Best Baby Book:
Hoppy Feet (Price Stern Sloan, $9.99; ages 0- 1 yr.) by Jocelyn Jamison
A silly rhythmic story about hoppy frogs who seek reassurance. This board book comes with a pair of rattling frog socks to increase baby's excitement.
Best Early Stories:
I'm Mighty! (HarperCollins, $15.99; ages 4-8) by Kate and Jim McMullan
The folks who made a dump truck leap off the pages have done the same for a small tug who's powerful in push and pushiness!
Three Pebbles and a Song (Dial, $16.99; ages 4-8) by Eileen Spinelli
Young Moses Mouse has a family busy gathering food and warm nesting for winter, Moses gathers a dance, a song, and three pebbles. Guess whose gathering is most useful when boredom sets in?
Serious Farm (Houghton, $15.00; ages 4-8) by Tim Egan
Farmer Fred has no sense of humor and he lives on a farm with animals who love to laugh. They are determined to change Fred's attitude with a string of silliness that will make children giggle, even when Fred proves a tough audience.
Best Picture Book Voice in Word and Art:
The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman by Darcy Pattison
A variety of voices tell the story of a wooden hitchhiker, created by a man to please his young niece, who travels across the country and adventures with a cast of characters who feel changed by his presence.
Preachiest Picture Book
Alma Powell, America's Promise (HarperCollins)
Colin's wife wants to make a point and support her organization. There's nothing hidden in this agenda--more's the pity.
Best Story to Share with a New Reader:
The Alphabet Keeper (Knopf, $14.95; ages 5-8) by Mary Murphy
The alphabet is on the run and they use the letters escape by transforming words. A great book for children starting to understand print.
Best Folk and Fairy Tales:
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book (Hyperion, $16.99; ages 5-8) by Lauren Childs
Herb isn't happy when he falls into his well-used fairy tale book and learns how much attitude these heroes and heroines have and how his actions have upset them! Child leads a merry romp in both illustration and text.
The Lady and the Lion (Dial, $16.99; ages 6-10) by Laurel Long and Jacqueline Obgurn
Rich, romantic detailing, sumptuous boarders and great language retell the Grimm story of a young heroine who endures much to save her prince trapped in lion form.
The Animal Hedge (Candlewick, 16.00; ages 5-8) by Paul Fleischman
Fleischman's special touches give this original folktale extra oomph. An impoverished farmer with three sons clips his hedges and the topiary reveals their careers as "what lay deep in their hearts and heavy on their minds." Bagram Ibatoulline's folk-art inspired illustrations compliment beautifully.
Best Retelling:
Professor Aesop's The Crow and the Pitcher (Tricycle, $15.95; ages 5-8) by Stephanie Gwyn Brown
The old tale of ingenuity and determination is renewed with a mix of scientific theory, emotions, and witty illustrations.
Best Pop-up:
Alice and Wonderland (Simon and Schuster, $24.95) by Robert Sabuda The master of pop-up books brings a classic into three dimensions.
Best Book for Young Writers:
My Class and Me: A Memory Scrapbook for Kids (Kids Can Press, $5.95) by Mary Beth Leatherdale,
These scrapbooks come for grades K-3 and are organized with easy questions and a great structure to collect memories and mementos!
Funniest Picture Books:
Diary of a Worm (HarperCollins, $15.99; ages 5-8) by Doreen Cronin The woman who made us believe that cows can type now gives us the worm's eye view of the world and makes us laugh again.
Diary of a Wombat (Clarion, $14.00; ages 5-8) by Jackie French
Simple words of a lazy, hungry Wombat and her relationship with humans picks up loads of humor with Bruce Whatley's illustrations.
Arnie the Doughnut (Holt, $16.95; ages 5 and up) by Laurie Keller
The naieve optimistic main character is a pastry who becomes Everydoughnut as he seeks a home.
Most Age-inappropriate books:
Introducing The Little Prince is four board books marketed to sentimental parent who've forgotten they didn't discover the Little Prince until they were in late high school or college. On the other side, Verla Kay's The Orphan Train delivers the horrors of parent's death, homelessness, and trips to new homes in short rhyming couplets!
Best Older Picture Books:
L'il Dan the drummer boy: A Civil War Story (Simon and Schuster, $18.95; ages 8 and up) by Romare Bearden
Bearden drawings enliven his tale of a young boy whose love for his art saves his Civil War company. And two more pluses... a beautifully written forward by Henry Louis Gates, Jr and a CD read by Maya Angelou!
Orville: A Dog Story (Clarion, $15.00; ages 7 and up) by Haven Kimmel Sink into the furry skin of a homeless, mistreated, ugly dog who can sense immediately the talents and sorrows of the humans around him. Written with so many beautiful bits of prose and poignant details Orville becomes a canine hero who will win your heart.
Silent Movie (Atheneum, $16.95; ages 7-10) by Avi
An poor young immigrant caught in a melodramatic situation, complete with poverty and a villain, finds triumph in silent movies. A perfect match of tale and vehicle, added to by C.B. Mordan's black and white etchings which are framed like movie stills.
On Sand Island (Houghton, $16.00; ages 6-9) by Jacqueline Briggs
Linking free verse poems bring about an amazing portrait of a determined young boy and the community that supports him.
Mosque (Houghton, $18.00; ages 9- adult) by David Macaulay
Macaulay describes the process of building a fictional Ottoman mosque of the late 16th century. The interrelationship of buildings, prayer, plans, the structural necessities, artistic patterning explain how this mosque becomes a community center.
Best Picture Book Biographies
Girl Wonder: A Baseball Story in Nine Innings (Atheneum, $16.95; ages 5-9) by Deborah Hopkinson
Hopkinson's passion for word play is as strong as pioneer baseball player Alta Weiss' desire to play. The imagery, anchored in sensory strength, pairs well with a story of physical prowess.
Harvesting Home: The Story of Cesar Chavez (HBJ, $17.00; ages 6-10) by Kathleen Krull
The biography of the inspirational Hispanic civil rights leader gives texture and reality to the life of a migrant worker with Krull's detailing and word choices and Yuyi Morales' visual voice.
American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain (Houghton Mifflin, $16.00; ages 7-10) by Don Brown
Appeal comes from the author-illustrator's wise choice of focusing mostly on Twain's adventurous youth and choosing great quotes, both give a strong sense of this picturesque man.
Muhammad (McElderry, $19.95; ages 7 and up) by Demi
Demi demonstrates and shares her understanding of other cultures by writing a simple account of a complex religious leader for the Muslim religion. Her work is filled with icons and images of the Muslim world.
The Tree of Life: A Book Depicting the Life of Charles Darwin, Naturalist, Geologist & Thinker (FSG, $18.00; ages 9 and up) by Peter Sis
This glorious oversized book works at several levels. Dark bold tell the facts, smaller italics relate Darwin's feelings and more personal views, scripted writing quote his views. Exquisite full page spreads offer many large pointilistic centerpieces with smaller spotlights introducing lesser events and people.
Least Satisfying Hyped Book:
Madonna's The English Roses, to quote the an English literary celeb was "much ado about nothing!"
Best Non-Fiction:
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? (Houghton, $15.00; ages 4-7) by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Jenkins, a collage and non-fiction expert for the young, uses patterns, guessing, and just the right amount of information to involve the youngest learners.
George Washington's Teeth (FSG, $16.00; ages 5-8) by Deborah Chandra & Madeline Comora
Wonderful word play and rhythm and rhyme in a story based on the sad truth of George Washington's constant tooth loss. Not a book for the dentally-sensitive!
The Great Expedition of Lewis and Clark by Private Reubin Field, Member of the Corps of Discovery (FSG, $17.00; ages 8-12) by Judith Edwards
In this longer picture book, the discoveries of the expedition seem so much more real when they're delivered by in the folksy, colorful speech of a young farmer drafted of the journey for a two year journey.
High Hopes: A PhotoBiography of John F. Kennedy (National Geographic, $17.95; ages 9 and up) by Deborah Heiligman
From the beginning of his life to the end, JFK's story is told with fact, feeling, and lots of black and white illustrations.
Best New Non-Fictions By Trusted Contributors:
Brilliant photos and clear writing in new works by two consistently excellent non-fiction contributors: Seymour Simon's Hurricanes (HaperCollins, $15.99; ages 6-10) and Spiders (HarperCollins, $16.89) and Sandra Markle's Outside and Inside Big Cats (Atheneum, $16.95; ages 5-9)
**Best Books to Make Inanimate Intimate: **
Punctuation Takes a Vacation (Holiday House, $16.95; ages 6-9) by Robin Pulver
On the hottest, stickiest day of school Mr. Wright says "Let's give punctuation a vacation" and the letters take him at his word. Great characterizations of punctuation and obvious demonstration of their importance.!?
The Alphazeds (Hyperion, $19.95; ages 4-8) by Shirley Glaser
Each member of the alphabet has a personality, starring role, and there's a plot that makes sense of their relationships!
Z Goes Home (Hyperion, $16.95; ages 4-7) by Jon Agee
The letter Z climbs down from his sign over the City Zoo (now City oo) and wends his way home through alphabet adventures from meeting an A-shaped alien to practicing exercise with a Y-shaped Yoga master.
Achoo! Bang! Crash! (Roaring Brook Press, $16.95; ages 4-7) by Ross MacDonald
A cacophony of wonderful alphabetic sounds are paired with small vignettes which creates an opportunity for a symphony of sound making...and some laughter as well!
Most Satisfying Sequel (PictureBook):
Captain Underpants appears in two new adventures The Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boys, Part 1 & 2 (Scholastic, $4.99) by Dav Pilkey
Olivia and the Missing Toy (Atheneum, $16.95; ages 4-8) by Ian Falconer Olivia's well-established personality is the same, but this time Falconer provides us with more of a story when the porcine turns to sleuthing.
Best Picture Books for Adults:
Desiderata: Words for Life (Scholastic, $15.95) by Max Ehrmann, photographs by Marc Tauss
The inspirational and timeless poem is published with glorious photos that give appropriate images to the stirring words.
Old Turtle and the Broken Truth (Scholastic, $17.95) by Douglas Wood
Is a timely parable about truth and love that will ring more profoundly to adults than children, watercolors by Jon Muth are beautiful and simple as the words.
Cinderlily: A Floral Fairy Tale (Candlewick, $16.99) by David Ellwand
A must for gardeners, this Cinderella retelling blossoms with its flower characters.
Best Books for Parents:
How to Get Your Child to Love Reading (Algonquin Books, $18.95) by Esme Codell
This award-winning teacher and devoted parent has an unbelievable passion for books and has created a brilliant resource for parents filled with recommended book lists of over 3,000 great titles! While the text can sometimes be wordy, her recommendations are superb!
Raising a Reader: A Mother's Tale of Desperation and Delight (St. Martin's Press, $19.95) by Jennie Nash
This quick-read tells how one mother shares her reading passion with her daughter.
Storied City: A Children's Book Walking Tour of NYC (Dutton, $12.99) by Leonard Marcus
21 tours take you to 100 famous literary sites of over 200 children's books! Great writing, recommendations, and reviews.
Newly Illustrated Classics:
The Wind in the Willows (Candlewick, $19.99) by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Inga More; The Borrowers (Harcourt, $15.95) by Mary Norton, illustrated by Diane Stanley and Jabberwocky (Candlewick, $15.99; all ages) by Lewis Carroll. illustrated by Joel Stewart.
Fantasies dominated this year's young adult books, but there were also great books in other genres as you can see from these books worthy of Wilde Awards.
Most Satisfying Series Additions:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Scholastic, $29.99; ages 10 and up) by J.K. Rowling
In the fifth installment of the series about the young wizard, again Rowling succeeds in terms of character, series growth, consistency, and living up to all the hype.
City of Stars (Bloomsbury, $17.95; ages 10 and up) by Mary Hoffman
In this second Stravaganza novel, troubled Georgia travels from present day to a world that parallels sixteenth century Siena, Italy. Characters met in the first book mesh well and the story adds to the series' strength.
Best Series to Turn to When Your Harry Potter's Have Run Out:
The Charlie Bone series, Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (Orchard,$9.95 ; ages 8-11) by Jenny Nimmo
The second in this series has elements that please Harry Potter fans -- magic, mystery, adventure, an underdog hero, villains, and good writing! Also recommended on tape read by Simon Russell Beale (Listening Library, $26.00, unabridged)
Best Fantasy/ Reality Blend:
Inkheart (Scholastic, $19.95; ages 10 and up) by Cornelia Funke
Lines between reality and fantasy blur when mysterious strangers suddenly enter Meggie's life and she learns that her father has read them into existence. Never will you read a book with characters so passionate about books!
Best New Series:
An adventurous fantasy, The Amulet of Samarkand , is the first book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy (Miramax, $17.95 ; ages 10 and up) by Jonathan Stroud
This adventurous fantasy begins with , a book set in an alternate present-day London run by magicians. The two viewpoint characters are an eleven year old prodigy magician and a 5,000 year old djinni with attitude!
Best Biographies:
Romare Bearden: Collage of Memories (Abrams, $17.95; ages 10 and up) by Jan Greenberg
Stories and art blend dynamically to make a collage of this vibrant artist's life.
Theodore Roosevelt: Champion of the American Spirit (Clarion, $19.00; ages 10 and up) by Betsy Harvey Kraft
Chock full of old photographs and stories of this man of courage, energy, and integrity.
Best Books to Zoom in on History:
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (Clarion, $17.00; ages 11 and up) by Jim Murphy
Etchings, newspaper clippings, accounts of doctors, black volunteers, and those who survived make story of the plague year when 4 - 5,000 lives were lost.
Shutting Out the Sky:Life in the Tenements of New York 1880-1924 (Orchard, $17.95; ages 10 and up) by Deborah Hopkinson
Research is plentiful, photographs excellent, but it's the perspectives of five young people struggling to find their dreams which make history come alive.
Words West:Voices of Young Pioneers (Clarion, $18.00; ages 10 and up) by Ginger Wadsworth
Meaningful quotations, fabulous old photographs and intriguing details bring you into the history of those who left family they'd never see again, buried those they loved, and discovered messages written on bleached bones of dead animals and people.
Best Family Read Aloud:
The Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick, $17.99; ages 8 and up) by Kate DiCamillo
Dive into the reality of a small mouse with a big heart! Unique characters, a bit of philosophy, superb writing and a narrator who's more kind than intrusive. If reading aloud is not your forte, try the audio by Graeme Malcome (Listening Library, $25.00, unabridged)!
Most Haunting Historical Novels:
Milkweed (Knopf, $15.95; ages 11 and up) by Jerry Spinelli
Misha lives on the streets of Warsaw, steals bread to survive, and knows nothing about his past. His escapes the Ghetto, the Nazis, and give readers a perspective never before seen in Holocaust literature.
The River Between Us (Dial, $16.99; ages 10 and up) by Richard Peck
Fifteen-year-old Tilly Pruitt's changes when the mysterious and beautiful Delphine arrives along with the Civil War. The story is immediately gripping, but thoughts linger as you see how Peck has woven the complexities of race, war, and gender into his story.
Most Memorable Memoirs:
Facing the Lion: Growing Up Maasi on the African Savanna (National Geographic, $15.95; ages 11 and up) by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton
Meet a man who has grown up nourished by a mix of blood and milk, faces circumcision with fear and courage, and knows how to live between Western and Maasai culture.
King of the Mild Frontier: an ill-advised autobiography (Greenwillow,$16.99 ; ages 11 and up) by Chris Crutcher
Crutcher's trademark honesty and humor fill his memoir from his crybaby years to adult stories of working with broken people.
Novel with the Strongest Sense of Place:
Keeper of the Night (Holt, $16.95; ages 11 and up) by Kimberly Holt
Isabel's sorrow over her mother's suicide and distraught family would be an issue book without the richness added by the amazing setting of Guam and its myths, beauty, and traditions!
Most Humorous YAs:
How Angel Peterson Got His Name (Random House, $12.95; ages 10 and up) by Gary Paulsen
Paulsen's remembrances of teen years have lots daring and hormones, little or no brains and safety gear!
Best Do-It Book:
Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know (Annick, $14.95; ages 7-10) by Shari Graydon
Lively, view-changing stories of advertising's principles, psychology and history are followed by activities you can try at home!
Best New Voices in Children's Books:
Nineteen-year-old Christopher Paolini's Eragon (Knopf, $18.95; ages 10 and up) has dragons, magic, and good writing which combine for a winning first novel!
Jennifer Donnelly's first book A Northern Light (HBJ, $17.00; ages 11 and up) This book was bought at auction for $800,000 and is worth every penny! This layered historical novel with an involving story, rounded characters, and lyrical writing tells the story of a word-loving young girl growing up in the rural Adirondaks near the turn of the century who must leave home to get the education she needs to thrive.
Best Free Verse Novel:
Locomotion (Putnam, $15.99; ages 10 and up) by Jacqueline Woodson
Fifty free verse poems tell the story of Lonnie Collins Motion, whose poetry releases buried feelings about his parent's death, separation from his young sister, and making a new home with his foster mom.