Caldecott Award and Honor Winning Books

Allsburg, Chris Van. (1985). The Polar Express. New York: Houghton Mifflin
            Company.

            A wonderful Christmas tale that is read time and time again every Christmas and was even made into a movie. It is a tale about a child and his strong will to always believe in Santa. After getting the chance to ride the Polar Express he knows he much obtain something to prove to himself and others that St.Nick does indeed exist. It is a tale that can be enjoyed by both young and old and teaches everyone that we must not lose our Christmas spirit.

Idle, Molly. (2013). Flora and the Flamingo. California: Chronicle Books,
            LLC.

A tall and elegant flamingo meets a stumpy but sweet little girl named Flora. Flora imitates the flamingo’s movements which can be charmingly seen throughout the wordless story’s lift-the-flap illustrations. The flamingo notices her imitating moves and squawks at her angrily to leave, which Flora does. The flamingo feels guilty and invites her back and a magical and graceful dance ensues. Idle also has another similar book named “Flora and the Penguin”.         

Klassen, Jon. (2012). This is not my hat. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

            “This Is Not My Hat” is the follow-up to another Klassen bestseller, “I Want My Hat Back”.  A small and cocky little fish steals a hat from a much bigger sleeping fish and thinks he will not get caught. The reader will have fun looking at the words and seeing the picture that is displaying quite the opposite. The illustrations portray the underwater habitat of these fish quite beautifully.

McCloskey, Robert. (1948). Blueberries for Sal. New York: Puffin Books.

            One of McClosky’s many classics is “Blueberries for Sal”. As Sal and her mother are busy picking blueberries to make into preserves for the winter, Sal starts snacking on one too many. Her mother tells her to go to the other side to pick some more on her own. Little do both know that a baby bear and mother bear are doing the same thing as them; preparing for winter. Sal wanders off and so does the baby bear and they end up with the wrong mothers. They of course end up back with their own respective mothers and their blueberries in such an endearing way.

McCloskey, Robert. (1941). Make Way for Ducklings. New York: Puffin Books.

            A very sweet story of parenting and family, “Make Way for Ducklings” stands the test of time. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard try to find a safe home for their offspring but they just cannot find one that meets all their requirements. That is until they reach Boston and find a pond that meets all their requirements and more. What makes the story even better is that the places in Boston that are mentioned in the story are places that do exist in real life.

Reynolds, Aaron. (2012). Creepy Carrots. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for
            Young Readers.

            Creepy Carrots is indeed quite a creepy yet humorously entertaining story of Jasper Rabbit. He has grown a bit of an obsession with the carrots that grew in Crackenhopper Field. He ate them all day and every day, almost without stopping. After some time he starts getting the strange feeling that he is being followed by carrots from that field. He starts seeing them everywhere but no one believes him. His paranoia drives him to develop a plan to get the creepy carrots from following him anymore. The ending is quite happy for both Jasper Rabbit and the carrots.

Rylant, Cynthia. (1985). The Relatives Came. New York: Aladdin Books.

            In the story a family from Virginia sets off to visit their relatives. The narrator of the story talks about all the fun things they did when their relatives came over to visit. Although it broke their normal daily routine, they very much liked having a full house of fun and loving relatives. After their relatives go back to their home in Virginia, both families reflect on all the fun they had during those weeks and can’t wait for next summer to see each other again.

Rylant, Cynthia. (1982). When I Was Young in the Mountains. New York: Dutton’s
            Children’s Books.

            A girl reminisces and describes how much she enjoyed spending her childhood living in the mountains. She describes all the things she did with her grandparents and her brother. Such things are pumping water into pails, her cousin getting baptized at the watering hole and walking through cow pasture to get to certain places.

Say, Allen. (1993). Grandfather’s Journey. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

            Say's book describes the story of a Japanese man who came to explore America. It is a tale of immigration and acculturation, sensitively and beautifully told. After he moves to the United States, time passes and he builds his family there but his heart still yearns for his homeland. At some point his desire to return gets the best of him and he goes back to the small village where he was born. Some more time passes and as he begins to grow old he starts to miss his life in America. He starts to plan the trip back when disaster strikes and the war begins and he is no longer able to return.

Williams, Vera B. (1982). A Chair for my Mother. New York: Greenwillow Books.

  

         
This very life-like story describes the hard-work and effort to save up enough spare change to be able to buy an armchair. An armchair may seem like a luxury but it is something they both really want and need after all their furniture was destroyed in a fire. The story demonstrates a strong family bond and working together to achieve something they so desperately wan

Geisel Award and Honor Winning Books

Ackerman, Judy Ann. (2008). Chicken said “Cluck!”. New York: HarperCollins
            Publishers.

            Two kids, Pearl and Earl, decide to grow a pumpkin patch one day. Throughout the process of growing their pumpkin patch they receive some unwanted help from a chicken. Pearl and Earl spend their days telling the chicken “shoo shoo” until their garden becomes infested with grasshopper. With the chicken’s help they manage to get rid of the grasshopper plague. Pearl and Earl give the chicken a grand reward for its help.

Beaumont, Karen. (2006). Move Over, Rover. Florida: Harcourt Books.  

            Rover finds himself lonely and bored one day. Suddenly a thunderous storm comes in and one by one all the animals in his yard start to barge into his doghouse to save themselves from the rain which Rover is not too pleased about. This book is great for rhyming and sequencing which helps when having young children reading along with you. It would also make a great book to use with puppets or flannel board pieces.

 

Bloom, Suzanne. (2005). A Splendid Friend, Indeed. Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills
            Press, Inc.

            This sweet and charming book is about an eager-for-attention goose and a studious yet slightly annoyed polar bear. The goose tries to interact with the bear while he is studying and he looks slightly aggravated by the distracting goose’s attempts. It is not until the goose describes the bear as his friend that the bear obliges and joins the goose for a snack between friends. Bloom’s book, although a children’s book,  is great for adults as well as it serves as a reminder that sometimes our young ones want to share their world with us and we’re sometimes too busy in ours. 

Henkes, Kevin. (2013). Penny and her marble. New York: HarperCollins Children’s
            Books

            You may find “Penny and her marble” quite familiar due to the illustrations. “Chrysanthemum” author Kevin Henkes delights with yet another sweet little mouse named Penny. On a walk with her doll Rose, Penny finds the most beautiful blue marble in neighbor’s yard. She takes it home but she start feeling guilty because she feels like she may have stolen it. The guilt makes her noticeably uneasy throughout the story. At the end of the story she returns the marble only to have it properly given to her as a gift from her neighbor.

 

Klassen, Jon. (2011). I want my hat back. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press

            A big brown bear is heartbroken after losing his hat. He goes around asking all the animals he runs across to but nobody has seen his hat. A fellow animal friend sees the big brown is just so sad and asks what has him so down. It isn’t until he is asked what the hat looks like that he recalls that it is not lost but that it was stolen instead. He not only realizes it was stolen but knows exactly who did it. A funny story with an even funnier ending.

Litwin, Eric. (2012). Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. New York:
            HarperCollins Children’s Books.

            Oh so positive Pete the cat is quite chipper about his four groovy buttons on his shirt. As the day goes by he starts to lose his buttons, one by one. Instead of crying and being sad about the loss of his buttons he continues to sing his button song. This book offers a lot of repetition that is useful for choral reading or beginning readers. It is also helpful when going over math skills such as numbers and basic subtraction.

Long, Ethan. (2012). Up, Tall, and High. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group

            “Up, Tall and High” features three short stories: one for up, one for tall and one for high. The characters are all birds and they are comparing themselves throughout the story by who is up, who is taller and who is higher. It also features open and close flaps that add more to the up, tall and high of the story. The frequent use of sight words throughout the story make this an excellent beginners’ book.

Pizzoli, Greg. (2013). The Watermelon Seed. New York: Disney Hyperion Books.

            In the story, a crocodile absolutely loves eating watermelon. He eats it all day, every day ever since he can remember. One day he accidentally eats a seed and he goes into a panic, imagining all the dreadful things that can happen while the seed grows into a watermelon in his stomach. The vocabulary is simple and the font is big and clear which makes for a great for a beginner’s reading book.

Willems, Mo. (2011). I Broke My Trunk. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

            One of many “Elephant and Piggie” books from Mo Willems and this time Elephant ends up breaking his trunk. When Gerald the Pig looks at his bandaged trunk he immediately asks what happened to it. Elephant explains it will be quite a long story but Pig is still eager to know what happened. Elephant’s story is indeed but still so funny and crazy like their usual adventures and stories.

Willems, Mo. (2007). There Is a Bird on Your Head! New York: Hyperion Books for
            Children.

            “There Is a Bird on Your Head” is just one of many books from Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series. In this particular book Elephant keeps asking Piggie if he has a bird on his head which Piggie delightfully responds with a yes. Throughout the course of the story Piggie informs Elephant of all other things that start to make a home on his head. Willems’ comical writing is sure to bring a chuckle to anyone, especially if you already like his Pigeon series.

Pura Belpre Award and Medal Books

Ancona, George. (2010). Ole! Flamenco! New York: Lee & Low, Inc.

            Ancona’s book “Ole! Flamenco!” is an informative book about the history and origins of flamenco dancing. It provides a very clear compare and contrast of how flamenco was before and how it is now. Ancona also includes many illustrations of flamenco in history and colorful photographs of flamenco dancing now. He includes a glossary of Spanish terms used in flamenco dancing at the end of the book as well as a section citing his sources used.

Deedy, Carmen Agra. (2007). Martina the Beautiful Cockroach. Georgia: Peachtree
            Publishers.

            This Cuban folktale is charmingly retold by author Carmen Agra Deedy. A beautiful cockroach, Martina, is ready to be wed and is in the pursuit of a husband. Her Cuban grandmother suggests she do “The Coffee Test” to all her suitors. Doing so would create a process of elimination when she would see how they would react towards her after she spilled the hot coffee at their feet. The story is a cute rendition of wisdom and tradition.

Perez, L. King. (2002). First Day in Grapes. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc.

            The main character, Chico Padilla, is a third grader that arrives at a new school after his migrant family moves to California to harvest grapes. He overcomes the school bullies on his first day there by using his superb math skills and self-confidence (brought on by his mother) to show them who is the greater opponent. His actions earn him the respect of his teacher and his peers and therefore makes it for a great first day of school.

Mora, Pat. (2009). Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s/Book Day. New York:
            HarperCollins Children’s Books.

            Pat Mora wrote this very colorful bilingual book to celebrate Children’s Day which is typically celebrated in Mexico on April 30 every year. He liked the idea so much that he decided it’d be even better to make it a Book Day as well to celebrate children and children’s literature. At the end of the book the author offers suggestions on how to make your own “Book Fiesta” for Children’s/Book Day which he hopes would, as he states, “grow a nation of readers”.

Mora, Pat. (2009). Gracias,Thanks. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc.

            In this bilingual book by Pat Mora we see a young boy who recounts his daily blessings throughout the day for which he is thankful for. This book is great as a lesson for children and adults alike that may sometimes need a small gentle reminder to be grateful for what we have. It would also be a great story to read during Thanksgiving to a class to remind students to be thankful for moments and memories, not just material things.  

Morales, Yuyi. (2013). Niño Wrestles the World. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

            Niño, a self-proclaimed Lucha Libre luchador, uses his wild imagination to wrestle his opponents such as an alien, mummy, ghost, and an ancient sculpture. He beats them in the funniest and most clever ways until he meets his toughest opponents, his baby sisters. The story is not fully bilingual but does contain some Spanish words and also includes a small history of “lucha libre” at the end of the story.  

Tafolla, Carmen. (2008). What Can You Do With a Rebozo? California: Tricycle
            Press.

            A young Mexican girl explains the many different things she and her family do with a rebozo, a long and wide shawl. The author includes a small history of “rebozos” and invites the reader to think of what they’d do with one. Author Carmen Tafolla has another similar book called “What Can You Do With a Paleta?” or a popsicle.        

Tonatiuh, Duncan. (2010). Dear Primo: A Letter to my Cousin. New York: Abrams
            Books for Young Readers.

            Letters are sent back and forth between cousins with one cousin living in Mexico and the other living in the United States. They compare and contrast their daily lives and traditions as children in their respective countries. You can definitely see the cultural differences within similar children’s activities. The author also uses Spanish words to emphasize what the cousin in Mexico is saying. Tonatiuh also includes a short glossary of Spanish words at the end of the book along with a note from himself briefly describing his childhood as a Mexican American.

Tonatiuh, Duncan. (2013). Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale. New
            York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

            This tale is about Pancho Rabbit and his family whose father left to the North to be a migrant worker along with some other family friends. When Pancho Rabbit’s father and friends do not arrive for their welcome back party, Pancho gets worried and takes off to find him. He reaches the North with the help of a sneaky and sly coyote but then trouble arises. This story demonstrates the hardships and dangers that some migrant workers face when crossing the border.

Tonatiuh, Duncan. (2014). Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and her Family’s Fight for Desegregation. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.

 

            Based on true events, Tonatiuh wrote this book to describe the hardships that Sylvia Mendez suffered through as a child when faced with racism and segregation in the public education system. Due to her skin color and Mexican background Sylvia and her siblings were not allowed to enroll at the surrounding school and instead were sent to “the Mexican school”. Although she was not denied an education the school she was allowed to enroll at in the state of California was far inferior to the nearby school where White children could go. She describes the legal battles that her parents faced to fight for desegregation in public schools. The book also includes an author’s note with more details about the 1940s Mendez v. Westminster School District court case

Some of NYT's Bestsellers of 2014

Litwin, Eric. (1999). Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes!. New York:
            HarperCollins Children’s Books

            In this book Pete the Cat owns some white shoes that he is so fond of that he even sings a song about them. He walks down piles of various things, changing the color of his shoes. Although his shoes are no longer white he is still happy and singing his song. The author states the moral of the story at the end that “no matter what you step in, keep walking along and singing your song because it’s all good”.

Long, Loren. (2014). Otis and the Scarecrow. New York: Philomel Books.

            This book is about a happy and cheerful farm tractor named Otis that notices the farmer put a scarecrow in the cornfield. The tractor along with the rest of the farm animals wonder why the scarecrow always has a sour look on his face. Despite differences in personality, Otis and the rest of the farm animals try to befriend the sour-looking and lonely scarecrow anyways. It is a great book to teach children about accepting and respecting other’s differences.

Novak, B.J. (2014). The Book With No Pictures. New York: Dial Books for Young
            Readers.

            Written by writer, actor, director, and executive producer B.J Novak comes the funny and silly book “The Book With No Pictures”. The book itself stands true to its name. It has no pictures or even color and has bright text only in a few pages. The book revolves around the use of silly onomatopoeia. The book is meant to be read aloud by an equally silly adult with an audience of children to really bring out the hilariousness of the book.   

Richards, Keith. (2014). Gus and Me: The Story of my Granddad and my
            First Guitar. New York: Hachette Book Group.

            “Gus and Me” is about Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards as a child and his grandfather Gus. Richards describes his walks around England and visits to musical instrument repair shops to see how instruments of all sorts were made or repaired. These shop visits sparked an interest in music and his first instrument was a guitar given to him by his grandfather, Gus. Richards practiced and practiced with his grandfather until he learned how to play the classic piece “Malagueña” written by Ernesto Lecuona.

Rinker, Sherri Duskey. (2011). Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site.
            California: Chronicle Books, LLC.

            Pieces of construction equipment such as a crane truck, a cement truck, a dump truck and many others describe their days of work and play before nighttime falls and it is time for them to rest and say goodnight. Their days are described using rhyme. This is a perfect book for covering a construction theme since it describes construction equipment and its uses in a construction site.

Rubin, Adam. (2012). Dragons Love Tacos. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

            “Dragons Love Tacos” is about…you guessed it! Dragons that love tacos! The story starts with a boy and his dog who decide to have dragons over for a taco party. The only thing they have to be careful with is that the tacos are not spicy as to not cause any tummy troubles for the dragons. A jar of salsa is overlooked at the party and comical chaos ensues. A taco party would definitely be great after reading this book but be careful with the spicy salsa.

Tullet, Hervé. (2014). Mix it Up!. California: Chronicle Books, LLC.

            From the author of “Press Here” comes “Mix it Up!”, a book about colors and creating even more colors by, of course, mixing them up. This book is great to read aloud during circle time to preschoolers who are learning about primary colors and creating secondary colors. It can also be useful when teaching such subject yet still being mess-free since the book is interactive as the child follows the directions on each page and discovers a surprise on the next.

Tullet, Hervé. (2011). Press Here. California: Chronicle Books, LLC.

            Hervé Tullet’s book “Press here” is an interactive book about directionality, colors, sizes and numbers. The way the author makes this book interactive is so simple but brilliant at the same time. The reader feels like their participation is causing the actions in the following page. This is a great book to read aloud to toddlers or to preschoolers during circle time as a quick and informal type of assessment of skills.

Wiesner, David. (2013). Mr.Wuffles. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
            Publishing Company.

            The very unamused Mr.Wuffles the cat ignores all his toys which come in all colors, prices and sizes. He ignores all but one, a shiny silver little spaceship. Little does he know that the spaceship guards tiny green aliens. His rough play with the spaceship leaves the little aliens in Mr.Wuffles territory for longer than they expected. Luckily the aliens receive some help from some new friends who get them back on the road to their destination. 

Willems, Mo. (2014). The Pigeon Needs a Bath. New York: Hyperion Books for
            Children.

            “The Pigeon Needs a Bath” is just the newest book from Willem’s Pigeon series. In this book the sassy, sarcastic yet funny Pigeon is trying to get away from getting a bath although he noticeably needs one. Just like all the other Pigeon books after pages of arguing (with himself mostly) and denial, it is usually through self-discovery that he learns he should probably do what he was told right from the beginning.

Easy Reader Annotated Bibliographies

Carle, Eric. (1969). The Very Hungry Caterpillar. New York: Philomel Books.

            Eric Carle’s wonderful illustrations depict the eating spree of a very hungry caterpillar. The holes on the pages do a great job in showing the caterpillar munching away through so much food. That is, until the now very full caterpillar starts to make its cocoon and sleeps it off only to make its way out in a very different yet beautiful way. This book would be great to use when teaching young student about the life cycle of a butterfly.

Eastman, P.D. (1960). Are You My Mother?. New York: Random House Children’s
            Books.

            After a little bird hatches from its egg, it becomes lost after falling off the nest looking around for his mother. He then starts his small journey in search of mother bird, asking everyone and everything he sees if they are his mother. This book can be used when teaching children about parent animals and their offspring. Children can be asked if the animal or object is the mother of the baby bird and they can then explain what the mother of that animal or object can be.

Eastman, P.D. (1961). Go, Dog. Go! New York: Random House Children’s Books.

            “Go, dog. Go!” is one of the many books in the “I Can Read it All by Myself: Beginner Books” series that is often confused with books written by Dr.Seuss. In the story we see all types of dogs of all shapes, sizes, breeds and colors. The book implements so many things that it makes for a great learning tool for students and a great teaching tool for parents and teachers.

Lesieg, Theo. (1961). Ten Apples Up On Top! New York: Random House
            Children’s Books.

            “Ten Apples Up On Top” is just one of the many books that Dr.Seuss wrote under the alias of Theo Lesieg which is a play with words from his real name, Theodor Geisel. He often did this when he wrote a book that would be illustrated by someone other than him. In this book a lion, a tiger and a dog have balancing competition using apples. The story is a great combination of sight word reading, repetition and counting skills that children can benefit from.

Numeroff, Laura. (1985). If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. New York: HarperCollins
            Publishers.

            “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” follows the day of a boy and a mouse. The boy gives the mouse a cookie and what follows is a big chain of events due to the mouse’s funny requests that the mouse and the boy go through together. This book is great to read aloud during snack time, especially when said snack is of course, a cookie! “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” is one of Numeroff’s many books in her “If You Give…” series.

Seuss, Dr. (1960). Green Eggs and Ham. New York: Random House Children’s
            Books.

            The oh-so-persistent “Sam I am” tries to convince the other nameless character in the story in various silly ways to try some green eggs and ham. The character frustratingly refuses each and every time until he finally gives in as to get Sam off his back. Sam’s persistence paid off at the end. The story teaches a lesson about not being afraid to try new things.

Seuss, Dr. (1960). One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. New York: Random
            House Children’s Books.

            Although this book does not necessarily have a plot, it is one of the books most used for teaching children how to read. Its bright illustrations keep children interested in the book and the repetition, sight words, and rhyming make it a book in which beginning readers can practice with. The fact that the story doesn’t really follow a plot makes it easy for children to skip around in pages if they need or want to. It being a classic from Dr.Seuss also makes adults enjoy just as well.

Seuss, Dr. (1957). The Cat in the Hat. New York: Random House, Inc.

            One of Dr.Seuss’ most iconic books, The Cat in the Hat, is a favorite time and time again. The cat in the hat barges into a home with children that are left unsupervised. The cat along with all his tricks and friends make a mess of the home and the kids know they are surely in trouble. Not only is this book widely popular because of its author but also because of the message it conveys which is about teaching children not to talk to strangers or let them into their homes.

Willems, Mo. (2003). Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. New York: Hyperion
            Books for Children.

            The book that started the Pigeon series, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus”, is hilarious both in its words and illustrations. Pigeon tries to work him charm on the reader to allow him to drive the bus. His sarcasm and sass increase as the story continues until he finally explodes with anger which makes for a quite comical ending.

Willems, Mo. (2006). Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!. New York: Hyperion
            Books for Children.

            Yet another comedic story from Willems’ Pigeon series is “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late”.  Like in all Pigeon stories, he tries to convince the reader to allow him to do whatever he wants. In this case he wants to stay up way past his bedtime. Pigeon will try to use his comical charm to get his way but it usually never turns out well for him. He will most certainly have some sort of meltdown as well which are quite chucklesome when they occur.