, and compassion. Review 9/12.

The Brides of Rollrock Island
written by Margo Lanagan; Knopf
(High School)
A witch calls upon her selkie sisters to seduce the men of Rollrock Island and drive away their human wives. Six narrators relate the consequences for the seal “mams,” their island-born sons, and an entire community. Lanagan’s sensory descriptions — of the land, sea, and creatures mythical and human — are melancholy, lyrical, and unforgettable. Review 9/12.

My Book of Life by Angel
written by Martine Leavitt; Ferguson/Farrar
(High School)
In spare yet haunting free verse, Leavitt tells of sixteen-year-old Angel’s descent into drugs, prostitution, and abuse at the hands of her manipulative pimp — and how her need to save a younger girl finally gives her the power to save herself. Angel’s story is a stunning portrait of exploitation and redemption. Review 11/12.

Little White Duck:
A Childhood in China
written by Na Liu and Andrés Vera Martínez, illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez; Graphic Universe/Lerner
(Intermediate)
Na Liu draws on her 1970s childhood in Wuhan for this collection of eight linked stories illustrated, comic-book style, by her husband. The events recounted are both historically specific and wonderfully — frequently hilariously — universal in this you-are-there portrait of child- and family life.
Review 9/12.

No Crystal Stair:
A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller
written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie; Carolrhoda Lab
(Middle School, High School)
Nelson (with the considerable aid of artist Christie) uses family history to magnify the whole American story in a stunning multi-voiced narration about the genesis and reach of a legendary Harlem bookseller and his store. Books about the power of books are rarely as invigorating as this one. Review 3/12.

Dodger
written by Terry Pratchett; Harper/HarperCollins
(Middle School)
The protagonist of this Victorian London–set tale is a “tosher” named Dodger who, after saving a distressed damsel, goes from sewer-rat to toast of the town. Without breaking character, but with tongue firmly in cheek (a neat trick!), Pratchett does his best Dickens impersonation — even going meta by inserting Boz into the cast. Review 11/12.

Splendors and Glooms
written by Laura Amy Schlitz; Candlewick
(Intermediate, Middle School)
The fates of street urchin puppeteer assistants Lizzie Rose and Parsefall entwine with that of cosseted doctor’s daughter Clara in this richly atmospheric Victorian tale of dark enchantments, magical transformations, guilt, grief, love, and sacrifice. With lively language and a structurally complex plot, Schlitz exhibits the delicate control of a puppeteer of words. Review 9/12.

Liar & Spy
written by Rebecca Stead; Lamb/Random
(Intermediate, Middle School)
New friend Safer recruits lonely Georges to help investigate a sinister upstairs neighbor. With his developing powers of observation, Georges uncovers the truth about “Mr. X” (and Safer himself), then finds the courage to face his own secret. Stead’s idiosyncratic-yet-believable characters inhabit a rich world contained within a few Brooklyn blocks. Review 9/12.

Code Name Verity
written by Elizabeth Wein; Hyperion
(High School)
Be prepared to pay very close attention while reading this WWII thriller about two young female British spies; practically nothing is as first it seems. Dual narrators Maddie and “Verity” — desperate, brave, loyal, cunning — will rivet readers as the story’s stakes grow ever higher. Review 5/12.

Nonfiction

Electric Ben:
The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
written and illustrated by Robert Byrd; Dial
(Intermediate)
In seventeen intricately and eye-pleasingly designed double-page spreads, Byrd thematically presents salient facets of Franklin’s legendary life and times from childhood onward. Detailed spot art and larger illustrations, Ben’s own words, a helpful timeline, author’s note, and a bibliography provide additional information to round out the absorbing, thorough portrait of this Founding Father. Review 11/12.

Island:
A Story of the Galápagos
written and illustrated by Jason Chin; Porter/Roaring Brook
(Primary)
Chin’s picture book exploration of one of the Galápagos islands begins six million years ago — “Birth” — and details its life stages before it sinks back into the sea. Existence doesn’t end there; many inhabitants have adapted and found homes on other islands. Engaging, accessible text and dynamic illustrations make this cycle-of-life-and-evolution story relevant and immediate for today’s young readers. Review 9/12.

Moonbird:
A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95
written by Phillip Hoose; Farrar
(Intermediate, Middle School, High School)
“Meet B95, one of the world’s premier athletes.” B95 is one of a flock of small migratory shorebirds (rufa red knots) who fly from Tierra del Fuego to the Canadian Arctic and back, every year. This fascinating, lucid, and nuanced account, augmented by spectacular photographs and progressive maps, will bring readers along on the birds’ extraordinary journey. Review 7/12.

Titanic:
Voices from the Disaster
written by Deborah Hopkinson; Scholastic
(Intermediate, Middle School)
Hopkinson’s overview of Titanic‘s doomed maiden voyage presents events with immediacy and suspense despite the inevitable outcome. Harrowing, highly sensory details, first-person accounts from a wide range of survivors, and archival photographs both humanize the disaster and give a sense of its scope. Fascinating back matter extends the narrative. Review 3/12.

The Fairy Ring:
Or, Elsie and Frances Fool the World
written by Mary Losure; Candlewick
(Intermediate, Middle School)
In 1919 Cottingley, England, young cousins Elsie and Frances produced several photographs that appeared to prove the existence of fairies. Losure’s warm, conversational narrative follows the cousins and their unintended fame, all the while — in her cleverly ambiguous text and with a single tantalizing unstaged photograph — leaving open the possibility of magic. Review 3/12.

Bomb:
The Race to Build — and Steal — the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon
written by Steve Sheinkin; Flash Point/Roaring Brook
(Middle School, High School)
Spies, science, and history compellingly but instructively combine in this account of one of WWII’s most significant battles: that over the procurement and deployment of the atomic bomb. Sheinkin is an irresistible storyteller whose scholarship and sense of structure provide unobtrusive support to every page. Review 11/12.

The post Horn Book Fanfare 2012 appeared first on The Horn Book.

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year. Here is a searchable page listing all Fanfare titles back to 1938.

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2012

List with full annotations

Picture Books
Extra Yarn; written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins). Review 1/12
Z Is for Moose; written by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (Greenwillow). Review 3/12
Jimmy the Greatest!; written by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng, translated from the Spanish by Elisa Amado (Groundwood). Review 7/12
Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic; written and illustrated by Mônica Carnesi (Paulsen/Penguin). Review 1/12
And Then It’s Spring; written by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Porter/Roaring Brook). Review 1/12
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building; written and illustrated by Christy Hale (Lee & Low). Review 1/13
This Is Not My Hat; written and illustrated by Jon Klassen (Candlewick). Review 9/12
Green; written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Porter/Roaring Brook). Review 3/12
A Home for Bird; written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead (Porter/Roaring Brook). Review 7/12

Fiction
Chickadee [Birchbark House]; written and illustrated by Louise Erdrich (Harper/HarperCollins). Review 9/12
The Fault in Our Stars; written by John Green (Dutton). Review 3/12
Penny and Her Doll; written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow). Review 9/12
A Certain October; written by Angela Johnson (Simon). Review 9/12
The Brides of Rollrock Island; written by Margo Lanagan (Knopf). Review 9/12
My Book of Life by Angel; written by Martine Leavitt (Ferguson/Farrar). Review 11/12
Little White Duck: A Childhood in China; written by Na Liu and Andrés Vera Martínez, illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez (Graphic Universe/Lerner). Review 9/12
No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller; written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Carolrhoda LAB). Review 3/12
Dodger; written by Terry Pratchett (Harper/HarperCollins). Review 11/12
Splendors and Glooms; written by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick). Review 9/12
Liar & Spy; written by Rebecca Stead (Lamb/Random). Review 9/12
Code Name Verity; written by Elizabeth Wein (Hyperion). Review 5/12

Nonfiction
Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin; written and illustrated by Robert Byrd (Dial). Review 11/12
Island: A Story of the Galápagos; written and illustrated by Jason Chin (Porter/Roaring Brook). Review 9/12
Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95; written by Phillip Hoose (Farrar). Review 7/12
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster; written by Deborah Hopkinson (Scholastic). Review 3/12
The Fairy Ring: Or, Elsie and Frances Fool the World; written by Mary Losure (Candlewick) Review 3/12
Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon; written by Steve Sheinkin (Flash Point/Roaring Brook). Review 11/12

2011

List with full annotations

Picture Books
Naamah and the Ark at Night written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, illustrated by Holly Meade; Candlewick
The Money We’ll Save written and illustrated by Brock Cole; Ferguson/Farrar
I Want My Hat Back written and illustrated by Jon Klassen; Candlewick
A Ball for Daisy written and illustrated by Chris Raschka; Schwartz & Wade/Random
Bone Dog written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann; Roaring Brook
Subway Story written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach; Knopf
Where’s Walrus? written and illustrated by Stephen Savage; Scholastic
Press Here written and illustrated by Hervé Tullet; Handprint/Chronicle

Fiction
Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus! written by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia; Kane Miller
Chime written by Franny Billingsley; Dial
Anya’s Ghost written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol; First Second/Roaring Brook
Dead End in Norvelt written by Jack Gantos; Farrar
Paper Covers Rock written by Jenny Hubbard; Delacorte
Life: An Exploded Diagram written by Mal Peet; Candlewick
Bluefish written by Pat Schmatz; Candlewick
The Scorpio Races written by Maggie Stiefvater; Scholastic
The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic written by Allan Wolf; Candlewick
Blink & Caution written by Tim Wynne-Jones; Candlewick
Breaking Stalin’s Nose written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin; Holt

Nonfiction
America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell written and illustrated by Don Brown; Flash Point/Roaring Brook
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart written by Candace Fleming; Schwartz & Wade/Random
Can We Save the Tiger? written by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White; Candlewick
Me…Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell; Little, Brown
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson; Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Orani: My Father’s Village written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola; Foster/Farrar
Feynman written by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Leland Myrick, color by Hilary Sycamore; First Second/Roaring Brook
Drawing from Memory written and illustrated by Allen Say; Scholastic
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes; Houghton
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Houghton
Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story written and illustrated by Thomas F. Yezerski; Farrar

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2010

List with full annotations

Picture Books
Mirror written and illustrated by Jeannie Baker (Candlewick)
Me and You written and illustrated by Anthony Brown (Farrar)
I Know Here written by Laurel Croza, illustrated by Matt James (Groundwood)
April and Esme, Tooth Fairies written and illustrated by Bob Graham (Candlewick)
The Village Garage written and illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Ottaviano/Holt)
Nini Lost and Found written and illustrated by Anita Lobel (Knopf)

Fiction
Forge written by Laurie Halse Anderson (Atheneum)
Incarceron written by Catherine Fisher (Dial)
Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley written by Stephanie Greene (Clarion)
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! written and illustrated by Grace Lin (Little, Brown)
The Sky Is Everywhere written by Jandy Nelson (Dial)
Big Nate: In a Class by Himself written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce (Harper/HarperCollins)
As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
The Dreamer written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sís (Scholastic)
Revolver written by Marcus Sedgwick (Roaring Brook)
The White Horse Trick written by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)
A Conspiracy of Kings written by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)
One Crazy Summer written by Rita Williams-Garcia (Amistad/HarperCollins)

Folklore
Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes illustrated by Salley Mavor (Houghton)

Poetry
Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen (Houghton)
Mirror Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse written by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josée Masse (Dutton)

Nonfiction
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Houghton)
The War to End All Wars: World War I written by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca (Porter/Flash Point/Roaring Brook)
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop (Houghton)
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery written by Steve Sheinkin (Flash Point/Roaring Brook)

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2009

List with full annotations

Picture Books
Birds written by Kevin Henkes and illustrated by Laura Dronzek (Greenwillow)
Bubble Trouble written by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Clarion)
Higher! Higher! written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick)
The Lion & the Mouse illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Little)
All the World written by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane/Simon)
The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story for Alphabet Town written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Knopf)

Fiction
War Games by Audrey Couloumbis and Akila Couloumbis (Random)
The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd (Holiday)
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters written by Lenore Look and illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Schwartz & Wade/Random)
Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry (Random)
The Storm in the Barn written and illustrated by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Lamb/Random)
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (Levine/Scholastic)
A Faraway Island written by Annika Thor and trans. from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (Delacorte)

Folklore
The Mitten retold by Jim Aylesworth and illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Scholastic)

Poetry
Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue written and illustrated by Jon Agee (Hyperion)
Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Petra Mathers (Harcourt)
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated  by Pamela Zagarenski (Houghton)

Nonfiction
Mission Control, This Is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon written by Andrew Chaikin with Victoria Kohl and illustrated by Alan Bean (Viking)
Redwoods written and illustrated by Jason Chin (Porter/Roaring Brook)
Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals Are Big and Little Animals Are Little written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Neal Layton (Candlewick)
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 written and illustrated by Brian Floca (Jackson/Atheneum)
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman (Holt)
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose (Kroupa/Farrar)
Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone (Candlewick)
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (Knopf)

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2008

List with full annotations

Picture Books
The Pencil written by Allan Ahlberg and illustrated by Bruce Ingman (Candlewick)
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Harcourt)
Traction Man Meets Turbodog written and illustrated by Mini Grey (Knopf)
Old Bear written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
Ghosts in the House! written and illustrated by Kazuno Kohara (Roaring Brook)
Who Made This Cake? written by Chihiro Nakagawa and illustrated by Junji Koyose (Front Street)
The Cardboard Piano written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime written and illustrated by Bob Shea (Hyperion)

Fiction
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (Fickling/Random)
The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean (HarperCollins)
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Knopf)
Forever Rose by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls (Levine/Scholastic)
Nation by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)
The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)
Nonfiction
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade/Random)
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (Flash Point/Porter/Roaring Brook)
The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body written by David Macaulay with Richard Walker and illustrated by David Macaulay (Lorraine/Houghton)
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (Candlewick)
Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City written by Janet Schulman and illustrated by Meilo So (Knopf)

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2007

List with full annotations

Picture Books
At Night written and illustrated by Jonathan Bean (Farrar)
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County written by Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson (Kroupa/Farrar)
A Good Day written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
Pictures from Our Vacation written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
First the Egg written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Porter/Roaring Brook)
The Arrival illustrated by Shaun Tan (Levine/Scholastic)

Fiction
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney (Little)
Becca at Sea by Deirdre Baker (Groundwood)
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron (Foster/Farrar)
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic)
Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan (Knopf)
A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve (Eos/HarperCollins)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret written and illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
The New Policeman by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)

Folklore
Beowulf: A Hero’s Tale Retold retold and illustrated by James Rumford (Houghton)
The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm retold by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Max Grafe (Candlewick)

Poetry
Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings written and illustrated by Douglas Florian (Harcourt)
Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems) written by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Istvan Banyai (Clarion)

Nonfiction
May I Pet Your Dog? written by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion)
Who Was First?: Discovering the Americas by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain written and illustrated by Peter Sís (Foster/Farrar)

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2006

List with full annotations

Picture Books
Keeper of Soles written by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Yayo (Holiday)
Hardworking Puppies written and illustrated by Lynn Reiser (Harcourt)
Emily’s Balloon written and illustrated by Komako Sakai (Chronicle)
Flotsam illustrated by David Wiesner (Clarion)

Fiction
Clay by David Almond (Delacorte)
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)
The Last Dragon written by Silvana De Mari, translated from the Italian by Shaun Whiteside (Miramax/Hyperion)
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Dutton)
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages (Viking)
Street Love by Walter Dean Myers (Amistad/HarperCollins)
Aggie and Ben: Three Stories written by Lori Ries, illustrated by Frank W. Dormer (Charlesbridge)
Thumb on a Diamond written by Ken Roberts, illustrated by Leanne Franson (Groundwood)
A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)
Ptolemy’s Gate: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book Three by Jonathan Stroud (Miramax/Hyperion)
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Knopf)

Nonfiction
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman (Holiday)
The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus (Candlewick)
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully (Farrar)
Wildfire written and illustrated by Taylor Morrison (Lorraine/Houghton)
Ballet of the Elephants written by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker (Brodie/Roaring Brook)
John, Paul, George, and Ben written and illustrated by Lane Smith (Hyperion)
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun)
Mama: A True Story in Which a Baby Hippo Loses His Mama during a Tsunami, but Finds a New Home, and a New Mama written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt)
Dizzy written by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Sean Qualls (Levine/Scholastic)

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2005

List with full annotations

Picture Books
Terrific written and illustrated by Jon Agee (di Capua/Hyperion)
A Crash Course for Molly written and illustrated by Eva Eriksson, translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard (R&S/Farrar)
Traction Man Is Here! written and illustrated by Mini Grey (Knopf)
The Witch’s Walking Stick written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh (Lorraine/Houghton)
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book written by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Candlewick)

Fiction
The Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice, Book One) written by Joseph Delaney, illustrated by Patrick Arrasmith (Greenwillow)
The Game of Silence written and illustrated by Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins)
The Minister’s Daughter by Julie Hearn (Seo/Atheneum)
An Innocent Soldier written by Josef Holub, translated from the German by Michael Hofmann (Levine/Scholastic)
Martin Bridge, Ready for Takeoff! written by Jessica Scott Kerrin, illustrated by Joseph Kelly (Kids Can Press)
Black Juice by Margo Lanagan (Eos/HarperCollins)
Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
Full Service by Will Weaver (Farrar)
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (Farrar)

Poetry
A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Candlewick)
Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beckie Prange (Houghton)

Nonfiction
Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic)
Invisible Allies: Microbes That Shape Our Lives by Jeannette Farrell (Farrar)
Prehistoric Actual Size written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Houghton)
If You Decide to Go to the Moon written by Faith McNulty, illustrated by Steven Kellogg (Scholastic)
John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)

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2004

List with full annotations

Picture Books
Home illustrated by Jeannie Baker (Greenwillow)
Where Is the Green Sheep? written by Mem Fox, illustrated by Judy Horacek (Harcourt)
Baby Brains written and illustrated by Simon James (Candlewick)
The Red Book written and illustrated by Barbara Lehman (Houghton)
Swing Otto Swing! written and illustrated by David Milgrim (Atheneum)
Tiny’s Big Adventure written by Martin Waddell, illustrated by John Lawrence (Candlewick)
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale written and illustrated by Mo Willems (Hyperion)

Fiction
The Fire-Eaters by David Almond (Delacorte)
King of the Middle March by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Levine/Scholastic)
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (Jackson/Atheneum)
The Pepins and Their Problems written by Polly Horvath, illustrated by Marylin Hafner (Farrar)
Indigo’s Star by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine/Scholastic)
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (Lamb/Random)

Poetry
If Not for the Cat written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Ted Rand (Greenwillow)

Nonfiction
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968 by Diane McWhorter (Scholastic )
Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing  written and illustrated by James Rumford (Houghton)

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2003

List with full annotations

Picture Books
The Shape Game written and illustrated by Anthony Browne (Farrar)
Snow Music written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
The Day the Babies Crawled Away written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam)
Big Momma Makes the World written by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Candlewick)
What James Likes Best written and illustrated by Amy Schwartz (Jackson/Atheneum)
Mary Smith written and illustrated by Andrea U’Ren (Farrar)
Hi, Harry! written by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Barbara Firth (Candlewick)

Fiction
True Confessions of a Heartless Girl by Martha Brooks (Kroupa/Farrar)
Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
The Canning Season by Polly Horvath (Farrar)
Circle of Doom by Tim Kennemore, illustrated by Tim Archbold (Farrar)
Heart’s Delight by Per Nilsson, translated by Tara Chace (Front Street)
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (Putnam)

Poetry
blues journey written by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Myers (Holiday)
God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant (HarperTempest)

Nonfiction
Strange Mr. Satie written by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Petra Mathers (Viking)
In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America’s Bill of Rights by Russell Freedman (Holiday)
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein (Roaring Brook)
The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin, Naturalist, Geologist & Thinker written and illustrated by Peter Sis (Foster/Farrar)

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2002

List with full annotations

Picture Books
A Bit More Bert written by Allan Ahlberg; illustrated by Raymond Briggs (Farrar)
Little Rat Sets Sail written by Monika Bang-Campbell; illustrated by Molly Bang (Harcourt)
Matthew A.B.C. written and illustrated by Peter Catalanotto (Jackson/Atheneum)
Gossie and Gossie and Gertie written and illustrated by Olivier Dunrea (Houghton)
Benny and the Binky written by Barbro Lindgren; illustrated by Olof Landstrom; translated by Elisabeth Kalick Dyssegaard (R&S/Farrar)Dahlia written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Foster/Farrar)
I Stink! written by Kate McMullan; illustrated by Jim McMullan (Cotler/HarperCollins)
The Broken Cat written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
John Coltrane’s Giant Steps written and illustrated by Chris Raschka (Jackson/Atheneum)

Fiction
Feed by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)
Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers (Dutton)
Mary Ann Alice by Brian Doyle (Groundwood)
Sonny’s War by Valerie Hobbs (Foster/Farrar)
The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean (HarperCollins)
Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin (Scholastic)

Poetry
Little Dog and Duncan by Kristine O’Connell George; illustrated by June Otani (Clarion)
19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye (Greenwillow)
Peacock and Other Poems written by Valerie Worth; illustrated by Natalie Babbitt (Farrar)

Nonfiction
Abraham Lincoln written by Amy L. Cohn and Suzy Schmidt; illustrated by David A. Johnson (Scholastic)
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science by John Fleischman (Houghton)
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos (Farrar)
What Charlie Heard written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein (Foster/Farrar)
Action Jackson written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan; illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker (Roaring Brook)
Talkin’ about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman written by Nikki Grimes; illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Orchard/Scholastic)
Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Houghton)
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey written and illustrated by Maira Kalman (Putnam)
This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)
Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick (Putnam)

Of Interest to Adults
Ways of Telling: Conversations on the Art of the Picture Book by Leonard S. Marcus (Dutton)

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2001

Picture Books
Milo’s Hat Trick written and illustrated by Jon Agee (di Capua/Hyperion)
The Adventures of Bert written by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Raymond Briggs (Farrar)
My Car written and illustrated by Byron Barton (Greenwillow)
Everywhere Babies written by Susan Meyers, illustrated by Marla Frazee (Harcourt)
The Stray Dog written and illustrated by Marc Simont (HarperCollins)

Fiction
The Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Levine/Scholastic)
Seek by Paul Fleischman (Marcato/Cricket)
Troy by Adèle Geras (Harcourt)
Runaway Radish written by Jessie Haas, illustrated by Margot Apple (Greenwillow)
Harley written by Star Livingstone, illustrated by Molly Bang (SeaStar/North-South)
A Step from Heaven by An Na (Front Street)
Lord of the Deep by Graham Salisbury (Delacorte)
The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian (Holt)
True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff (Atheneum)

Folklore
Mara’s Stories: Glimmers in the Darkness by Gary Schmidt (Holt)
Clever Beatrice written by Margaret Willey, illustrated by Heather Solomon (Atheneum)

Poetry
Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson (Front Street)
Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams (Greenwillow)

Nonfiction
Handel, Who Knew What He Liked written by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick)
Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People written and illustrated by Bonnie Christensen (Knopf)
We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History by Phillip Hoose (Kroupa/Farrar)

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2000

Picture Books
Buttons written and illustrated by Brock Cole (Farrar)
A Cake for Herbie written and illustrated by Petra Mathers (Schwartz/Atheneum)
Madlenka written and illustrated by Peter Sis (Foster/Farrar)

Fiction
Inspector Hopper written and illustrated by Doug Cushman (HarperCollins)
Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos (Farrar)
Silent to the Bone by E. L. Konigsburg (Karl/Atheneum)
The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Taylor Lisle (Jackson/Atheneum)
24 Hours by Margaret Mahy (McElderry)
145th Street: Short Stories by Walter Dean Myers (Delacorte)
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (Knopf)
Good Night, Good Knight written by Shelley Moore Thomas, illustrated by Jennifer Plecas (Dutton)
Space Race by Sylvia Waugh (Delacorte)

Folklore
Cold Feet written by Cynthia DeFelice, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker (DK Ink)

Poetry
mammalabilia written and illustrated by Douglas Florian (Harcourt)
Days Like This: A Collection of Small Poems selected and illustrated by Simon James (Candlewick)

Nonfiction
Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa written and illustrated by Don Brown (Houghton)
Dinosaurs at the Ends of the Earth: The Story of the Central Asiatic Expeditions written and illustrated by Brian Floca (Jackson/DK Ink)
The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin written by James Cross Giblin, illustrated by Michael Dooling (Scholastic)
Frank O. Gehry: Outside In by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (DK Ink)
Blizzard!: The Storm That Changed America by Jim Murphy (Scholastic)
The Wigwam and the Longhouse written and illustrated by Charlotte and David Yue (Houghton)

Toy and movable books
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-up by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by Robert Sabuda (Little Simon)

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1999

Picture Books
Benny’s Had Enough! written by Barbro Lindgren, illustrated by Olof Landström (R&S/Farrar)
What! Cried Granny: An Almost Bedtime Story written by Kate Lum, illustrated by Adrian Johnson (Dial)
Trucks Trucks Trucks written and illustrated by Peter Sis (Greenwillow)
Raising Sweetness written by Diane Stanley, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Putnam)
Sector 7 illustrated by David Wiesner (Clarion)

Fiction
Skellig by David Almond (Delacorte)
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Farrar)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Candlewick)
King of Shadows by Susan Cooper (McElderry)
The Birchbark House written and illustrated by Louise Erdrich (Hyperion)
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt (Holt)
The Trolls by Polly Horvath (Farrar)
Morgy Makes His Move written by Maggie Lewis, illustrated by Michael Chesworth (Houghton)
Monster written by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Myers (HarperCollins)
All Alone in the Universe written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
Not My Dog written by Colby Rodowsky, illustrated by Thomas F. Yezerski (Farrar)

Folklore
When the Beginning Began: Stories about God, the Creatures, and Us written by Julius Lester, illustrated by Emily Lisker (Silver Whistle/Harcourt)
The Troll with No Heart in His Body: And Other Tales of Trolls from Norway retold by Lise Lunge-Larsen, illustrated by Betsy Bowen (Houghton)

Poetry and song
Hush, Little Baby illustrated by Marla Frazee (Browndeer/Harcourt)

Nonfiction
William Shakespeare and the Globe written and illustrated by Aliki (HarperCollins)
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance by Jennifer Armstrong (Crown)
What Do Illustrators Do? written and illustrated by Eileen Christelow (Clarion)
Red-Eyed Tree Frog written by Joy Cowley, illustrated with photographs by Nic Bishop (Scholastic)
26 Fairmount Avenue written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola (Putnam)
It’s So Amazing!: A Book about Eggs, Sperm, Birth, Babies, and Families written by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Candlewick)
The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Houghton)

Of interest to adults
Origins of Story: On Writing for Children edited by Barbara Harrison and Gregory Maguire (McElderry)

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1998

Picture Books
Arlene Alda’s 1 2 3: What Do You See? written and illustrated with photographs by Arlene Alda (Tricycle Press)
And If the Moon Could Talk written by Kate Banks; illustrated by Georg Hallensleben (Foster/Farrar)
The Little Scarecrow Boy written by Margaret Wise Brown; illustrated by David Diaz (Cotler/HarperCollins)
Voices in the Park written and illustrated by Anthony Browne (DK Ink)
I Lost My Bear written and illustrated by Jules Feiffer (Morrow Junior)
The Wild Boy: Based on the True Story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein (Foster/Farrar)
So Many Circles, So Many Squares illustrated with photographs by Tana Hoban (Greenwillow)

Fiction
Go and Come Back by Joan Abelove (Jackson/DK Ink)
While No One Was Watching by Jane Leslie Conly (Holt)
The Exiles in Love by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
The Wild Kid by Harry Mazer (Simon)
The Dark Light by Mette Newth (Farrar)
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck (Dial)
Halinka written by Mirjam Pressler; translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford (Holt)
Holes by Louis Sachar (Foster/Farrar)
Mary on Horseback: Three Mountain Stories written by Rosemary Wells; illustrated by Peter McCarty (Dial)

Folklore
A Handful of Beans: Six Fairy Tales retold by Jeanne Steig; illustrated by William Steig (di Capua/HarperCollins)

Poetry and Song
Cool Melons — Turn to Frogs!: The Life and Poems of Issa written by Matthew Gollub; illustrated by Kazuko G. Stone (Lee & Low)
This Land Is Your Land written by Woody Guthrie; illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen (Little)

Nonfiction
Boss of the Plains: The Hat That Won the West written by Laurie Carlson; illustrated by Holly Meade (Kroupa/DK Ink)
Clouds of Glory by Miriam Chaikin; illustrated by David Frampton (Clarion)
Martha Graham: A Dancer’s Life by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
Chuck Close Up Close by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (DK Ink)
Walter Wick’s Optical Tricks written and illustrated with photographs by Walter Wick (Scholastic)

Of Interest to Adults
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom collected and edited by Leonard S. Marcus (HarperCollins)

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1997

Picture Books
Baboon written by Kate Banks, illustrated by Georg Hallensleben (Foster/Farrar)
A Small Miracle written and illustrated by Peter Collington (Knopf)
Noah Makes a Boat written by Pippa Goodhart, illustrated by Bernard Lodge (Lorraine/Houghton)
Seven Brave Women written by Betsy Hearne, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen (Greenwillow)
Watch William Walk written and illustrated by Ann Jonas (Greenwillow)
Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression written by Kate Lied, illustrated by Lisa Campbell Ernst (National Geographic)
Mysterious Thelonious written and illustrated by Chris Raschka (Orchard)
Bearsie Bear and the Surprise Sleepover Party written and illustrated by Bernard Waber (Lorraine/Houghton)

Fiction
Tangerine by Edward Bloor (Harcourt)
Ant Plays Bear written by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Marc Simont (Viking)
The Window by Michael Dorris (Hyperion)
Uncle Ronald by Brian Doyle (Groundwood)
The Fat Man by Maurice Gee (Simon)
The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman (Knopf)
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli (Cotler/HarperCollins)

Folklore
The Emperor’s New Clothes written by Hans Christian Andersen, translated by Naomi Lewis; illustrated by Angela Barrett (Candlewick)
The Dancing Fox: Arctic Folktales edited by John Bierhorst, illustrated by Mary K. Okheena (Morrow)
Rapunzel retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (Dutton)

Nonfiction
Lou Gehrig: The Luckiest Man written by David A. Adler, illustrated by Terry Widener (Gulliver/Harcourt)
Outside and Inside Bats by Sandra Markle (Atheneum)
Leon’s Story written by Leon Walter Tillage, illustrated by Susan L. Roth (Farrar)
A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder written and illustrated with photographs by Walter Wick (Scholastic Press)

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1996

Picture Books
Goose written and illustrated by Molly Bang (Blue Sky/Scholastic)
Clown illustrated by Quentin Blake (Holt)
Night Driving written by Jon Coy, illustrated by Peter McCarty (Holt)
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow/Morrow)
Hush!: A Thai Lullaby written by Minfong Ho, illustrated by Holly Meade (Kroupa/Orchard)
Grandmother Bryant’s Pocket written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Petra Mathers (Houghton)
Martha Blah Blah written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh (Lorraine/Houghton)
The Paperboy written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey (Jackson/Orchard)

Fiction
My Brother, Ant written by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Marc Simont (Viking/Penguin)
The Cuckoo’s Child by Suzanne Freeman (Greenwillow/Morrow)
Bad Girls by Cynthia Voigt (Scholastic)
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (Knopf/Random)
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer (Jackson/Orchard)
Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida by Victor Martinez (Cotler/HarperCollins)
Frindle written by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick (Simon)
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow/Morrow)

Folklore
The Green Frogs retold and illustrated by Yumi Heo (Houghton)
Coyote and the Fire Stick retold by Barbara Diamond Goldin, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand (Gulliver/Harcourt)
Nursery Tales around the World retold by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Stefano Vitale (Clarion/Houghton)

Poetry
I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You: A Book of Her Poems and His Poems Collected in Pairs selected by Naomi Shihab Nye and Paul B. Janeczko (Simon)

Nonfiction
Full Steam Ahead: The Race to Build a Transcontinental Railroad by Rhoda Blumberg (National Geographic)
On the Bus with Joanna Cole: A Creative Autobiography by Joanna Cole with Wendy Saul (Heinemann)
The Life and Death of Crazy Horse written by Russell Freedman, illustrated by Amos Bad Heart Bull (Holiday)

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1995

Picture Books
Grandaddy’s Stars written by Helen V. Griffith, illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
In the Rain with Baby Duck written by Amy Hest, illustrated by Jill Barton (Candlewick)
Alphabet City illustrated by Stephen T. Johnson (Viking)
Shortcut written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Lorraine/Houghton)
Hog-Eye written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh (Lorraine/Houghton)
Home Lovely written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
Officer Buckle and Gloria written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam)
Math Curse written by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith (Viking)

Fiction
An Island Like You by Judith Ortiz Cofer (Kroupa/Orchard)
Ironman by Chris Crutcher (Greenwillow)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte)
The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman (Clarion)
Dog Friday by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (Houghton)
Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia (Lodestar)
Some of the Kinder Planets by Tim Wynne-Jones (Kroupa/Orchard)

Folklore
The Boy Who Lived with the Bears: And Other Iroquois Stories by Joseph Bruchac (HarperCollins)

Poetry
Mary Had a Little Lamb written by Sarah Josepha Hale, illustrated by Salley Mavor (Kroupa/Orchard)
The Block written by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Romare Bearden, selected by Lowery S. Sims and Daisy Murray Voigt (Viking)
Rhymes for Annie Rose written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes (Lothrop)

Nonfiction
My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary (Morrow)
Talking with Artists: Volume Two compiled and edited by Pat Cummings (Simon)
The Middle Passage illustrated by Tom Feelings (Dial)
This Is My Song!: A Collection of Gospel Music for the Family selected by Vy Higginsen, illustrated by Brenda Joysmith (Crown)
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy (Scholastic)
Wheels Around written and photographed by Shelley Rotner (Houghton)

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1994

Picture Books
Swamp Angel written by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (Dutton)
V for Vanishing: An Alphabet of Endangered Animals written and illustrated by Patricia Mullins (HarperCollins)
To Baby with Love written and illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Lothrop)
Pink and Say written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco (Philomel)
Good Night, Gorilla written and illustrated by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam)
The Christmas Alphabet illustrated by Robert Sabuda (Orchard)
Hi written by Ann Herbert Scott, illustrated by Glo Coalson (Philomel)
A Hat for Minerva Louise written and illustrated by Janet Morgan Stoeke (Dutton)

Fiction
Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence edited by Marion Dane Bauer (HarperCollins)
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman (Clarion)
Flour Babies by Anne Fine (Little)
Jericho by Janet Hickman (Greenwillow)
Deliver Us from Evie by M. E. Kerr (HarperCollins)
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)
Letters from the Inside by John Marsden (Houghton)
I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson (Delacorte)

Folklore
John Henry retold by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Dial)

Poetry
Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United Stated edited by Lori M. Carlson (Holt)
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems written by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Brian Pinkney (Knopf)
A Tree Place and Other Poems written by Constance Levy, illustrated by Robert Sabuda (McElderry)

Nonfiction
The Days Before Now written by Margaret Wise Brown, edited by Joan W. Blos, illustrated by Thomas B. Allen (Simon)
Kids at Work: Lewis Hine and the Crusade against Child Labor written by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
It’s Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health written by Robie H. Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Candlewick)
Unconditional Surrender: U.S. Grant and the Civil War by Albert Marrin (Atheneum)
I Am an American: A True Story of Japanese Internment by Jerry Stanley (Crown)

Of Interest to Adults
75 Years of Children’s Book Week Posters by Leonard S. Marcus (Knopf)
The Annotated Charlotte’s Web by Peter F. Neumeyer (HarperCollins)

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1993

Picture Books
The Tub Grandfather written by Pam Conrad, illustrated by Richard Egielski (HarperCollins)
Tom written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola (Putnam)
Owen written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
The Three-Legged Cat written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jonathan Allen (Viking)
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop written by Margaree King Mitchell, illustrated by James Ransome (Simon)
Yo! Yes? written and illustrated by Chris Raschka (Orchard)
Grandfather’s Journey written and illustrated by Allen Say (Houghton)
Komodo! written and illustrated by Peter Sis (Greenwillow)
By the Light of the Halloween Moon written by Caroline Stutson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Lothrop)
Waiting for the Evening Star written by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Susan Jeffers (Dial)

Fiction
Is Underground by Joan Aiken (Delacorte)
The Boggart by Susan Cooper (McElderry)
The Great American Elephant Chase by Gillian Cross (Holiday)
A Bone from a Dry Sea by Peter Dickinson (Delacorte)
Bull Run by Paul Fleischman (HarperCollins)
Grandaddy and Janetta written by Helen V. Griffith, illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
Baby by Patricia MacLachlan (Delacorte)
Shizuko’s Daughter by Kyoko Mori (Holt)
Lydia, Queen of Palestine by Uri Orlev (Houghton)
Who Do You Think You Are?: Stories of Friends and Enemies selected by Hazel Rochman and Darlene Z. McCampbell (Joy Street)
Others See Us by William Sleator (Dutton)
Local News by Gary Soto (Harcourt)
Grab Hands and Run by Frances Temple (Orchard)
The Winter Prince by Elizabeth E. Wein (Atheneum)
Scooter written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams (Greenwillow)
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff (Holt)

Folklore
The Children of Lir written by Sheila MacGill-Callahan, illustrated by Gennady Spirin (Dial)
The Secret Room retold and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Farrar)

Poetry
Father and Son written by Denizé Lauture, illustrated by Jonathan Green (Philomel)
A. Nonny Mouse Writes Again! selected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (Knopf)
The Dragons Are Singing Tonight written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Peter Sis (Greenwillow)

Nonfiction
Pablo Remembers: The Fiesta of the Day of the Dead written and illustrated with photographs by George Ancona (Lothrop)
Noah’s Ark written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins (Candlewick)
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
The Hidden Children by Howard Greenfeld (Ticknor)
A Short Walk Around the Pyramids and Through the World of Art by Philip M. Isaacson (Knopf)
This Land Is My Land written and illustrated by George Littlechild (Children’s)
Across America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy (Clarion)
Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic)
Alvin Ailey written by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney (Hyperion)
Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary by Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven (Viking)

Of Interest to Adults
The Zena Sutherland Lectures 1983-1992 edited by Betsy Hearne (Clarion)

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1992

Picture Books
The Fortunetellers written by Lloyd Alexander, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Dutton)
Emily written by Michael Bedard, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Doubleday)
Shortcut written and illustrated by Donald Crews (Greenwillow)
Loop the Loop written by Barbara Dugan, illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
Mirette on the High Wire written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully (Putnam)
Martha Speaks written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh (Houghton)
Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas written by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (Harcourt)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales written by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith (Viking)
Don’t You Know There’s a War On? written and illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
The Widow’s Broom written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
First Tomato/The Island Light/Moss Pillows written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Dial)
June 29, 1999 written and illustrated by David Wiesner (Clarion)
Letting Swift River Go written by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Barbara Cooney

Fiction
A Kind of Thief by Vivien Alcock (Delacorte)
Ajeemah and His Son by James Berry (HarperCollins)
What Hearts by Bruce Brooks (HarperCollins)
Two Moons in August by Martha Brooks (Joy Street)
Dear Nobody by Berlie Doherty (Orchard)
Morning Girl by Michael Dorris (Hyperion)
Words of Stone by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse (Holt)
Letters from a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons (Scribner)
The Exiles by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic)
Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear by Lensey Namioka (Joy Street)
The Beggars’ Ride by Theresa Nelson (Orchard)
Ghost Song by Susan Price (Farrar)
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (Orchard)
Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti by Frances Temple (Orchard)
The Leaving by Budge Wilson (Philomel)

Folklore
Moon Rope: A Peruvian Folktale retold and illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt)
The Trojan Horse retold and illustrated by Warwick Hutton (McElderry)
Seven Blind Mice retold and illustrated by Ed Young (Philomel)

Poetry
A Zooful of Animals selected by William Cole, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger (Houghton)
Talking Like the Rain selected by X. J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy, illustrated by Jane Dyer (Little)
Sunflakes: Poems for Children selected by Lilian Moore, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion)
And the Green Grass Grew All Around selected by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Sue Truesdell (HarperCollins)
Neighborhood Odes written by Gary Soto, illustrated by David Diaz (Harcourt)
At Chistmastime written by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Antonio Frasconi (HarperCollins)

Nonfiction
Picture This: Perception and Composition written and illustrated by Molly Bang (Little)
Come Back, Salmon written by Molly Cone, illustrated by Sidnee Wheelwright (Sierra)
Talking with Artists compiled and edited by Pat Cummings (Bradbury)
A Twilight Struggle:The Life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy by Barbara Harrison and Daniel Terris (Lothrop)
Dinosaur Encore written and illustrated by Patricia Mullins (HarperCollins)
Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare written by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema, illustrated by Diane Stanley (Morrow)
Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp by Jerry Stanley (Crown)
The Pigman and Me by Paul Zindel (HarperCollins)

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1991

Picture Books
Bigmama’s written and illustrated by Donald Crews (Greenwillow)
Abuela written by Arthur Dorros, illustrated by Elisa Kleven (Dutton)
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt)
Chrysanthemum written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
Amazing Grace written by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch (Dial)
Horace written and illustrated by Holly Keller (Greenwillow)
Sophie and Lou written and illustrated by Petra Mathers (HarperCollins)
The Handmade Alphabet written and illustrated by Laura Rankin (Dial)
Tar Beach written and illustrated by Faith Ringgold (Crown)
Tree of Cranes written and illustrated by Allen Say (Houghton)
Max’s Dragon Shirt written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Dial)

Fiction
Nothing but the Truth by Avi (Orchard/Jackson)
Wanted . . . Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars (Delacorte)
Strider by Beverly Cleary (Morrow)
The Borning Room by Paul Fleischman (HarperCollins/Zolotow)
Monkey Island by Paula Fox (Orchard/Jackson)
The Brave by Robert Lipsyte (HarperCollins)
Dangerous Spaces by Margaret Mahy (Viking)
Rats on the Roof written and illustrated by James Marshall (Dial)
The Man from the Other Side by Uri Orlev (Houghton)
Lyddie by Katherine Paterson (Lodestar)
The Kingdom by the Sea by Robert Westall (Farrar)

Folklore
Borreguita and the Coyote: A Tale from Ayutla, Mexico retold by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Petra Mathers (Knopf)
Snow White retold by Josephine Poole, illustrated by Angela Barrett (Knopf)

Poetry
Night on Neighborhood Street written by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Dial)

Nonfiction
The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman (Holiday)
Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt! written by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Mike Wimmer (Putnam)
Summer of Fire: Yellowstone 1988 by Patricia Lauber (Orchard)
Now Is Your Time!: The African-American Struggle for Freedom by Walter Dean Myers (HarperCollins)
Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Barry Moser (Harcourt)
Follow the Dream written and illustrated by Peter Sis (Knopf)

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1990

Picture Books
Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones written and illustrated by Byron Barton (Crowell)
The Wall written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ronald Himler (Clarion)
Hattie and the Wild Waves written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Viking)
Feathers for Lunch written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt)
Julius, the Baby of the World written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
The Big Concrete Lorry written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes (Lothrop)
Four Dollars and Fifty Cents written by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Glen Rounds (Holiday)
Come a Tide written by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Orchard/Jackson)
Black and White written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)
Rachel Fister’s Blister written by Amy MacDonald, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (Houghton)
The Great White Man-Eating Shark: A Cautionary Tale written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jonathan Allen (Dial)
Many Moons written by James Thurber, illustrated by Marc Simont (Harcourt)
Possum Come a-Knockin’ written by Nancy Van Laan, illustrated by George Booth (Knopf)
“More More More,” Said the Baby: Three Love Stories written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams (Greenwillow)

Fiction
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle written by Avi, illustrated by Ruth E. Murray (Orchard/Jackson)
Other Bells for Us to Ring written by Robert Cormier, illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray (Delacorte)
White Peak Farm by Berlie Doherty (Orchard)
Saturnalia by Paul Fleischman (Harper/Zolotow)
Cousins by Virginia Hamilton (Philomel)
Ace: The Very Important Pig written by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Lynette Hemmant (Crown)
Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (Atheneum/Karl)
Beyond the Labyrinth by Gillian Rubinstein (Orchard/Jackson)
Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Sucie Stevenson (Bradbury)
Baseball in April and Other Stories by Gary Soto (Harcourt)
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Little)

Folklore
The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks written by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Lodestar)
Puss in Boots written by Charles Perrault, translated by Malcolm Arthur, illustrated by Fred Marcellino (Farrar/di Capua)

Poetry
The Place My Words Are Looking For: What Poets Say about and through Their Work selected by Paul B. Janeczko (Bradbury)
A Hippopotamusn’t: And Other Animal Verses written by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Victoria Chess (Dial)
Judy Scuppernong written by Brenda Seabrooke, illustrated by Ted Lewin (Cobblehill/Dutton)

Nonfiction
War Boy: A Country Childhood written and illustrated by Michael Foreman (Arcade)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman (Clarion/Houghton)
Insect Metamorphosis: From Egg to Adult written by Ron and Nancy Goor, photographed by Ron Goor (Atheneum)
Exactly the Opposite written and photographed by Tana Hoban (Greenwillow)
Aardvarks, Disembark! written and illustrated by Ann Jonas (Greenwillow)
Sorrow’s Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston by Mary E. Lyons (Scriber)
Is This a House for Hermit Crab? written by Megan McDonald, illustrated by S. D. Schindler (Orchard/Jackson)
The Boys’ War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk about the Civil War by Jim Murphy (Clarion/Houghton)
American Women: Their Lives in Their Words edited by Doreen Rappaport (Crowell)
El Chino written and illustrated by Allen Say (Houghton)

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1989

Picture Books
The Tub People written by Pam Conrad, illustrated by Richard Egielski (Harper)
Color Zoo written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Lippincott)
Night Noises written by Mem Fox, illustrated by Terry Denton (Gulliver/Harcourt)
Jessica written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom written by Bill Martin, Jr., and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert (Simon)
Will’s Mammoth written by Rafe Martin, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Putnam)
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt retold by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (McElderry)
Waiting for Hannah written and illustrated by Marisabina Russo (Greenwillow)
Mouse Paint written and illustrated by Ellen Stoll Walsh (Harcourt)
Where Does the Brown Bear Go? written and illustrated by Nicki Weiss (Greenwillow)
Max’s Chocolate Chicken written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Dial)

Fiction
Bingo Brown and the Language of Love by Betsy Byars (Viking/Kestrel)
Lucie Babbidge’s House by Sylvia Cassedy (Crowell)
Celine by Brock Cole (Farrar)
Eva by Peter Dickinson (Delacorte)
Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle (Orchard/Jackson)
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
The Blood-and-Thunder Adventure on Hurricane Peak written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Wendy Smith (McElderry)
And One for All by Theresa Nelson (Orchard/Jackson)
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples (Knopf)
Blitzcat by Robert Westall (Scholastic)

Folklore
The Rainbow People selected and retold by Laurence Yep, illustrated by David Weisner (Harper)
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China translated and illustrated by Ed Young (Philomel)

Poetry
Poems of A. Nonny Mouse selected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Henrik Drescher (Knopf)

Nonfiction
The Great American Gold Rush by Rhoda Blumberg (Bradbury)
The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz (Putnam)
Of Colors and Things photographed by Tana Hoban (Greenwillow)
Bill Peet: An Autobiography written and illustrated by Bill Peet (Houghton)
If You Made a Million written by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Steven Kellogg (Lothrop)

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1988

Picture Books
Song and Dance Man written by Karen Ackerman, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Knopf)
The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau written and illustrated by Jon Agee (Farrar)
Where the Forest Meets the Sea written and illustrated by Jeannie Baker (Greenwillow)
I Want to Be an Astronaut written and illustrated by Byron Barton (Crowell)
John Patrick Norman McHennessy — The Boy Who Was Always Late written and illustrated by John Burningham (Crown)
Island Boy written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Viking Kestrel)
The Scarebird written by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Peter Sis (Greenwillow)
Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner written and illustrated by Amy Schwartz (Orchard Books/Watts)
The Boy of the Three-Year Nap written by Dianne Snyder, illustrated by Allen Say (Houghton)
Spinky Sulks written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)
Shy Charles written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Dial)
Stringbean’s Trip to the Shining Sea written by Vera B. Williams, illustrated by Jennifer and Vera B. Williams (Greenwillow)

Fiction
The Monster Garden by Vivien Alcock (Delacorte)
The Adventures of Pinocchio written by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti (Knopf)
Granny Was a Buffer Girl by Berlie Doherty (Orchard Books/Watts)
A Family Project by Sarah Ellis (McElderry)
The Village by the Sea by Paula Fox (Orchard Books/Jackson/Watts)
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones (Greenwillow)
Richard Kennedy: Collected Stories written by Richard Kennedy, illustrated by Marcia Sewall (Harper)
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)
The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper/Zolotow)
Memory by Margaret Mahy (McElderry)
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic)
Park’s Quest by Katherine Paterson (Dutton/Lodestar)

Nonfiction
A Girl from Yamhill by Beverly Cleary (Morrow)
Buffalo Hunt by Russell Freedman (Holiday)
Anthony Burns by Virginia Hamilton (Knopf)
Round Buildings, Square Buildings, & Buildings That Wiggle Like a Fish written and photographed by Philip M. Isaacson (Knopf)
Little by Little: A Writer’s Education by Jean Little (Viking Kestrel)
The Way Things Work written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)

Folklore
In the Beginning retold by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Barry Moser (Harcourt)
More Tales of Uncle Remus retold by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Dial)

Poetry
Sing a Song of Popcorn compiled by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, illustrated by nine Caldecott Medal-winning artists (Scholastic)
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices written by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Eric Beddows (Harper/Zolotow)
Cats Are Cats compiled by Nancy Larrick, illustrated by Ed Young (Philomel)
Tyrannosaurus Was a Beast written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Greenwillow)

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1987

Picture Books
The Moon’s Revenge written by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Alan Lee (Knopf)
Machines at Work written and illustrated by Byron Barton (Crowell)
Grandaddy’s Place written by Helen V. Griffith, illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
Crafty Chameleon written by Mwenye Hadithi, illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway (Little)
In Coal Country written by Judith Hendershot, illustrated by Thomas B. Allen (Knopf)
17 Kings and 42 Elephants written by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Patricia MacCarthy (Dial)

Fiction
The Goats by Brock Cole (Farrar)
Roscoe’s Leap by Gillian Cross (Holiday)
The December Rose by Leon Garfield (Viking Kestrel)
Rabble Starkey by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
The Tricksters by Margaret Mahy (McElderry)
After the Rain by Norma Fox Mazer (Morrow)
The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman (Knopf)
Children of Christmas by Cynthia Rylant (Orchard Books/Jackson/Watts)

Folklore
The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit retold by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Dial)
Red Riding Hood retold and illustrated by James Marshall (Dial)
Finn Mac Cool and the Small Men of Deeds retold by Pat O’Shea, illustrated by Stephen Lavis (Holiday)
Jump Again! More Adventures of Brer Rabbit adapted and retold by Van Dyke Parks, illustrated by Barry Moser (Harcourt)
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale written and illustrated by John Steptoe (Lothrop)

Poetry
Roomrimes written by Sylvia Cassedy, illustrated by Michele Chessare (Crowell)
Halloween ABC written by Eve Merriam, illustrated by Lane Smith (Macmillan)

Nonfiction
The Incredible Journey of Lewis & Clark by Rhoda Blumberg (Lothrop)
The Human Body: How We Evolved by Joanna Cole (Morrow)
Indian Chiefs by Russell Freedman (Holiday)
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (Clarion/Houghton)
26 Letters and 99 Cents written and photographed by Tana Hoban (Greenwillow)
Dinosaurs Walked Here and Other Stories Fossils Tell by Patricia Lauber (Bradbury)

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1986

Picture Books
The Selkie Girl retold by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Warwick Hutton (McElderry)
Not So Fast, Songololo written and illustrated by Niki Daly (McElderry)
Pigs from A to Z written and illustrated by Arthur Geisert (Houghton)
Hot Hippo written by Mwenye Hadithi, illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway (Little)
One Day in Paradise retold and illustrated by Helme Heine (McElderry)
Solomon Grundy illustrated by Susan Ramsay Hoguet (Dutton)
Flossie & the Fox written by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Rachel Isadora (Dial)
Sheep in a Jeep written by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple (Houghton)
Brave Irene written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)
Who’s Counting? written and illustrated by Nancy Tafuri (Greenwillow)
The Stranger written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
Max’s Christmas written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Dial)
Cherries and Cherry Pits written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams (Greenwillow)
Rumpelstiltskin retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinksy (Dutton)

Fiction
The Return of the Indian written by Lynne Reid Banks, illustrated by William Geldart (Doubleday)
Midnight Hour Encores by Bruce Brooks (Harper)
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Greenwillow)
The Catalogue of the Universe by Margaret Mahy (McElderry)
The Miracle Tree by Christobel Mattingly (Harcourt/Gulliver)
The Hounds of the Morrigan by Pat O’Shea (Holiday)
A Fine White Dust by Cynthia Rylant (Bradbury)
Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt (Atheneum)

Nonfiction
The Children We Remember by Chana Byers Abells (Greenwillow)
Shapes, Shapes, Shapes written and photographed by Tana Hoban (Greenwillow)
Being Born written by Sheila Kitzinger, photographed by Lennart Nilsson (Grosset)
Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens by Patricia Lauber (Bradbury)
Consider the Lilies: Plants of the Bible written by John and Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Anne Ophelia Dowden (Crowell)
The Pilgrims of Plimoth written and illustrated by Marcia Sewall (Atheneum)

Folklore
Jump! The Adventures of Brer Rabbit adapted by Van Dyke Parks and Malcom Jones, illustrated by Barry Moser (Harcourt)

Poetry
Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young selected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Marc Brown (Knopf)

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1985

Picture Books
The Paper Crane written and illustrated by Molly Bang (Greenwillow)
Gorilla written and illustrated by Anthony Browne (Knopf)
The Very Busy Spider written and illustrated by Eric Carle (Philomel)
Rose Blanche written by Christopher Gallaz and Roberto Innocenti, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti, translated by Martha Coventry and Richard Graglia (Creative Education)
1,2,3 written and photographed by Tana Hoban (Greenwillow)
Bathwater’s Hot written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes (Lothrop)
Foolish Rabbit’s Big Mistake written by Rafe Martin, illustrated by Ed Young (Putnam)
Action Alphabet written and illustrated by Marty Neumeier and Byron Glaser (Greenwillow)
The Relatives Came written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Bradbury)
The Polar Express written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
Max’s Breakfast written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Dial)

Fiction
Travelers by Night by Vivien Alcock (Delacorte)
Cracker Jackson by Betsy Byars (Viking Kestrel)
Beyond the Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (Knopf)
The Nature of the Beast by Janni Howker (Greenwillow)
Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Mary Rayner (Crown)
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper)
In Summer Light by Zibby Oneal (Viking Kestrel)

Nonfiction
In Kindling Flame: The Story of Hannah Senesh 1921–1944 by Linda Atkinson (Lothrop)
Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg (Lothrop)
The Milk Makers written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons (Macmillan)
How Much Is a Million? written by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Steven Kellogg (Lothrop)

Poetry
Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose compiled and illustrated by Tomie dePaola (Putnam)
The Oxford Book of Children’s Verse in America selected and edited by Donald Hall (Oxford)

Folklore
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales retold by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Knopf)

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1984

Picture Books
Spirit Child: A Story of the Nativity translated by John Bierhorst, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Morrow)
How My Parents Learned to Eat written by Ina R. Friedman, illustrated by Allen Say (Houghton)
Buffalo Woman written and illustrated by Paul Goble (Bradbury)
Saint George and the Dragon adapted by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Little)
Jonah and the Great Fish retold and illustrated by Warwick Hutton (Atheneum/McElderry)
Animal Alphabet written and illustrated by Bert Kitchen (Dial)
The Story of Jumping Mouse retold and illustrated by John Steptoe (Lothrop)
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)

Fiction
The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander (Dutton)
A Place to Come Back To by Nancy Bond (Atheneum/McElderry)
One-Eyed Cat by Paula Fox (Bradbury)
A Little Love by Virginia Hamilton (Philomel)
Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones (Greenwillow)
Like Jake and Me by Mavis Jukes (Knopf)
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)
Unclaimed Treasures by Patricia MacLachlan (Harper)
The Changeover: A Supernatural Romance by Margaret Mahy (Atheneum/McElderry)
The Island on Bird Street by Uri Orlev, translated by Hillel Halkin (Houghton)
Interstellar Pig by William Sleator (Dutton)

Nonfiction
From Flower to Fruit written and illustrated by Anne Ophelia Dowden (Crowell)
Children of the Wild West by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
The Tipi: A Center of Native American Life written and illustrated by David and Charlotte Yue

Poetry
The New Kid on the Block written by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson

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1983

Picture Books
The Baby’s Catalogue written and illustrated by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (Atlantic-Little)
The Best Town in the World written by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Ronald Himler (Scribner)
Ten, Nine, Eight written and illustrated by Molly Bang (Greenwillow)
The Silver Cow: A Welsh Tale retold by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Warwick Hutton (Atheneum/McElderry)
The Guinea Pig ABC written and illustrated by Kate Duke (Dutton)
Round Trip written and illustrated by Ann Jonas (Greenwillow)
The Railroad Book written and illustrated by E. Boyd Smith (Houghton)
What’s Under My Bed? written and illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
The Wreck of the Zephyr written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)

Fiction
The Wish Giver: Three Tales of Coven Tree written by Bill Brittain, illustrated by Andrew Glass (Harper)
Dear Mr. Henshaw written by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (Morrow)
A Night in Distant Motion by Irina Korschunow, translated by Leigh Hafrey (Godine)
Ronia, The Robber’s Daughter by Astrid Lindgren (Viking)
A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh (Farrar)
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
Dan Alone by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)
A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt (Atheneum)
A Little Fear by Patricia Wrightson (Atheneum)

Poetry
The Highwayman written by Alfred Noyes, illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak (Lothrop)

Nonfiction
Queen Eleanor: Independent Spirit of the Medieval World by Polly Schoyer Brooks (Lippincott)
Sugaring Time written by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated with photographs by Christopher G. Knight (Macmillan)
Oak & Company written by Richard Mabey, illustrated by Clare Roberts (Greenwillow)
Mill written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)
The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Blériot July 25, 1909 written and illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen (Viking)
The Luttrell Village: Country Life in the Middle Ages written and illustrated by Sheila Sancha (Crowell)

Of Interest to Adults
For Reading Out Loud! A Guide to Sharing Books with Children written by Margaret Mary Kimmel and Elizabeth Segel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Delacorte)

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1982

Picture Books
Anno’s Britain written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno (Philomel)
Shadow written by Blaise Cendrars, translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
Miss Rumphius written and illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Viking)
Alfie Gets in First written and illustrated by Shirley Hughes (Lothrop)
The Philharmonic Gets Dressed written by Karla Kuskin, illustrated by Marc Simont (Harper)
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Diane Goode (Dutton)
Doctor De Soto written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)
A Chair for My Mother written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams (Greenwillow)

Fiction
The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander (Dutton)
The Refugee Summer by Edward Fenton (Delacorte)
Homesick: My Own Story written by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Margot Tomes (Putnam)
Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton (Philomel)
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (Greenwillow)
Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian (Harper)
The Borrowers Avenged written by Mary Norton, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush (Harcourt)
Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park (Atheneum)
Ask Me No Questions by Ann Schlee (Holt)
The Golem written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Farrar)
Break of Dark by Robert Westall (Greenwillow)

Poetry
How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear! Edward Lear’s Selected Works written and illustrated by Edward Lear, with an introduction and notes by Myra Cohn Livingston (Holiday)
If I Had a Paka: Poems in Eleven Languages written by Charlotte Pomerantz, illustrated by Nancy Tafuri (Greenwillow)

Nonfiction
A Cat’s Body written by Joanna Cole, illustrated with photographs by Jerome Wexler (Morrow)
Chimney Sweeps: Yesterday and Today written by James Cross Giblin, illustrated by Margot Tomes (Crowell)
Hiroshima No Pika written and illustrated by Toshi Maruki (Lothrop)
Lobo of the Tasaday written and photographed by John Nance (Pantheon)
Cotton written by Millicent E. Selsam, illustrated with photographs by Jerome Wexler
Sky Watchers of Ages Past by Malcolm E. Weiss, illustrated by Eliza McFadden (Houghton)

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1981

Picture Books
A Farmer’s Alphabet written and illustrated by Mary Azarian (Godine)
Where the Buffaloes Begin written by Olaf Baker, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Warne)
On Market Street written by Arnold Lobel, illustrated by Anita Lobel (Greenwillow)
Outside Over There written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
The Night After Christmas written and illustrated by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
Do Not Open written and illustrated by Brinton Turkle (Dutton)
Jumanji written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)

Fiction
The Stolen Lake by Joan Aiken (Delacorte)
Westmark by Lloyd Alexander (Dutton)
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 written by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Alan Tiegreen (Morrow)
The Seventh Raven by Peter Dickinson (Dutton/Unicorn)
You Never Knew Her As I Did! by Mollie Hunter (Harper)
The Battle Horse by Harry Kullman (Bradbury)
Save Queen of Sheba by Louise Moeri (Dutton)
The Islanders by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)
The Scarecrows by Robert Westall (Greenwillow)
Jeremy Visick by David Wiseman (Houghton)

Folklore
Bo Rabbit Smart for True: Folktales from the Gullah retold by Priscilla Jaquith, illustrated by Ed Young (Philomel)

Nonfiction
A Snake’s Body by Joanna Cole, illustrated with photographs by Jerome Wexler (Morrow)
Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold by Jean Fritz (Putnam)
The Hospital Book written by James Howe, illustrated with photographs by Mal Warshaw (Crown)
The Weaver’s Gift by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated with photographs by Christopher G. Knight (Warne)
Seeds: Pop, Stick, Glide written by Patricia Lauber, illustrated with photographs by Jerome Wexler (Crown)
Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939-1944 by Aranka Siegal (Farrar)
The Magic of Color written and illustrated by Hilda Simon (Lothrop)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Inside the American Jury System written by Melvyn Bernard Zerman, illustrated by John Caldwell (Crowell)

Of Interest to Adults
Thursday’s Child: Trends and Patterns in Contemporary Children’s Literature by Sheila A. Egoff (American Library Association)

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1980

Picture Books
Anno’s Italy illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno (Philomel)
The Three Little Pigs illustrated by Erik Blegvad (Atheneum/McElderry)
My Friend Jacob written by Lucille Clifton, illustrated by Thomas DiGrazia (Dutton)
The Fisherman and His Wife: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm written by Jakob and
Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Randall Jarrell, illustrated by Margot Zemach (Farrar)
Fables written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Harper)

Fiction
Anywhere Else but Here by Bruce Clements (Farrar)
Conrad’s War by Andrew Davies (Crown)
Footsteps by Leon Garfield (Delacorte)
Chase Me, Catch Nobody! by Erik Christian Haugaard (Houghton)
The People Therein by Mildred Lee (Houghton/Clarion)
Fanny’s Sister written by Penelope Lively, illustrated by Anita Lobel (Dutton)
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
A Child’s Christmas in Wales written by Dylan Thomas, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (Godine)
When No One Was Looking by Rosemary Wells (Dial)
Fathom Five by Robert Westall (Greenwillow)

Nonfiction
Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum retold and illustrated by Ashley Bryan (Atheneum)
Memory: How It Works and How to Improve It by Roy A. Gallant (Four Winds)
How the Forest Grew written by William Jaspersohn, illustrated by Chuck Eckart (Greenwillow)
No Way of Knowing: Dallas Poems by Myra Cohn Livingston (Atheneum/McElderry)
Unbuilding written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)
All Times, All Peoples: A World History of Slavery written by Milton Meltzer, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (Harper)
The Honey Book written by Lucille Recht Penner, illustrated with photographs and reproductions arranged by Ronnie Ann Herman (Hastings)

Of Interest to Adults
Babies Need Books by Dorothy Butler (Atheneum)
The Art of Maurice Sendak by Selma G. Lanes (Abrams)
A Nursery Companion compiled by Iona and Peter Opie (Oxford)
Edward Ardizzone: Artist and Illustrator by Gabriel White (Schocken)

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1979

Picture Books
Why the Tides Ebb and Flow written by Joan Chase Bowden, illustrated by Marc Brown (Houghton)
King Krakus and the Dragon written and illustrated by Janina Domanska (Greenwillow)
How Does It Feel to Be Old? written by Norma Farber, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Dutton/Unicorn)
Ox-Cart Man written by Donald Hall, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Viking)
Ben’s Trumpet written and illustrated by Rachel Isadora (Greenwillow)
Pinkerton, Behave! written and illustrated by Steven Kellogg (Dial)
Days with Frog and Toad written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Harper)
The Treasure written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Farrar)
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
The Wild Washerwomen: A New Folk Tale written by John Yeoman, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Greenwillow)

Fiction
The Robbers by Nina Bawden (Lothrop)
Tulku by Peter Dickinson (Dutton/Unicorn)
The Night of the Comet: A Comedy of Courtship Featuring Bostock and Harris by Leon Garfield (Delacorte)
The Third Eye by Mollie Hunter (Harper)
Throwing Shadows by E. L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
A Midsummer’s Night Death by K. M. Peyton (Collins)
What Happened in Hamelin by Gloria Skurzynski (Four Winds)
The Devil on the Road by Robert Westall (Greenwillow)
The Sound of the Dragon’s Feet by Alki Zei, translated by Edward Fenton (Dutton)

Nonfiction
Self-Portrait: Erik Blegvad written and illustrated by Erik Blegvad (Addison)
Stonewall written by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (Putnam)
Pride of Lions: The Story of the House of Atreus retold by Norma Johnston (Atheneum)
The Road from Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl by David Kherdian (Greenwillow)
America’s Endangered Birds: Programs and People Working to Save Them written by
Robert M. McClung, illustrated by George Founds (Morrow)
Building: The Fight Against Gravity written by Mario Salvadori, illustrated by Saralinda Hooker and Christopher Ragus (Atheneum/McElderry)
The Story of American Photography: An Illustrated History for Young People by Martin W. Sandler (Little)

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1978

Picture Books
Anno’s Journey written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno (Collins-World)
The Snowman written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs (Random)
Time to Get Out of the Bath, Shirley written and illustrated by John Burningham (Crowell)
The Clown of God written and illustrated by Tomie de Paola (Harcourt)
On to Widecombe Fair written by Patricia Lee Gauch, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Putnam)
Grasshopper on the Road written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Harper)
What Do You Feed Your Donkey On? Rhymes from a Belfast Childhood compiled by Colette O’Hare, illustrated by Jenny Rodwell (Collins)
The Legend of Scarface: A Blackfeet Indian Tale adapted by Robert San Souci, illustrated by Daniel San Souci (Doubleday)
Stanley and Rhoda written and illustrated by Rosemary Wells (Dial)

Fiction
Silas and the Black Mare, Silas and Ben-Godik, and Silas and the Runaway Coach by Cecil Bødker (Delacorte)
The Cartoonist written by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Richard Cuffari (Viking)
Let a River Be by Betty Sue Cummings (Atheneum)
Humbug Mountain written by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Eric Von Schmidt (Little)
The Apprentices by Leon Garfield (Viking)
The Stone Book written by Alan Garner, illustrated by Michael Foreman (Collins)
The Murderer by Felice Holman (Scribner)
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley (Harper)
The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel (Dial)
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson (Crowell)
A Chance Child by Jill Paton Walsh (Farrar)
Prove Yourself a Hero by K. M. Peyton (Collins-World)
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Dutton)
Sun Horse, Moon Horse written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Shirley Felts (Dutton)
The Watch House by Robert Westall (Greenwillow)

Nonfiction
Hunted Mammals of the Sea written by Robert McClung, illustrated by William Downey (Morrow)
Native American Testimony: An Anthology of Indian and White Relations, First Encounter to Dispossession edited by Peter Nabakov (Crowell)
The Iron Road written by Richard Snow, illustrated with photographs by David Plowden (Four Winds)

Of Interest to Adults
The Magic Years of Beatrix Potter by Margaret Lane (Warne)

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1977

Picture Books
Who’s in Rabbit’s House? retold by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Dial)
Anno’s Counting Book written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno (Crowell)
Come Away from the Water, Shirley written and illustrated by John Burningham (Crowell)
The Telephone by Kornei Chukovsky, adapted by William Jay Smith, illustrated by Blair Lent (Delacorte/Seymour Lawrence)
Garth Pig and the Ice-cream Lady written and illustrated by Mary Rayner (Atheneum)
Noah’s Ark illustrated by Peter Spier (Doubleday)
Caleb and Kate written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)
It Could Always Be Worse retold and illustrated by Margot Zemach (Farrar)

Stories
The Pinballs by Betsy Byars (Harper)
Julia and the Hand of God written by Eleanor Cameron, illustrated by Gail Owens (Dutton)
Ramona and Her Father written by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Allan Tiegreen (Morrow)
Trial Valley by Vera and Bill Cleaver (Lippincott)
Prison Window, Jerusalem Blue by Bruce Clements (Farrar)
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier (Pantheon)
Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell (Macmillan)
Hew Against the Grain by Betty Sue Cummings (Atheneum)
Annerton Pit by Peter Dickinson (Atlantic-Little)
Bilgewater by Jane Gardam (Greenwillow)
Alan and Naomi by Myron Levoy (Harper)
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Donna Diamond (Crowell)
Blood Feud by Rosemary Sutcliff (Dutton)
The Wind Eye by Robert Westall (Greenwillow)
Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep (Harper)

Architecture
Castle written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)

Autobiography
Mischling, Second Degree: My Childhood in Nazi Germany by Ilse Koehn (Greenwillow)

Folklore
Anpao: An American Indian Odyssey written by Jamake Highwater, illustrated by Fritz Scholder (Lippincott)

Nature
The View from the Oak: The Private Worlds of Other Creatures written by Judith and Herbert Kohl, illustrated by Roger Bayless (Sierra Club/Scribner)

Poetry
A Poison Tree and Other Poems illustrated by Mercer Mayer (Scribner)

Portfolios of Pictures
The Changing City and the Changing Countryside illustrated by Jörg Müller (Atheneum/Margaret K. McElderry)

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1976

Picture Books
Six Little Ducks retold and illustrated by Chris Conover (Crowell)
Wild Robin retold and illustrated by Susan Jeffers (Dutton)
A Northern Nativity written and illustrated by William Kurelek (Tundra/Scribner)
Frog and Toad All Year written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Harper)
Mr. and Mrs. Pig’s Evening Out written and illustrated by Mary Rayner (Atheneum)
The Amazing Bone written and illustrated by William Steig
Hush, Little Baby retold and illustrated by Margot Zemach (Dutton)

Stories
A String in the Harp by Nancy Bond (Atheneum/Margaret K. McElderry)
The Winter of the Birds by Helen Cresswell (Macmillan)
The Blue Hawk by Peter Dickinson (Atlantic-Little)
Arilla Sun Down by Virginia Hamilton (Greenwillow)
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else by Ursula Le Guin (Atheneum)
A Stitch in Time by Penelope Lively (Dutton)
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey (Atheneum)
A Year and a Day by William Mayne (Dutton)
The Master Puppeteer written by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Haru Wells (Crowell)
The Team written and illustrated by K. M. Peyton (Crowell)
Freelon Starbird by Richard Snow (Houghton)
Abel’s Island written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (Dial)
Noah’s Castle by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)
Unleaving by Jill Paton Walsh (Farrar)
The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall (Greenwillow)

Books
Books: From Writer to Reader by Howard Greenfeld, illustrated with photographs (Crown)

Cities
Underground written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)

People and Places
Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust by Milton Meltzer (Harper)
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions written by Margaret Musgrove, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Dial)
Voyaging to Cathay: Americans in the China Trade by Alfred Tamarin and Shirley Glubok, illustrated with photographs and reproductions (Viking)

Of Interest to Adults
American Picturebooks from Noah’s Ark to the Beast Within by Barbara Bader, illustrated with reproductions (Macmillan)
Talent Is Not Enough: Mollie Hunter on Writing for Children by Mollie Hunter (Harper)

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1975

Picture Books
Anno’s Alphabet: An Adventure in Imagination written and illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno (Crowell)
The Desert Is Theirs written by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall (Scribner)
As I Was Crossing Boston Common written by Norma Farber, illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Dutton)
The Story of Christmas retold and illustrated by Felix Hoffman (Atheneum)
Owl at Home written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Harper)

Stories
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (Farrar)
The Peppermint Pig by Nina Bawden (Lippincott)
Beyond the Green Mountains by Eleanor Cameron (Dutton)
The Grey King by Susan Cooper (Atheneum)
Bert Breen’s Barn by Walter D. Edmonds (Little)
Of Love and Death and Other Journeys by Isabelle Holland (Lippincott)
The Other Way Round by Judith Kerr (Coward)
The Second Mrs. Giaconda by E. L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
The Hundred Penny Box written by Sharon Bell Mathis, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Viking)
El Bronx Remembered: A Novella and Other Stories by Nicholasa Mohr (Harper)
Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff by Walter Dean Myers (Viking)
Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien (Atheneum)
Cat in the Mirror by Mary Stolz (Harper)
Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (Harper)

Folk Tales and Legends
Strega Nona retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola (Prentice)
The Green Hero: Early Adventures of Finn McCool written by Bernard Evslin, illustrated by Barbara Bascove (Four Winds)
The Magician of Cracow written and illustrated by Krystyna Turska (Greenwillow)

History
Kingdom of the Sun: The Inca: Empire Builders of the Americas by Ruth Karen, illustrated with photographs and reproductions (Four Winds)
How Democracy Failed by Ellen Switzer, illustrated with photographs (Atheneum)

Nature
The Blossom on the Bough: A Book of Trees written and illustrated by Anne Ophelia Dowden (Crowell)

Poetry
Cakes and Custard: Children’s Rhymes selected by Brian Alderson, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Morrow)
The Star in the Pail written by David McCord, illustrated by Marc Simont (Little)

Of Interest to Adults
Written for Children: An Outline of English-Language Children’s Literature by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)

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1974

Picture Books
Everett Anderson’s Year written by Lucille Clifton, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi (Holt)
Where’s Gomer? written by Norma Farber, illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Dutton)
Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book written by Muriel Feelings, illustrated by Tom Feelings (Dial)
She Come Bringing Me that Little Baby Girl written by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by John Steptoe (Lippincott)
How Tom Beat Captain Najork and His Hired Sportmen written by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Atheneum)
Farmer Palmer’s Wagon Ride written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)

Stories
Watership Down by Richard Adams (Macmillan)
Midnight Is a Place by Joan Aiken (Viking)
Hans Christian Andersen: The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories translated from the Danish by Erik Christian Haugaard (Doubleday)
The Devil’s Storybook written and illustrated by Natalie Babbitt
My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier (Four Winds)
Transport 7-41-R by T. Degens (Viking)
M.C. Higgins, The Great by Virigina Hamilton (Macmillan)
Slake’s Limbo by Felice Holman (Scribner)
The Stronghold by Mollie Hunter (Harper)
The House in Norham Gardens by Penelope Lively (Dutton)
Of Nightingales That Weep written by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Haru Wells (Crowell)
The Perilous Gard written by Elizabeth Marie Pope, illustrated by Richard Cuffari (Houghton)
The Edge of Next Year by Mary Stolz (Harper)
Fire in the Stone by Colin Thiele (Harper)
The Emperor’s Winding Sheet by Jill Paton Walsh (Farrar)
The Nargun and the Stars by Patricia Wrightson (Atheneum)

Folk Tales and Legends
Snow White written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Atlantic-Little)
Arrow to the Sun: A Pueblo Indian Tale written and illustrated by Gerald McDermott (Viking)

Poetry
Figgie Hobbin written by Charles Causley, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Walker)

History
Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? written by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Coward)
The First American Revolution by Milton Lomask (Farrar)
Kings, Commoners, and Colonists: Puritan Politics in Old and New England, 1603-1660 by Selma R. Williams (Atheneum)

Architecture
City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)

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1973

Picture Books
It’s Raining Said John Twaining translated and illustrated by N. M. Bodecker (Atheneum)
Father Christmas written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs (Coward)
Three Jovial Huntsmen adapted and illustrated by Susan Jeffers (Bradbury)
The Magician adapted and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Macmillan)
Duffy and the Devil written by Harve Zemach, illustrated by Margot Zemach (Farrar)

Stories
In the Company of Clowns written by Martha Bacon, illustrated by Richard Cuffari (Atlantic-Little)
Carrie’s War written by Nina Bawden, illustrated by Colleen Browning (Lippincott)
The Dark Is Rising written by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Alan E. Cober (Atheneum)
The Dancing Bear written by Peter Dickinson, illustrated by David Smee (Atlantic-Little)
The Slave Dancer written by Paula Fox, illustrated by Eros Keith (Bradbury)
The Glassblower’s Children written by Maria Gripe, illustrated by Harald Gripe (Delacorte)
The Writing on the Hearth written by Cynthia Harnett, illustrated by Gareth Floyd (Viking)
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver written and illustrated by E. L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
Tom Ass or The Second Gift written by Ann Lawrence, illustrated by Mila Lazarevich (Walck)
An Old Tale Carved Out of Stone by A. Linevski (Crown)
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe written by Penelope Lively, illustrated by Antony Maitland (Dutton)
A Pattern of Roses written and illustrated by K. M. Peyton (Crowell)
The Satanic Mill by Otfried Preussler (Macmillan)
The Genie of Sutton Place by George Selden (Farrar)

Folk Tales, Legends, and Mythology
The Golden Shadow written by Leon Garfield and Edward Blishen, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Pantheon)
The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Farrar)
Tom Thumb written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Felix Hoffmann (Atheneum)
The Other World: Myths of the Celts written by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Eros Keith (Farrar)

Poetry
The Raucous Auk: A Menagerie of Poems written by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Joseph Low (Viking)

History and Biography
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? written by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Margot Tomes (Coward)
Evolution of a Scientist: The Two Worlds of Theodosius Dobzhansky by Barbara Land (Crowell)
The Visionary Girls: Witchcraft in Salem Village by Marion Starkey (Little)
The Tavern at the Ferry written and illustrated by Edwin Tunis (Crowell)

Architecture
Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction written and illustrated by David Macaulay (Houghton)

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1972

Picture Books
Hosie’s Alphabet written by Hosea, Tobias, and Lisa Baskin, illustrated by Leonard Baskin (Viking)
Count and See photographed by Tana Hoban (Macmillan)
George and Martha written and illustrated by James Marshall (Houghton)
The Funny Little Woman written by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent (Dutton)
Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog illustrated by Evaline Ness (Holt)

Stories
The White Ship by Chingiz Aitmatov (Crown)
Up the Pier written by Helen Cresswell, illustrated by Gareth Floyd (Macmillan)
A Castle of Bone by Penelope Farmer (Atheneum)
A Long Way from Verona by Jane Gardam (Macmillan)
Julie of the Wolves written by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by John Schoenherr (Harper)
Cross-Fire: A Vietnam Novel written by Gail Graham, illustrated by David Stone Martin (Pantheon)
The Man Without a Face by Isabelle Holland (Lippincott)
A Sound of Chariots by Mollie Hunter (Harper)
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit written and illustrated by Judith Kerr (Coward)
Mouse Tales written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Harper)
The Beethoven Medal written and illustrated by K. M. Peyton (Crowell)
Josh by Ivan Southall (Macmillan)
Dominic written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)
The Summer People by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)
Goldengrove by Jill Paton Walsh (Farrar)
Petros’ War by Alki Zei (Dutton)

Folk Tales and Legends
D’Aulaires’ Trolls written and illustrated by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (Doubleday)
Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert (Farrar)
The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Mairi Hedderwick (Viking)

Black Experience and Culture
Black Pilgrimage written and illustrated by Tom Feelings (Lothrop)
Long Journey Home: Stories from Black History by Julius Lester (Dial)

Indian Experience and Culture
When Clay Sings written by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Tom Bahti (Scribner)
Only the Names Remain: The Cherokees and the Trail of Tears written by Alex W. Bealer, illustrated by William Sauts Bock (Little)

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1971

Picture Books
If All the Sea Were One Sea illustrated by Janina Domanska (Macmillan)
Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book written by Muriel Feelings, illustrated by Tom Feelings (Dial)
The Shrinking of Treehorn written by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Edward Gorey (Holiday)
Look Again! photographed by Tana Hoban (Macmillan)
One Fine Day written and illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Macmillan)
Hildilid’s Night written by Cheli Durán Ryan, illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Macmillan)
Amos & Boris written and illustrated by William Steig (Farrar)
Train Ride written and illustrated by John Steptoe (Harper)
Father Fox’s Pennyrhymes written by Clyde Watson, illustrated by Wendy Watson (Crowell)

Stories
A Room Made of Windows written by Eleanor Cameron, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Atlantic-Little)
Emma Tupper’s Diary written by Peter Dickinson, illustrated by David Omar White (Atlantic-Little)
The Strange Affair of Adelaide Harris written by Leon Garfield, illustrated by Fritz Wegner (Pantheon)
The Planet of Junior Brown by Virginia Hamilton (Macmillan)
Moominvalley in November written and illustrated by Tove Jansson (Walck)
His Own Where by June Jordan (Crowell)
The Tombs of Atuan written by Ursula K. Le Guin, illustrated by Gail Garraty (Atheneum)
Annie and the Old One written by Miska Miles, illustrated by Peter Parnall (Atlantic-Little)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH written by Robert C. O’Brien, illustrated by Zena Bernstein (Atheneum)
Pennington’s Last Term written and illustrated by K. M. Peyton (Crowell)
A Wild Thing by Jean Renvoize (Atlantic-Little)

Fantasy, Folk Tales, and Legends
David He No Fear written by Lorenz Graham, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi (Crowell)
About Wise Men and Simpletons: Twelve Tales from Grimm written by the Brothers Grimm, translated from the German by Elizabeth Shub, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Macmillan)
Tristan and Iseult by Rosemary Sutcliff (Dutton)

Biography
Gandhi by Olivia Coolidge (Houghton)

The Arts
Haiku: The Mood of Earth photographed by Ann Atwood (Scribner)

Of Interest to Adults
A Sense of Story: Essays on Contemporary Writers for Children by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)

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1970

Picture Books
Topsy-Turvies: Pictures to Stretch the Imagination illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno (Walker/Weatherhill)
Journey to the Moon illustrated by Erich Fuchs (Delacorte)
Every Man Heart Lay Down written by Lorenz Graham, illustrated by Colleen Browning (Crowell)
Dionysos and the Pirates: Homeric Hymn Number Seven translated by Penelope Proddow, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Doubleday)
The Angry Moon retold by William Sleator, illustrated by Blair Lent (Atlantic-Little)

Stories
The Summer of the Swans written by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Ted CoConis (Viking)
Come By Here written by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Milton Johnson (Houghton)
Dawn of Fear written by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Margery Gill (Harcourt)
The Drummer Boy written by Leon Garfield, illustrated by Antony Maitland (Pantheon)
The Overland Launch written and illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
The Other People by Jane McNeill (Little)
Ravensgill by William Mayne (Dutton)
Sing Down the Moon by Scott O’Dell (Houghton)
Flambards in Summer written by K. M. Peyton, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (World)
Three Lives for the Czar by Stephanie Plowman (Houghton)
Friedrich by Hans Peter Richter, translated from the German by Edite Kroll (Holt)
The Intruder by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)
Fireweed by Jill Paton Walsh (Farrar)

Fantasy and Science Fiction
The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian by Lloyd Alexander (Dutton)
Kneeknock Rise written and illustrated by Natalie Babbitt (Farrar)
Enchantress from the Stars written by Sylvia Louise Engdahl, illustrated by Rodney Shackell (Atheneum)
The Moon in the Cloud by Rosemary Harris (Macmillan)
Frog and Toad Are Friends written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (Harper)

History
Red Hawk’s Account of Custer’s Last Battle: The Battle of the Little Bighorn, 25 June 1876 written and illustrated by Paul and Dorothy Goble (Pantheon)

Anthology
A Flock of Words: An Anthology of Poetry for Children and Others edited by David Mackay, illustrated by Margery Gill (Harcourt)

Music
Jim Along, Josie: A Collection of Folk Songs and Singing Games for Young Children compiled by Nancy and John Langstaff, piano arrangements by Seymour Barab, guitar chords by Happy Traum, illustrated by Jan Pienkowski (Harcourt)

New Editions and reissues
Goblin Market written by Christina Rossetti, illustrated by Arthur Rackham (Watts)
Deirdre written by James Stephens, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Macmillan)

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1969

Picture Books
Goggles! written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats (Macmillan)
Jonah and the Lord written by George MacBeth, illustrated by Margaret Gordon (Holt)
Suho and the White Horse: A Legend of Mongolia written by Yuzo Otsuka, translated by Yaksuko Hirawa, illustrated by Suekichi Akaba (Bobbs)
Rain Rain Rivers written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Farrar)
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble written and illustrated by William Steig (Windmill/Simon)
Thy Friend, Obadiah written and illustrated by Brinton Turkle (Viking)
The Judge: An Untrue Tale written by Harve Zemach, illustrated by Margot Zemach (Farrar)

Stories
Sounder written by William H. Armstrong, illustrated by James Barkley (Harper)
Where the Lilies Bloom written by Vera and Bill Cleaver, illustrated by Ray Cruz (Lippincott)
The Face of Abraham Candle by Bruce Clements (Farrar)
I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip by John Donovan (Harper)
The King’s Falcon written by Paula Fox, illustrated by Eros Keith (Bradbury)
Black Jack written by Leon Garfield, illustrated by Antony Maitland (Pantheon)
Our Eddie by Sulamith Ish-Kishor (Pantheon)
The Skating Rink by Mildred Lee (Seabury)
Pistol by Adrienne Richard (Atlantic-Little)
The Cay by Theodore Taylor (Doubleday)
Trouble in the Jungle by John Rowe Townsend (Lippincott)

Fantasy and Folk Tales
The Search for Delicious written and illustrated by Natalie Babbitt (Farrar)
Charlotte Sometimes written by Penelope Farmer, illustrated by Chris Connor (Harcourt)
The Cold Flame written by James Reeves, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Meredith)

People and Places
New Moon Cove written and photographed by Ann Atwood (Scribner)
In the Land of Ur: The Discovery of Ancient Mesopotamia by Hans Baumann, translated from the German by Stella Humphries, illustrated with photographs and drawings (Pantheon)
The Mystery of Stonehenge written by Franklyn M. Branley, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (Crowell)
The Color of Man written by Robert Cohen, illustrated with photographs by Ken Heyman (Random)
Lady Queen Anne: A Biography of Queen Anne of England by Margaret Hodges, illustrated with photographs (Farrar)

Art and Music
The Many Ways of Seeing: An Introduction to the Pleasures of Art by Janet Gaylord Moore, illustrated with reproductions (World)
Savez-vous Planter les Choux? And Other French Songs selected and illustrated by Anne Rockwell (World)

New Editions
The Lost Zoo written by Countee Cullen, illustrated by Joseph Low (Follett)
The Light Princess written by George MacDonald, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Farrar)

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1968

Picture Books
The Little Drummer Boy written by Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats (Macmillan)
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky: An African Folktale written by Elphinstone Dayrell, illustrated by Blair Lent (Houghton)
The Adventures of Paddy Pork illustrated by John S. Goodall (Harcourt)
Rosie’s Walk written and illustrated by Pat Hutchins (Macmillan)
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship: A Russian Tale retold by Arthur Ransome, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Farrar)
Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes selected by Robert Wyndham, illustrated by Ed Young (World)
Greyling: A Picture Story from the Islands of Shetland written by Jane Yolen, illustrated by William Stobbs (World)

Stories
Young Mark: The Story of a Venture written by E. M. Almedingen, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (Farrar)
Sophia Scrooby Preserved written by Martha Bacon, illustrated by David Omar White (Atlantic-Little)
Bimby written and illustrated by Peter Burchard (Coward)
The Owl Service by Alan Garner (Walck)
The Rider and His Horse written by Erik Christian Haugaard, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Houghton)
The Flight of the Doves by Walter Macken (Macmillan)
Flambards written by K. M. Peyton, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (World)
The Dream Time written by Henry Treece, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Meredith)
The Mukhtar’s Children by Sally Watson (Holt)
A Racecourse for Andy written by Patricia Wrightson, illustrated by Margaret Horder (Harcourt)
Wildcat Under Glass by Alki Zei (Holt)
The Pigman by Paul Zindel (Harper)

Folk Tales and Legends
When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw & Other Stories written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, illustrated by Margot Zemach (Farrar)

Fantasy
The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
The Spring Rider by John Lawson (Crowell)
A Wizard of Earthsea written by Ursula K. Le Guin, illustrated by Ruth Robbins (Parnassus)

Biography and History
We Alcotts written by Aileen Fisher and Olive Rabe, decorations by Ellen Raskin (Atheneum)
The Endless Steppe: Growing Up in Siberia by Esther Hautzig (Crowell)
To Be a Slave written by Julius Lester, illustrated by Tom Feelings (Dial)

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1967

Picture Books
Drummer Hoff adapted by Barbara Emberley, illustrated by Ed Emberley (Prentice)
A Green Christmas written by Theodora Kroeber, illustrated by John Larrecq (Parnassus)
Mr. Miacca illustrated by Evaline Ness (Holt)
One Monday Morning written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz (Scribner)
London Bridge Is Falling Down! illustrated by Peter Spier (Doubleday)
Seashore Story written and illustrated by Taro Yashima (Viking)

Stories
Katia written by E. M. Almedingen, illustrated by Victor Ambrus (Farrar)
Ellen Grae written by Vera and Bill Cleaver, illustrated by Ellen Raskin (Lippincott)
Early Thunder written by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Coward)
The Kitchen Madonna written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Carol Barker (Viking)
Scarlet Sails written by Alexander Green, illustrated by Esta Nesbitt (Scribner)
The Little Fishes written by Erik Christian Haugaard, illustrated by Milton Johnson (Houghton)
Ivanov Seven written by Elizabeth Janeway, illustrated by Eros Keith (Harper)
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth written and illustrated by E. L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler written and illustrated by E. L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
The Black Pearl written by Scott O’Dell, illustrated by Milton Johnson (Houghton)
Deidre by Madeleine Polland (Doubleday)
The Egypt Game written by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, illustrated by Alton Raible (Atheneum)
His Enemy, His Friend by John R. Tunis (Morrow)

Folk Tales and Legends
Gilgamesh: Man’s First Story written and illustrated by Bernarda Bryson (Holt)
Taliesin written by Robert Nye, illustrated by Dorothy Maas (Hill and Wang)
The Challenge of the Green Knight written by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (Walck)
The Beautiful Blue Jay and Other Tales of India compiled by John W. Spellman, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Little)
The High Deeds of Finn Mac Cool written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Michael Charlton (Dutton)

Fantasy
Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
Elidor by Alan Garner (Walck)
Knee-Deep in Thunder written by Sheila Moon, illustrated by Peter Parnall (Atheneum)
Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More to Life written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)

Biography, History, and Poetry
Lion Gate and Labyrinth by Hans Baumann (Pantheon)
Journey Toward Freedom: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Jacqueline Bernard (Norton)
A Crocodile Has Me by the Leg: African Poems edited by Leonard W. Doob, illustrated by Solomon Irein Wangboje (Walker)
Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle… and Other Modern Verse compiled by Stephen Dunning, Edward Lueders, and Hugh Smith (Lothrop)
Printing from a Stone: The Story of Lithography by S. Carl Hirsch (Viking)
The Story of World Religions by Katharine Savage (Walck)

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1966

Picture Books
The Three Poor Tailors adapted and illustrated by Victor G. Abrus (Harcourt)
The Mother Goose Treasury illustrated by Raymond Briggs (Coward)
Fox and the Fire written by Miska Miles, illustrated by John Schoenherr (Atlantic-Little)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine written and illustrated by Evaline Ness (Holt)
Theodore written by Edward Ormondroyd, illustrated by John M. Larrecq (Parnassus)
Mommy, Buy Me a China Doll adapted by Harve Zemach, illustrated by Margot Zemach (Follett)

Stories
A Donkey for the King written by John and Patricia Beatty, illustrated by Anne Siberell (Macmillan)
Queenie Peavy written by Robert Burch, illustrated by Jerry Lazare (Viking)
Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley? written by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Nancy Grossman (Holt)
Chancy and the Grand Rascal written by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Eric von Schmidt (Atlantic-Little)
Orphans of the Wind written by Erik Christian Haugaard, illustrated by Milton Johnson (Houghton)
Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Follett)
Nobody’s Garden written by Cordelia Jones, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (Scribner)
The White Stone written by Gunnel Linde, illustrated by Imero Gobbato (Harcourt)
The Rough Road written by Margaret MacPherson, illustrated by Douglas Hall (Harcourt)
The King’s Fifth by Scott O’Dell (Houghton)
Boy Alone written by Reginald Ottley, illustrated by Clyde Pearson (Harcourt)
The Plan for Birdsmarsh written by K. M. Peyton, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (World)
One Is One by Barbara Leonie Picard (Holt)
Edie on the Warpath by E. C. Spykman (Harcourt)
Darkness Over the Land by Martha Bennett Stiles (Dial)

Folk Tales, Legends, and Fanciful Stories
The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
Backbone of the King written and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
Over Sea, Under Stone written by Susan Cooper, illustrated by Margery Gill (Harcourt)
African Samson by Humphrey Harman (Viking)
The Kelpie’s Pearls written by Mollie Hunter, illustrated by Joseph Cellini (Funk)
Owlglass written and illustrated by Will Nickless (John Day)
Joy to the World written by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Little)
Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories written by Issac Bashevis Singer, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
Emily’s Voyage written by Emma Smith, illustrated by Irene Haas (Harcourt)
Once There Was and Was Not written by Virginia A. Tashjian, based on stories by H. Toumanian, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Little)

Biography, History, Poetry, and Nature
Introduction to Tomorrow: The United States and the Wider World, 1945-1965 by Robert G. Abernethy (Harcourt)
The Sparrow Bush written by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Stefan Martin (Norton)
The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest: 1066 by Norman Denny and Josephine Filmer-Sankey (Atheneum)
Valley of the Smallest written by Aileen Fisher, illustrated by Jean Zallinger (Crowell)
Tormented Angel: A Life of John Henry Newman by Emmeline Garnett (Farrar)
The Civil War in Spain written by Robert Goldston, illustrated by Donald Carrick (Bobbs)
Noah’s Journey written by George MacBeth, illustrated by Margaret Gordon (Viking)
Shaw’s Fortune: The Picture Story of a Colonial Plantation written and illustrated by Edwin Tunis (World)

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1965

Picture Books
The Courtship, Merry Marriage, and Feast of Cock Robin and Jenny Wren… illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Scribner)
David and Goliath written by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, illustrated by Richard M. Powers (Viking)
Just Me written and illustrated by Marie Hall Ets (Viking)
In a Spring Garden compiled by Richard Lewis, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats (Dial)
Always Room for One More written by Sorche Nic Leodhas, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Holt)
Hide and Seek Fog written by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Lothrop)
Salt edited by Harve Zemach, illustrated by Margot Zemach (Follett)

Stories
Doctor’s Boy written by Karin Anckarsvärd, illustrated by Fermin Rocker (Harcourt)
Head into the Wind by Robinson Barnwell (McKay)
Starlight in Tourrone written by Suzanne Butler, illustrated by Rita Fava Fegiz (Little)
A Certain Small Shepherd written by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Holt)
I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño (Farrar)
A Slave’s Tale written by Erik Christian Haugaard, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Houghton)
North to Freedom by Anne Holm (Harcourt)
The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle (Farrar)
Berries Goodman by Emily Cheney Neville (Harper)
The Maplin Bird written by K. M. Peyton, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (World)
The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Atheneum)
The Bushbabies written by William Stevenson, illustrated by Victor Ambrus (Houghton)
The Noonday Friends written by Mary Stolz, illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman (Harper)
The Mark of the Horse Lord by Rosemary Sutcliff (Walck)

Folk Tales and Fanciful Stories
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
The Animal Family written by Randall Jarrell, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Pantheon)
The Whisper of Glocken written by Carol Kendall, illustrated by Imero Gobbato (Harcourt)
Persian Folk and Fairy Tales written by Anne Sinclair Mehdevi, illustrated by Paul E. Kennedy (Knopf)
The Goldfinch Garden written by Barbara Leonie Picard, illustrated by Anne Linton (Criterion)
Tal and the Magic Barruget written by Eva-Lis Wuorio, illustrated by Bettina (World)

Biography, History, Music, Poetry, and Nature
Hand in Hand We’ll Go written by Robert Burns, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Crowell)
Look to This Day! by Nardi Reeder Campion with Rosamond Wilfley Stanton (Little)
The Gull’s Way written and illustrated by Louis Darling (Morrow)
Lullabies and Night Songs edited by William Engvick, music by Alec Wilder, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
The World of Columbus and Sons written and illustrated by Genevieve Foster (Scribner)
Rudyard Kipling: Creative Adventurer by Seon Manley (Vanguard)
Forever in Joy by Rosemary Sprague (Chilton)
Colonial Craftsmen, and the Beginnings of American Industry written and illustrated by Edwin Tunis (World)

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1964

Picture Books
A Pocketful of Cricket written by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Evaline Ness (Holt)
May I Bring a Friend? written by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, illustrated by Beni Montresor (Atheneum)
Whistle for Willie written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
Lady Bird, Quickly written and illustrated by Juliet Kepes (Little)
The Happy Owls illustrated by Celestino Piatti (Atheneum)
The Mitten written by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Yaroslava (Lothrop)

Stories
Time of Trial written by Hester Burton, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (World)
A Spell Is Cast written by Eleanor Cameron, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush (Atlantic-Little)
The Far-Off Land written by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Brinton Turkle (Viking)
Far Out the Long Canal written by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Nancy Grossman (Harper)
The CORIANDER written by Eilís Dillon, illustrated by Vic Donahue (Funk)
Gull Number 737 by Jean Craighead George (Crowell)
Home Is the Sailor written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Jean Primrose (Viking)
The Namesake written and illustrated by C. Walter Hodges (Coward)
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (Follett)
My Great-Grandfather and I written by James Krüss, illustrated by Jochen Bartsch (Atheneum)
Tituba of Salem Village by Ann Petry (Crowell)
The Queen’s Blessing written by Madeleine Polland, illustrated by Betty Fraser (Holt)
Lotte’s Locket written by Virginia Sorensen, illustrated by Fermin Rocker (Harcourt)
Storm from the West written by Barbara Willard, illustrated by Douglas Hall (Harcourt)
Shadow of a Bull written by Maia Wojciechowska, illustrated by Alvin Smith (Atheneum)

Tales of Fancy and Imagination
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
The Return of the Twelves written by Pauline Clarke, illustrated by Bernarda Bryson (Coward)
The Pushcart War written by Jean Merrill, illustrated by Ronni Solbert (Scott)
The Faun and the Woodcutter’s Daughter written by Barbara Leonie Picard, illustrated by Charles Stewart (Criterion)
The Bee-Man of Orn written by Frank R. Stockton, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Holt)
The Hound of Ulster written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Victor Ambrus (Dutton)

Poetry, Biography, and History
Cricket Songs translated by Harry Behn (Harcourt)
Girl with a Pen: Charlotte Brontë by Elisabeth Kyle (Holt)
Shakespeare’s Theater written and illustrated by C. Walter Hodges (Coward)
The Japanese: People of the Three Treasures written by Robert Newman, illustrated by Mamoru Funai (Atheneum)

Archaeology and Natural Science
Digs and Diggers: A Book of World Archaeology by Leonard Cottrell (World)
Butterfly Time written by Alice E. Goudey, illustrated by Adrienne Adams (Scribner)

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1963

Picture Books
Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella illustrated by Adrienne Adams (Scribner)
The Seven Ravens written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Felix Hoffmann (Harcourt)
Burt Dow: Deep-Water Man written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
Bruno Munari’s Zoo written and illustrated by Bruno Munari (World)
All in the Morning Early written by Sorche Nic Leodhas, illustrated by Evaline Ness (Holt)
Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes compiled and illustrated by Philip Reed (Atheneum)
Where the Wild Things Are written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
Brian Wildsmith’s ABC illustrated by Brian Wildsmith (Watts)

Stories
The Faraway Lurs by Harry Behn (World)
Aunt America written Marie Halun Bloch, illustrated by Joan Berg (Atheneum)
Castors Away! written by Hester Burton, illustrated by Victor G. Ambrus (World)
The Princess and the Lion written by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Evaline Ness (Pantheon)
Nacar, the White Deer written by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño, illustrated by Enrico Arno (Farrar)
I, Adam written by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Peter Burchard (Coward)
Little Plum written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Jean Primrose (Viking)
Hakon of Rogen’s Saga written by Erik Christian Haugaard, illustrated by Diane and Leo Dillon (Houghton)
A Boy of Old Prague written by Sulamith Ish-Kishor, illustrated by Ben Shahn (Pantheon)
A Golden Touch by Annabel and Edgar Johnson (Harper)
The Rock and the Willow by Mildred Lee (Lothrop)
The Moon by Night by Madeleine L’Engle (Ariel)
Rascal written by Sterling North, illustrated by John Schoenherr (Dutton)
A Dog So Small written by Philippa Pearce, illustrated by Antony Maitland (Lippincott)
Lost John written by Barbara Leonie Picard, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Criterion)
Roosevelt Grady written by Louisa R. Shotwell, illustrated by Peter Burchard (World)
The Loner written by Ester Wier, illustrated by Christine Price (McKay)
The Singing Flute written by Gurdon S. Worcester, illustrated by Irene Burns (Obolensky)

Tales of Fancy and Imagination
The Wild Swans written by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
Tatsinda written by Elizabeth Enright, illustrated by Irene Haas (Harcourt)
The Dwarf Pine Tree written by Betty Jean Lifton, illustrated by Fuku Akino (Atheneum)
Dietrich of Berne written by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman (Viking)
The Griffin and the Minor Canon written by Frank R. Stockton, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Holt)

Biography, History, Music, and Science
Armor written and illustrated by Sean Morrison (Crowell)
The Woodrow Wilson Story by Catherine Owens Peare (Crowell)
The World Is Round written and illustrated by Anthony Ravielli (Viking)
The Peaceable Revolution by Betty Schechter (Houghton)
The Heritage of Music written by Katherine B. Shippen and Anca Seidlova, illustrated by Otto van Eersel (Viking)

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1962

Picture Books
The Hare and the Tortoise written by Aesop, illustrated by Paul Galdone (Whittlesey)
The Sun Is a Golden Earring written by Natalia M. Belting, illustrated by Bernarda Bryson (Holt)
The Snowy Day written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
Christmas in the Stable written by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Harald Wiberg (Coward)
Animals in the Zoo written and illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky (Knopf)
The Late Cuckoo written and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin (Vanguard)
The Three Robbers written and illustrated by Tomi Ungerer (Atheneum)
The Meanest Squirrel I Ever Met written by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (Scribner)

Tales of Fancy and Imagination
The Summer Birds written by Penelope Farmer, illustrated by James J. Spanfeller (Harcourt)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (Farrar)
Thistle and Thyme written by Sorche Nic Leodhas, illustrated by Evaline Ness (Holt)
The Lady of the Linden Tree written by Barbara Leonie Picard, illustrated by Charles Stewart (Criterion)
Miss Bianca written by Margery Sharp, illustrated by Garth Williams (Little)
Beowulf retold by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Dutton)

Poetry Anthologies
The Crystal Cabinet compiled by Horace Gregory and Marya Zaturenska, illustrated by Diana Bloomfield (Holt)
The Singing and the Gold compiled by Elinor Parker, illustrated by Clare Leighton (Crowell)

Stories
Mr. Mysterious & Company written by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Eric von Schmidt (Atlantic-Little)
The King’s Goblet by David Fletcher (Pantheon)
Dan and the Miranda written by Wilson Gage, illustrated by Glen Rounds (World)
The Cat and Mrs. Cary written by Doris Gates, illustrated by Peggy Bacon (Viking)
I Will Adventure written by Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated by Corydon Bell (Viking)
Dark Horse of Woodfield written by Florence Hightower, illustrated by Joshua Tolford (Houghton)
Wilderness Bride by Annabel and Edgar Johnson (Harper)
Beorn the Proud written by Madeleine Polland, illustrated by William Stobbs (Holt)
The Emperor and the Drummer Boy written by Ruth Robbins, illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov (Parnassus)
Dawn Wind written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Walck)
The Winged Watchman written and illustrated by Hilda van Stockum (Farrar)
Witch of the Glens written by Sally Watson, illustrated by Barbara Werner (Viking)
The Island of Fish in the Trees written by Eva-Lis Wuorio, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (World)

History and Biography
Men of Athens written by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Milton Johnson (Houghton)
Growing Up in 13th Century England written by Alfred Duggan, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges (Pantheon)
The Art of Ancient Egypt by Shirley Glubok (Atheneum)
The Presidency and The Supreme Court written by Gerald W. Johnson, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (Morrow)
Stars, Mosquitoes and Crocodiles: The American Travels of Alexander von Humboldt written by Millicent E. Selsam, illustrated by Russell Francis Peterson (Harper)
Pilgrim Courage edited by E. Brooks Smith and Robert Meredith, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (Little)

Natural History
Life Story written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton)
A Black Bear’s Story written by Emil Liers, illustrated by Ray Sherin (Viking)

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1961

Picture Books
Thumbelina written by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Adrienne Adams (Scribner)
Once a Mouse written and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
The Snow and the Sun—La Nieve y el Sol illustrated by Antonio Frasconi (Harcourt)
The Day We Saw the Sun Come Up written by Alice E. Goudey, illustrated by Adrienne Adams (Scribner)
There Is a Dragon in My Bed; Il y a un Dragon Dans Mon Lit written by Sesyle Joslin, illustrated by Irene Haas (Harcourt)
Little Bear’s Visit written by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night illustrated by Peter Spier (Doubleday)
Le Hibou et la Poussiquette written by Francis Steegmuller, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Little)

Poetry and Nonsense
The Man Who Sang the Sillies written by John Ciardi, illustrated by Edward Gorey (Lippincott)
Beyond the High Hills, A Book of Eskimo Poems illustrated with photographs by Guy Mary-Rousselière, O. M. I. (World)

Tales of Fancy and Imagination
The Little Juggler adapted and illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Hastings)
The Superlative Horse, A Tale of Ancient China written by Jean Merrill, illustrated by Ronni Solbert (Scott)
The Borrowers Aloft written by Mary Norton, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush (Harcourt)
Belling the Tiger written by Mary Stolz, illustrated by Beni Montresor (Harper)

Nature and Science
The Science of Life written and illustrated by Lois and Louis Darling (World)

Stories
Dangerous Spring by Margot Benary-Isbert (Harcourt)
A Stranger at Green Knowe written by Lucy M. Boston, illustrated by Peter Boston (Harcourt)
The Last Little Cat written by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Jim McMullan (Harper)
Miss Happiness and Miss Flower written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Jean Primrose (Viking)
Out of the Mines: The Story of a Pit Boy written by Frederick Grice, illustrated by Brian Wildsmith (Watts)
Adventure in the Desert written by Herbert Kaufmann, translated by Stella Humphries, illustrated by Eugene Karlin (Obolensky)
The Story of Grizel by Elisabeth Kyle (Nelson)
The Majesty of Grace written and illustrated by Jane Langton (Harper)
The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (Coward)
Pirate Queen by Edith Patterson Meyer (Little)
Children of the Red King written by Madeleine Polland, illustrated by Annette Macarthur-Onslow (Holt)
The Road to Agra written by Aimée Sommerfelt, translated from the Norwegian, illustrated by Ulf Aas (Criterion)
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
A Poppy in the Corn by Stella Weaver (Pantheon)
The Glorious Conspiracy by Joanne S. Williamson (Knopf)

Biography and History
The Fight for Union by Margaret L. Coit (Houghton)
The Young Fanny Burney by Winifred Gérin (Nelson)
Made in the Middle Ages written and illustrated by Christine Price (Dutton)
Frontier Living written and illustrated by Edwin Tunis (World)

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1960

Picture Books
The American Speller edited and illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Crowell)
The Shoemaker and the Elves written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Adrienne Adams (Scribner)
The Sleeping Beauty written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Felix Hoffmann (Harcourt)
Inch by Inch written and illustrated by Leo Lionni (Obolensky)
The Little Tiny Rooster written by Will Lipkind, illustrated by Nicolas Mordvinoff (Harcourt)
ABC written and illustrated by Bruno Munari (World)
Baboushka and the Three Kings written by Ruth Robbins, illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov (Parnassus)

Folk Tales and Hero Stories
Ten Thousand Desert Swords written by Russell Davis and Brent Ashabranner, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (Little)
Heather and Broom written by Sorche Nic Leodhas, illustrated by Consuelo Joerns (Holt)
The Iliad of Homer written by Barbara Leonie Picard, illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe (Walck)

Tales of Fancy and Imagination
The Witch Family written by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (Harcourt)
The Cricket in Times Square written by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams (Ariel)
Island MacKenzie written by Ursula Moray Williams, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (Morrow)
Castaways in Lilliput written by Henry Winterfeld, illustrated by William M. Hutchinson (Harcourt)

Stories
Jed: The Story of a Yankee Soldier and a Southern Boy written and illustrated by Peter Burchard (Coward)
The Singing Cave written by Eilís Dillon, illustrated by Stan Campbell (Funk)
Grishka and the Bear written by René Guillot, illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe (Criterion)
Caxton’s Challenge written and illustrated by Cynthia Harnett (World)
The Happy Days written by Kim Yong Ik, illustrated by Artur Marokvia (Little)
Torrie by Annabel and Edgar Johnson (Harper)
Meet the Austins by Madeleine L’Engle (Vanguard)
Don Tiburcio’s Secret written by Jeanne Loisy, illustrated by Françoise Estachy (Pantheon)
The Secret Language written by Ursula Nordstrom, illustrated by Mary Chalmers (Harper)
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell (Houghton)
A Dog on Barkham Street written by Mary Stolz, illustrated by Leonard Shortall (Harper)
Knight’s Fee written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Walck)
Victory at Valmy by Geoffrey Trease (Vanguard)

Biography and History
The Walls of Windy Troy, a Biography of Heinrich Schliemann by Marjorie Braymer (Harcourt)
America Grows Up and America Moves Forward, Volumes 2 and 3 of A History for Peter written by Gerald W. Johnson, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (Morrow)
This Is New York and This Is Rome written and illustrated by Miroslav Sasek (Macmillan)

Nature and Science
Map Making: The Art that Became a Science written by Lloyd A. Brown, illustrated by Aldren A. Watson (Little)
The Challenge of the Sea written by Arthur C. Clarke, illustrated by Alex Schomburg (Holt)

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1959

Picture Books
Peter Piper’s Alphabet by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids written by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Felix Hoffmann (Harcourt)
Father Bear Comes Home written by Else Holmelund Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
The Moon Jumpers written by Janice May Udry, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)

Tales of Fancy and Imagination
Seven Tales by H. C. Andersen translated by Eva Le Gallienne, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
The Adventures of Rinaldo written by Isabella Holt, illustrated by Erik Blegvad (Atlantic-Little)
The Gammage Cup written by Carol Kendall, illustrated by Erik Blegvad (Harcourt)
The Borrowers Afloat written by Mary Norton, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush (Harcourt)
The Duke of Sycamore written and illustrated by Edgar Parker (Houghton)
Tom’s Midnight Garden written by A. Philippa Pearce, illustrated by Susan Einzig (Lippincott)
The Rescuers written by Margery Sharp, illustrated by Garth Williams (Little)

Poetry, Songs, and Nonsense
The Reason for the Pelican written by John Ciardi, illustrated by Madeleine Gekiere (Lippincott)
On Christmas Day in the Morning! compiled by John Langstaff, piano settings by Marshall Woodbridge, illustrated by Antony Groves-Raines (Harcourt)
The Blackbird in the Lilac written by James Reeves, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (Dutton)

Stories
The Two Uncles of Pablo written by Harry Behn, illustrated by Mel Silverman (Harcourt)
Wolf of Badenoch written by Joseph E. Chipperfield, illustrated by C. Gifford Ambler (Longmans)
My Side of the Mountain written and illustrated by Jean George (Dutton)
The Cheerful Heart written by Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated by Kazue Mizumura (Viking)
The Black Symbol by Annabel and Edgar Johnson (Harper)
Onion John written by Joseph Krumgold, illustrated by Symeon Shimin (Crowell)
The Little Silver House written by Jennie D. Lindquist, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper)
Master of Morgana by Allan Campbell McLean (Harcourt)
The Lantern Bearers written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Walck)
The Promised Year written by Yoshiko Uchida, illustrated by William M. Hutchinson (Harcourt)
The Girl from Nowhere written by Hertha von Gebhardt, illustrated by Helen Brun (Criterion)
John Treegate’s Musket by Leonard Wibberley (Ariel)

Biography, History and Travel
The Byzantines written by Thomas Caldecot Chubb, illustrated by Richard M. Powers (World)
The Voyage of the Beagle written by Charles Darwin, abridged by Millicent E. Selsam, illustrated by Anthony Ravielli (Harper)
America Is Born, a History for Peter written by Gerald W. Johnson, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher (Morrow)
Doctor Paracelsus written by Sidney Rosen, illustrated by Rafaello Busoni (Little)
This Is London written and illustrated by Miroslav Sasek (Macmillan)
This Is Paris written and illustrated by Miroslav Sasek (Macmillan)

Bible
The Mighty Ones written by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Harvey Schmidt (Harper)

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1958

Picture Books
Felice written and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
Chanticleer and the Fox edited and illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Crowell)
What Do You Say, Dear? written by Sesyle Joslin, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Scott)
The Magic Feather Duster written by Will Lipkind, illustrated by Nicolas Mordvinoff (Harcourt)
Crictor written and illustrated by Tomi Ungerer (Harper)
Umbrella written and illustrated by Taro Yashima (Viking)

Folk and Fairy Tales
The Golden Phoenix and Other French-Canadian Fairy Tales complied by Marius Barbeau, retold by Michael Hornyansky, illustrated by Arthur Price (Walck)
Treasure of Green Knowe written by Lucy M. Boston, illustrated by Peter Boston (Harcourt)
Tistou of the Green Thumbs written by Maurice Druon, illustrated by Jacqueline Duhème (Scribner)

Stories
Chingo Smith of the Erie Canal written by Samuel Hopkins Adams, illustrated by Leonard Vosburg (Random)
Sons of the Steppe written by Hans Baumann, illustrated by Heiner Rothfuchs (Walck)
The Horse Without a Head written by Paul Berna, illustrated by Richard Kennedy (Pantheon)
The Family Under the Bridge written by Natalie Savage Carlson, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper)
Along Came a Dog written by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
The Ghost of Follonsbee’s Folly written by Florence Hightower, illustrated by Ati Forberg (Houghton)
The “Minnow” Leads to Treasure written by A. Philippa Pearce, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (World)
The Sherwood Ring written by Elizabeth Marie Pope, illustrated by Evaline Ness (Houghton)
Henry Reed, Inc. written by Keith Robertson, illustrated by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (Houghton)
The Perilous Road written by William O. Steele, illustrated by Paul Galdone (Harcourt)
The Silver Branch written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Walck)
Warrior Scarlet written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by Charles Keeping (Walck)
The Spettecake Holiday written by Edith Unnerstad, illustrated by Iben Clante (Macmillan)

Biography and History
The Man Who Was Don Quixote: The Story of Miguel Cervantes written and illustrated by Rafaello Busoni (Prentice)
The Americans written by Harold Coy, illustrated by William Moyers (Little)
Lee of Virginia by Douglas Southall Freeman (Scribner)

Poetry
I Went to the Animal Fair written by William Cole, illustrated by Coletta Rosselli (World)

Prayers
Bless This Day compiled by Vida Vipont, illustrated by Harold Jones (Harcourt)

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Fanfare was discontinued for four years from 1954 to 1957

1953

Picture Books
The Steadfast Tin Soldier written by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
Madeline’s Rescue written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans (Viking)
Pitschi written and illustrated by Hans Fischer (Harcourt)
A Very Special House written by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
Journey Cake, Ho! written by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Robert McCloskey (Viking)

Stories
Finnegan II, His Nine Lives written by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, illustrated by Kate Seredy (Viking)
The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert (Harcourt)
Little Witch written by Anna Elizabeth Bennett, illustrated by Helen Stone (Lippincott)
All Alone written by Claire Huchet Bishop, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky (Viking)
Three—and Domingo written by Margueritte Harmon Bro, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (Doubleday)
Hurry Home, Candy written by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
Shadrach written by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
Hideaway House written by Adele and Cateau de Leeuw, illustrated by Robert Candy (Little)
Nicholas and the Wool Pack written and illustrated by Cynthia Harnett (Putnam)
. . . And Now Miguel written by Joseph Krumgold, illustrated by Jean Charlot (Crowell)
Mr. Revere and I written and illustrated by Robert Lawson (Little)
Rain in the Winds written and illustrated by Claire and George Louden (Scribner)
The Borrowers written by Mary Norton, illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush (Harcourt)
Brother Dusty-Feet written by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges (Oxford)

Interesting Non-Fiction
America Before Man written by Elizabeth Chesley Baity, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
Who Gave Us . . . Peacocks? Planes? & Ferris Wheels? written and illustrated by Madeleine Gekiere (Pantheon)
An Otter’s Story written by Emil E. Liers, illustrated by Tony Palazzo (Viking)
The Mission Bell written and illustrated by Leo Politi (Scribner)

New Editions and Collections
A Book of the Seasons; An Anthology compiled and illustrated by Eve Garnett (Bentley)
The Wind in the Willows written by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard (Scribner)
“Little House Books” written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper)

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1952

Picture Books
Buffalo Bill written and illustrated by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (Doubleday)
Looking-for-Something written by Ann Nolan Clark, illustrated by Leo Politi (Viking)
Ape in a Cape written and illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg (Harcourt)
New World for Nellie written and illustrated by Rowland Emett (Harcourt)
A Hole Is to Dig written by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
One Morning in Maine written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
Puss in Boots written by Charles Perrault, illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
The Biggest Bear written and illustrated by Lynd Ward (Houghton)
The Storm Book written by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (Harper)

Stories
The Book of Hugh Flower written by Lorna Beers, illustrated by Eleanor Mill (Harper)
The Talking Cat and Other Stories of French Canada written by Natalie Savage Carlson, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Harper)
Secret of the Andes written by Ann Nolan Clark, illustrated by Jean Charlot (Viking)
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain written by Alice Dalgliesh, illustrated by Helen Sewell (Scribner)
Just So Stories written by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Nicolas Mordvinoff (Garden City)
Amahl and the Night Visitors written by Gian-Carlo Menotti, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Whittlesey)
Big Tiger and Christian: Their Adventures in Mongolia written by Fritz Mühlenweg, illustrated by Rafaello Busoni (Pantheon)
The Treasure Trove of the Sun written by M. Prishvin, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky (Viking)
Red Sails to Capri written by Ann Weil, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
Charlotte’s Web written by E. B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams (Harper)

Outstanding Non-Fiction
Presenting Miss Jane Austen written by May Lamberton Becker, illustrated by Edward Price (Dodd)
All Down the Valley written and illustrated by Henry Billings (Viking)
Thomas Jefferson written by Clara Ingram Judson, illustrated by Robert Frankenberg (Wilcox)
Far and Few written by David McCord, illustrated by Henry B. Kane (Little)
Leonardo da Vinci by Elizabeth Ripley, illustrated with drawings and paintings by Leonardo (Oxford)
String Lug the Fox written by David Stephen, illustrated by Nina Scott Langley (Little)

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1951

Poetry
Eleanor Farjeon’s Poems for Children (Lippincott)

Picture Storybooks
Mr. T. W. Anthony Woo written and illustrated by Marie Hall Ets (Viking)
Finders Keepers written by William Lipkind, illustrated by Nicolas Mordvinoff (Harcourt)
The Blue-Eyed Pussy written and illustrated by Egon Mathieson (Doubleday)
The Crumb That Walked written by Charles Norman, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (Harper)
Jeanne-Marie Counts Her Sheep written and illustrated by Françoise Seignobosc (Scribner)
All Falling Down written by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (Harper)

Fanciful Tales
The Wonderful Farm written by Marcel Ayme, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
Little Houses Far Away written and illustrated by Pamela Bianco (Oxford)
The Mousewife written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Viking)
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia written by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes (Macmillan)
Centerburg Tales written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
Huon of the Horn written by Andre Norton, illustrated by Joe Krush (Harcourt)
The Story of Serapina written by Anne H. White, illustrated by Tony Palazzo (Viking)

Stories
The Marble Fountain written and illustrated by Valenti Angelo (Viking)
Chariot of the Sky, A Story of the Jubilee Singers written by Arna Bontemps, illustrated by Cyrus Leroy Baldridge (Winston)
Windruff of Links Tor written by Joseph E. Chipperfield, illustrated by Helen Torrey (Longmans)
Five Boys in a Cave by Richard Church (Day)
Ginger Pye written and illustrated by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt)
Eskimo Boy written by Pipaluk Freuchen, illustrated by Ingrid Vang Nyman (Lothrop)
Roman Eagle written and illustrated by Stephani and Edward Godwin (Oxford)
Moon Ahead written by Leslie Greener, illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Viking)
The Defender written by Nicholas Kalashnikoff, illustrated by Claire and George Louden, Jr. (Scribner)
All-of-a-Kind Family written by Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John (Wilcox)
The Lark on the Wing written by Elfrida Vipont, illustrated by Sandra James (Bobbs)
The City of Frozen Fire by Vaughan Wilkins (Macmillan)

Biography and History
Americans Before Columbus written by Elizabeth C. Baity, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
America’s Robert E. Lee written by Henry Steele Commager, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Houghton)
Of Courage Undaunted: Across the Continent with Lewis and Clark written and illustrated by James Daugherty (Viking)
Leif Eriksson, First Voyager to America by Katherine Shippen (Harper)
Prehistoric America written by Anne Terry White, illustrated by Aldren Watson (Random)
Lonely Crusader: The Life of Florence Nightingale by Cecil Woodham-Smith (Whittlesey)

Nature and Science
Construction Ahead written and illustrated by Henry Billings (Viking)
Let Them Live written and illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan)
Patterns in the Sky; The Story of the Constellations written by W. Maxwell Reed, illustrated by D. F. Levett Bradley (Morrow)
You Among the Stars written by Herman and Nina Shneider, illustrated by Symeon Shimin (Scott)

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1950

Picture Books
All Kinds of Time written and illustrated by Harry Behn (Harcourt)
Dick Whittington and His Cat written and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
A Bell for Ursli written by Selina Chönz, illustrated by Alois Carigiet (Oxford)
Rosa-Too-Little written and illustrated by Sue Felt (Doubleday)
The Two Reds written by William Lipkind, illustrated by Nicolas Mordvinoff (Harcourt)
The Egg Tree written and illustrated by Katherine Milhous (Scribner)
The Kitten Who Listened written and illustratedby Nura (Harper)
A Boat for Peppe written and illustrated by Leo Politi (Scribner)
Who Dreams of Cheese written and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (Scribner)

Stories
Windfall Fiddle written by Carl Carmer, illustrated by Arthur Conrad (Knopf)
Magic Money written by Ann Nolan Clark, illustrated by Leo Politi (Viking)
Door to the North written by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman (Winston)
Kantchil’s Lime Pit written by Harold Courlander, illustrated by Robert Kane (Harcourt)
The Tower by the Sea written by Meindert DeJong, illustrated by Barbara Comfort (Harper)
The Sky-River written by Chang Fa-Shun, illustrated by Jeanyee Wong (Lothrop)
Farm Boy written and illustrated by Douglas Gorsline (Viking)
The Wahoo Bobcat written by Joseph Wharton Lippincott, illustrated by Paul Bransom (Lippincott)
Margaret by Janette Sebring Lowrey (Harper)
The Story of Appleby-Capple written and illustrated by Anne Parrish (Harper)
To Tell Your Love by Mary Stolz (Harper)
This Boy Cody written by Leon Wilson, illustrated by Ursula Koering (Watts)

Biography
Better Known as Johnny Appleseed written by Mabel Leigh Hunt, illustrated by James Daugherty (Lippincott)
Henry Ford, Engineer written by Louise Albright Neyhart, illustrated by Joshua Tolford (Houghton)
Amos Fortune, Free Man written by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora Unwin (Aladdin)
Benjamin Franklin written and illustrated by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (Doubleday)
Gandhi, Fighter Without a Sword written by Jeanette Eaton, illustrated by Ralph Ray (Morrow)
Mahatma Gandhi by Catherine Owens Peare, iIllustrated with photographs (Holt)
Abraham Lincoln written and illustrated by Genevieve Foster (Scribner)
King Philip written by Esther Averill, illustrated by Vera Belsky (Harper)
Sir Walter Raleigh by Geoffrey Trease (Vanguard)
The Greenwood Tree, A Portrait of William Shakespeare written and illustrated by Edward and Stephani Godwin (Dutton)

Unusual Non-Fiction
Diesel-Electric 4030 written and illustrated by Henry Billings (Viking)
Pictures of France by Her Children selected by Marion B. Cothren (Oxford)
Allah, the God of Islam by Florence Mary Fitch, illustrated with photographs (Lothrop)
The Book of the Year written by Fritz Peters, illustrated by Ilonka Karasz (Harper)
Partners: United Nations and Youth by Eleanor Roosevelt and Helen Ferris, illustrated with photographs (Doubleday)
Animal Folk Songs for Children written by Ruth Crawford Seeger, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Doubleday)

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1949

Picture Books
The Emperor’s New Clothes written by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton)
Cocolo Comes to America written and illustrated by Bettina (Harper)
Henry-Fisherman written and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
Two Little Trains written by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Jean Charlot (Scott)
Little Boy Brown written by Isobel Harris, illustrated by André François (Lippincott)
The Twelve Days of Christmas illustrated by Ilonka Karasz (Harper)
The Happy Day written by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Marc Simont (Harper)
Song of the Swallows written and illustrated by Leo Politi (Scribner)
Sun Up written by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Lothrop)

Stories
The Bells of Bleecker Street written and illustrated by Valenti Angelo (Viking)
Sonny-Boy Sim written by Elizabeth W. Baker, illustrated by Susanne Suba (Rand)
Too Many Cherries written by Carl Carmer, illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum (Viking)
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (Harper)
Tree of Freedom written by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Dorothy Bayley Morse (Viking)
The Blue Cat of Castle Town written by Catherine Cate Coblentz, illustrated by Janice Holland (Longmans)
The Door in the Wall written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)
The Runaway Apprentice written by Margery Evernden, illustrated by Jeanyee Wong (Random)
Song of the Pines written by Walter and Marion Havighurst, illustrated by Richard Floethe (Winston)
Kildee House written by Rutherford Montgomery, illustrated by Barbara Cooney (Doubleday)
At the Palace Gates written by Helen Rand Parish, illustrated by Leo Politi (Viking)
The Treasure of Li-Po written by Alice Ritchie, illustrated by T. Ritchie (Harcourt)
Trigger John’s Sons written by Tom Robinson, illustrated by Robert McCloskey (Viking)

Timeless Books and People
The Lord Is My Shepherd from the Bible, illustrated by Nancy Barnhart (Scribner)
The Life of Audubon written by Clyde Fisher, illustrated with paintings and drawings by John James Audubon (Harper)
George Washington written and illustrated by Genevieve Foster (Scribner)
America’s Ethan Allen written by Stewart Holbrook, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Houghton)
Moses by Katherine B. Shippen (Harper)

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1948

Picture Story Books
Cocolo written and illustrated by Bettina (Harper)
The Big Snow written and illustrated by Berta and Elmer Hader (Macmillan)
Seabird written and illustrated by Holling Clancy Holling (Houghton)
Blueberries for Sal written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
All Around the Town written by Phyllis McGinley, illustrated by Helen Stone (Lippincott)
Juanita written and illustrated by Leo Politi (Scribner)
Pelican Here, Pelican There written and illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (Scribner)
Fish in the Air written and illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Viking)

Poetry and Folk Tales
An Inheritance of Poetry compiled by Gladys Adshead and Annis Duff, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin (Houghton)
Grandfather Tales collected by Richard Chase, illustrated by Berkeley Williams, Jr. (Houghton)

History and Biography
Story of the Negro written by Arna Bontemps, illustrated by Raymond Lufkin (Knopf)
Judith of France written by Margaret Leighton, illustrated by Henry C. Pitz (Houghton)
In Norway written by Gudrun Thorne-Thomsen, illustrated by Eyvind Earle (Viking)

Stars
The Stars in Our Heaven written by Peter Lum, illustrated by Anne Marie Jauss (Pantheon)

Stories
Playtime in Cherry Street written and illustrated by Pamela Bianco (Oxford)
That Girl of Pierre’s written by Robert Davis, illustrated by Lloyd Lózes Goff (Holiday)
My Father’s Dragon written by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett (Random)
Vulpes the Red Fox written by John L. George and Jean George, illustrated by Jean George (Dutton)
The Dolls’ House written by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Dana Saintsbury (Viking)
King of the Wind written by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (Rand)
Daughter of the Mountains written by Louise Rankin, illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Viking)
The Chestry Oak written and illustrated by Kate Seredy (Viking)

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1947

Picture Story Books
Stone Soup written and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribners)
A French A B C written and illustrated by Francine Legrand Dauphin (Coward)
Roger and the Fox written by Lavinia Davis, illustrated by Hildegard Woodward (Doubleday)
White Snow Bright Snow written by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Lothrop)

Folk and Fairy Tales
The Quaint and Curious Quest of Johnny Longfoot written by Catherine Besterman, illustrated by Warren Chappell (Bobbs)
The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily written and illustrated by Dino Buzzati (Pantheon)
The Cow-Tail Switch written by Harold Courlander and George Herzog, illustrated by Madge Lee Chastain (Holt)
The Enchanted Eve written by Madeleine Ley, illustrated by Edy Legrand (Howell)

Legend
By His Own Might written by Dorothy Hosford, illustrated by Laszlo Matulay (Holt)
Song of Robin Hood edited by Anne Malcolmson, illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton)

History and Biography
David Livingstone Foe of Darkness written by Jeanette Eaton, illustrated by Ralph Ray (Morrow)
Augustus Caesar’s World written and illustrated by Genevieve Foster (Scribners)
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin written by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (Bobbs)
The Great Heritage written by Katherine B. Shippen, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
North Star Shining written by Hildegarde Hoyt Swift, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Morrow)
Joseph, The King James Version of a Well-Loved Tale arranged by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated with wood engravings by Nora S. Unwin (Knopf)

Art
Discovering Design written by Marion Downer, illustrated with photographs (Lothrop)

Stories
Pancakes-Paris written by Claire Huchet Bishop, illustrated by Georges Schreiber (Viking)
The Twenty-One Balloons written and illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Viking)
The Secret of the Porcelain Fish written by Margery Evernden, illustrated by Thomas Handforth (Random)
The Little White Horse written by Elizabeth Goudge, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges (Coward)
Misty of Chincoteague written by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis (Rand)
Judy’s Journey written and illustrated by Lois Lenski (Lippincott)
Chin Ling, the Chinese Cricket written and illustrated by Alison Stilwell (Macmillan)
Li Lun, Lad of Courage written by Carolyn Treffinger, illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Abingdon)

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1946

America’s Paul Revere written by Esther Forbes, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Houghton)
The Avion My Uncle Flew written by Cyrus Fisher, illustrated by Richard Floethe (Appleton)
Big Tree written and illustrated by Mary and Conrad Buff (Viking)
The Biggety Chameleon written by Edith Pope, illustrated by Dorothy Grider (Scribner)
Blue Ridge Billy written and illustrated by Lois Lenski (Lippincott)
Boats on the River written and illustrated by Marjorie Flack (Viking)
Bright April written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)
Great Day in the Morning written by Florence Crannell Means, illustrated by Helen Blair (Houghton)
Harriett written by Charles McKinley, Jr., illustrated by William Penè du Bois (Viking)
The Hidden Treasure of Glaston written by Eleanore M. Jewett, illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman (Viking)
The Little Carousel written and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
The Little Island written by Golden MacDonald, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (Doubleday)
The Magic Shop written by Maurice Dolbier, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg (Random)
Miss Hickory written by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, illustrated by Ruth Gannett (Viking)
My Dog Rinty written by Ellen Tarry and Marie Hall Ets, illustrated by Alexander and Alexandra Alland (Viking)
Oceans in the Sky written by Vera Edelstadt, illustrated by Louis Bunin (Knopf)
Paji written by Esther Kiviat, illustrated by Harold Price (Whittlesey)
Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street written and illustrated by Leo Politi (Scribner)
Pocahontas written and illustrated by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (Doubleday)
The Rain Forest written and illustrated by Armstrong Sperry (Macmillan)
The Rooster Crows by Maud and Miska Petersham (Macmillan)
The Runaway Soldier written by Fruma Gottschalk, illustrated by Simon Lissim (Knopf)
South American Zoo written by Victor W. von Hagen, illustrated by Francis Lee Jacques (Messner)
Star Mountain written by Camilla Campbell, illustrated by Ena McKinney (Whittlesey)
The Sword and the Scythe written by Jay Williams, illustrated by Edouard Sandor (Oxford)
The Tale of Beatrix Potter by Margaret Lane (Warne)
The Tale of the Wild Goose written and illustrated by Henry B. Kane (Knopf)
Thomas Jefferson written by Frank and Cortelle Hutchins, illustrated by Janice Holland (Longmans)
Timothy Turtle written by Al Graham, illustrated by Tony Palazzo (Robert Welch)
Vagabonds All written by E. K. Seth-Smith, illustrated by Anne Vaughan (Houghton)
Volcano written by Tom Galt, illustrated by Ralph Ray (Scribner)
The Wonderful Year written by Nancy Barnes, illustrated by Kate Seredy (Messner)
The Woodland Book written by Elmer Ransom, illustrated by Sabra Mallett (Howell)

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1945

American Emperor written by Rose Brown, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
Bhimsa the Dancing Bear written by Christine Weston, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Scribner)
Clear the Track for Michael’s Magic Train written and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin (Macmillan)
Climbing Our Family Tree written by Alex Novikoff, illustrated by John English (International)
Daniel Boone written by Esther Averill, illustrated by F. Rojankovsky (Harper)
Donkey for the King written by Olive Price, decorations by Valenti Angelo (Whittlesey)
Echo of a Cry written and illustrated by Mai-Mai Sze (Harcourt)
First Whisper of “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame (Lippincott)
Gulf Stream written by Ruth Brindze, illustrated by Helene Carter (Vanguard)
Henry’s Lincoln written by Louise A. Neyhart, illustrated by Charles Banks Wilson (Holiday)
Ilenka written by Lee Kingman, illustrated by Arnold Edwin Bare (Houghton)
Koos the Hottentot written by Josef Marais, illustrated by Henry Stahlhut (Knopf)
Little Red Engine Gets a Name written by Diana Ross, illustrated by Lewitt-Him (Transatlantic Arts)
Little Boat Boy written by Jean Bothwell, illustrated by Margaret Ayer (Harcourt)
Little People in a Big Country by Norma Kohn (Oxford)
Melindy’s Medal written by Georgene Faulkner and John Becker, illustrated by Elton C. Fox (Messner)
My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World written by Becky Reyher, illustrated by Ruth Gannett (Howell)
Necessary Nellie written and illustrated by Charlotte Baker (Coward)
New Found World written by Katherine B. Shippen, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
Plain Princess written by Phyllis McGinley, illustrated by Helen Stone (Lippincott)
Prayer for Little Things written by Eleanor Farjeon, illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones (Houghton)
Reunion in Poland written by Jean Karsavina, illustratead by Lynd Ward (International)
Rock Crystal written by Aldabert Stifter, illustrated by Josef Scharl (Pantheon)
Rooster Crows written and illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham (Macmillan)
Russian Fairy Tales translated by Norbert Guiterman, illustrated by A. Alexeieff (Pantheon)
Sandy by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Viking)
Sibby Botherbox written by Mabel Leigh Hunt, illustrated by Marjory Collison (Lippincott)
Sing Mother Goose edited by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Marjorie Torrey (Dutton)
Strawberry Girl written and illustrated by Lois Lenski (Lippincott)
This Is the Christmas by Ruth Sawyer (Horn Book)
Wildcat Furs to China written by Carl Carmer, illustrated by Elizabeth Black Carmer (Knopf)
Wind Island written and illustrated by Hedwig Collin (Viking)
Within the Circle written by Evelyn Stefansson, maps by Richard Edes Harrison (Scribner)
You Can Write Chinese written and illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Viking)

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Fanfare was discontinued for three years from 1941 to 1944.

1940

Picture Story Books
They Were Strong and Good by Robert Lawson (Viking)
Animals Everywhere written and illustrated by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (Doubleday)
The Great Geppy written and illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Viking)
The Story of Colette illustrated by Françoise (Scribner)
The Tale of the Whitefoot Mouse written and illustrated by Henry B. Kane (Knopf)
Presents for Lupe written and illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan)

Stories for Younger Children
Thee, Hannah! written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)
The Sea Is All Around written and illustrated by Elizabeth Enright (Farrar)
Jock’s Castle written by Katharine Gibson, illustrated by Vera Bock (Longmans)
Maminka’s Children written and illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones (Macmillan)
A Cat of Paris written by Eleanor Hoffmann, illustrated by Zhenya Gay (Stokes)
Sinfi and the Little Gypsy Goat written by Chesley Kahmann, illustrated by F. Luis Mora (Random)

Folk, Fairy Tales and Myth
Animal Stories chosen, arranged and in some part rewritten by Walter de la Mare, illustrated with seventeenth-century woodcuts (Scribner)
Where the Winds Never Blew and the Cocks Never Crew written by Padraic Colum, illustrated by Richard Bennett (Macmillan)
Heroes of the Kalevala, Finland’s Saga written by Babette Deutsch, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg (Messner)
The Fatapoufs and Thinifers written by André Maurois, translated by Rosemary Benét, illustrated by Jean Bruller (Holt)
The Little Black Hen written by Eileen O’Faolain, illustrated by Aldren A. Watson (Random)
Peter and the Wolf written by Serge Prokofieff, illustrated by Warren Chappell

Stories
Happy Times in Czechoslovakia written by Libuska Bartusek, illustrated by Yarka Burés (Knopf)
The Fair American written by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Helen Sewell (Macmillan)
Last Clash of Claymores written by Maribelle Cormack and William P. Alexander, illustrated by Norman Price (Appleton-Century)
A Book for Jennifer, A Story of London Children in the Eighteenth Century and of Mr. Newbery’s Juvenile Library written by Alice Dalgliesh, illustrated by Katherine Milhous (Scribner)
Blue Willow written by Doris Gates, illustrated by Paul Lantz (Viking)
Smoky House written by Elizabeth Goudge, illustrated by Richard Floethe (Coward)
Michel’s Island written by Mabel Leigh Hunt, illustrated by Kate Seredy (Stokes)
Lassie Come-Home written by Eric Knight, illustrated by Marguerite Kirmse (Winston)
Call of the Mountain written by Cornelia Meigs, illustrated by James Daugherty (Little)
The Year of Jubilo written by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Edward Shenton (Viking)
The White Isle written by Caroline Dale Snedeker, illustrated by Fritz Kredel (Doubleday)
Tumbledown Dick: All People and No Plot written by Howard Spring, illustrated by Steven Spurrier (Viking)
The Long Winter written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Helen Sewell and Mildred Boyle (Harper)

Animal Life
Children of the Sea written and illustrated by Wilfrid S. Bronson (Harcourt)
Animals Nobody Knows written and illustrated by Ivan T. Sanderson (Viking)

Biography, History, Books
Introducing Charles Dickens written by May Lamberton Becker, illustrated by Oscar Ogg (Dodd)
Spice on the Wind written by Irmengarde Eberle, illustrated by Richard Jones (Holiday)
Nansen written by Anna Gertrude Hall, illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff (Viking)
Wings for Words written by Douglas C. McMurtrie, illustrated by Edward A. Wilson (Rand)
The Little History of the United States by Mable Pyne (Houghton)
Reading with Children by Anne Thaxter Eaton (Viking)

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1939

Picture Story Books
Madeline written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans (Simon and Schuster)
Animals of American History illustrated by Paul Bransom, written by Helen Dean Fish (Stokes)
Lucio and His Nuong, A Tale Of The Philippine Islands written and illustrated by Lucy Herndon Crocket (Holt)
I Am a Pueblo Indian Girl written by E-Yeh-Shure (Blue Corn), illustrated by native Indian artists (Morrow)
The Ageless Story written by St. Luke, illustrated by Lauren Ford (Dodd)
Little Toot written and illustrated by Hardie Gramatky (Putnam)
Where Did Your Garden Grow written by Jannette May Lucas, illustrated by Helene Carter (Lippincott)
The Story of Kattor written by Georgia Travers, illustrated by Flavia Gág (Coward)

Stories for Younger Children
An Ear for Uncle Emil written by E. R. Gaggin, illustrated by Kate Seredy (Viking)
Five Bushel Farm written by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Helen Sewell (Macmillan)
Francie on the Run by Hilda van Stockum (Viking)
Kobi written by Mary Buff and Conrad Buff, illustrated by Conrad Buff (Viking)
Skippack School written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)

Folk And Fairy Tales
The Little Mermaid written by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan)
The Seven Voyages of Sindbad The Sailor from the Arabian Nights entertainments, illustrated by Philip Reed (Holiday)
Terrence O’Hara written by Thomas Burns, illustrated by Reginald Birch (Harcourt)
Padre Porko written by Robert Davis, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg (Holiday)
Cinders written by Katharine Gibson, illustrated by Vera Bock (Longmans)
The Happy Flute written by Sant Ram MandaI, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Stokes)

History and Biography
Enchanting Jenny Lind written by Laura Benét, illustrated by George G. Whitney (Dodd)
Daniel Boone written and illustrated by James Daugherty (Viking)
Drina, England’s Young Victoria by Marion W. Flexner (Coward)
Columbus Sails written and illustrated by C. Walter Hodges (Coward)
Runner of the Mountain Tops written by Mabel L. Robinson, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Random)

Stories
Other People’s Houses by Margery Bianco (Viking)
Jo-Yo’s Idea written by Kathleen Morrow Elliot, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Knopf)
Saranga the Pygmy written by Attilio Gatti, illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Scribner)
Ben and Me. A New and Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin as Written by His Good Mouse Amos lately discovered, edited and illustrated by Robert Lawson (Little)
Wooden Saddles written by Marion Lay, illustrated by Addison Burbank (Morrow)
Ocean-Born Mary written and illustrated by Lois Lenski (Stokes)
Boy with a Pack written by Stephen W. Meader, illustrated by Edward Shenton (Harcourt)
Runaway Prentice written by Ethel Parton, illustrated by Margaret Platt (Viking)
The Singing Tree written and illustrated by Kate Seredy (Viking)
Circus Shoes written by Noel Streatfeild, illustrated by Richard Floethe (Random)
The Silver Fawn written by Ann Weil, illustrated by E. Leon (Bobbs)
By the Shores of Silver Lake written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Helen Sewell and Mildred Boyle (Harper)

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1938

Picture Story Books
The Forest Pool written and illustrated by Laura Adams Armer (Longmans)
The Five Chinese Brothers written by Claire Huchet Bishop, illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Coward)
Andy and the Lion written and illustrated by James Daugherty (Viking)
The Three Policemen written and illustrated by William Pène du Bois (Viking)
Mei Li written and illustrated by Thomas Handforth (Doubleday)
Hide and Go Seek written and illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan)
Yinka-Tu the Yak written by Alice Alison Lide, illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Viking)
The Cautious Carp and Other Fables in Pictures written and illustrated by Nicholas Radlov (Coward)
Buttons written by Tom Robinson, illustrated by Peggy Bacon (Viking)
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss (Vanguard)

Stories for Younger Children
Nino written and illustrated by Valenti Angelo (Viking)
Mr. Popper’s Penguins written by Richard and Florence Atwater, illustrated by Robert Lawson (Little)
Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Farrar)
Sarah’s Idea written by Doris Gates, illustrated by Marjorie Torrey (Viking)
The Cottage at Bantry Bay by Hilda Van Stockum (Viking)

Folk and Fairy Tales
East of the Sun and West of the Moon written by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, adapted from the Dasent Translation of the Collection of Asbjörnsen and Moe (Viking)
The Magic Spear and Other Stories of China’s Famous Heroes written by Louise Crane, decorations by Ching Chih Yee, illustrated by Yench ’ i Tiao T’u (Random)
Martin Pippin in the Daisy-Field written by Eleanor Farjeon, illustrated by Isobel and John Morton-Sale (Stokes)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs written and illustrated by Wanda Gág (Coward)
Tales of Poindi written by Jean Mariotti, translated by Esther Averill, illustrated by F. Rojankovsky (Domino)
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J. R. R. Tolkien (Houghton)
The Song of Roland translated by Merriam Sherwood, illustrated by Edith Emerson (Longmans)

History and Biography
Leader by Destiny, Washington, Man and Patriot written by Jeanette Eaton, illustrated by Jack Manly Rosé (Harcourt)
Seventy Stories of the Old Testament compiled by Helen Slocum Estabrook from stories selected from the King James version, illustrated with reproductions from the woodcuts of Dürer, Hans Holbein the Younger, Hans Sebald Beham and other artists of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries (Bradford Press, Portland, Maine)
Windows on the World written by Kenneth Miller Gould, illustrations and charts by Omar Pancoast Goslin and Delos Blackmar (Stackpole)
Penn written by Elizabeth Janet Gray, illustrated by George Gillette Whitney (Viking)
The Young Brontës written by Mary Louise Jarden, illustrated by Helen Sewell (Viking)
Never to Die, The Egyptians in Their Own Words, selected and arranged with commentary by Josephine Mayer and Tom Prideaux, illustrated with reproductions (Viking)
Stradivari, the violin-maker, translated from the Russian of Helen Tinyanova, re-written in English by Charles Angoff, illustrated by Harrie Wood (Knopf)

Stories
Painted Saints, by Lucy Embury, illustrated by Guy Alexander (Viking)
Jerry of Seven-Mile Creek by Elmer Ferris, illustrated by Thomas Fogarty (Doubleday)
At the Sign of the Golden Compass by Eric P. Kelly, illustrated by Raymond Lufkin (Macmillan)
Shuttered Windows by Florence Crannell Means, illustrated by Armstrong Sperry (Houghton)
We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea by Arthur Ransome (Macmillan)
Rifles for Washington written by Elsie Singmaster, illustrated by Frank Schoonover (Houghton)
Lion Boy, a Story of East Africa, by Alden G. Stevens, illustrated by E. A. Watson (Stokes)
The Iron Duke by John R. Tunis, illustrated by Johann Bull (Harcourt)
The Far Distant Oxus by Katherine Hull and Pamela Whitlock, illustrated by Pamela Whitlock (Cape) Without pictures (Macmillan)

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The post Horn Book Fanfare 1938 to present appeared first on The Horn Book.

Welcome to Fanfare, the Horn Book’s selection for the best books published for children and teens in 2011. Publishing trends being what they are, the editors make no attempt to provide a balanced list (where’s the folklore?), but you will find the thirty choices fairly evenly divided among picture books, fiction, and nonfiction. Do note crossovers: many of the books are suggested for a range of ages, and several straddle genres: is Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes’s beautiful Swirl By Swirl nonfiction, picture book, or poetry?

The Fanfare books are selected by the reviewers and editors of The Horn Book Magazine from the more than five hundred books we review each year. For more information about subscribing to The Horn Book Magazine, please visit our subscription page. ROGER SUTTON

Picture Books

Naamah and the Ark at Night
written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, illustrated by Holly Meade; Candlewick
(Preschool, Primary)
Aboard the ark, Noah’s wife sings a lullaby while the storm slowly abates and the sea’s rhythm rocks the animals to sleep. Meade’s lush, dramatic, almost tactile watercolor collages are a fine complement to Bartoletti’s quiet yet propulsive verse, modeled on an ancient Arabic poetic form. A warmly affectionate and gorgeous book. Review 7/11.

The Money We’ll Save
written and illustrated by Brock Cole; Ferguson/Farrar
(Primary)
Pa brings home a live turkey to fatten up for Christmas (“Think of the money we’ll save!”). His plan proves ill-advised as the bird overruns the family’s already-crowded tenement. Cole’s blithe, just-this-side-of-chaotic illustrations set this entertaining holiday story in nineteenth-century New York City. The ending of this highly original tale—a brilliant solution to the problem—is entirely satisfying. Review 11/11.

I Want My Hat Back
written and illustrated by Jon Klassen; Candlewick
(Primary)
The title’s seemingly simple premise cleverly evolves, with a minimalist text, expert pacing, and a mordant ending, as a bear encounters a series of animals while looking for his missing hat. Klassen uses different colored typefaces (matching the illustrations’ palette) and subtle facial expressions to define each character in this sardonically humorous offering. Review 11/11.

A Ball for Daisy
written and illustrated by Chris Raschka; Schwartz & Wade/Random
(Preschool, Primary)
Dog gets (red) ball; dog loses ball; dog gets (blue) ball. Raschka’s wordless take on an age-old story is fresh and wholly engaging: Daisy’s emotions, which range from joy to sadness and back again, are captured in every squiggly, impressionistic line. Notable both for the ingenuity of its artistry and the depth of its child appeal. Review 9/11.

Bone Dog
written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann; Roaring Brook
(Preschool, Primary)
Trick-or-treater Gus is protected by the ghost of his beloved dog Ella when skeletons emerge from a nearby cemetery. Their triumph over the (more goofy than scary) skeletons is depicted across several wordless spreads in strong-lined relief prints. Poignant, parallel illustrations of boy and dog’s friendship frame their Halloween adventure and make this book satisfying all year long. Review 7/11.

Subway Story
written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach; Knopf
(Primary)
In 2001, after a half-century of cheerful service, subway car Jessie is unceremoniously dismantled and dumped into the ocean. She finds new purpose in her second career as an artificial reef, home to many sea creatures. Cozy illustrations move the distinctly nondidactic recycling tale—based on real events—along to its affecting conclusion. Review 11/11.

Where’s Walrus?
written and illustrated by Stephen Savage; Scholastic
(Preschool)
In this wordless hide-and-seek romp, an escaped walrus hides in plain sight, eluding a zookeeper. Savage’s simple, graphically elegant art uses bold shapes, computer-aided repetition of forms, and plenty of white space. The illustrations have just the right amount of complexity to allow toddlers to stay one step ahead of the zookeeper—and rooting for the walrus. Review 3/11.

Press Here
written and illustrated by Hervé Tullet; Handprint/Chronicle
(Preschool, Primary)
Here is an interactive book that doesn’t need tabs, flaps, or apps. Tullet asks the reader to press, tilt, blow, and clap in order to change the color, shape, and order of his simply painted dots. Each page turn reveals the seemingly magic results, perfectly geared toward preschoolers—though older children and adults are also likely to suspend disbelief. Review 7/11.

Fiction

Good Luck, Anna Hibiscus!
written by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia; Kane Miller
(Primary, Intermediate)
In this third entry in a remarkable early chapter book series set in Africa, Anna hatches a plan to help her neighbors in need after a drought. As usual, Anna and her sprawling, contemporary family are relatable, while Atinuke’s focus on the everyday and her spot-on dialogue mesh flawlessly with Tobia’s lively illustrations. Review 5/11.

Chime
written by Franny Billingsley; Dial
(Middle School, High School)
Seventeen-year-old Briony blames herself for injuries to her twin sister and their stepmother; she believes she’s a witch and lives in fear of being caught and hanged. Vivid, vigorous prose tells a gripping, intricately plotted tale of magic, mystery, murder, romance, family drama, and sisterly love. Review 3/11.

Anya’s Ghost
written and illustrated by Vera Brosgol; First Second/Roaring Brook
(Middle School, High School)
In this graphic novel with true teen appeal, discontented Russian-immigrant Anya, desperate to fit in, is befriended by ghost Emily. At first, having a spectral BFF is great—until Emily’s supernatural powers grow to frightening proportions. This wryly hilarious (yet hair-raising) story of self-acceptance is told through perfectly timed, personality-filled sequential art. Review 7/11.

Dead End in Norvelt
written by Jack Gantos; Farrar
(Intermediate, Middle School)
Who knew that being grounded might afford Jack his richest summer yet? Gantos’s portrait of a real time and place (small-town Norvelt, Pennsylvania, in 1962) is shot through with loopy and unabashedly gross comedy but also conveys provocative meditations on history, coming of age, and community. Review 9/11.

Paper Covers Rock
written by Jenny Hubbard; Delacorte
(High School)
Within the pages of his journal, Alex chronicles the drowning death of his classmate and the guilt of his own involvement. Suspenseful pacing, intriguing characters with complex relationships, and a richly detailed 1980s boys’ boarding school setting stand out in this intense exploration of the ambiguity of honor. Review 7/11.

Life:
An Exploded Diagram
written by Mal Peet; Candlewick
(High School)
In Norfolk, England, the lives of working-class Clem and landowner’s daughter Frankie artfully converge against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis, as their clandestine romance takes shape under an illusory umbrella of safety. Life respects teen appreciation for more adult fare, with Peet’s layered narrative building toward its inexorable climax. Review 11/11.

Bluefish
written by Pat Schmatz; Candlewick
(Middle School)
“Stupid bluefish” Travis Roberts and “lowlife trailer-trash loser” Vida “Velveeta” Wojciehowski star in an understated yet powerful novel. Both young teens are suffering from recent losses, and both have weighty secrets to protect. Schmatz has crafted a story of friendship that is subtle and poignant, believable and rewarding. Review 11/11.

The Scorpio Races
written by Maggie Stiefvater; Scholastic
(Middle School, High School)
Celtic legends about vicious, flesh-eating fairy horses underpin this brilliant novel: a fantasy with a vividly and realistically evoked island setting, rich in sensory detail; a thriller that’s also a love story. The alternating voices of Sean and Kate, both desperate to win Thisby’s deadly annual horse race, combine to take readers on an unforgettable, exhilarating ride. Review 11/11.

The Watch That Ends the Night:
Voices from the Titanic
written by Allan Wolf; Candlewick
(High School)
This moving verse novel chronicles the Titanic’s fateful 1912 voyage. Leaving melodrama at the dock, Wolf masterfully plays with poetic form, depicting this compelling journey through myriad distinct historical and fictional voices, providing the personal stories of wealthy and poor passengers, the crew, the undertaker, and even the iceberg. Review 9/11.

Blink & Caution
written by Tim Wynne-Jones; Candlewick
(Middle School, High School)
Running from family trauma, two street kids in Toronto meet and find themselves caught up in dangerous situations involving a faked kidnapping and a sadistic drug dealer out for revenge. Written in meticulous prose, this terrifying crime-drama is both intensely suspenseful and deeply affecting. Review 3/11.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose
written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin; Holt
(Intermediate)
Yelchin presents a briskly paced, chilling portrait of 1950s Stalinist oppression with believable narration by ten-year-old Sasha Zaichik, whose naive illusions about life devoted to the Soviet Communist party unravel over two days. The ominous tone of the sinister-looking illustrations perfectly complements the story’s exposure of that political system’s cynical essence. Review 9/11.

Nonfiction

America Is Under Attack:
September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell
written and illustrated by Don Brown; Flash Point/Roaring Brook
(Primary, Intermediate)
Partnered by watercolor illustrations that convey the drama and tragedy of 9/11 without sensationalizing, this minute-by-minute account of that terrible morning has journalistic immediacy and commemorates both victims and heroes. Review 11/11.

Amelia Lost:
The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
written by Candace Fleming; Schwartz & Wade/Random
(Intermediate, Middle School)
Fleming’s gripping narrative begins the day the Coast Guard lost radio contact with Amelia Earhart on her doomed flight around the world; by the time the author begins her chronological account of Earhart’s life, readers are hooked. Taut, cinematic, immediate, and dramatic; an exemplary biography adventure. Review 3/11.

Can We Save the Tiger?
written by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White; Candlewick
(Primary, Intermediate)
This gracefully organized and beautiful overview of endangered animals is an eloquent appeal and consciousness raiser. Engaging conversational text conveys information lucidly; pencil and oil paint illustrations, mostly black and white with occasional color, fill the large pages with creatures whose expressive eyes bespeak their kinship with us all. Review 5/11.

Me…Jane
written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell; Little, Brown
(Preschool, Primary)
An inspired choice, to convey the nature and scope of Jane Goodall’s vocation by showing us the childhood from which it sprouted, leaving Jane’s adult life to a final spectacular page turn. Drawings and writings from the young Jane’s hand companionably find space in McDonnell’s humble pen-and-watercolor pictures. Review 3/11.

Heart and Soul:
The Story of America and African Americans
written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson; Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
(Intermediate)
Majestic oil paintings bring passion and dignity to this ambitious survey of African American history, focused through the storytelling of a distinct voice. Nelson seamlessly moves from the Colonial era through to the election of Obama, with portraits of the great and unknown alike giving faces to the history. Review 11/11.

Orani:
My Father’s Village
written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola; Foster/Farrar
(Primary, Intermediate)
Nivola provides a lovingly evoked remembrance of her childhood visits to the small Sardinian town where her father was born. The tight-knit, traditional community comes to life in child-friendly, remarkably unsentimental prose and finely detailed watercolor and gouache paintings that include both expansive and intimate scenes. Review 9/11.

Feynman
written by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Leland Myrick, color by Hilary Sycamore; First Second/Roaring Brook
(High School)
A biography presented in graphic-novel form, told in the first person—an unusual treatment that’s spectacularly successful in presenting its equally unusual subject, Nobel Prize–winning theoretical physicist Richard Feynman. Ottaviani and Myrick expertly employ the format to capture personality, reveal thought processes, and even explain complex physics. Review 9/11.

Drawing from Memory
written and illustrated by Allen Say; Scholastic
(Intermediate, Middle School, High School)
Part memoir, part graphic novel, part narrative history, this harmoniously designed book uses text, photos, drawings, and paintings to take a fascinating look at the relationship between the young Say and Noro Shinpei, the popular Japanese cartoonist who took him on as an apprentice when Say was only twelve. Review 9/11.

Swirl by Swirl:
Spirals in Nature
written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes; Houghton
(Preschool, Primary)
“A spiral is a snuggling shape. It fits neatly in small places. Coiled tight, warm and safe, it waits…for a chance to expand.” A simple, poetic text explores spirals in nature while exquisite full-bleed scratchboard illustrations suffuse every spread with shape, color, and movement. An elegantly constructed book in which form and subject merge completely. Review 9/11.

Balloons over Broadway:
The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Houghton
(Primary, Intermediate)
An early love of figuring out “how to make things move” propelled Tony Sarg’s career with marionettes, before his eventual invention of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s famous giant balloons. Sweet’s economically told story, combined with her mixed-media collage illustrations emulating his whimsical creations, is an effervescent depiction of Sarg’s belief that work and play should mix. Review 11/11.

Meadowlands:
A Wetlands Survival Story
written and illustrated by Thomas F. Yezerski; Farrar
(Primary)
The New Jersey Meadowlands might seem an unpromising focus for an ecological primer, but author-artist Yezerski buoys solid scientific writing with expansive and detailed pen-and-watercolor spreads of the changing fortunes of the region. Thumbnail portraits of denizens (from fish to pesticide to mobsters) add interest and humor. Review 3/11.

The post Horn Book Fanfare 2011 appeared first on The Horn Book.

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Books

Mirror written and illustrated by Jeannie Baker (Candlewick)
A strikingly innovative design allows two wordless stories to be viewed simultaneously; each follows a boy and his dad — one in urban Australia, the other in rural Morocco. Visually riveting, meticulously detailed collage reveals eye-opening similarities between the boys’ vastly dissimilar worlds. Review 1/11. (Primary)

Me and You written and illustrated by Anthony Brown (Farrar)
In this haunting revisioning of “The Three Bears,” Goldilocks is a have-not who stumbles out of her gritty urban neighborhood into the Bears’ bourgeois home. Browne retains the folktale’s signal events — porridge-eating, chair-breaking, etc. — but the turned-on-its-head premise invests the story with new, poignant meaning. The inventive illustrations employ full-page pastels for the Bears and claustrophobic shadowy panels for Goldilocks’s world. Review 11/10. (Primary)

I Know Here written by Laurel Croza, illustrated by Matt James (Groundwood)
Leaving her small northern village for the big city of Toronto, a little girl enumerates all the things she will miss: her family’s trailer, a fox, the forest. Childlike, expressionistic illustrations convey the setting and emotion to perfection. Review 5/10. (Primary)

April and Esme, Tooth Fairies written and illustrated by Bob Graham (Candlewick)
Two young tooth fairy sisters collect their first-ever tooth. Graham’s illustrations convey the tale’s humorous, eclectic mix of old-fashioned Borrowers-like fantasy (their bathroom sink is a thimble, the toilet is an egg cup) and thoroughly modern reality (Mom texts advice to the girls). Review 9/10. (Primary)

The Village Garage written and illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Ottaviano/Holt)
Welcome to the Village Garage, where a diverse crew of municipal workers happily tackles jobs around town. There’s something for everyone here: the heavy-duty vehicles will please truck fanatics, and Karas’s cheery narrative and friendly art, plus a satisfying seasonal progression, will draw in the less truck-enthused. Review 7/10. (Preschool, Primary)

Nini Lost and Found written and illustrated by Anita Lobel (Knopf)
Cat Nini can’t resist the temptation of a door left open and escapes into the alluring woods. Lobel’s gouache and watercolor paintings are abundant with the beauty of the natural world, and picture size and page design enhance the adventure. Review 11/10. (Preschool)

Fiction

Forge written by Laurie Halse Anderson (Atheneum)
A patriot and a slave, Curzon enlists in the Continental Army and spends a bitter winter encamped at Valley Forge. This riveting, character-driven sequel to Chains provides a vivid account both of Revolutionary War soldier life and of the harsh realities and injustices of slavery. Review 11/10. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Incarceron written by Catherine Fisher (Dial)
In Incarceron, a sentient prison, Finn dreams of escape to Outside, which he claims to remember (Claudia suspects that her ruthless father, the Warden of Incarceron, may have had a hand in the death of her childhood fiancé Prince Giles. These parallel mysteries merge with masterful pacing in a brilliantly original dystopian world. Review 1/10. (Middle School, High School)

Happy Birthday, Sophie Hartley written by Stephanie Greene (Clarion)
Things get complicated for impulsive, prone-to-enthusiasms middle-child Sophie when her whole fourth grade class finds out she’s getting a baby gorilla for her birthday — which she definitely isn’t. A lively chapter book exemplary for its humor, believable family dynamics, and characters who talk and act like real people. Review 7/10. (Primary, Intermediate)

Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! written and illustrated by Grace Lin (Little, Brown)
Confident beginning readers who follow the adventures of twin sisters through five linked chapters will be equally confident that Ling and Ting are certainly not exactly the same. The illustrations are as bold and colorful as the twins, and the engaging text makes generous, humorous use of repetition. Review 7/10. (Primary)

The Sky Is Everywhere written by Jandy Nelson (Dial)
Devastated by her sister’s sudden death, Lennie seeks comfort in the arms of new boy Joe — and in those of Bailey’s bereaved boyfriend. Passionate, heartbreaking, and enchantingly hopeful, Lennie’s journey of self-discovery is as exquisite as the “great big beautiful love” she ultimately finds. Review 3/10. (High School)

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce (Harper/HarperCollins)
Nate is a sixth-grade slacker well versed in the art of sarcasm, but his intentions are mostly good and always believable. Text and cartoon illustrations combine to great effect — rarely have backtalk and louche behavior been as attractive. Review 7/10. (Intermediate, Middle School)

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
When his summer plans go spectacularly awry, teenage Ry, one of life’s consummate passengers, finds himself stranded with no money, a useless cellphone, and only one shoe. Perkins’s take on chaos and the element of chance is refreshingly optimistic in this quirky, closely observed road-trip novel. Review 5/10. (Middle School, High School)

The Dreamer written by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sís (Scholastic)
Although terrified by his autocratic father, Neftalí Reyes grows up with a voracious love of words, books, nature, and ideas. Sís’s imaginative illustrations and the Chilean rainforest-green type are striking complements to Ryan’s perceptive fictional account of poet Pablo Neruda’s early life. Review 3/10. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Revolver written by Marcus Sedgwick (Roaring Brook)
While Sig keeps vigil over his father’s corpse, a stranger arrives at their remote Arctic cabin. Good thing Sig has a gun — or is it? With the precision of a meticulously maintained revolver, this historical mystery inexorably sights, aims, and explodes. Review 3/10. (Middle School, High School)

The White Horse Trick written by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)
This final volume of the Irish-mythology-based fantasy trilogy takes readers from world’s end to world’s beginning, as the ravages of global warming spill into the timeless land of Tír na n’óg. Thompson has outdone herself here, with droll humor, nimble plotting, and rich characterization overlaying an ambitious, all-too-relevant theme. Review 9/10. (Middle School, High School)

A Conspiracy of Kings written by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)
Heir-to-the-Sounis-throne Sophos is kidnapped, enslaved, and forced to yield sovereignty to erstwhile friend and rival royal Eugenides — and that’s just the beginning of a journey that will transform him from callow youth to king. A page-turner both cerebral and emotionally involving, chockful of intrigue, military strategy, adventure, and romance. Review 3/10. (Middle School, High School)

One Crazy Summer written by Rita Williams-Garcia (Amistad/HarperCollins)
Eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters visit their estranged and far-from-welcoming mother for the summer in 1969 Oakland, California, where change, both political and personal, is in the air. A poignant, funny, memorable celebration of community, family, and self-discovery. Review 3/10. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Folklore

Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes illustrated by Salley Mavor (Houghton)
Mavor’s stunning hand-sewn fabric relief collages illustrate sixty-five familiar (and not so) nursery rhymes, capturing their timelessness and adding intricate detail. Every home deserves a good Mother Goose, and this vibrant collection is one of the best. Review 11/10. (Preschool)

Poetry

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen (Houghton)
With delicate, evocative language, Sidman’s poems celebrate wildlife that flourishes in the night woods; a paragraph of information about the relevant organism accompanies each poem. Just as eyes gradually adjust to the dark, readers will slowly pick out the nocturnal creatures in Allen’s skillful night-toned linocut prints. Review 9/10. (Primary, Intermediate)

Mirror Mirror:  A Book of Reversible Verse written by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Josée Masse (Dutton)
Exceedingly well-wrought two-stanza poems Singer dubs “reversos” (the second stanza repeats the first, backwards) each look at a fairy tale from two different points of view. Similarly bifurcated paintings cleverly reflect the dual nature of these insightful and ingeniously devised poems. Review 3/10. (Primary, Intermediate)

Nonfiction

They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Houghton)
Southern reaction to Reconstruction period laws prompted six men to start a secret club that evolved into the still-active Ku Klux Klan. Relying upon personal accounts and primary source documents, Bartoletti’s detailed look at the origins of this brutal and pervasive homegrown terrorist organization is a powerfully moving cautionary tale. Review 9/10. (Middle School, High School)

The War to End All Wars: World War I written by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
Freedman’s account of the origins, major players, battles, trench warfare, senseless carnage, and consequences of the First World War is clear, concise, and succinct without being in the least condescending to young readers. An abundance of historical photographs enriches a characteristically lucid text. Review 7/10. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca (Porter/Flash Point/Roaring Brook)
A fascinating look at the remarkable collaboration between dancer-choreographer Martha Graham, composer Aaron Copland, and artist Isamu Noguchi. Greenberg, Jordan, and Floca’s own joint effort is spare and immediate, reflecting the very nature of the classic American performance they so stunningly evoke. Review 7/10. (Primary)

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop (Houghton)
On a remote island in New Zealand, scientists struggle to revive a dying parrot species. Delving into history, environmentalism, and the scientific process as it examines the human contribution to the kakapo’s demise and rehabilitation, Montgomery’s narrative creates an emotional resonance that augments the scientific information. Bishop’s crisp photos juxtapose the romance and reality of field work. Review 7/10. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery written by Steve Sheinkin (Flash Point/Roaring Brook)
Even history’s villains have their reasons, and it’s to Sheinkin’s great credit that he manages to humanize America’s most notorious traitor. Even better, he creates a rousing adventure narrative from Arnold’s courage and treachery that brings the man and Revolution to life. Review 1/11. (Middle School, High School)

The post Horn Book Fanfare 2010 appeared first on The Horn Book.

Best books of 2009

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Books

Birds written by Kevin Henkes and illustrated by Laura Dronzek (Greenwillow)
A young girl muses on birds, their colors and sizes, their movements and mysteries. Henkes’s poetic text is full of child appeal, as are Dronzek’s rich, versatile acrylic paintings, which contain overtones here of Chagall, there of Steig. Review 3/09. (Preschool)

Bubble Trouble written by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Clarion)
When Mabel blows a bubble, it engulfs her baby brother, who blithely floats away, chased by half the townspeople. Dunbar’s buoyant mixed-media illustrations capture the large cast of characters and are as nimble and boisterous as Mahy’s rhyming tongue-twister of a tale. Review 5/09. (Preschool, Primary)

Higher! Higher! written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick)
A small girl on a swing flies ever higher, past rooftops, clouds, and into space—where she meets up with her counterpart, a little green alien (“Hi! / High five! / Bye!”). The mix of adventure and security (the girl is always tethered to Earth by the swing’s chains) is preschooler-perfect and reinforced by the cheerful cartoonlike acrylics. Review 3/09. (Preschool)

The Lion & the Mouse illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (Little)
The only text in this Aesop retelling consists of sound effects, all the better to showcase Jerry Pinkney’s character-revealing narrative watercolors, which (beautifully) set the story in the Serengeti Plain. And the absence of a wrap-up moral encourages children to draw their own conclusions about what makes a hero. Review 11/09. (Preschool, Primary)

All the World written by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane/Simon)
A family stops at the beach, a farmers’ market, a park, and a café; returning home, they host friends and family for an evening of music. Frazee’s wondrous skyscapes and her joyous portrayals of people young and old build a story around Scanlon’s spare but warm and poetic text, whose child-friendly simplicity is reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown. Review 9/09. (Preschool, Primary)

The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story for Alphabet Town written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Knopf)
“k won’t give a kiss good night. / l cries, ‘Don’t turn off the light!’“ Twenty-six children (the lowercase letters) try to avoid bedtime while adults (the uppercase) corral them toward the inevitable. The colorful block letters in this lively hybrid ABC/bedtime book have big round eyes, short limbs, and plenty of attitude. Review 7/09. (Preschool, Primary)

Fiction

War Games by Audrey Couloumbis and Akila Couloumbis (Random)
Living in Nazi-occupied Greece, twelve-year-old Petros plays at espionage, helping his older brother distribute secret messages and aiding a resistance fighter hiding in the family’s well. Based on a true story, this vividly detailed World War II novel infuses boyhood mischief with heroic purpose and deadly stakes. Review 11/09. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd (Holiday)
In tart, insightful diary entries, South London teen Laura chronicles her life after Britain pioneers a stringent carbon rationing system—a challenge to daily norms that is soon eclipsed by food shortages, extreme weather, and rising civil unrest. This exemplar of speculative fiction expertly plays big-picture fears against social and familial drama. Review 5/09. (Middle School, High School)

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters written by Lenore Look and illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Schwartz & Wade/Random)
Second-grader Alvin Ho, “born scared and…still scared” and so afraid of school that he’s rendered mute, goes camping and discovers there are things more frightening than teachers. Look’s narrative, brimming with hilarity and appealingly jam-packed with Pham’s comical illustrations, will have chapter-book readers laughing in the face of fear. Review 9/09. (Primary)

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry (Random)
With Dad in Iraq and the older boys away at school, it’s up to sixth-grader Brother and his grandparents to keep the family ranch going. Distinctively set in rural Oregon, this homefront story is intimate and honest, incorporating Christian spirituality in a natural and compelling way. Review 5/09. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Storm in the Barn written and illustrated by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
Jack, a child of the Dust Bowl, has never seen rain—until he discovers a mysterious figure seemingly made of the stuff in an abandoned barn. Phelan’s sparing use of color in his debut graphic novel is stunning; his simple yet profound storytelling and expansive, emotive illustrations masterfully evoke the complex historical and emotional landscapes charted. Review 11/09. (Intermediate, Middle School)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Lamb/Random)
In late-1970s Manhattan, ordinary sixth-grader Miranda receives a series of anonymous notes that, remarkably, seem to come from the future. The larger mystery contains smaller ones (why does the “weird homeless guy” sleep with his head under the mailbox?). Thanks to the expertly crafted plot, they all mesh; thanks to the closely observed characters, they all matter. Review 7/09. (Intermediate)

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (Levine/Scholastic)
Seventeen-year-old Marcelo Sandoval, who has an Asperger’s-like disorder, takes a summer job at his father’s law firm. Predictably, his social skills are put to the test; unexpectedly, his moral beliefs also undergo a rigorous workout. Stork’s brilliant coming-of-age novel introduces an exceedingly well-wrought protagonist whose story is as inspiring as it is memorable. Review 3/09. (High School)

A Faraway Island written by Annika Thor and trans. from the Swedish by Linda Schenck (Delacorte)
A twelve-year-old Jewish girl, evacuated with her younger sister from Nazi-occupied Vienna to a fishing village in Sweden, faces the challenges of the unfamiliar: family, language, food, landscape. Stephie’s gradual adjustment to her new life unfolds believably due to Thor’s focus on child-centered joys and humiliations and her unsentimental prose, which employs an immediate present tense. Review 1/10. (Intermediate)

Folklore

The Mitten retold by Jim Aylesworth and illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Scholastic)
A lost mitten keeps a number of animals toasty and warm—for a while. Aylesworth tells this folktale with tremendous gusto and skill; McClintock’s comic abilities are on display in small vignettes of the animals struggling to squeeze into the mitten—the physical comedy stretched, like the yarn, to the ultimate limit. Review 11/09. (Preschool, Primary)

Poetry

Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue written and illustrated by Jon Agee (Hyperion)
Agee’s infectious tongue-twisters are creative, hilarious, and presented in flawless meter and rhyme. Whether terminally tricky or resolving in a rare sayable line, the poems positively demand participation. Bold-lined, dynamic watercolor illustrations help readers (and listeners) parse the tangled scenarios and facilitate the pitch-perfect interaction between story and wordplay. Review 3/09. (Primary)

Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes written by Alice Schertle and illustrated by Petra Mathers (Harcourt)
Who knew apparel—speaking in the first person, no less—could inspire such variety, impeccable form, and fun? “Bob’s on his bike / and I’m on Bob. / I’m Bob’s helmet. / I’m on the job.” The delicacy of Petra Mathers’s watercolors does not disguise their mischief. Review 5/09. (Preschool, Primary)

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated  by Pamela Zagarenski (Houghton)
Sidman’s poems celebrate the way colors, and how we perceive them, change with each season: green is shy in spring, “queen in summer,” “tired, / dusty, / crisp around the edges” in fall, and in winter “waits / in the hearts of trees, / feeling / the earth / turn.” Zagarenski’s mixed-media paintings add a surreal touch, sustaining the poems’ sense of awe and mystery. Review 3/09. (Primary)

Nonfiction

Mission Control, This Is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon written by Andrew Chaikin with Victoria Kohl and illustrated by Alan Bean (Viking)
In this outstanding history of the piloted Apollo missions, the authors transmit the excitement, tragedy, humor, and quest for knowledge that defined the golden age of the United States space program. Bean, an Apollo astronaut turned artist, lends his impressionistic paintings of the missions, along with extraordinarily articulate, detailed captions. Review 7/09. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Redwoods written and illustrated by Jason Chin (Porter/Roaring Brook)
A straightforward and informative text about coastal redwoods captions pictures that tell not exactly a different story, but one whose metafictional cheek will draw readers in—just as the book’s hero is drawn, by his imagination, high into the redwood canopy. Science and story are seamlessly pulled together in neatly crafted paintings. Review 5/09. (Primary)

Just the Right Size: Why Big Animals Are Big and Little Animals Are Little written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Neal Layton (Candlewick)
Davies and Layton explore the rules that control what bodies can and can’t do, taking a close look at the difference between “little things” and “big things” to explain why there are no giant spiders and why humans can’t fly. The integration of humor (especially in the cartoon illustrations) and riveting scientific information, clearly and succinctly conveyed, makes this a standout. Review 9/09. (Intermediate)

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 written and illustrated by Brian Floca (Jackson/Atheneum)
A visually sublime picture book takes young readers along on the Apollo 11 mission—from preparation to launch to moon landing to safe return. Floca distills a multitude of facts into a concise text, sparely lyrical yet concrete and relatable; watercolor and ink illustrations capture size, power, and perspective as well as moments of suspense and wonder. Review 5/09. (Primary)

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman (Holt)
With great empathy and humor, Heiligman’s lively narrative examines the life and legacy of Charles Darwin through the unique lens of his domestic life. Here’s a book that works as a history of science, as a biography, and, last but not least, as a romance. Review 1/09. (Middle School, High School)

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose (Kroupa/Farrar)
In 1955, a year before Rosa Parks was arrested, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat. Like Parks, she was jailed; unlike Parks, she was forgotten. Through interviews with Colvin and others, Hoose delves into the details behind this largely unknown incident, ensuring that readers will have Colvin’s courageous story forever seared into their memories. Review 3/09. (Middle School, High School)

Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)
With a tightly focused narrative and dramatic pacing, Partridge writes about the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery from the viewpoint of children and teenagers who participated. Equally as spectacular are the black-and-white photographs, expertly selected, that provide visual, visceral force and a powerful sense of immediacy. Review 11/09. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone (Candlewick)
Stone’s account of an ultimately unsuccessful effort to get women into NASA’s Mercury training program in the early 1960s is a perceptive, page-turning inquiry into the history behind some of our most iconic moments. Featuring first-person interviews, extreme testing details, and incisive historical analysis, Almost Astronauts is by turns fascinating, infuriating, and inspiring. Review 3/09. (Middle School, High School)

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (Knopf)
Part biography, part ode to the beauty of the seas, this portrait of “the world’s ambassador to the oceans” employs humanizing anecdotes, technical explanations, and straightforward but evocative narration to encapsulate the aquatic pioneer, his inventions, and his causes. Luminous illustrations capture the essence of what so enraptured Cousteau. Review 7/09. (Primary)

The post Horn Book Fanfare 2009 appeared first on The Horn Book.

Best books of 2008

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Books

The Pencil written by Allan Ahlberg and illustrated by Bruce Ingman (Candlewick)
A hardworking pencil and his paintbrush partner bring into being a whole world, populated with delightful specificity (everyone has a name — even a ball dubbed Sebastian). Then a thuggish eraser begins to run amok . . . A wry, madcap story with existential overtones perfectly abetted by Ingman’s freewheeling, faux-childlike illustrations. Review 11/08. (Primary)

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (Harcourt)
A mother tells her own “sweet little child” about eight babies from different cultures and climes, and each of these babies, “as everyone knows, / has ten little fingers / and ten little toes.” The cadenced verse encourages participation; the baby-centric illustrations will engage even the youngest listeners. Almost as perfect as baby fingers and toes. Review 1/09. (Preschool)

Traction Man Meets Turbodog written and illustrated by Mini Grey (Knopf)
In this sequel to Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner Traction Man Is Here!, the intrepid plastic hero meets his nemesis in the form of a talking robot dog: “Stop Intruder! I will be your pet!” it says. Over and over and over. A robust palette and graphic-novel stylings signal that Here There Be Action. Review 9/08. (Primary)

Old Bear written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
A hibernating bear dreams about his cubhood in four glorious spreads: spring pinks and purples, summer blues and greens, autumn reds and yellows, winter blues and whites. Henkes keeps text and art classically simple, while an unusually cohesive book design puts every element — from endpapers to typeface color — in sync with the theme of change and renewal. Review 11/08. (Preschool)

Ghosts in the House! written and illustrated by Kazuno Kohara (Roaring Brook)
A witch girl and her cat catch some ghosts, then wash, dry, and repurpose them. Printmaker Kohara’s illustrations in warm black, pumpkin orange, and translucent white are as clean and friendly as the ghosts. Smiling curtains, a grinning tablecloth, and peacefully sleeping sheets provide a wholly satisfying ending to a happy Halloween story. Review 9/08. (Preschool, Primary)

Who Made This Cake? written by Chihiro Nakagawa and illustrated by Junji Koyose (Front Street)
Tiny children using equally tiny construction vehicles move mountains of flour and sugar, eventually baking a gigantic cake for one lucky (normal-size) boy. A smartly understated text gives viewers room to pore over delectably detailed scenes, in bright primary colors, of busy trucks and birthday cake — a feast for preschooler eyes and sensibilities. Review 11/08. (Preschool)

The Cardboard Piano written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
Debbie is dumbfounded when best friend Tina doesn’t appear to share Debbie’s passion for the piano. A straightforward yet emotionally complex narrative text; conversational asides in word balloons; and intricate illustrations in spots and double-page spreads work seamlessly together to present both the delicacy and the resiliency of friendship, without patronizing. Review 9/08. (Primary)

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime written and illustrated by Bob Shea (Hyperion)
A little dinosaur defeats his opponents — a pile of leaves (“ROAR!”), a big slide (“ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!”), a plate of spaghetti (“ROAR! CHOMP! CHOMP! ROAR! ROAR!”) — before succumbing to the day’s final challenge (“snore snore snore”). Eminently child-friendly, this book features illustrations that are as boldly energetic as its protagonist — and audience. Review 9/08. (Preschool)

Fiction

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)
Boston, 1775: Octavian “commences a life of hazard” (not to mention irony), choosing to fight with the British, who promise him freedom, against the Sons of Liberty, who would keep him enslaved. But war is chaos, and freedom elusive. The novel’s epic sweep lets Anderson re-examine assumed historical truths and explore — excoriatingly, heartbreakingly — the human condition. Review 9/08. (High School)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
In not-too-distant-future America, twenty-four teenagers must compete in a brutal (and televised) annual contest from which only one will emerge alive. Protagonist Katniss, a strong contender, dares to question the games and, consequently, everything about her society. The plot’s twists and turns are addictive in this compulsively readable nailbiter. Review 9/08. (Middle School, High School)

The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (Fickling/Random)
Twelve-year-old Ted, who has Asperger’s syndrome, and his older sister (and nemesis) Kat team up to solve their cousin Salim’s disappearance, seemingly into thin air. Through meticulously embedded clues and brilliantly executed twists, this character-centered mystery reaches an explanation both age-appropriate and genuinely fraught with danger. Review 5/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean (HarperCollins)
A toddler escapes the murder of his family by “the man Jack” but is pursued by ominous forces throughout his childhood, which he spends in the local graveyard as the adopted son of kindly ghosts. Creepy, bittersweet, and action-filled, this unconventional ghost story, enhanced with dark fairy-tale motifs, is as accessible as it is accomplished. Review 11/08. (Middle School, High School)

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Knopf)
A parallel magical world free of aggression becomes a haven for fifteen-year-old Liga, mother of two girls, both conceived by rape. But over time, strangers breach her new home and lead her and her daughters back to a richer life in the real world. This extraordinary tale of healing is resonant with mythic imagery and masterful prose. Review 9/08. (High School)

Forever Rose by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
In the final installment of the Casson family saga, eleven-year-old Rose feels left out as older sibs Caddy, Saffy, and Indigo increasingly lead their own lives. The hectic but beautifully orchestrated plot includes triumphs, challenges, and two startling surprises. McKay delights us once again with her hilarious mayhem and entirely unsentimental celebration of kindness. Review 5/08. (Intermediate)

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls (Levine/Scholastic)
Eleven-year-old Sam, dying of leukemia, documents the final four months of his life and his pursuit of eight goals, from being a teenager to seeing Earth from space. Grappling with spirituality and family relationships, Sam is a fully authentic, vividly alive character whose story elicits remarkable heights of joy and depths of grief — often simultaneously. Review 1/09. (Intermediate)

Nation by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)
Two civilizations meet when a tsunami shipwrecks an English vessel on a small tropical island; a British girl and a native boy are the sole survivors. In Pratchett’s microcosm, all assumptions — about religion, imperialism, justice, even civilization itself — are open to question. Pratchett’s signature humor and imaginative powers are much in evidence. Review 9/08. (Middle School, High School)

The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)
J.J. Liddy (from The New Policeman) is now grown, with children of his own — who must save the world from an ancient threat. Thompson’s adeptness at blending realism, fantasy, and Celtic myth is matched only by her remarkable fluency in shifting tones, from comic to folkloric to heroic. Review 5/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Nonfiction

The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade/Random)
This dual biography is chock-full of facts and anecdotes about the Lincolns, separately and as husband and wife. Copious primary source material includes captivating photographs, handwritten correspondence, newspaper clippings, and even Mary’s favorite recipes. The handsome volume is inviting both for reference use and pleasure reading. Review 11/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (Flash Point/Porter/Roaring Brook)
Authors Greenberg and Jordan (Chuck Close Up Close) are masters at conveying the power of contemporary art, and their portrait of Christo and Jeanne-Claude and The Gates engages the reader in just what the excitement was all about. Plentiful and gloriously reproduced photos are an essential part of this superbly designed book. Review 1/09. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body written by David Macaulay with Richard Walker and illustrated by David Macaulay (Lorraine/Houghton)
Could the human body be more complicated? David Macaulay brings his eye, wit, and pencil — all equally sharp — to this exploration of human physiology. The imagination and precision of the pictures will lead readers into the detailed text; the text will lead them back to the pictures. Impeccably symbiotic. Review 9/08. (Middle School, High School)

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
Using the collective “we” to honor “the voice of every player,” this pitch-perfect history, the product of extensive research, features a folksy and conversational storytelling style and loads of attention-grabbing details. Nelson’s grand slam, though, is the art: each oil portrait transmits a proud formality, and his from-the-ground perspectives render the players appropriately larger than life. Review 5/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out (Candlewick)
The 108 writers and illustrators who contributed to this historic tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are a literary dream team — Katherine Paterson, Jack Prelutsky, and Jerry Pinkney, to name a few. The final illustration, of an empty chair in the Oval Office, leaves us to imagine the future even as we ruminate on the past. Review 11/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City written by Janet Schulman and illustrated by Meilo So (Knopf)
Gracefully, easily, and with a journalist’s knack for the right details, Schulman brings together natural and social history to tell the story of a New York City hawk who captured headlines in 2004 when humans removed his nest. Keen-eyed yet elegant watercolors play an equal part in making this story soar. Review 3/08. (Primary, Intermediate)

The post Horn Book Fanfare 2008 appeared first on The Horn Book.

Best books of 2007

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Books

At Night written and illustrated by Jonathan Bean (Farrar)
Simple but rhapsodic sentences accompany a restless little girl up onto the roof of her city brownstone, where a cool breeze and thoughts of the “wide world” send her to sleep. The book is small and square and quiet, with ink and watercolor paintings growing from tidy framed vignettes to full-bleed pictures of the homely rooftop and the luminous vistas that lie beyond. Review 9/07. (Primary)

The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County written by Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson (Kroupa/Farrar)
“Big Mama says, ‘Baby, behave yourself. Leave those chickens alone!’” But this self-proclaimed “Chicken-Chasing Queen” can’t help herself, especially when it comes to one particularly elusive hen. The energetic text and collage illustrations reflect the African American narrator’s spirited exuberance; lots of chicken-chasing sound effects (“pah-quawkkkkk!”; “squawkkkk!”) will have kids flocking to story hour. Review 5/07. (Primary)

A Good Day written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
A bird loses his favorite feather; a dog, her leash tangled, loses her freedom; a fox loses track of his mother; a squirrel loses an acorn. How all is restored and the bad day transformed is superbly and concisely conveyed in the economic text and expressive illustrations, both packed with a preschooler-perfect measure of drama and suspense. Review 3/07. (Preschool)

Pictures from Our Vacation written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
A brother and sister (the narrator) are given instant cameras to record an initially disappointing family vacation, but once the fun starts there’s little time for photography. Fortunately, the narrator can keep pictures — memories — in her mind. The exhilaratingly free format, warm humor, spot-on perceptions, and quirky visual minutiae capture without nostalgia the essence of childhood summers. Review 5/07. (Primary)

First the Egg written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Porter/Roaring Brook)
Seeger’s tour de force concept book introduces the order of things (“First the EGG / then the CHICKEN”), gradually building to abstract pairs (word/story; paint/picture) before circling back with a thought-provoking twist to “First the CHICKEN / then the EGG.” The book’s compact size, minimalist treatment, clever die-cuts, and color-saturated pages will entice young philosophers. Review 11/07. (Preschool)

The Arrival illustrated by Shaun Tan (Levine/Scholastic)
In a wordless graphic-novel-style picture book, monochromatic yet lavish, a man boards a steamship to find a better life for his family. The sci-fi setting — with its unusual food, alphabet, architecture, and technology — turns readers into refugees themselves, simultaneously disoriented and awestruck. Small panels propel action- and emotion-packed stories; detailed larger spreads provide wondrous views of the new world. Review 11/07. (Middle School, High School)

Fiction

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney (Little)
Fourteen-year-old Junior decides to make the iffy twenty-mile commute from his Spokane Indian reservation to the small town of Reardan in hopes of gaining a better education. Junior’s take-no-prisoners cartoons and razor-sharp, vibrantly alive narration evoke tears and laughs in equal measure; his distinct voice and tragicomic perspective convey with bittersweet intensity this benchmark bicultural experience. Review 9/07. (Middle School, High School)

Becca at Sea by Deirdre Baker (Groundwood)
In a dozen linked episodes set on a small island off the coast of British Columbia, readers meet Becca (perhaps ten) as she establishes her place in her memorably eccentric extended family. With delightfully preposterous yet insightful detail, witty dialogue, and a lovingly depicted island setting, this is a funny, endearing book to visit and revisit. Review 1/08. (Intermediate)

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron (Foster/Farrar)
“I only feel like myself when I am alone,” says James, and Cameron draws his heartbreaking isolation with empathy and acuteness. The book’s first-person depiction of a privileged but disaffected young protagonist at sea in affluent Manhattan makes it seem very much an “old school” YA novel, but it has an unmistakably contemporary sensibility and respect for teen readers. Review 1/08. (High School)

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis (Scholastic)
Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child born free in the Canadian community of Buxton, a refuge for freed slaves established in 1849. The gradual narrative evolution from ebullient small-town escapades to heart-rending depictions of newly escaped slaves, captured fugitives, and broken families remains true to Elijah’s perspective, making impossible concepts accessible without denying them their horror. Review 11/07. (Intermediate)

Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan (Knopf)
Ten short stories from an award-winning fantasy writer delve into the crevices of nightmare, temptation, and helplessness with a mixture of earthy dialect and inventiveness that makes this collection mesmerizing, sometimes horrifying, and occasionally funny. Lanagan’s powerfully visceral speculative fiction is written in penetrating language and with the intensity of folktale. Review 11/07. (High School)

A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve (Eos/HarperCollins)
This final volume in the Hungry City Chronicles brings the adventures of Tom and Hester, Wren and Theo, and the other players in the high-stakes conflict between the Green Storm and the Traction Cities to a riveting, gratifyingly circular close. The post-apocalyptic setting is vivid, the pace lightning-quick — all overlaid with an abiding compassion for the human race. Review 9/07. (Middle School, High School)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret written and illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
Young Hugo lives, secretly, in a Paris train station; a mysterious toy seller, his feisty goddaughter, and an automaton frame Hugo’s adventures. This groundbreaking work defies genre classification: neither text nor pictures (dramatically crosshatched pencil illustrations and movie stills) can tell the story alone, and Selznick’s ability to make readers feel as if they’re watching a silent movie is complete genius. Review 3/07. (Intermediate)

The New Policeman by Kate Thompson (Greenwillow)
In a contemporary fantasy based on Irish legend, time is leaking out of the human world; fiddler J.J., fifteen, journeys into Tír na n’Óg to repair the hole in the time skin. The open book design (a page of traditional music ends each chapter) propels readers through the novel; profound themes packaged in a delectable and unusual mystery make it spellbinding. Review 3/07. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Folklore

Beowulf: A Hero’s Tale Retold retold and illustrated by James Rumford (Houghton)
With an economy and vigor of language, sinuous visual foreshadowing, and subtle hints of the Anglo-Saxon epic’s emotional depths, Rumford tells of the hero Beowulf’s three battles-to-the-death: with the jealous monster Grendel, with Grendel’s revenge-driven mother, and with the ravaging dragon who finally ends Beowulf’s life. Superb on all counts. Review 7/07. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm retold by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Max Grafe (Candlewick)
An ex-soldier makes a deal with the devil: if he wears a dead bear’s skin for seven years — without bathing, prayer, or explanation — he’ll be rich; if he fails, he forfeits his soul. Schlitz narrates this tale of endurance and heroism with clarity and grace. Grafe’s dark, full-page illustrations in deep grays and browns reinforce the haunting atmosphere. Review 11/07. (Intermediate)

Poetry

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings written and illustrated by Douglas Florian (Harcourt)
“Pluto was a planet. / Pluto was admired. / Pluto was a planet. / Till one day it got fired.” In twenty pithy poems Florian sums up the heavens, from our own galaxy to “the great beyond.” With its gorgeous palette (deep-space blues and gaseous oranges), sweeping vistas, and ingenious effects (including occasional die-cuts), this is a cosmic success. Review 5/07. (Primary, Intermediate)

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems) written by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Istvan Banyai (Clarion)
Park puts her own stamp on a traditional Korean form of poetry. Whether about the seasons, home, or school, the twenty-seven sijo have that twist that strikes at common human experience (thunder’s delayed response to lightning: “He hates having his picture taken, so he always gets there late”). Banyai’s playful, retro illustrations emphasize the collection’s wit and originality. Review 9/07. (Intermediate)

Nonfiction

May I Pet Your Dog? written by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion)
Dachshund Harry trains young readers in kid-meets-dog etiquette, walking them through when and how to approach a dog and how to behave around unfriendly or working dogs. The clean-lined pictures are as simple and patient as the easy text, and the direct address from dog to child is an appetizing treat. Review 7/07. (Preschool, Primary)

Who Was First?: Discovering the Americas by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
With elegant simplicity, and aided by a spacious and inviting book design, veteran history writer Freedman takes a step back — a big step back — from Columbus to consider who else may have visited the “New World,” and when. Evidence of Viking and Chinese voyages is carefully weighed, and Freedman’s survey of prehistoric migration and exploration provides an enlightening and provocative context. Review 1/08. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain written and illustrated by Peter Sís (Foster/Farrar)
The personal crashes into the political in this memoir of a Cold War childhood by Czech émigré Sís. Expertly deploying an array of illustrative choices and media, Sís conveys his theme of artistic liberation from government oppression, contrasting the crabbed monochromatic lines of enforced conformity with the sensuous, free palette of the imagination. Review 9/07. (Intermediate, Middle School, High School)

The post Horn Book Fanfare 2007 appeared first on The Horn Book.

Best books of 2006

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Books

Keeper of Soles written by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Yayo (Holiday)
When Death comes calling for Colin’s soul, the clever shoemaker notices his lack of quality footwear and offers first sandals, then boots, slippers, etc. — ”sole after sole” — in exchange for longevity. Replete with humor and cheer, this satisfyingly tricky variation on an age-old theme is illustrated with swirling colors and visual homophones. Review 5/06. (Primary)

Hardworking Puppies written and illustrated by Lynn Reiser (Harcourt)
“Along came a firefighter. The firefighter needed a hardworking puppy.” One by one, ten eager puppies are selected for important jobs, including “junior water-rescue puppy,” “apprentice sled puppy,” and, of course, “expert pet.” The engaging subject, puppy’s-eye-view illustrations, simple subtraction exercise, and appended “paw notes” are a bone-a-fide kid-pleasing combination. Review 5/06. (Preschool)

Emily’s Balloon written and illustrated by Komako Sakai (Chronicle)
Toddler Emily plays with her new friend, a yellow balloon; when the balloon ends up in a tree, it continues to provide companionship, looking “just like the moon” outside Emily’s bedroom window. Spare yet extraordinarily expressive illustrations reinforce the perfectly child-centered feel of this Japanese import’s minimal, matter-of-fact text. Review 7/06. (Preschool)

Flotsam illustrated by David Wiesner (Clarion)
When an inquisitive young beach-goer spots an old-fashioned camera in the surf and develops the film, the photographs reveal a wondrous undersea world (shell cities inhabited by tiny aliens, etc.) and then take the viewer back through time. Meticulous watercolors combine with Wiesner’s bountiful imagination to make this wordless fantasy involving and convincing. Review 9/06. (Primary)

Fiction

Clay by David Almond (Delacorte)
“A stranger comes to town” is a classic theme in literature, and it’s shaded in Almond’s suspenseful tale with the arrival of a troubled boy and a golem — a Catholic golem, no less — in an English village. Atmospheric setting and rich imagery texture this resonant story of danger and faith. Review 7/06. (Middle School, High School)

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)
In a precise eighteenth-century voice, young slave/laboratory experiment Octavian tells of his bizarre life growing up in a household of rational philosophers on the eve of the American Revolution. Brilliant in its sustained complexity; exhilarating in its form; searing in its portrayal of human hypocrisy, this is an alternative narrative of our national mythology that simultaneously appalls and enthralls. Review 9/06. (High School)

The Last Dragon written by Silvana De Mari, translated from the Italian by Shaun Whiteside (Miramax/Hyperion)
In De Mari’s unique and vividly evoked post-apocalyptic fantasy world, elves are persecuted and dragons are nearly extinct. The last dragon, the last elf, and the child of the human couple who saved them fight for hope in a new era, proving the redemptive power of love and sacrifice in this heart-pounding — and heartbreaking — epic. Review 11/06. (Intermediate)

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (Dutton)
Recent high school grad Colin, devastated by his latest romantic breakup, hits the road with his best friend Hassan (“Hassan Harbish. Sunni Muslim. Not a terrorist”). Exceedingly smart and funny, this novel charts a singular coming-of-age road trip that is at once a satire of and tribute to its many celebrated predecessors. Review 9/06. (High School)

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages (Viking)
When Dewey joins her mathematician father in Los Alamos in 1943, she finds a community that respects her scientific mind but cannot protect her from hurt. Klages compellingly partners the historic drama of the Manhattan Project with the coming of age of an intelligent young girl. Review 11/06. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Street Love by Walter Dean Myers (Amistad/HarperCollins)
In this Romeo and Juliet story set in modern-day Harlem, Damien is a semi-sheltered, college-bound model citizen, while street-strong Junice is fighting to keep her family intact after her mother is sent to prison. The fierce emotions of young love are dramatically conveyed in this lyrical, instantly approachable verse novel. Review 11/06. (High School)

Aggie and Ben: Three Stories written by Lori Ries, illustrated by Frank W. Dormer (Charlesbridge)
A young boy gets a dog and learns good-naturedly about pet ownership. The clean, expressive panel illustrations are as unassuming as the humorous easy-reader text, which has both the simplicity and repetition needed to engage beginning readers and the deeply satisfying story elements that will keep them coming back for more. Review 9/06. (Preschool, Primary)

Thumb on a Diamond written by Ken Roberts, illustrated by Leanne Franson (Groundwood)
The kids of tiny, isolated fishing village New Auckland have never played baseball — a mere detail in their clever plan to earn a free trip to the big city. This sequel to Thumb in the Box portrays without a trace of condescension the kids’ wonder at such urban delights as escalators and buses; the baseball play-by-play is exciting if (delightfully) eccentric. Review 5/06. (Primary, Intermediate)

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick)
Recalcitrant Maud is probably the most unlikely inhabitant of the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans to be adopted, and when the maiden Hawthorne sisters do so, Maud’s gratitude leads her into a very dangerous game. Schlitz plays the melodrama for all it’s worth but with a completely straight face, allowing genuine darkness and emotion to emerge. Review 11/06. (Intermediate)

Ptolemy’s Gate: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book Three by Jonathan Stroud (Miramax/Hyperion)
In alternate-universe London, power-hungry magician Nathaniel, principled commoner Kitty, and enslaved spirit Bartimaeus all resist a corrupt government in overlapping (and occasionally opposing) struggles. Humor, philosophy, and explosive action are masterfully interwoven, and the thrilling, inventive climax provides a stunning end to this intricately plotted, emotionally rich trilogy. Review 3/06. (Middle School, High School)

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow)
Eugenides (The Thief; The Queen of Attolia) is now the reluctant King of Attolia, striving to overcome his subjects’ hatred and his own aversion to the position. An action-packed plot and an irresistible hero (equal parts vulnerable lover and calculating conqueror) combine for a suspenseful, psychologically mesmerizing fantasy. Review 3/06. (Middle School, High School)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Knopf)
Set in a small town in Nazi Germany, Zusak’s sweeping yet intimate novel is narrated with startling, wrenching compassion by Death itself. Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak’s poignant tribute to words and
survival — and their curiously inevitable entwinement — is an unforgettable tour de force. Review 3/06. (High School)

Nonfiction

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman (Holiday)
Freedman demonstrates the rewards of focusing on specifics in this account of a pivotal event of the civil rights movement. Concentrating on the experiences of a few key participants in the boycott, the author gets readers on their side, prompting the kind of empathy that leads to greater understanding. Review 9/06. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy compiled and edited by Leonard S. Marcus (Candlewick)
Wisdom, variety, and humor characterize these interviews full of incisive comments from thirteen fantasy writers, among them Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Nancy Farmer, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Philip Pullman. An unusual exposition of creativity and courage, this book offers a fascinating glimpse into the diverse ways imagination and fantasy work. Review 7/06. (Middle School, High School)

Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully (Farrar)
Born in 1838, Margaret Knight was a professional inventor, defying the expectations of her times. With warmly engaging watercolors, diagrams of Mattie’s many “brainstorms,” and a no-nonsense yet dramatic narrative, McCully’s picture-book biography offers readers an inspiring heroine and provides insight into the workings of an inventor’s mind. Review 3/06. (Primary)

Wildfire written and illustrated by Taylor Morrison (Lorraine/Houghton)
Assaying the ecological effects that cause forest fires and the human efforts to contain and manage them, Wildfire comes at its subject from several directions, an approach that synthesizes tree science, meteorology, conservation, and firefighting technology for a comprehensive survey. Detailed paintings, landscapes and diagrams alike, convey both the science and the drama. Review 7/06. (Intermediate)

Ballet of the Elephants written by Leda Schubert, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker (Brodie/Roaring Brook)
A historic ballet performance featuring the unlikely combination of John Ringling North’s circus elephants, Igor Stravinsky’s music, George Balanchine’s choreography, and Vera Zorina’s dancing talent is brought to life with an artful text and graceful line-and-watercolor illustrations. Romantic and magical, this one raises the barre for picture-book nonfiction. Review 7/06. (Primary)

John, Paul, George, and Ben written and illustrated by Lane Smith (Hyperion)
“Say, you want a revolution?” Well, you’ll find one here in this freewheeling introduction to our Founding Fathers. Part history text, part joke book, part “Peanuts” homage, this piece of mischief encourages readers to sort out the what-ifs, what-happeneds, and why-nots of early American history. Review 5/06. (Primary)

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun)
A poetic telling of Tubman’s escape from slavery combines with stunning, larger-than-life illustrations to illuminate the spiritual life of the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. Weatherford interweaves three voices — those of the narrator, Harriet, and God — to tell of the freedom journeys so richly evoked in Nelson’s powerfully atmospheric nightscapes. Review 11/06. (Primary)

Mama: A True Story in which a Baby Hippo Loses His Mama during a Tsunami, but Finds a New Home, and a New Mama written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt)
Two words of text (mama and baby) are set against illustrations saturated with color to tell the story of a young hippo separated from his pod after the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. Winter’s treatment of this disaster is honest but reassuring, allowing readers a secure entry into the concept of loss. Review 5/06. (Preschool)

Dizzy written by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Sean Qualls (Levine/Scholastic)
A virtuosic picture-book introduction to Dizzy Gillespie conveys how he used both his anger and playfulness to become one of the greatest innovators of jazz. Winter uses rhyme, repetition, and unexpected line breaks to reflect Dizzy’s musical style; Qualls’s large mixed-media art provides a dexterous combination of narrative and emotion. Review 11/06. (Primary)

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Best books of 2005

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Books

Terrific written and illustrated by Jon Agee (di Capua/Hyperion)
Glass-half-empty Eugene is stranded on an island with a parrot: “‘Terrific . . . What good is a parrot?’ ‘You’d be surprised,’ said the parrot.’” Readers will be surprised, too, for Terrific is one terrific book. Agee uses tone, pacing, and deadpan humor to great effect; his masterful illustrations beg to be shared with a group. Review 11/05. (Primary)

A Crash Course for Molly written and illustrated by Eva Eriksson, translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard (R&S/Farrar)
Young novice Molly gets a helpful lesson in steering when she runs into — literally — a kind driving instructor while riding her bike. In this Swedish import, Eriksson’s expressive, loopy art and blithe, understated text perform a perfect balancing act, capturing both the trials and joys of acquiring a new skill. Review 5/05. (Primary)

Traction Man Is Here! written and illustrated by Mini Grey (Knopf)
The eponymous dishrag-defeating, cupcake-defending action figure faces his toughest challenge yet when forced to wear the “all-in-one knitted green romper suit and matching bonnet” Granny made. Lively prose and bright, detailed illustrations capture the creative potential of a cluttered house and the universal joys of imaginative play. Review 3/05. (Primary)

The Witch’s Walking Stick written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh (Lorraine/Houghton)
Margaret’s having trouble with her big brother and sister; a dog is having trouble with a witch; and the way they individually and in concert turn the tables is as deeply gratifying to readers as it is to the parties concerned. In this model of a well-plotted picture book, Meddaugh uses words, pictures, and page-turns expertly. Review 9/05. (Primary)

Michael Rosen’s Sad Book written by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Candlewick)
The author shares his profound grief over the death of his son, describing with searing, unsparing honesty its devastating effects and his attempts to cope, and widening the story to include other people’s sadness. Blake’s watercolors brilliantly interpret and extend Rosen’s simply phrased, yet never simplistic, text. A beautiful, solacing book. Review 5/05. (Intermediate)

Fiction

The Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice, Book One) written by Joseph Delaney, illustrated by Patrick Arrasmith (Greenwillow)
When so much recent neo-Gothic fiction seems to be written with tongue firmly in cheek (if not check), it is pure shivery pleasure to read a novel of the supernatural that is both admirably concise and genuinely frightening. Delaney’s storytelling is at once accessible to unseasoned readers and satisfying for confirmed genre fans. Review 11/05. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Game of Silence written and illustrated by Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins)
This sequel to The Birchbark House is infused with elegy, as if young Omakayas is storing up the details of her Ojibwe family’s way of life as they prepare for a government- ordered “removal” to the West. Like Laura Ingalls Wilder, Erdrich uses a simple but lyrical style to convey the particulars of a historical context. Review 7/05. (Intermediate)

The Minister’s Daughter by Julie Hearn (Seo/Atheneum)
In an English village in 1645, Christianity coexists with the old beliefs, piskies roam the hedgerows, and a sister’s jealousy smolders. Hearn creates an ambiance both earthy and richly magical, straddling supernatural and concrete realms of human interaction in a skillfully plotted tale of passion, politics, deceit, and revenge. Review 9/05. (High School)

An Innocent Soldier written by Josef Holub, translated from the German by Michael Hofmann (Levine/Scholastic)
With an immediacy not often found in a historical novel, Holub relates sixteen-year-old Adam’s experiences as an unwilling participant in Napoleon’s disastrous 1812 Russian campaign. A memorable story of survival, friendship, and the realities of war unfolds through a clear-eyed and often surprisingly humorous first-person narrative. Review 1/06. (High School)

Martin Bridge, Ready for Takeoff! written by Jessica Scott Kerrin, illustrated by Joseph Kelly (Kids Can Press)
Three stand-alone stories introduce a likable third grader as he confronts real-life challenges. What to do, for example, when best friend Alex copies his best model-rocket-decorating idea? The author allows large issues to arise from everyday situations in this warm, thoughtful chapter book, which features frequent graphite-and-charcoal sketches on generously designed pages. Review 5/05. (Primary)

Black Juice by Margo Lanagan (Eos/HarperCollins)
Taut, resonant prose and an unerring sense of place elevate these ten short stories to the first rank of speculative fiction. Each probes an aspect of mortality, carefully detailed and developed within divergent realities; the brief, indelible glimpses of other worlds that are all the more human for their strangeness make this collection truly exceptional. Review 5/05. (High School)

Permanent Rose by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
The Casson family — parents Bill and Eve and their four paint-color-named children, Cadmium, Indigo, Saffron, and Rose — previously reported on in Saffy’s Angel and Indigo’s Star, has lost none of its sparkle in this third book. This is exemplary comic writing — buoyant, perceptive, subversive, and trailing a whiff of melancholy. Review 7/05. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Greenwillow)
This ensemble novel of neighborhood friends dreaming their way through the summer captures readers with its expansive yet minutely observed evocation of the curious anticipation of growing up. In idiosyncratic, wistful prose, Perkins mines every moment of missed connection and near-change with a hypnotic hyperawareness reminiscent of adolescence itself. Review 9/05. (Middle School)

Full Service by Will Weaver (Farrar)
From what seems like an over-familiar premise — a farmboy spends his sixteenth summer working at a small-town gas station — Weaver develops a novel with a bumper crop of subtly delineated characters and quiet surprise. The 1965, small-town Minnesota setting is as much a character as is Paul himself; both are poised for change. Review 11/05. (Middle School, High School)

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (Farrar)
Killed in a hit-and-run accident, Lizzie finds herself on a ship bound for Elsewhere — Zevin’s inventive vision of the afterlife. In Elsewhere, “everyone . . . ages backward from the day they died” until, at seven days old, they return to Earth. The strikingly original premise is powerfully sustained in this unusual coming-of-age story. Review 9/05. (High School)

Poetry

A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Candlewick)
The creators of A Poke in the I offer an introduction to twenty-nine poetic forms, from the simple couplet to the elaborate pantoum. With its clear explanations, spacious design, and bold illustrations, the volume is both useful and unconventionally handsome; its insistence on the primacy of the poems themselves sets it apart. Review 5/05. (Intermediate, Middle School)

Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beckie Prange (Houghton)
Eleven poems celebrate the northern pond, cleverly mimicking the behavior or appearance of creatures from the spring peeper to the painted turtle. In an outstanding illustration debut, Prange evokes the pond and its many species in bold black woodcut line bathed in gleaming, subtly modulated watercolor. Review 5/05. (Primary, Intermediate)

Nonfiction

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic)
Scrupulously sourced, Bartoletti’s page-turning history seamlessly meshes personal accounts of Hitler Youth and resistance members with the larger story of young people’s role in World War II and the Holocaust. Candid and propaganda photographs from the period heighten the impact of this chilling, absorbing work. Review 5/05. (Middle School, High School)

Invisible Allies: Microbes That Shape Our Lives by Jeannette Farrell (Farrar)
The packaging — not to mention the subject — may not be glamorous, but the content is extraordinary, as Farrell reveals the essential role beneficial microbes play on Earth, as well as humanity’s intimate dependence upon them. A lively and readable work of hard-science nonfiction, full of fascinating information and perfectly pitched to its audience. Review 7/05. (Middle School, High School)

Prehistoric Actual Size written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Houghton)
In vibrant cut- and torn-paper collages, Jenkins depicts what eighteen prehistoric creatures (or parts of creatures) may have looked like. All are presented “actual size,” from the tiniest protozoan (1/25 of an inch) to the double-page life-size jaws of an eight-ton Giganotosaurus. An intriguing, child-friendly concept that encourages young paleontologists’ participation. Review 1/06. (Preschool, Primary)

If You Decide to Go to the Moon written by Faith McNulty, illustrated by Steven Kellogg (Scholastic)
Readers journey along with an intrepid young boy in this thrilling introduction to space travel. McNulty combines science and lyricism, describing how one feels in space (“amazingly light”) and how one feels in space (“very alone”), while Kellogg’s mixed-media illustrations include spectacular space- and moonscapes that emphasize the vastness of the universe. Review 9/05. (Primary)

John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)
This revelatory biography of the complex musical icon documents Lennon’s life from his turbulent childhood to his tragic death. The gorgeous, luxurious book design, with well-chosen photographs (some never before published) on nearly every page, will draw teen readers in; Partridge’s compelling text will keep them riveted. Review 9/05. (High School)

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Best books of 2004

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Books

Home illustrated by Jeannie Baker (Greenwillow)
An urban neighborhood’s dramatic change — for the better — is chronicled in this wordless picture book’s detailed collages. Ever-greener scenes through a girl’s window provide viewers with much to pore over and tell an inspiring story of one community’s decades-long effort to nurture a desolate area back to life. Review 3/04. (Primary)

Where Is the Green Sheep? written by Mem Fox,
illustrated by Judy Horacek (Harcourt)
Red sheep, blue sheep, bath sheep, and bed sheep: this preschooler-perfect book introduces all kinds of silly sheep while subtly reinforcing concepts (thin/wide, up/down, near/far). A rhyming text and uncluttered illustrations provide plenty of opportunity for audience participation. “Where IS that green sheep?” The discovery is as satisfying as the search. Review 5/04. (Preschool)

Baby Brains written and illustrated by Simon James (Candlewick)
Mere weeks after his birth, the precociously intelligent Baby Brains is practicing medicine, then training to be an astronaut. But when he finds himself alone in the vastness of space, he wants his mommy. This warmly human picture book earns high marks for its gentle humor, blithe watercolors, and masterful pacing. Review 11/04. (Preschool)

The Red Book written and illustrated by Barbara Lehman (Houghton)
The Red Book is a red book about a girl in a snowy city, who finds a red book about a boy on an island, who finds a red book about a girl in a snowy city. . . . A balloon ride unites the two reader-characters; a similar ebullience will elevate readers of The Red Book, who can see mind-bending reflections of their own reading experience in the book’s metafictional pages.
Review 9/04. (Primary)

Swing Otto Swing! written and illustrated by David Milgrim (Atheneum)
Dick and Jane, move over. See Otto the robot learn to swing like his monkey friends. Whether read alone or aloud, this easiest of easy readers demonstrates that a limited vocabulary paired with the right pictures can contain a full-on story of heart and humor. Review 5/04 (Preschool, Primary)

Tiny’s Big Adventure written by Martin Waddell,
illustrated by John Lawrence (Candlewick)
Katy Mouse, a comfortingly knowledgeable older sister, guides Tiny Mouse through his first venture into the wider world: the wheat field. Lush engravings in a rich, glowing palette of blues and gold capture the journey’s joys as well as its anxieties. Waddell and Lawrence’s child-sized adventure is visually lovely, graphically distinguished, and beautifully cadenced. Review 7/04. (Preschool, Primary)

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
written and illustrated by Mo Willems (Hyperion)
“Aggle, flaggle, klabble!” What is little Trixie desperately trying to tell Daddy? Something very important: she’s left her beloved stuffed rabbit at the Laundromat. Willems gets everything just right, from the familiarity of the everyday drama to the heightened focus of the illustrations, in which cartoon characters practically burst out of their sepia-toned photo backgrounds. Review 9/04. (Preschool)

Fiction

The Fire-Eaters by David Almond (Delacorte)
In a remarkable novel set in 1962 northern England during the Cuban missile crisis, narrator Bobby Burns is keenly aware of both the impending disaster and his deep love for his “tiny corner of the world.” Powerful imagery, complex characterizations, and a strong sense of place fuel this many-faceted tale. Review 5/04. (Middle School, High School)

King of the Middle March by Kevin Crossley-Holland (Levine/Scholastic)
In the final installment of the Arthur Trilogy, Arthur de Caldicot, the thirteenth-century namesake of the legendary King Arthur, sets off at last on crusade. Crossley-Holland transfers Arthur’s vividness of experience directly to the reader in a novel of extraordinary richness, brimming with color and texture and grounded in a down-to-earth medieval setting and earned wisdom. Review 1/05. (Middle School)

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (Jackson/Atheneum)
From the bones of folktale, Nancy Farmer builds an engrossing saga of a brother and sister caught up in the history and myth of the Viking Age. An attentively detailed setting and action-packed plot complement the elemental story. Review 11/04. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Pepins and Their Problems written by Polly Horvath,
illustrated by Marylin Hafner (Farrar)
Horvath’s deliciously silly stories about the Peterkin-esque Pepins pop with preposterous event, effervescent wit, and inspired zaniness. Horvath careens wildly down her postmodern path — she becomes a character in her own novel, interacting psychically with readers and taking blank-page breaks — yet manages to produce a whole that is not only unified and accessible but laugh-out-loud funny. Review 9/04. (Intermediate)

Indigo’s Star by Hilary McKay (McElderry)
Twelve-year-old Indigo Casson struggles with bullies, makes a new friend and ally, and helps his younger sister come to terms with change. While the focus in this companion novel to Saffy’s Angel is on the introspective Indigo, McKay’s portrait of the unconventional Casson family is once again loving and hilarious. Review 9/04. (Intermediate, Middle School)

The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty (Levine/Scholastic)
When Lydia, Emily, and Cassie are matched up with three boys at a rival high school for a pen-pal assignment, sparks fly, and both romance and revenge result. Moriarty takes the stuff of chick-lit — best friends, boyfriends, a letter/ diary/e-mail format — and creates a compulsively readable novel with enormous depth, wit, and poignancy. Review 3/04. (High School)

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)
Pratchett’s pitch-perfect comic exaggeration, delivered with an unobtrusive wink, could carry a lesser book, but this tale of witch Tiffany Aching’s apprenticeship carries itself, with its grand, spacious magical mise en scène, high-stakes adventure, and the return of those boisterous Nac Mac Feegle, the Wee Free Men. Review 7/04. (Middle School, High School)

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (Lamb/Random)
Fifteen-year-old Daisy, an anorexic, acerbic New Yorker, falls instantly in love with her English cousins’ farm — and with her English cousin Edmond. Idyllic love story abruptly becomes horrific survival tale when an unnamed enemy power invades the country. A captivating and deeply satisfying first novel. Review 9/04. (High School)

Poetry

If Not for the Cat written by Jack Prelutsky,
illustrated by Ted Rand (Greenwillow)
Animals from jellyfish to eagles describe themselves in seventeen adroitly composed haiku. Prelutsky uses alliteration, euphony, and internal rhyme to create images that, though brief, are memorable. Rand’s art — which includes elegant, calligraphic illustrations reminiscent of Japanese ink paintings — is equally eloquent. Review 11/04. (Primary)

Nonfiction

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
Freedman builds to the great historic moment of Marian Anderson’s 1939 Lincoln Memorial program with the involving story of the singer herself. Readers will see just how persons and history walk in concert. Review 5/04. (Intermediate, Middle School)

A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968
by Diane McWhorter (Scholastic )
McWhorter’s history moves fluidly among principal actors, events, and social context to achieve both clarity and impact. Most impressive is the understated but forceful message of the importance of young people to the movement; this theme is complemented by the author’s clear respect for and rapport with young readers. Review 1/05.n (Intermediate, Middle School)

Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing
written and illustrated by James Rumford (Houghton)
Design, illustration, and a text in two languages work quietly but brilliantly together to tell the story of Sequoyah’s invention of a writing system for the Cherokee language. The bookmaking is itself a testament to the power of the printed word. Review 11/04. (Primary, Intermediate)

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