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BEST BOOKS OF THE
YEAR
Best of Year 2010
Best of Year 2008
Notables from 2007
Notables from 2006
Notables from 2005
Notables from 2004
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THEMES
Animals
Anthologies
Bears
Bedtime
Classics
Concept Books
Dinosaurs
Families
Fiction for the Young
Folk Literature
Friendship
Holiday/Special Days
Humor & Nonsense
Insects
Oceans, Lakes, Rivers,
& Ponds
Rhythm & Rhyme
Wordless Books
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Toddlers
Preschool
Kindergarten
First Grade
Third-Fifth Grades
Middle Grades
Upper Grades
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SECOND GRADE
Books take on a new dimension for seven year olds. Because children are still in the formal business of learning to read, however, there is a great difference between what they can read independently and what they can listen to, understand and enjoy.
Children are now ready for more complex wordless books because they require closer attention and examination. Details must be interpreted in order to understand what is happening. This skill will help children in their reading comprehension.
At this age, children have an appetite for information about the real world and they are beginning to understand the existence of faraway places.
As children master their letters and numbers, they now enjoy books that go beyond the simple matching object with symbols. Many riddle-like alphabet books are definitely more challenging.
As children develop their reading skills, parents should continue to read aloud. Eventually children will enjoy reading these books on their own. Never should easy-to-read books replace read-aloud books, as both are needed.
Children are now at an age where they can understand that other people have feelings and experiences similar to theirs. A good story will offer them an opportunity to step outside of themselves and into someone else's shoes. While they may enjoy non-fiction books; the same information gathered in the context of a story has greater meaning.
Offer children a variety of books with more complex plots and characters. Expand on their interests and provide plenty of easy-to-read books. Always read aloud books that may be a little difficult for them to read independently.
Children now have a greater grasp of the real and make-believe. Stories that were once too frightening are no longer intimidating to them. Tales that belong to "once upon a time" are now adventurous places to visit. Stories should contain good triumphing over evil. If there is danger involved, it should demand great courage.
Through fairy tales, children understand and cope with struggles in life. Characters meet obstacles and are victorious, often gaining a kingdom and along with the respect of everyone. Unlike myths that have tragic endings, or fables that teach lessons, fairy tales should always end happily. Even though children are ready for more sophisticated fairy tales now, they still are not ready for the more gruesome ones.
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THE LION'S
SHARE: A Tale of Halving Cake and Eating It, Too
written/illus. by Matthew McElligott, (Walker Books for Young
Readers, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-8027-9768-1), 32p,
Ages 4-8.
When invited to the Lion's dinner party, Ant is on her best
behavior and arrives on time. During dinner, she is shocked
at the other animal's manners. "The elephant talked about himself
constantly. The hippo never wiped her mouth. The gorilla threw
his food, and the warthog tried to eat the flowers." When dessert
is served, each animal takes half of the remaining cake before
passing it on. Only crumbs are left for Ant, and nothing for
Lion, so she promises to bake him another cake. Not to be outdone,
each animal doubles the previous offer. When its Elephant's
turn, he announces that he will bake 256 peanut butter cakes.
Children are not only presented clever math concepts of halving
and doubling, but also they receive lessons on good manners
and sharing with others. Inside covers illustrate the fractions
used. |
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ZARAFA: The
Giraffe Who Walked to the King
written by Judith St. George, illus. by Britt Spencer, (Philomel
Books, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-399-25049-1), 40p, Ages
6-8.
In 1824, a gentle and beautiful African giraffe is given to
the King of France as an offer of friendship by the Viceroy
of Egypt. Captured in the wild as a baby, Zarafa is raised by
natives until old enough to travel. Carried by camel to a Sudanese
village, Zarafa begins her journey with three cows (for milk),
several monkeys, sailors, and two helpers in a small felucca
up the Nile River to Alexandra, where they board a larger ship
and travel across the Mediterranean Sea to France. Her handlers
cut a hole in the deck for her head to poke through and watch
the scenery. They also secure a tent over her for protection
from the sun and rain. Upon reaching France, Zarafa begins her
550-mile trek to Paris, wearing a raincoat especially made for
her by a famous scientist, Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. At two miles
an hour, the journey is long, and by the time they reach Paris,
Zarafa has grown to over twelve feet. "She had traveled two
hundred miles by camel. She had sailed two thousand miles down
the Nile River, more than fifteen hundred miles across the Mediterranean
Sea, and walked more than five hundred miles from Marseille
to Paris on her own four feet." Based on a true story, endnotes
explain the meaning of Zarafa's name, her unusual story, and
her final home at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris until her
death in 1845. |
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IN THE TREES,
HONEY BEES
written by Lori Mortensen, illus. by Cris Arbo, (Dawn Publications,
$16.95 HC, ISBN 978-1-58469-114-3, $8.95 PB, ISBN 978-1-58469-115-0),
32p, Ages 4-10.
In simple text, the lifecycle of a wild honey
bee colony is viewed from a hidden beehive inside a tree trunk.
Honey bees are shown collecting nectar and pollen to feed the
colony, storing it in honeycomb cells, caring for the queen,
feeding the eggs, collecting water, guarding the colony, and
building combs from wax-secreting glands. Sidebar paragraphs
supply additional information: "An average colony has 15,000
to 50,000 worker bees. But there is only one queen. Worker bees
take care of her so she can lay the eggs that will become new
members of the colony." The eye-catching illustrations will
capture the interest of children, as well as endpapers, which
provide additional information on various species, types, habits,
and beekeepers. Children may never view honey bees in the same
way again. |
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ACE LACEWING:
Bad Bugs Are My Business
written/illus. by David Biedrzycki, (Charlesbridge Books, $16.95,
ISBN 978-1-57091-692-2), 44p, Ages 5-8.
"Some cases start small. Some cases start big. This one started
with a small flea with a lump on his head." Scratch Murphy,
owner of a local amusement park, turns to detective Ace Lacewing
to find his missing bag of money. Ace's sleuthing leads to the
Carpenter Ants Union, Six Legs Amusement Park, Bo Weevil, Lady
De Bug, and Scritch, Scratch's twin brother. Along with his
girl Friday, Xerces, and Police Sergeant Zito, "The Mosquito",
they nab the runaway culprit and teach Scratch a lesson in anger
management. This follow-up to Ace Lacewing, Bug Detective will
have children asking for more buggy detective stories. |
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THE SCARECROW'S
DANCE
written by Jane Yolen, illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline, (Simon
& Schuster, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-4169-3770-8), 32p,
Ages 4-8.
On a spooky, windy autumn evening, a lonely scarecrow blows
off his perch in a cornfield. He leaps and dances happily across
the fields, past the tractor, barn, silent cows, and sleeping
pigs, until he reaches the farmhouse where a window light catches
his attention. Peeking in the window, he watches a young boy
pray beside his bed, "And bless tonight/Our old scarecrow/Who
guards the fields/And each corn row/So that tomorrow,/When we
reap,/There will be lots/Of corn to keep." Reflecting on the
child's prayer, the scarecrow realizes he alone has the responsibility
of guarding the crops and keeping the fields from danger. Children
will enjoy the delightful language and beautiful artwork, while
parents will approve of the duty and responsibility message.
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HOW THE NOBBLE
WAS FINALLY FOUND
written by C. K. Williams, illus. by Stephen Gammell, (Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, $18.00, ISBN 978-0-15-205460-1), 40p,
Ages 6-9.
Nobble is a cute creature with "huge eyes and dangly ears and
long hair and two lovely wings and little claws on his fingers
and a bunch of nice toes." He loves playing in space between
Wednesday and Thursday, napping on the bottom rung of number
eight, and swinging in rivers beneath piano strings. After 4,323
years of loneliness, the Nobble journeys beyond Friday and Saturday
and past the moon, until he reaches a town with strange buildings,
funny boxy things that zoom past, and fuzzy creatures that make
yowling noises. He also meets a little girl, who teaches him
about roads, phone booths, and a special door, which leads to
a forever friend, who looks a lot like him. This endearing little
Nobble will delight young hearts, and leave children yearning
for more Nobble tales. |
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