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)
Blackwood, Sage. Jinx. HarperCollins
Draper, Sharon M. Panic. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Federle, Tim. Better Nate than Ever. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Fusco, Kimberly Newton. Beholding Bee. Alfred A. Knopf
Gewirtz, Adina. Zebra Forest. Candlewick Press
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Gingersnap. Wendy Lamb Books
Graff, Lisa. A Tangle of Knots. Philomel Books
Larson, Kirby. Hattie Ever After. Delacorte Press
MacLachlan, Patricia. White Fur Flying. Margaret K. McElderry Books
McKay, Hilary. Lulu and the Dog from the Sea. Illus. by Priscilla Lamont. Albert Whitman & Company
Singer, Nicky. Under Shifting Glass. Chronicle Books
Spinelli, Jerry. Hokey Pokey. Alfred A. Knopf
Timberlake, Amy. One Came Home. Alfred A. Knopf
Urban, Linda. The Center of Everything. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Vanderpool, Clare. Navigating Early. Delacorte Press
PICTURE BOOKS
Bean, Jonathan. Building Our House. Illus. by the author. Farrar Straus Giroux
Browne, Anthony. One Gorilla: A Counting Book. Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press
Fleischman, Paul. The Matchbox Diary. Illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline. Candlewick Press
Folgueira, Rodrigo. Ribbit!Illus. by Poly Bernatene. Alfred A. Knopf
Gravett, Emily. Again!Illus. by the author. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Hanson, Warren. It’s Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones! Illus. by Tricia Tusa. Beach Lane Books
Henkes, Kevin. Penny and Her Marble. Illus. by the author. Greenwillow Books
Klausmeier, Jesse. Open This Little Book. Illus. by Suzy Lee. Chronicle Books
Leathers, Philippa. The Black Rabbit. Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press
McClure, Nikki. How to Be a Cat. Illus. by the author. Abrams Books for Young Readers
Meshon, Aaron. Take Me Out to the Yakyu. Illus. by the author. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pett, Mark. The Boy and the Airplane. Illus. by the author. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Exclamation Mark. Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic Press
Sheth, Kashmira. Tiger in My Soup. Illus. by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Peachtree Publishers
Snicket, Lemony. The Dark. Illus. by Jon Klassen. Little, Brown & Co.
Staake, Bob. Bluebird. Illus. by the author. Schwartz & Wade Books
Thong, Roseanne. Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes. Illus. by John Parra. Chronicle Books
Van Lieshout, Maria. Flight 1-2-3. Illus. by the author. Chronicle Books
Willems, Mo. That Is Not a Good Idea! Illus. by the author. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
INFORMATIONAL PICTURE BOOKS
Coy, John. Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball. Illus. by Joe Morse. Carolrhoda Books
Markle, Sandra. The Long, Long Journey: The Godwit’s Amazing Migration. Illus. by Mia Posada. Millbrook Press
Skead, Robert. Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda Books
Smith, Charles R. Brick by Brick. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Amistad /HarperCollins Children’s Books
Stockdale, Susan. Stripes of All Types. Illus. by the author. Peachtree Publishers
Weitekamp, Margaret A. Pluto’s Secret: An Icy World’s Tale of Discovery. Illus. by Diane Kidd. Abrams Books for Young Readers
NONFICTION POETRY
Lewis, J. Patrick. When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders. Illus. by Jim Burke. Chronicle Books
Prelutsky, Jack. Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems. Illus. by Carin Berger. Greenwillow Books
Worth, Valerie. Pug and Other Animal Poems. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Farrar Straus Giroux
NONFICTION BIOGRAPHY
Berne, Jennifer. On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein.Illus. by Vladimir Radunsky. Chronicle Books
Bryant, Jennifer. A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Alfred A. Knopf
Cheng, Andrea. Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet. Illus. by the author. Lee & Low Books
Freedman, Russell. Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty. Holiday House
Markel, Michelle. Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Balzer + Bray
Nelson, Kadir. Nelson Mandela. Illus. by the author. Katherine Tegen Books
Rubin, Susan Goldman. Diego Rivera: An Artist For the People. Abrams Books for Young Readers
Tavares, Matt. Becoming Babe Ruth. Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press
Winter, Jonah. You Never Heard of Willie Mays?! Illus. by Terry Widener. Schwartz & Wade Books
NONFICTION
Fradin, Judith Bloom and Dennis Brindell Fradin. The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery. Illus. by Eric Velasquez. Walker Books for Young Readers
Moss, Marissa. Barbed Wire Baseball. Illus. by Yuko Shimizu. Abrams Books for Young Readers
Sheinkin, Steve. Lincoln’s Grave Robbers. Scholastic Press
Stone, Tanya Lee. Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles : America’s First Black Paratroopers. Candlewick Press
The Notables Children’s Books committee will be meeting Saturday, Sunday and Monday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. The discussions will take place in the Waldorf Room in the Hilton Chicago. The books will be discussed in the order they are on the list.
Pingback: 2013 Mid-year ALSC Blog Report | ALSC Blog