The ALSC Notable Children’s Books committee is charged with identifying the best of the best in children’s books. According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.
If you’re like me, you have been eagerly anticipating the list of titles to be discussed at the Annual Conference. Here it is!
FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION GRAPHIC NOVELS AND FICTION VERSE NOVELS)
Applegate, Katherine. The One and Only Ivan. Illus. by Patricia Castelao. HarperCollins Children’s Books
Bell, Juliet. Kepler’s Dream. G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Clifton, Lutricia. Freaky Fast Frankie Joe. Holiday House
Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Mighty Miss Malone. Wendy Lamb Books
DiCamillo, Kate and Alison McGhee. Bink and Gollie: Two For One. Illus. by Tony Fucile. Candlewick Press
Fitzmaurice, Kathryn. A Diamond in the Desert. Viking Children’s Books
Horvath, Polly. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny– detectives extraordinaire! Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Schwartz & Wade Books
Ibbotson, Eva. One Dog and his Boy. Scholastic Press
Levine, Kristin. The Lions of Little Rock. G. P. Putnam’s Sons
MacLachlan, Patricia. Kindred Souls. Katherine Tegen Books
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. No Crystal Stair: a documentary novel of the life of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. Carolrhoda Lab
Palacio, R.J. Wonder. Alfred A. Knopf
Rose, Caroline Starr. May B. Schwartz & Wade Books
Turnage, Sheila. Three Times Lucky. Dial Books for Young Readers
Wright, Barbara. Crow. Random House
PICTURE BOOKS
Barnett, Mac. Extra Yarn. Illus. by Jon Klassen. Balzer & Bray
Bingham, Kelly. Z is for Moose. Greenwillow
Buzzeo, Toni. One Cool Friend. Illus. by David Small. Dial Books for Young Readers
Davies, Nicola. Just Ducks. Illus. by Salvatore Rubbino. Candlewick Press
Evans, Shane W. We March. Roaring Brook Press
Fogliano, Julie. And Then It’s Spring. Illus. by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook Press
Graham, Bob. A Bus Called Heaven. Candlewick Press
Haughton, Chris . Oh, No George! Candlewick Press
Khan, Hena. Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: a Muslim book of colors. Illus. by Mehrdokht Amini. Chronicle Books
Rogers, Gregory. The Hero of Little Street. Roaring Brook Press
Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Green. Roaring Brook Press
Stoeke, Janet Morgan. Pip’s Trip. Dial Books for Young Readers
Sutton, Sally. Demolition. Illus. by Brian Lovelock. Candlewick Press
Willems, Mo. Duckling gets a cookie!? Hyperion Books for Children
INFORMATIONAL PICTURE BOOKS
Judge, Lita. Bird Talk: what birds are saying and why. RB Flash Point
Lang, Heather. Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman: Olympic high-jump champion. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Boyds Mills Press
Muntean, Michaela. Stay: the true story of ten dogs. Illus. by K.C. Bailey and Stephen Kazmierski Scholastic Press
Potter, Alicia. Mrs. Harkness and the Panda. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Alfred A. Knopf
Rosenstock, Barb. The Camping Trip That Changed America: Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir and our National Parks. Illus. by Mordicai Gerstein. Dial Books for Young Readers
Winter, Jonah. Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! Illus. by Kevin Hawkes. Arthur A. Levine Books
NONFICTION POETRY
Coombs, Kate. Water Sings Blue: ocean poems. Illus. by Meilo So. Chronicle Books
Davies, Nicola. Outside Your Window: A first book of nature. Illus. by Mark Hearld. Candlewick Press
Elliott, David. In The Sea. Illus. by Holly Meade. Candlewick Press
Frost, Helen. Step Gently Out. Candlewick Press
Grady, Cynthia. I Lay My Stitches Down: poems of American slavery. Illus. by Michele Wood. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Hoberman, Mary Ann, selector. Forget-Me-Nots: poems to learn by heart. Illus. by Michael Emberley. Megan Tingley Books
Shange, Ntozake. Freedom’s a-calling me. Illus. by Rod Brown. Amistad
Singer, Marilyn. A Stick is an Excellent Thing: poems celebrating outdoor play. Illus. by LeUyen Pham. Clarion Books
NONFICTION BIOGRAPHY
Blumenthal, Karen. Steve Jobs: the man who thought different. Feiwel and Friends
Close, Chuck. Chuck Close: Face Book. Abrams Books for Young Readers
Kamkwamba, William and Bryan Mealer. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Dial Books for Young Readers
McKissack, Patricia C. and Fredrick L. McKissack, Jr. Best Shot in the West: the adventures of Nat Love. Illus. by Randy DuBurke. Chronicle Books
Montgomery, Sy. Temple Grandin: how the girl who loved cows embraced autism and changed the world. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
NONFICTION
Burns, Loree Griffin. Citizen Scientists: be a part of scientific discovery from your own backyard. Henry Holt
Hopkinson, Deborah. Titanic: voices from the disaster. Scholastic Press
Jenkins, Steve. The Beetle Book. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Levinson, Cynthia. We’ve got a job: the 1963 Birmingham Children’s March. Peachtree Publishers
Swain, Gwenyth. Hope and Tears: Ellis Island voices. Calkins Creek
Wadsworth, Ginger. First Girl Scout: the life of Juliette Gordon Low. Clarion Books
The Notables Children’s Books committee will be meeting Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoons from 1:30 to 4:30 during the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim. The meeting room is in the Hilton, El Capitan Room. The books will be discussed in the order they are on the list.