A List of Favorites from 2004 & 2005 

For websites and additional books cited during the presentation "What's New 2005" please go to the EXTRA! EXTRA! page.

by Sharron L. McElmeel @ McBookwords
http://www.mcelmeel.com  or http://www.mcbookwords.com

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Younger Readers

• Adler, David A.  Joe Louis: America’s Fighter.  Illustrated by Terry Widener. Gulliver/Harcourt, 2005.  Poor and Black during the 1930’s Louis found boxing.
• Brown, Don. Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein. Illustrated by the author. Houghton Mifflin, 2004.  – Picture book that introduces this scientific thinker and his life from childhood to adulthood.
• Buzzeo, Toni.  Ready or Not, Dawdle Duckling.  Illusrated by Margaret Spengler.  Dial, 2005.   Sequel to Dawdle Duckling.
  
• Carney, Mary Lou.  Dr. Welch and the Great Grape Story.  Boyds Mills Press, 2005.  Welch’s Grape juice – the beginning.
  

  Cole, Joanna.  Ms.  Frizzle’s Adventures: Imperial China.  Illustrated by Bruce Degen.  Scholastic, 2005.   A spin-off from the Magic School Bus Series. Cronin, Doreen.  Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack: An Alphabetical Adventure.  Illustrated by Betsy Lewin.  Simon & Schuster, 2005.  As readers follow Duck and his red wagon through the pages, they also waddle through their ABC's. Crews, Nina. The Neighborhood Mother Goose. Illustrated by the author. Greenwillow, 2003.  — A modern twist on some old classics. Davis,  Katie.  Kindergarten Rocks.  Harcourt, 2005.  Yes it does!!

• Ehlert, Lois.  Leaf Man.  Harcourt, 2005.  Gorgeous art accompanies a simple text.

• English, Karen. Hot Day on Abbott Avenue. Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. Clarion, 2004.—Sizzling-hot summer weather – and tempers; Kishi and Renée have a “best-friend breakup day.” 

• Ernst, Lisa Campbell. The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book. Illustrated by the author.  Simon & Schuster, 2004.  Turn the book clockwise and images change from the ordinary to the unusual.

Fox, Mem. Where Is the Green Sheep? Illustrated by Judy Horacek. Harcourt, 2004. – Concept book with participatory text.  Readers will help to find the green sheep in a flock of blue and red sheep, near and far sheep, sun and rain sheep, and more. Geisert, Art.  Lights Out.  Walter Lorraine Books, 2005.  “My parents make me turn off the light at eight. They know I'm afraid to go to sleep unless the light is on.” Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon. Illustrated by the author. Greenwillow, 2004. —A simple story of a kitten that mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. 2005 Caldecott Medal Book.

• Hesse, Karen.  The Young Hans Christian Andersen.  Illustrated by Erik Blegvad.  Scholastic, 2005.  Biography—background incidents for Andersen’s “fairy tales.”
• Hines, Gary.  Midnight Forests: A Story of Gifford Pinchot and Our National Forests.  Illustrated by Robert Casilla.  Boyds Mills, 2005.  The father of the conservation movement—worked to develop nation’s forests with President Theodore Roosevelt.

Hopkinson, Deborah.   Apples to Oregon: Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter.  Simon & Schuster/Anne Schwartz, 2004. — A literary tall tale, as a pioneering papa moves his precious fruit trees and his family from Iowa to Oregon in the mid-nineteenth century. Kelley, True.  School Lunch.  Holiday House, 2005. Harriet, the school cook --tired out from trying to please all the kids, takes a vacation.

• Koller, Jackie French.  Seven Spunky Monkeys.  Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger.  Harcourt, 2005.  A rollicking good time in the spirit of “Ten in a Bed.” 
• Lithgow, John. Marsupial Sue Presents “The Runaway Pancake.” Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Simon & Schuster, 2005. Marsupial Sue joins her outback friends - a play.
• Markle, Sandra.  A Mother’s Journey.  Illustrated by Alan Marks.  Charlesbridge, 2005.  An Emperor penguin must find a way to bring food to her newborn chick.
• McGrath, Barbara Barbieri.  The Little Green Witch.  Illustrated by Martha Alexander.  Charlesbridge, 2005.  A wonderful literary telling of “little red hen.”
• McMahon, Patricia and Conor Clarke McCarthy.  Just Add One Chinese Sister: An Adoption Story.  Illustrated by Karen A. Jerome.  Boyds Mills Press, 2005.  Based on the authors’ own story of bring home Claire from China.
• Michelson, Richard.  Happy Feet.  Illustrated by E.B. Lewis.  Gulliver/Harcourt, 2005.  A snapshot of the Savoy Ballroom – Harlem’s most famous dance club during the swing era.
• Muth, Jon J.  Zen Shorts.  Scholastic, 2005.  Short meditations.  Traditional retellings.
  

  Ormerod, Jan.  When an Elephant Comes to School.  Orchard/Scholastic, 2005.  Helpful suggestions for how a new elephant might be treated on his first day of school. Park, Linda Sue and Julia Durango.  Yum! Yuck!: A Foldout Book of People Sounds.  Illustrated by Sue Rama.  Charlesbridge, 2005.  For the very young. Prelutsky, Jack. If Not for the Cat. Illustrated by Ted Rand. Greenwillow, 2004. —Riddles, haiku poems… beautiful watercolors. Ryan, Pam Muñoz.  Nacho and Lolita.  Illustrated by Claudia Rueda.  Scholastic, 2005.  A literary retelling of a traditional Mexican folktale remembered from the childhood by the author.

  
  

  Sierra, Judy. Wild About Books. Illustrated by Marc Brown. Knopf, 2004.— In the style of Dr. Seuss, Sierra tells a rhyming story of a Springfield librarian who “accidentally” drives the bookmobile into the zoo and converts all of the animals into readers. Skultety, Nancy Laney.  From Here to There.  Illustrated by Tammie Lyon.  Boyds Mills, 2005.  Farmer Dibble wants a road—what will it take to get a road?

• Stevens, Janet and Susan Sevens Crummel.  The Great Fuzz Frenzy.  Illustrated by Janet Stevens.  Harcourt, 2005.  Prairie Dogs find a “big, round, fuzz thing” – chaos reigns.
• Suen, Anastasia.  Red Light, Green Light.  Illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max.  Gulliver/Harcourt, 2005.  A minimal text book about transportation and road signs.
  

  Tafuri, Nancy.  Goodnight, My Duckling.  Scholastic, 2005.  Companion to Have You Seen My Duckling? Winnick, Karen B. Cassie’s Sweet Berry Pie: A Civil War Story. Boyds Mills, 2005.  Cassie saves the family’s possessions (from Union Soldiers) with her cleverness.

• Willems, Mo. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. Illustrated by the author. Hyperion, 2004.– After a trip to the Laundromat with her dad, Trixie realizes that her beloved stuffed animal has been left behind. Sepia-tone photographs and wry cartoons. A 2005 Caldecott Honor Book.   Guide for this title: www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/data/books/tgdoc/07868187001407.doc
• Willems, Mo.  Time to Say Please. Illustrated by the author.  Hyperion, 2005. — A manners book that rivals Sesyle Joslin's classic title, What Do You Say, Dear? (HarperCollins, 1958)
  

  Winter, Jeanette.  The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq.  Harcourt, 2005.  Alia Muhammad Baker saved thousands of books.  A true story. Yolen, Jane.  Baby Bear’s Chairs.  Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Gulliver/Harcourt, 2005.  At the end of the day there’s just one chair that will make Little Bear feel cozy. Yolen, Jane and Mark Teague.  How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?  Blue Sky Press, 2005.  A mischievous look at table manners.  Zemach, Margot and Kaethe Zemach.  Eating Up Gladys.  Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, 2005.  The sisters in this book first appeared in To Hilda for Helping.  A found text.

• Adler, David A.  President George Washington.  Holiday House, 2005—Rewritten version of his popular picture book biographies.  Added facts and dates, endnotes and a reading list.
• Bang, Molly. My Light. Illustrated by the author. Scholastic/Blue Sky, 2004— Explores the many ways in which the sun's light is transformed into the energy that fuels almost everything on the earth
• Bernier-Grand, Carmen T. César: _Sí, Se Puede! = Yes, We Can! Illustrated by David Diaz. Marshall Cavendish, 2004.  —Free verse chronicles César Chávez’s story. 
• Biesty, Stephen.  Egypt: In Spectacular Cross-Section.  Scholastic,  2005.  Eleven-year-old Dedia and his father take a thirty day journey in 1230 BCE.
• Boyce, Frank Cottrell. Millions. HarperCollins, 2004.— Set in England, what to do with a million dollars – before the Euro makes the notes worthless.
• Collard, Sneed B. III.   A Platypus, Probably.  Illustrated by Andrew Plant.  Charlesbridge, 2005.  Information about the endangered platypus.
  

  Cowley, Joy.  Chameleon, Chameleon.  Illustrated by Nic Bishop.  Scholastic, 2005.  Wonderful, non-fiction about the colorful chameleon. DiCamillo, Kate.  Mercy Watson to the Rescue.  Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen.  Candlewick Press, 2005. To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig. Hamilton, Virginia. The People Could Fly: The Picture Book. Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon. Knopf, 2004.— Exquisite color illustrations illuminate Hamilton’s retelling of a timeless tale about the slaves who escaped their horrific life by acquiring the magic to fly away. A 2005 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book.  (Collection: Hamilton, Virginia. The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon. Knopf, 1993.

• Hesse, Karen. The Cats in Krasinski Square. Illustrated by Wendy Watson. Scholastic, 2004. With the aid of some cats, two sisters cleverly outsmart the Gestapo to help feed the Jewish people in the Warsaw Ghetto. Based on a true incident, the story unfolds in graceful, poetic prose accompanied by warm, delicate illustrations.
• Hubbard, Crystal.  Catching the Moon: The Story of a Young Girl's Baseball Dream. Illustrated by Randy DuBurke.  Lee & Low, 2005.   Marcenia Lyle wants to be a professional baseball player—African-American & female in the 1930s.
• Hopkinson, Deborah.  From Slave to Soldier: Based on a True Civil War Story.  Illustrated by Brian Floca.  Simon & Schuster, 2005.  Uncle Silas plants the idea of service in the Union army in Johnny's brain, it's pretty easy for him to join up.

McNulty, Faith.  If You Decide to Go to the Moon.  Illustrated by Steven Kellogg.  Scholastic, 2005.  A non-fiction core; book ends of Kellogg’s wonderful “earthly” art. Montgomery, Sy. The Tarantula Scientist. Photos by Nic Bishop. Houghton, 2004.— An irresistible invitation to real scientific work. A 2005 Sibert Honor Book. Morrison, Toni. Remember: The Journey to School Integration. Illustrated by the author.  Houghton Mifflin, 2004.  Actual photographs, fictionalized dialogue. The 2005 Coretta Scott King Author Award Book.

• Moss, Marissa. Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen. Illustrated by C.F. Payne. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman, 2004.— April 2, 1931— a 17-year-old girl pitched to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and struck them out.
• Adler, David A. Mama Played Baseball.  Illustrated by Chris O'Leary.  Harcourt, 2003.
• Corey, Shana. Players in Pigtails. Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon.  Scholastic, 2003.
• Patrick, Jean L. Girl Who Struck out Babe Ruth.  Illustrated by Jeni Reeves.  Lerner, 2000.
• Rappaport, Doreen and Lydall Callan. Dirt on Their Skirts. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis.  Dial, 2000.
• Rumford, James. Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing. Illustrated by the author.  Cherokee translation by Anna Sixkiller Huckaby.  Houghton, 2004. — Spare, poetic writing and richly colored, expressive illustrations with parallel translation in Cherokee. A 2005 Sibert Honor Book.
• Schanzer, Rosalyn. George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides. Illustrated by the author. National Geographic, 2004. —Casual text and droll illustrations alternately present King George III of England and George Washington.
• Scieszka, Jon. Science Verse. Illustrated by Lane Smith. Viking, 2004.— A student gets the curse of science verse and travels through the science curriculum with clever, comical, and occasionally gross science poems.
• Shange, Ntozake. Ellington Was Not a Street. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Simon & Schuster, 2004.— A poetic tribute to twentieth century African-Americans.  The 2005 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Book.  Paul Robeson, W.E.B. DuBois, Ray Barretto, Dizzy Gillespie, "Sonny Til" Tilghman, Kwame Nkrumah, and Duke Ellington.
• Sís, Peter. The Train of States. Illustrated by the author. Greenwillow, 2004.— Sís imparts a unique view of the 50 states and the District of Columbia by using highly detailed pictures of decorated antique circus wagons traveling on flatbed railcars that are touring the country.
• Woodson, Jacqueline. Coming on Home Soon. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Putnam, 2004.— World War II story, the longing of a child anticipating her mother's return. A 2005 Caldecott Honor Book.

Zelver, Patricia.  The Wonderful Towers of Watts.  Illustrated by Frané Lessac. HarperCollins, 1994; Boyds mills Press, 2005.  Simon (Old Sam) Rodia, a self-styled artist who created unique constructions in inner-city Los Angeles.   [Martin, Jacqueline Briggs.  Jacqueline Briggs Martin and YOU.  (Author and You Series).  Libraries Unlimited, 2006.—Biographical background about the author and the story behind the stories, as well as the author’s suggestions for creating a writing environment and building writers— a writing workshop in a book.]

• Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. Putnam, 2004.— Twelve-year-old Moose tells about his trevails on "the Rock (Alcatraz)," where his father works. A 2005 Newbery Honor Book and A 2005 Best Book for Young Adults (YALSA).
• Couloumbis, Audrey.  The Misadventures of Maude March:  Or Trouble Rides a Fast Horse.  Random House, 2005.  A rip-roaring Western as full of wild escapades as the dime novels of old, which her protagonist is so fond of reading.
• Creech, Sharon.  Replay.   HarperCollins, 2005.  One of four children in a chaotic Italian-American family, 12-year-old Leo is nicknamed “sardine” or sometimes “fog” because of his thoughtful trances where he ‘replays” what is happening.
• Fleming, Candace.  Our Eleanor.  Simon & Schuster, 2005.  An incredibly well-organized and thorough scrapbook.  Works like a jigsaw—pick a piece.
• Freedman, Russell. The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights. Clarion, 2004.  Anderson's life and career.  (Concert at steps of Lincoln Memorial, 1939). The 2005 Sibert Medal Book, A 2005 Newbery Honor Book, and A 2005 Best Book for Young Adults (YALSA).
• Ryan, Pam Muñoz. When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson.  Illustrated by Brian Selznick.  Scholastic, 2002.

Gorman, Carol and Ron J. Findley.  Stumptown Kid.  Peachtree, 2005.— Sports, suspense, heroism, baseball wit and wisdom.  Set in 1952, Iowa. Weatherford, Carole Boston.  A Negro League Scrapbook.  Forward by Buck O’Neil.  Boyds Mills, 2005.   History. Gutman, Dan.  Abner and Me (A Baseball Card Adventure Series).  HarperCollins, 2005.  Thirteen-year-old Joe and his mother go back to 1863 to ask Abner Doubleday if he invented baseball, and find themselves at the Battle of Gettysburg. Curlee, Lynn.  Ballpark: The Story of America’s Baseball Fields.  Simon & Schuster, 2005.   Every era has its story.

• Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2004.— Chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese-American sisters who move to rural Georgia from Iowa during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the despair when one sister becomes terminally ill.. The 2005 Newbery Medal Book.
• Konigsburg, E. L. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2004. —Margaret Rose is rescued from summer camp by her eccentric great-uncles, Alexander and Morris Rose, and, in turn, saves their splendid, artistically sculptured towers. A 2005 Best Book for Young Adults (YALSA).
• Peck, Richard. The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts. Dial, 2005. —If your teacher has to die August is a good time for it.” 2005 Best Book (YALSA).
• Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Becoming Naomi León. Scholastic, 2004.— With the help of her great-grandmother Naomi gains the voice to speak out against her mother in court (fifth grade; soap carvings displayed in the school library; child abuse; and physical handicaps. The 2005 Schneider Family Middle School Award Book.
• Schmidt, Gary D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Clarion, 2004. —Set in Maine in 1912, a tragic historical event, a forbidden friendship between a preacher's son and a dark-skinned girl from a nearby island.  A 2005 Newbery Honor Book, A 2005 Printz Honor Book, and A 2005 Best Book for Young Adults (YALSA)
  

  Sullivan, George.  Built to Last: Building America’s Amazing Bridges, Dams, Tunnels, and Skyscrapers.  Scholastic, 2005.  Spectacular photos.  Great and fun information. Taylor, Theodore.  Ice Drift.  Harcourt, 2005.  Set in 1868, two brothers—fourteen-year-old Alilea and his younger brother are stranded but survive 6 months in the Artic. Wiles, Deborah.  each little bird that sings.  Gulliver/Harcourt, 2005.  The Snowberger family runs the town’s funeral home.  Ten-year-old Comfort; many surprises.

© 2005 McBookwords