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BEST BOOKS OF THE
YEAR
Best of Year 2009
Best of Year 2008
Notables from 2007
Notables from 2006
Notables from 2005
Notables from 2004
Notables from 2003
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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
First Grade
Second Grade
Third-Fifth Grades
Middle Grades
Upper Grades
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Kindergarten
Kindergarten is the time
when children become more aware and curious about people, places and
things. Their social world now includes others outside the family.
They are now ready for stories that help them try on different personalities
and assist them over difficult stages. They need stories that are
written for the sole purpose of providing fun, entertainment, and
enjoyment.
Kindergartners enjoy seeing characters who take risks, gain control
over their surroundings and where all ends in happy ever after. Unlike
preschool books, these stories have a beginning, middle, and end.
Introduce some folktales, but stay away from complex or gory ones.
Try some folktales from other countries and cultures. They not only
entertain, but teach children how universal stories are. Choose versions
that maintain some of the flow of the original language.
Because their attention spans are increasing, introduce a few of the
more complicated fairytales, but stay away from the more gruesome
ones.
Wordless books require that children interpret the story from the
illustrations. The reader must follow the pictures in sequence for
the story to make sense. Choose a variety of styles from muted to
brilliant colors to black and white. Pictures also help children focus
on details.
Because people, places and things are becoming more important to kindergartners,
these books should give simple, straightforward information relating
to the real world.
This is an exciting age for kindergartners, full of new and exhausting
information. Don't push for learning to read just yet. Listening to
stories is where reading begins. |
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GOLDILOCKS
retold/illus. by Ruth Sanderson, (Little, Brown & Co., $16.99,
ISBN 978-0-316-77885-5), 32p, Ages 4+.
"Goldilocks loved to pick blueberries. That morning, she wandered
from bush to bush to bush, and before she knew it, she was standing
in front of a cottage she had never seen before." Forgetting
her manners, Goldilocks creates a mess by eating the inhabitants'
porridge, breaking their chairs, and sleeping in their beds.
Confronted by the bear inhabitants, Goldilocks is embarrassed
by her rudeness and makes amends by straightening up and helping
around the house with chores. Offering the bears her bucket
of blueberries, they all pitch in to make blueberry muffins.
Endpapers offer a delicious recipe. Of the numerous renditions
of Goldilocks, this interpretation, with its delightful twist
and happy ending will appeal to a new generation. |
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THE MITTEN
adapted/illus. Jan Brett, (G. P. Putnam's Sons, $17.99, ISBN
978-0-399-25296-9), 32p, Ages 3-5.
Reissued with a new cover for its 20th anniversary, this famous
Ukrainian folktale centers around a lost mitten and the woodland
animals that try to fit inside for warmth from the snow. Cautioned
by his grandmother not to lose his mittens in the snow, young
Nicki does just that. One by one, the forest animals use it
for refuge: a mole, rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, and
finally a bear. The mitten is so stretched to the breaking point,
that when a mouse squeezes in and tickles the bear's whiskers,
his huge sneeze blows everyone out of their knitted shelter.
The mitten sails through the air and lands in the snow, where
Nicki discovers it. Children will love the humorous antics of
the animals as they try to take up residence in one small knitted
mitten, as well as the grandmother's puzzled expression at the
over-stretched mitten. |
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WE'RE GOING
ON A BEAR HUNT
written by Michael Rosen, illus. by Helen Oxenbury, (McElderry
Books, $18.99, ISBN 978-1-4169-8711-6), 40p, Ages
4-8.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, this classic tells of a brave
father, his four children, and pet dog, who find adventure in
hunting a bear. "We're going on a bear hunt. /We are going to
catch a big one. /What a beautiful day! /we're not scared."
Whenever they experience an obstacle, they declare, "We can't
go over it. /We cannot go under it. /Oh, no! / We've got to
go through it!" Running, climbing, crawling, and trudging through
grass (swishy swashy), cold water (splash splosh), mud (squelch
squerch), and a snow storm (hoooo wooo), they stumble upon a
dark cave, inhabited by an unfriendly bear. Quickly retracing
their steps (followed by the bear), they hurry home, bare the
door, and hide under the covers, exclaiming no more bear hunts.
The final scene depicts the bear tromping home to his cave.
Children will love the clever language and good-natured antics
of a family determined to experience adventure. |
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KATY AND
THE BIG SNOW
written/illus. by Virginia Lee Burton, (Sandpiper, Book/CD,
$16.00, ISBN 978-0-395-18155-3), 40p, Ages 3-7.
Katy is a red crawler tractor, who is a bulldozer in summer
and a snowplow in winter. After a blizzard buries the city of
Geoppolis under many feet of snow and the city's truck snowplows
break down, Katy is called into action. With power lines down,
the fire department unable to reach a fire, the railroad station
and airport closed, and a break in the water main, everyone
is helpless. Katy begins to chug slow and steady throughout
the city, past the police station, the post office, the railway
station, the telephone company, East Geoppolis, the water department,
North Geoppolis, West Geoppolis, past the hospital, South Geoppolis,
and the airport. "Katy finished up the side streets so traffic
could move in and out and around the city." Tired from a long
day of work, Katy returns home for a well-deserved rest. This
classic tale teaches children the value of persistence and endurance,
addresses problems created by snowstorms, and becomes a great
tool for understanding how maps work. |
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MY HEART
IS LIKE A ZOO
written/illus. by Michael Hall, (Greenwillow Books, ISBN
978-0-06-191510-9), 32p, Ages 2-5.
In clever rhyme, children can examine the feelings of twenty
zoo animals created with more than 300 overlapping hearts that
are presented in various patterns, colors, and sizes. "Cool
as a penguin,/crafty as a fox,/quiet as a caterpillar/wearing
knitted socks." Hippos sip apple juice, a coyote walks in fog,
and a walrus lounges on a beach towel. The conclusion shows
a young zookeeper asleep with his stuffed animal menagerie around
him. Children will enjoy exploring and counting the many hearts
that make up each animal. |
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OTIS
written/illus. by Loren Long, (Philomel Books, $17.99, ISBN
978-0-399-25248-8), 40p, Ages 3-6 yrs.
"There was once a friendly little tractor. His name was Otis,
and every day Otis and his farmer worked together taking care
of the farm they called home." After a hard day's work, Otis
loved to unwind and ride the hills, chase the ducks, leapfrog
over hay bales, sit under his favorite apple tree, and putt
puff into his barn for a good night's sleep. Even Otis's soft
putt puff puttedy chuff calms a new calf to the farm, and the
two become best friends. Replaced by a new yellow tractor, Otis
lives behind the barn alone. One day the calf becomes stuck
in a mud pond, and no one can help. Hearing her cries, Otis
revs his engine and races down the hill to the rescue. "From
that day on, the farmer discovered that with Otis's puttering
purr beside the chicken coop, his chickens laid more eggs. At
milking time, with Otis's gentle chuff nearby, his cows produced
more milk." Now valued and productive, Otis enjoys sitting under
the apple tree with his best friend, calf. |
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TRUCKERY
RHYMES
written by Jon Scieszka, illus. by David Shannon, Loren Long,
David Gordon, (Simon & Schuster, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-4169-4135-4),
64p, Ages 3-8.
Mother Goose rhymes are the backbone of children's literature.
When replaced with lively words to fit Trucktown's boisterous
characters, the results are fun read-alouds for children. "Peter
Peter Payload Eater/Hit a rock and blew his heater./He roared
into the lake and fell./And there he cooled off very well."
"Little Miss Muffet" changes to "Little Dan Dumper sat on his
bumper,/Taking his break for the day./Along came Pete Loader,/who
revved his loud motor,/And frightened Dan Dumper away." Twenty-two
famous rhymes and songs will have children begging for more
energetic, truckery interpretations. |
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THE MITTEN
written by Jim Aylesworth, illus. by Barbara McClintock, (Scholastic
Press, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-439-92544-0), 32p, Ages
3-6.
Children will love this charming adaptation of a famous old
Ukrainian folktale, where a little boy plays outside in the
snow so boisterously that he loses one of his mittens. However,
the animals that find warmth and protection inside it are absolutely
delighted with their discovery. "The squirrel found the mitten
quite warm and very comfortable, and soon he was so nice and
toasty in there that he fell sound asleep." A passing rabbit
squeezes in, then a fox, and finally a bear share the very cramped
mitten, now stretched to the breaking point. When a small mouse
begs for entrance, the animals protest that there is no room,
but they finally relent and admit the mouse. As they take a
collective breath, the mitten explodes into pieces. The animals
are very disappointed and search for another place to warm their
toes. The boy and his grandmother return the next day to discover
a mitten in shreds. Grandma cheers up the boy by promising hot
chocolate another knitted mitten. The whimsical artwork and
delightful tale will have children begging for more classic
folktales. |
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ALWAYS
written by Alison McGhee, illus. by Pascal Lemaitre, (Simon
& Schuster, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-4169-7481-9), 40p,
Ages 4-8 yrs.
A small dog declares his love and devotion for his young mistress
by enumerating the many ways in which he will protect her. Declaring,
"I am keeper of the castle," he pledges to tame squirrels, guard
against monsters (spiders), halt avalanches (mounds of toys),
patrol and ambush intruders (mice), divert meteors, contain
the weather, and calm the sea. This sentimental tale is perfect
for teaching children about the bonds of love and loyalty, and
courage and determination in their young lives. |
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SYLVIE
written/illus. by Jennifer Sattler, (Random House, $15.99, ISBN
978-0-375-85708-9), 40p. Ages 3-6.
Impetuous, curious, and adorable Sylvie brings new meaning to
the saying, "you are what you eat." Upon learning that flamingos
are pink because they eat shrimp, Sylvie decides to experiment
with ice cream, a kite, palm leaves, a bathing suit, chocolate,
grapes, and a stripy beach towel. After sampling each offering,
she becomes the color and pattern of whatever she eats. "But
after stuffing her tummy all day, Sylvie didn't feel so well."
Upon rejoining her flock and resuming the shrimp diet, Sylvie
returns to normal, however, those deserts are still tempting.
The vibrant illustrations are eye-catching, humorous, and certainly
steal the show. |
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