The 2012 Notable Children’s Books Committee, chaired by Kathy Isaacs, has been hard at work all year reading, re-reading, & evaluating books published in the 2011 calendar year to arrive at a list of nominated titles.
Notable Children’s Books 2012— Nominated Titles
(Titles in italics were discussed in June at the Annual Conference and will be briefly reviewed after Midwinter discussions are complete.)
FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION GRAPHIC NOVELS AND FICTION VERSE NOVELS)
Barnhill, Kelly Regan. The Mostly True Story of Jack. Little, Brown
Bauer, Joan. Close to Famous. Viking Childrens Books
Billingsley, Franny. Chime. Dial Books for Young Readers
Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks at Point Mouette. Alfred A. Knopf
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. Jefferson’s Sons: A Founding Father’s Secret Children. Dial Books for Young Readers
Brooks, Martha. Queen of Hearts. Farrar Straus Giroux
Brosgol, Vera. Anya’s Ghost. First Second
Burgis, Stephanie. Kat, Incorrigible. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Christopher, Lucy. Flyaway. Chicken House
Cottrell Boyce, Frank. The Unforgotten Coat. Illus. by Carl Hunter and Clare Heney. Candlewick Press
Deedy, Carmen Agra and Randall Wright. The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale. Illus. by Barry Moser. Peachtree
Ellis, Deborah. No Ordinary Day. Groundwood
Engle, Margarita. Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. Henry Holt
Frost, Helen. Hidden. Farrar Straus Giroux
Gantos, Jack. Dead End in Norvelt. Farrar Straus Giroux
Gleitzman, Morris. Then. Henry Holt
Gourlay, Candy. Tall Story. David Fickling Books
Hatke, Ben. Zita the Spacegirl. Illus. by Ben Hatke. First Second
Henkes, Kevin. Junonia. Greenwillow Books
Ibbotson, Eva. The Ogre of Oglefort. Illus. by Lisa K. Weber. Dutton Children’s Books
Holm, Jennifer L. The Trouble with May Amelia. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Kent, Trilby. Stones for My Father. Tundra Books of Northern New York
Lai, Thanhha. Inside out and Back Again. HarperCollins
Lewis, Gill. Wild Wings. Illus. by Yuta Onoda. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Magoon, Kekla. Camo Girl. Aladdin
Mason, Simon. Moon Pie. David Fickling Books
Mccall, Guadalupe Garcia. Under the Mesquite. Lee & Low Books
Mckissack, Pat. Never Forgotten. Illus. by Leo and Diane Dillon. Schwartz & Wade Books
Ness, Patrick. A Monster Calls. Candlewick Press
Noe, Katherine L. Schlick. Something to Hold. Clarion Books
Oliver, Lauren. Liesl & Po. Illus. by Kei Acedera. HarperCollins Children’s Books
Peck, Richard. Secrets at Sea. Illus. by Kelly Murphy. Dial Books for Young Readers
Reinhardt, Dana. The Summer I Learned to Fly. Wendy Lamb Books
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Secret River. Illus. by Leo and Diane Dillon. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Reedy, Trent. Words in the Dust. Arthur A. Levine Books
Schmatz, Pat. Bluefish. Candlewick Press
Schmidt, Gary D. Okay for Now. Clarion Books
Selznick, Brian. Wonderstruck. Illus. by Brian Selznick. Scholastic
Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. Philomel Books
Shang, Wendy Wan Long. The Great Wall of Lucy Wu. Scholastic Press
Stephens, John. The Emerald Atlas. Alfred A. Knopf
Sternberg, Julie. Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie. Illus. by Matthew Cordell. Amulet Books
Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. Scholastic Press
Thomson, Holly. Orchards. Delacorte Press
Ursu, Anne. Breadcrumbs. Illus. by Erin McGuire. Walden Pond Press
Venkatraman, Padma. Island’s End. G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Voigt, Cynthia. Young Fredle. Illus. by Louise Yates. Alfred A. Knopf
Wolitzer, Meg. The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman. Dutton Childrens Books
Wynne-Jones, Tim. Blink & Caution. Candlewick Press
PICTURE BOOKS
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Naamah and the Ark at Night. Illus. by Holly Meade. Candlewick Press
Bently, Peter. King Jack and the Dragon. Illus. by Helen Oxenbury. Dial Books for Young Readers
Blackall, Sophie. Are You Awake? Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Henry Holt
Clement, Nathan. Job Site. Illus. by Nathan Clement. Boyds Mills Press
Crum, Shutta. Mine! Illus. by Patrice Barton. Alfred A. Knopf
Cunnane, Kelly. Chirchir Is Singing. Illus. by Jude Daly. Schwartz & Wade Books
Compestine, Ying Chang. The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale. Illus. by Sebastií Serra. Dutton Children’s Books
Czekaj, Jef. Cat Secrets. Illus. by Jef Czekaj. Balzer + Bray
Daly, Cathleen. Prudence Wants a Pet. Illus. by Stephen Michael King. Roaring Brook Press
Deacon, Alexis. A Place to Call Home. Illus. by Viviane Schwarz. Candlewick Press
Devernay, Laetitia. The Conductor. Illus. by Laetitia Devernay. Chronicle
Dunklee, Annika. My Name Is Elizabeth! Illus. by Matthew Forsythe. Kids Can Press
Ehlert, Lois. Rrralph. Illus. by Lois Ehlert. Beach Lane Books
Evans, Shane. Underground. Illus. by Shane Evans. Roaring Brook Press
Goodrich, Carter. Say Hello to Zorro! Illus. by Carter Goodrich. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Hall, Michael. Perfect Square. Illus. by Michael Hall. Greenwillow Books
Henkes, Kevin. Little White Rabbit. Illus. by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books
Intriago, Patricia. Dot. Illus. by Patricia Intriago. Farrar Straus Giroux
Klassen, Jon. I Want My Hat Back. Illus. by Jon Klassen. Candlewick Press
Lamb, Albert. Tell Me the Day Backwards. Illus. by David McPhail. Candlewick Press
Latimer, Alex. The Boy Who Cried Ninja. Illus. by Alex Latimer. Peachtree
Lehman, Barbara. The Secret Box. Illus. by Barbara Lehman. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Lichtenheld, Tom. E-Mergency. Illus. by Ezra Fields-Meyer. Chronicle Books
Mason, Margaret H. These Hands. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Mcguirk, Leslie. If Rocks Could Sing: A Discovered Alphabet. Illus. by Leslie McGuirk. Tricycle Press
Medina, Meg. Tí¬a Isa Wants a Car. Illus. by Claudio Muñoz. Candlewick Press
Maclachlan, Patricia and Emily Maclachlan Charest. Before You Came. Illus. by David Diaz. Katherine Tegen Books
Park, Linda Sue. The Third Gift. Illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Clarion Books
Pearson, Susan. How to Teach a Slug to Read. Illus. by David Slonim. Marshall Cavendish Children’s
Ray, Mary Lyn. Stars. Illus. by Marla Frazee. Beach Lane Books
Rinker, Sherri Duskey. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle Books
Rocco, John. Blackout. Illus. by John Rocco. Hyperion Books for Children
Rohmann, Eric. Bone Dog. Illus. by Eric Rohmann. Roaring Brook Press
Savage, Stephen. Where’s Walrus? Illus. by Stephen Savage. Scholastic
Shea, Susan A. Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? Illus. by Tom Slaughter. Blue Apple Books
Smith, Lane. Grandpa Green. Illus. by Lane Smith. Roaring Brook Press
Tan, Shaun. Lost & Found. Illus. by Shaun Tan. Arthur A. Levine Books
Trottier, Maxine. Migrant. Illus. by Isabelle Arsenault. Groundwood Books
Tullet, Hervé. Press Here. Illus. by Hervé Tullet, translated by Christopher Franschelli. Handprint Books/Chronicle
Underwood, Deborah. The Loud Book! Illus. by Renata Liwska. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Vamos, Samantha R. The Cazuela That the Farm Maiden Stirred. Illus. by Rafael Lí³pez. Charlesbridge
Wadham, Tim. The Queen of France. Illus. by Kady MacDonald Denton. Candlewick Press
Wardlaw, Lee. Won-Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. Illus. by Eugene Yelchin. Henry Holt
Wild, Margaret. Harry and Hopper. Illus. by Freya Blackwood. Feiwel & Friends
Willems, Mo. Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! Illus. by Mo Willems. Balzer + Bray
Willems, Mo. Should I Share My Ice Cream? Illus. by Mo Willems. Hyperion Books for Children
Yu, Li Qiong. A New Year’s Reunion: A Chinese Story. Illus. by Zhu Chen Liang Candlewick Press
FOLKLORE AND MYTHOLOGY
Arni, Samhita. Sita’s Ramayana. Illus. by Moyna Chitrakar. Groundwood
Burkert, Rand. Mouse & Lion. Illus. by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. di Capua/Scholastic
Napoli, Donna Jo. Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters. Illus. by Christina Balit. National Geographic Society
Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists. Illus. by Patrick McDonnell … et al. First Second
INFORMATIONAL PICTURE BOOKS
Arnosky, Jim. Thunder Birds: Nature’s Flying Predators. Illus. by Jim Arnosky. Sterling
Aston, Dianna Hutts. A Butterfly Is Patient. Illus. by Sylvia Long. Chronicle Books
Aston, Dianna Hutts. Dream Something Big : The Story of the Watts Towers. Illus. by Susan L.Roth. Dial Books for Young Readers
Brown, Don. America Is under Attack : September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell. Illus. by Don Brown. Roaring Brook Press
Burleigh, Robert. Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic. Illus. by Wendell Minor. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Capaldi, Gina and Q. L. Pearce. Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Å a, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist. Illus. by Gina Capaldi. Carolrhoda Books
Drummond, Allan. Energy Island. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Harris, Robie H. Who Has What? All About Girls’ Bodies and Boys’ Bodies. Illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Candlewick Press
Jenkins, Martin. Can We Save the Tiger? Illus. by Vicky White. Candlewick Press
Jenkins, Steve. Just a Second. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Lyon, George Ella. All the Water in the World. Illus. by Katherine Tillotson. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Macy, Sue. Basketball Belles: How Two Teams and One Scrappy Player Put Women’s Hoops on the Map. Illus. by Matt Collins. Holiday House
Martin, Bill. Ten Little Caterpillars. Illus. by Lois Ehlert. Beach Lane Books
McDonnell, Patrick. Me– Jane. Illus. by Patrick McDonnell. Little, Brown
Messner, Kate. Over and under the Snow. Illus. by Kate Messner. Chronicle Books
Ogburn, Jacqueline K. Little Treasures: Endearments from around the World. Illus. by Christopher Raschka. Houghton Mifflin
Peña, Matt de la. A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. Illus. by Kadir Nelson. Dial Books for Young Readers
Roth, Susan L. and Cindy Trumbore. The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families. Illus. by Susan L. Roth. Lee & Low Books
Say, Allen. Drawing from Memory. Illus. by Allen Say. Scholastic Press
Sidman, Joyce. Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature. Illus. by Beth Krommes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Stockdale, Susan. Bring on the Birds. Illus. by Susan Stockdale. Peachtree
Sweet, Melissa. Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Van Allsburg, Chris. Queen of the Falls. Illus. by Chris Van Allsburg. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Winter, Jeanette. The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps. Illus. by Jeanette Winter. Schwartz & Wade Books
Yezerski, Thomas. Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story. Illus. by Thomas F. Yezerski. Farrar, Straus, Giroux
Young, Ed and Libby Koponen. The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China. Illus. by Ed Young. Little, Brown and Co.
NONFICTION POETRY
George, Kristine O’Connell. Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems. Illus. by Nancy Carpenter. Clarion Books
Greenfield, Eloise. The Great Migration: Journey to the North. Illus. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. HarperCollins Children’s Books
Raczka, Bob. Lemonade, and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word. Illus. by Nancy Doniger. Roaring Brook Press
Yolen, Jane. Birds of a Feather. Illus. by Jason Stemple. Wordsong
NONFICTION BIOGRAPHY
Bragg, Georgia. How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous. Illus. by Kevin O’Malley. Walker & Co.
Fleming, Candace. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Schwartz & Wade Books
McClafferty, Carla Killough. The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon. Carolrhoda Books
Rubin, Susan Goldman. Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein. Charlesbridge
Sullivan, George. Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature. Clarion Books
NONFICTION
Blumenthal, Karen. Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition. Roaring Brook Press
Downer, Ann. Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication. Twenty-First Century Books
Galbraith, Kathryn Osebold. Planting the Wild Garden. Illus. by Wendy Anderson Halperin. Peachtree
Lourie, Peter. The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Marrin, Albert. Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy. Alfred A. Knopf
Nelson, Kadir. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans. Illus. by Kadir Nelson. Balzer + Bray
O’Connell, Caitlin and Donna M. Jackson. The Elephant Scientist. Illus. by Caitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwell. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Pringle, Laurence. Billions of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Boyds Mills Press
Ross, Stewart. Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air. Illus. by Stephen Biesty. Candlewick Press
Schanzer, Rosalyn. Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem. Illus. by Rosalyn Schanzer. National Geographic Society
Scott, Elaine. Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw. Clarion Books
Thompson, Ruth. Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust. Candlewick Press
Vanhecke, Susan. Raggin’, Jazzin’, Rockin’ : American Musical Instrument Makers. Boyds Mills Press
Walker, Sally M. Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917. Henry Holt
Webb, Sophie. Far from Shore: A Naturalist Explores the Deep Ocean. Illus. by Sophie Webb. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ALA attendees are invited to observe the discussions which will be held at the ALA Midwinter Conference on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 1:30 to 4:30 in Room A115/117 in the Dallas Convention Center. Final selections will be made after these discussions.
Kim Tomsic
This is a fantastic list. Thank you for putting it together.
Cheers,
Kim
http://www.bookshelfdetective.org
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Josh
How do you go about submitting a book for next year? I wrote a children’s book that aims to help young children with their fear of the dark.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008THLJGA
“Janko and the Darkness”
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