Opposnakes: A Lift-the-Flap Book About Opposites by Salina Yoon (Little Simon, ages 1-3) L-o-n-g fold-out pages of contrasting snakes use vibrant colors to explain opposing concepts. Imbedded humor extend the book for older children and make this an enjoyable read for parents.
Machines Go To Work by William Low (Holt, ages 3-5)
Fold out pages, bold impressionistic illustrations of six machines, leading questions and lots of noise encourage the passion of young vehicle-lovers.
Birds by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, ages 3-6)
Numbers, colors, shapes and sizes weave themselves into a lyrical and sensory look at birds.
Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy (Clarion, Ages 4-6)
Word play and chaotic fun result in this rhyming romp when Mabel blows a bubble that surrounds Baby and it takes a community to rescue him from this raccaous silliness.
We’re All in the Same Boat by Zachary Shapiro & Jack Davis (Putnam, ages 4-6)
There’s a lot going on in this read-aloud as silly illustrations propel us onto Noah’s ark where there’s not enough going on and the animals get restless and ugly. This is a book that begs for re-reading as families enjoy the alphabetic organization, vivid use of words, and what it takes to transform bad behaviors to work together…all this with a rhythm that rocks like Noah’s ark.
Epossumondas Plays Possum by Coleen Salley, illustrated by Janet Stevens (Houghton)
Southern voice, join-in repetitions, noises and suspense make this a perfect read-aloud about a possum whose curiousity is stronger than fear as he enters the swamp home of the loup-garou. This is the last book of the supreme mistress of storytelling.
Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas (Beach Lane, ages 3-6)
A bossy buck-toothed ladybug takes control of the book, inviting children to get wild and crazy with imaginative responses that grow so strong they even overcome the creature who’s invoked their fun. Not for the shy, or the parent who’s looking for quiet.
Duck! Rabbit! By Amy Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld (Chronicle, ages 4-6)
Open the gates of wonder and introduce optical illusion as two unseen narrators view clouds in completely different ways.
Two of a Kind written by Jacqui Robbins, illustrated by Matt Phelan (Atheneum, ages 5-7)
The author takes on an issue rarely seen in picture books when she describes how two best friends are almost ripped apart by controlling girls who exert peer pressure.
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett (Simon and Schuster, ages 3-8)
While bragging animals wait for their eggs to hatch, Duck has found an enormous large spotted egg. He persists in hatching it, despite bullying and teasing from others…and the result is as pleasing as the author’s intriguing book design.
Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban (Harcourt, ages 3-6)
Temper-tantrums and finding one’s self unite with repetitions into a read-aloud delight about a mouse searching for his own expression of anger.
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed By Mo Willems (Hyperion, ages 5-7)
Wilbur, the naked role rat, is a fashionista who bucks the buck-naked status quo by asking “why?” Once again Willem’s simple line drawings bring complex issues to light for young listeners.
Big Frog Can’t Fit In by Mo Willems (Hyperion, ages 3-7)
Only Mo Willems would come up with such a fitting premise for a pop-up. An overlarge frog who just won’t fit into the pages of a book is perfect for this genre. His problem generates a lot of help from his friends and an ending that shows Willems’ typical “out of the book” thinking.
The Little Prince: Pop-up by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (HMH, ages 10 and up)
The paperconstructions are as thoughtful as the original text.
Guess Again! by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Adam Rex (Simon and Schuster, ages 4 and up)
Pictures and rhyming text lead you to believe you know what page turns and flaps will reveal, but you’ll have to guess again because author and illustrator trick you throughout.
A shadow certainly looks like a rabbit and the text tells us “His floppy ears are long and funny”. If you guess bunny, you’ll have to guess again, in a book that definitely will provoke laughter and read-again requests.
Big Elephant in the Room by Lane Smith (Hyperion, ages 6-10)
The buzz word launches a dialogue of two donkeys who have a reavealing, silly “come to Jesus” conversation-confession.
Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue written and illustrated by Jon Agee ( Hyperion, ages 6-8 with adults)
Words and laughter unite in 30+ rhythmic poems that’ll beg for a re-read if you can stop your giggle fits and untangle your tongue.
The Goblin and the Empty Chair by Mem Fox, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Fox creates a folk-tale voice to tell of a goblin who tries to hide himself because of his ugliness, but earns the friendship of a farm family because of the actions he takes to help them. Glorious illustrations perfectly compliment the text.
No! by David McPhail (Roaring Brook, ages 6-10)
Pictures speak louder than text in this near wordless book that recounts the trials of a young boy on the small mission of mailing a letter. Avoiding bullying people and armies are easily connected by the sole word, “No!” and lead to obvious links to discussion.
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little Brown, ages 4-6)
Golden tones predominate as large illustrations stretch across pages to describe jungle panoramas and size differences. Only animal noises serve as text in the Aesop tale of a tiny mouse who rescues an immense lion from hunter’s nets.
Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar! by Bob Barner (Chronicle, ages 4-7)
Young dinosaur lovers (and their parents) learn an amazing fact, that once a butterfly’s ancestors might have flitted by a T-Rex! Colors and text are as alive the species who outlasted dinosaurs.
Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and the Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson, illustrated by Susan Roth (Dial, ages 6-10)
The story that wowed adults come to children as the author tells his story of connection with Pakistani villagers and building the schools they need. Roth’s collages are textural and bright colored.
Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm (Blue Sky Press, ages 5-9)
Vibrant illustrations illuminate children’s understanding of photosynthesis as does the text that’s a conversational chat with the sun that describes the link of plants and man.
Redwoods by Jason Chin (Roaring Brook, ages 6-9)
Possibly the most original non-fiction this year. The text is a straight-forward description of redwood trees, but the illustrations tell a different story as a young boy takes a subway ride that takes him through time and space to better understand these trees.
The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal’s Search for Truth by Susan Rubin, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth (Holiday House, ages 10 and up)
In 1958 Wisenthal attends a moving play about Anne Frank only to hear teenagers outside jeer and deny her existence. In a powerful, emotive telling we learn about his quest to prove her existence, well-woven with the biography of this man who escaped death during the WWII and never forgot his responsibility to future generations.
As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Herschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson illustrated by Raul Colon (Knopf, ages 9 and up)
Both men, raised by parents who let them know they were equal to everyone, had difficult childhoods. The author’s parallels are clear between King facing prejudice in the American South and Jewish Herschel leaving Poland under the threat of Nazi arrival. No surprise that there was a surfeit of power when these two men came together.
The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust by Karen Ruelle, illustrated by Deborah DeSaix (Holiday House, ages 10 and up)
Illustrations stress the beauty of architecture, text accents the caring stories of men and women who worked together to protect Parisian innocents.
Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Scholastic, ages 8-10)
The man who took public risks to integrate baseball, took an even greater risk at home when the non-swimmer walked across ice to make sure it was thick enough for his children to skate. Nelson’s emotive illustrations capture period, man and the tender relationships.
Chicken Little by Rebecca and Ed Emberley (Roaring Brook, ages 3-6)
Bright, bold collages and tongue and cheek text tell the silly story of a foolish chicken who’s hit on the head with an acorn and stirs up his poultry friends to flee—right into the clutches of a Foxy Loxy.
Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins (Candlewick, ages 3-6)
This book has everything you want in first stories. The popular illustrator uses ig, bright illustrations, simple text to retell her favorite classic stories, tales that children can’t miss-- from Red Riding Hood to The Musicians of Bremen.
Persephone written by Sally Clayton and illustrated by Virginia Lee (Eerdmans, ages 7-10)
A sensory retelling of the Greek myth combines with rich, classical illustrations to describe the origin of seasons caused by the kidnapping of the Earth goddess’ beloved daughter.
Building On Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi by Rachel Rodriguez, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Holt, ages 5-9)
A boy born sick becomes an observer of his beautiful natural Catalonia surroundings and grows up to blend the real world with fancy in some of the world’s most beautiful architecture in Barcelona.
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Nelson, illustrated by R.Gregory Christie ( Carolrhoda, ages 7-10)
This African-American hero, too long left out of the history books, comes alive again as the author relates the events of his remarkable life and tells fascinating stories of inventive captures by the ingenious law man.
Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story by Paula Yoo, illustrated by Lin Wang (Lee and Low, ages 8-10)
Turn-of-the-century Chinese-American Anna May Wong fought to make her way from her father’s laundry into film. This only led to decades of work trying to change celluloid stereotyping.
The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer’s Bright Ideas and Brand-new Colors by Chris Barton, illustrated by Ton Persiani (Charlesbridge, ages 8-10)
Black and white illustrations give way to day-glos in the colorful story of two brothers, one headed for doctoring and the other for magic, who combine ingenuities to bring more color into the world.
14 Cows for America by Carmen Deedy (Peachtree, ages 8 and up)
Powerful true story of the Masaai’s response to 9-11. Both visual and text images combine for a startling peek at the global horror of this event.
Most Loved in All the World by Tonya Hegamin (Hougton, ages 8-10)
An unnamed slave child assists her mother in completeing a quilt that will guide others to freedom, only to discover she’s supporting separation from the mother she adores. The startling, tender climax needs a sophisticated listener.
January’s Sparrow by Patricia Polacco (Philomel, ages 8 and up)
This long picture story book begs for family sharing as it tells a story based on the true events of a fugitive slave family searching for a home. Though there’s a happy end, a lot of horrific events occur before.