ALA Annual 2013

Notable Children’s Books Nominees — Summer 2013 #ala2013

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.

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