Esmé Raji Codell's Blog, page 2

Buggy for Books

As gardens spring to life, so does the wild and wonderful world of wigglies!  This amazing miniature world is mirrored so cunningly in the pages of these books, each in their own special way.


Stories from Bug Garden by Lisa Moser, illustrated by Gwen Millward (Candlewick).

Bee sat on a lilac branch and watched the clouds.
"Shouldn't you fly around?" asked Dragonfly."
"Shouldn't you sip nectar from the flowers?" asked Lightning Bug.
"Shouldn't you make honey?" asked Horsefly.
"I don't want to do any of those things," said Bee.
"What do you want to do, then?"
Bee settled back to watch the clouds.
"Just be," said Bee.

An abundance of friendship, gentle wisdom and well-developed characters are coupled with busy and whimsical ink, watercolor and pencil illustrations.  These sweet vignettes will inspire looking at all things that fly and crawl and buzz and wiggle with new eyes.



A Beetle is Shy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long (Chronicle).  "A beetle is kaleidoscopic," the text asserts, and the aboslutely gorgeous and colorful illustrations confirm.  The latest in the breathtaking series (A Seed is Sleepy, An Egg is Quiet, A Nest is Noisy, A Butterfly is Patient, A Rock is Lively, and every volume is worthwhile), this is like paging through a talented naturalist's notebook, with critters so realistic you'd barely blink to see them crawl off the page.  The text reads like poetry and I challenge you not to learn something along the way...in other words, nonfiction perfection.


Gary's Garden by Gary Northfield (Scholastic).  This small-print graphic novel sleeper is a surprise gem that will be well-liked by any elementary-aged kid, following the adventures of the residents of a particular plot of land...who knew so many zany and intense adventures might be happening in our own backyards? The pests have tons of personality, and the Pokémon-like cards at the back of the book attest to the superlative qualities of the characters.  I hope to see this cast again in a sequel with the anticipation one usually reserves for springtime.

Links for information.  Please support your local independent bookseller.

PLANETESME PICKS: Best Picture Books and Nonfiction of 2015

For a long time, I have been saying that children's books are our best hope for equalizing education in America.  A great book in the hands of a rich child is the same great book in the hands of a poor child.  But more than that, books in thoughtful combination are an education in and of themselves.  I love making these annual lists, because I can only imagine how a child who experiences these titles will be changed, and change is the definition of learning.  Through what will new lenses will the child view the world after experiencing this art?  What biographies will inspire them, what mentors will fly through space and time to scaffold their own dreams and efforts?  How will they view and understand the natural world?  What new friends will they find inside books that will inform them to know how to connect and empathize with people outside of books?  What will make them laugh, cry, think?  After perusing hundreds of books this year with my teacher-librarian eye, these are the finest that I spy.  I hope read in any combination, they will be building blocks...building books!...in an individual ready to meet and embrace the world.

Most perfect book likely to win all sorts of awards:  Swan:  The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad (Chronicle)

Personal favorite book that I clutch to my chest and sigh:  The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes (Flying Eye)

Most delightful read-aloud:  Winston & George by John Miller, illustrated by Giuliano Cucco (Enchanted Lion)

Best book for kids destined to watch Downton Abbey some day:  Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes (Candlewick)


Make your own category and please share it in the comments, with any of your favorites or the past year or from these lists below! Links are for informational use; please remember to support your local independent bookseller.

Picture Books:
Animal Beauty by Kristin Roskifte (Eerdmans)Animal Supermarket by Giovanna Zoboli, illustrated by Simona Mulazzani (Eerdmans)Beep!  Beep!  Go to Sleep! By Todd Tarpley, illustrated by John Rocco (Little, Brown)Big Bear Little Chair by Lizi Boyd (Chronicle)Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt (Tundra)Cats Are Cats by Valeri Gorbachev (Holiday House)Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes (Candlewick)Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein by Amanda Peet and Andrea Troyer, illustrated by Christine Davenier (Doubleday)Dinosaur Rocket! By Penny Dale (Nosy Crow) Doctor Nice by Valeri Gorbachev (Holiday House)Finders Keepers by Keiko Kasza (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)Fowl Play by Travis Nichols (Chronicle)Happy Birthday, Cupcake! By Terry Border (Philomel)Have You Seen My Monster?  by Steve Light (Candlewick)I Don’t Want to Be a Frog by Dev Petty, illustrated by Mike Boldt (Doubleday)I Will Never Get a Star on Mrs. Benson’s Blackboard by Jennifer K. Mann (Candlewick)I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien (Charlesbridge)It’s Tough to Lose Your Balloon by Jarrett J. Krozoczka (Knopf) The Kind-Hearted Monster by Max Velhuijs (NorthSouth)Leo:  A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Chronicle)Little Red Gliding Hood by Tara Lazar, illustrated by Troy Cummings (Random House)Little Tree by Loren Long (Philomel)Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock, illustrated by Ali Pye (Nosy Crow)My Wild Family by Laurent Moreau (Chronicle)One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail (Atheneum) Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard and Tanya Simon, illustrated by Mark Siegel (Roaring Brook)P. Zonka Lays an Egg by Julie Paschkis (Peachtree)Polar Bear’s Underwear by Tupera Tupera (Chronicle)Poppy’s Best Paper by Susan Eaddy, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet (Charlesbridge)Red:  A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall (Greenwillow)Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins (Chronicle)Rufus the Writer by Elizabeth Bram, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Schwartz & Wade)Seen and Not Heard by Katie May Green (Candlewick)Sharing the Bread:  An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Schwartz & Wade) Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson, illustrated by Sydney Smith (Groundwood)Sleeping Cinderella and Other Princess Mix-Ups by Stephanie Clarkson, illustrated by Brigette Barrager (Orchard)Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Raphaelle Barbanegre (Tundra)Some Things I’ve Lost by Cybele Young (Groundwood)Special Delivery by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Roaring Brook)Sunday Shopping by Sally Derby, illustrated by Shadra Strickland (Lee and Low)Tacky and the Haunted Igloo by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger (HMH)The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach (Knopf) The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel)The Full Moon at the Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood (HMH)The Gingerbread Man Loose at Christmas by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery (Putnam)The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown)Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk, illustrated by Brendan Kearney (Sterling)The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes (Flying Eye)Little Kunoichi, The Ninja Girl by Sanae Ishida (Atheneum)The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull (Templar) The Sheepover by John and Jennifer Churchman (Little, Brown)The Story of Snowflake and Inkdrop by Pierdomenico Baccalario (Enchanted Lion)Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Simon & Schuster)
So Cozy by Lerryn Korda (Candlewick)The Turnip by Jan Brett (Putnam)Two White Rabbits by Jairo Buitrago and Rafael Yockteng (Groundwood)The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski (HMH)The White Book by Minibombo (Candlewick) The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy by Beatrice Alemagna (Enchanted Lion)There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Ben Mantle (Random House)Too Many Toys! By Heidi Deedman (Candlewick)Tough Guys Have Feelings, Too by Keith Negley (Flying Eye)Troll and the Oliver by Adam Stower (Templar)Use Your Imagination by Nicola O’Byrne (Nosy Crow)Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman (Abrams Appleseed) When Sophie’s Feelings Are Really, Really Hurt by Molly Bang (Scholastic)Where Bear? by Sophie Henn (Philomel)Who Done It?  By Olivier Tallec (Chronicle)Whose Shoe?  by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier (Clarion)Wild About Us! By Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Janet Stevens (HMH)Winston & George by John Miller, illustrated by Giuliano Cucco (Enchanted Lion)Written and Drawn by Henrietta by Liniers (Toon Books)Yard Sale by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Lauren Castillo (Candlewick)
Nonfiction:
100 Pablo Picassos by Violet LeMay (Duopress)A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long (Chronicle)A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups by Anna Wright (Charlesbridge)An A from Miss Keller by Patricia Polacco (Putnam)Are You My Dinner? By Tracey West (Smithsonian)Bigfoot is Missing! By J. Patrick Lewis and Ken Nesbitt, illustrated by Minalima (Chronicle)Book:  MyAutobiography by John Agard, illustrated by Neil Packer (Candlewick) Brother Giovanni’s Little Reward:  How the Pretzel Was Born by Anna Egan Smucker, illustrated by Amanda Hall (Eerdmans)Can We Help?  KidsVolunteering to Help Their Communities by George Ancona (Candlewick)The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (Arthur Levine/Scholastic)Charlie Piechart and the Case of the Missing Pizza Slice by Marilyn Sadler, illustrated by Eric Comstock  (Katherine Tegen Books)Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook by Paul Yee, illustrated by Shaoli Wang (Crocodile Books)Counting Lions by Katie Cotton, illustrated by Stephen Walton (Candlewick)
The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects by Paul Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Candlewick)Design Line: History of Men and Women’s Fashion by Sanna Mander (Big Picture Press)Drum Dream Girl:  HowOne Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez (HMH)Eat Your U.S. History Homework:  Recipes for Revolutionary Minds by Ann McCallum, illustrated by Leeza Hernandez (Charlesbridge)Enormous Smallness:  A Story of e.e. cummings by Matthre Burgess, illustrated by Kris DiGiacomo (Enchanted Lion)Finding Winnie:  TheTrue Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Little Brown) Flutter and Hum/Aleteo y Zumbido:  Animal Poems/Poemas de Animales by Julie Paschkis (Henry Holt)Funny Bones:  Posadaand His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatuih (Abrams)Fur, Fins and Feathers: Abraham Dee Barlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo by Cassandre Maxwell (Eerdmans)The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can by Dr. Tererai Trent, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Viking)Glow:  Animals withTheir Own Night-Lights by W.H. Beck (HMH)Home by Carson Ellis (Candlewick)The House that Jane Built: A Story About Jane Addams by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Kathryn Brown (Henry Holt) How to Swallow a Pig: Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (HMH)I Don’t Like Snakes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Luciano Lozano (Candlewick)Kid President’s Guide to Being Awesome by Brad Montague and Robby Novak (Harper)Mad About Monkeys by Owen Davey (Flying Eye Books)The Maine Coon’s Haiku and Other Poems for Cat Lovers by Michael J. Rosen, illustrated by Lee White (Candlewick) Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner, illustrated by John Parra (Chronicle)Mesmerized:  HowBenjamin Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno (Candlewick)The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin (Henry Holt)Mummy Cat by Marcus Ewert, illustrated by Lisa Brown (Clarion)My Leaf Book by Monica Wellington (Dial)One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and The Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Milbrook)Over in the Wetlands: A Hurricane on the Bayou Story by Caroline Starr Rose and Rob Dunlavey (Schwartz & Wade)A Passion for Elephants: The Real Life Adventure of Field Scientist Cynthia Moss by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Holly Berry (Dial) The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell, illustrated by Joan Rankin (McElderberry Books)The Queen’s Shadow:  A Story About How Animals See by Cybele Young (Kids Can Press)Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane)Santa Clauses:  ShortPoems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Carolrhoda)Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers’ Journey from Slave to Artist by Barbara Herkert, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-NewtonSwan:  The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad (Chronicle)Trapped!  A Whale’s Rescue by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor (Charlesbridge)Tricky Vic:  The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli (Viking)Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, illustrated by Brian Collier (Abrams)Water is Water:  A Book About the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin (Roaring Brook)Where Did My Clothes Come From? By Chris Butterworth, illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti (Candlewick)Where Does Kitty Go in the Rain?  By Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Brigette Barrager (Blue Apple)

Happy reading in the coming year, dear book-loving friends !

Best New Nonfiction for the School Year!

So much talk about the value of nonfiction in the national Common Core curriculum, how it improves vocabulary and is so challenging and etc., etc., honestly, it may be so, but my goodness, nonfiction seems to have the same publicist as broccoli.  No need for kids and teachers to wrinkle their noses when there are so many choices that are such a pleasure to share and feed into childrens' organic motivations to read and learn...funny and fascinating poems, real life adventures and achievements, animals!  Here are a few of my favorite nonfiction picks of the year from which educators with meager budgets can get a lot of mileage, and book lovers of any persuasion can garner pleasure.


Brother Giovanni's Little Reward:  How the Pretzel Was Born by Anna Egan Smucker, illustrated by Amanda Hall (Eerdmans).  Stirring together ingredients from a sparse pantry of information dating from around 610 A.D., this author bakes up a really lovely legend of a monk who is disappointed to find that intrinsic motivation is not enough to get his students to learn their psalms.  Where teaching skills fall short, baking skills compensate.  Whatever your faith base, it's a delicious story that celebrates problem-solving and serves as a springboard into discussion about why we choose to learn...and choose to teach.  Soft pretzel recipe in the back is a bonus.  All right, borderline nonfiction, I know...but a teachable moment to talk about how facts can inspire narrative. What a twist!


One Plastic Bag:  Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Millbrook Press).  Isatou Ceesay rescued her Gambian village from huge and dangerous accumulations of plastic bags by ingeniously repurposing them into crocheted purses.  Also ingenious is the artist's integration of real plastic bags into the illustrations.  A story about making a difference told in a simple, straightforward manner, with a dose of "girl power." Generous back matter includes an author's note, pronunciation guide, timeline and a photo of the real Ceesay.


How to Swallow a Pig:  Step-by-Step Advice from the Animal Kingdom by Steven Jenkins and Robin Page (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).  Care to learn how to spin a web like a spider?  How to defend yourself like an armadillo?  Disguise yourself like an octopus?  Want a dancing lesson from a grebe (or to learn what a grebe is)?  Fifteen animal how-to's offer exciting insight into some unusual behavior.  Robin Page always finds an unexpected lens through which to view the wild world and Steve Jenkins' paper cut illustrations are so miraculous and warrant an almost automatic addition to any nonfiction collection...but fawning over individual talents aside, this is a great model for expository writing and point of view.  Other great picks for animal lovers:  The Queen's Shadow:  A Story About How Animals See by Cybele Young (Kids Can Press); The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin (Henry Holt); I (Don't) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Luciano Lozano (Candlewick) and A Tower of Giraffes:  Animals in Groups by Anna Wright (Charlesbridge).


The Death of the Hat:  A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Candlewick) Every endeavor by the Janeczko-Raschka team dedicated to introducing children to poetry and all its forms deserves to be on every teacher's shelf, being the best thing to happen to the teaching of poetry to children since Kenneth Koch.  This latest takes the tack of demonstrating how poets through the ages have taken everyday things such as manhole covers, birthday cards, boxes, bags and blades of grass and used them as inspiration.  The arrangement of the anthology is chronological from the early Middle Ages until the present, just underscoring that wherever and whenever you are, the muse is waiting.

Poetry is such an important genre in children's literature and education because it can be used across the grade levels, and, when done right, is both of high literary quality while being accessible to children of all different ability levels.  To that end, you also won't want to miss The Popcorn Astronauts and Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell and illustrated by Joan Rankin (Margaret K. McElderry Books).  Ruddell is one of the most imaginative children's poets working today, and has created a most appetizing collection of foodie poems, among them  "The Picky Ogre,"  "21 Things to Do with an Apple," "Menu for a Gray Day,"  "Dracula's Late Night Bite," and "Gingerbread House Makeover."  Seriously, how can you resist a poem called "Stand and Cheer for MAC and CHEESE!"?  Some children's poets overcook their themes, but Ruddell's collection is fresh and inspired from soup to nuts.


Another great poetry surprise was the seasonal Santa Clauses:  Short Poems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Carolrhoda).  After reading and enjoying a collection of Japanese haiku given to him by Mrs. Claus, Santa tries his hand at writing his own.  Turns out, Santa is a man of many talents.  This collection of poems is oddly poignant and evocative, revealing small, real details of Santa's life that had this reader believing all over again.  Broad. homey spreads are well-matched to the text.  One of my favorites books of this year.



Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad (Chronicle).  Picture book biographies are also one of the most important, inspirational and useful genres of children's literature, and, like poetry, can by readily used across all grade levels.  Worthy of weekly "biography breaks," you really can't have too many in your collection. This one in particular embodies a kind of perfection.  The spread of Pavlova traveling across the world and playing part after part will be pored over by many an aspiring performer, and the literal view through the window into Pavlova's childhood is a gift to the reader.  As graceful in both visual and written line as the dancer it portrays, it is unrelenting in its depiction of work, inspiration and generosity. Even the bitterness of the ballerina's ending is made sweeter by a life well-lived.  Morstad has illustrated many unusually beautiful books in the course of her career, but they all seem to have been building toward this sublime project.  Worthy of applause and the many awards it is bound to receive.  

When I said there are many wonderful biographies, I wasn't kidding.  Check out all these outstanding offerings:  Marvelous Cornelius:  Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner, illustrated by John Parra (Chronicle); Fur, Fins and Feathers:  Abraham Dee Bartlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo by Cassandre Maxwell (Eerdmans); The House that Jane Built:  A Story About Jane Addams by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Kathryn Brown (Henry Holt); Sewing Stories:  Harriet Powers' Journey from Slave to Artist by Barbara Herkert, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Knopf); 100 Pablo Picassos by Violet Lemay (Duo); Enormous Smallness:  A Story of e.e. cummings by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo (Enchanted Lion Press); Funny Bones:  Posada and his Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiah (Abrams);  The Girl Who Buried Her Dreams in a Can by Dr. Tererai Trent, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Viking).


Where Did My Clothes Come From? by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by Lucia Gaggiotti (Candlewick).  The late, great Mr. Fred Rogers showed how important it is to make sure young children know how things are made, and this cheerful, clever book falls into that canon.  Do children appreciate how the jeans they wear started by growing on a bush, that the sweaters they wear may come from more than eight kinds of animals,or that their soccer uniforms might have started as a syrup?  They will once this story is shared!  The illustrations are naturally multicultural and inclusive, and help to impart that the clothes we wear are indeed a worldwide effort.  This book is an opportunity to look at something we see everyday in a new way, and with new gratitude.  A simple but thoughtful page of recycling suggestions makes for a nice finish, as do the fashionable endpapers. 
Also check out:  The Case for Loving:  The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selena Alko, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selena Alko (Arthur Levine Books); Chinese Fairy Tale Feasts by Paul Yee and Judy Chan, illustrated by Shaoli Wang (Croodile);   Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome by Brad Montague and Robby Novac (HarperCollins); Book: My Autobiography by John Agard, illustrated by Neil Packer (Candlewick); An A from Miss Keller by Patricia Polacco (G.P. Putnam's Sons); Are You My Dinner?  by Tracey West, illustrated by Luke Flowers (Smithsonian); History of Women's Fashion by Natasha Slee, illustrated by Sanna Mander (Big Picture Books); My Leaf Book by Monica Wellington (Dial).
What's your favorite nonfiction this year, really and truly? What works in your classroom and home?  Please share in the comments below!

Links for information.  Please support your local independent booksellers.  

Best Picture Books for the New School Year!

Oh my goodness, if teachers haven't spent enough already on glue sticks and bulletin board border and what-not...but one of the great pleasures of the plundering of the pedagogue's paycheck is the building of one's own special classroom collection.  Here are a baker's half-dozen of primary picture book titles that I would hazard to suggest are useful and lovely enough to be considered must-haves of the season.  Treat yourself, or if you're a parent, treat a teacher...and know that the children are being treated as well!


Mouse's First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock, illustrated by Ali Pye (Nosy Crow).  Any child will relate to the feeling of shyness on the first day in a new classroom. But don't worry...Miss Moon will help the little mouse find friends, and any child who hears this story will be reassured that his or her classroom teacher will do the same! The nocturnal school setting suggests a certain autumnal spookiness that matches well with the timidity of our hero, and the witchy teacher is simply charming.  I personally can't wait to share it with primary students during our first week together!


There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Ben Mantle (Random House)  I know, I know, another "there was an old woman" formulaic cumulative tale chestnut, but really, this one is very good.  Exciting, bold and funny illustrations and clever rhymes combine with the appealing Medieval setting to make this a favorite read-aloud.


Troll and the Oliver by Adam Stower (Templar Books)  Every day around lunchtime, Troll tries to eat the Oliver, but to no avail.  With the catchiest refrain since The Gingerbread Man and a great surprise ending, this book is sure to inspire predictions, choral speaking and a lot of laughs.


The Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown)  Can't have too many classics, and the beauty of this version of this Aesop's fable by a multiple Caldecott-winning watercolor artist will make you gasp aloud.  You should get it just as a present to yourself, though it's bound to prove as useful and cheerful as a song in the long, cold winter months.


Rufus the Writer by Elizabeth Bram, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Tundra Books)  A story stand instead of a lemonade stand?  What an inspired idea!  Read how Rufus satisfies his customers, gets paid in an alternative economy and set up your own Story Stand in a writing center.


Use Your Imagination by Nicola O'Byrne (Nosy Crow)  Speaking of story, a rabbit who happens to be a librarian helps a hungry wolf create a narrative with an ending that keeps him from being the end.  Meta marvelousness with discussion of action and setting.


Fowl Play by Travis Nichols (Chronicle)  One of the trickiest parts of learning a new language is learning the idiomatic expressions, and this book is chock full of them, in the context of discovering who broke Mr. Hound's store window.  Mystery of helping ESL students solved!

Also check out:

The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); I Will Never Get a Star on Mrs. Benson's Blackboard by Jennifer K. Mann (Candlewick); Daisy Saves the Day by Shirley Hughes (Candlewick); Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Raphael Barbanegre (Tundra Books); The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes (Flying Eye Books).

And where is all the nonfiction, you may ask?  Stay tuned for best books for the new school year part II!  In the meantime, please share your favorites in the comments below and how you use them in the classroom!

Links for informational purposes.  Please support your local independent bookseller!  

PLANETESME PICKS: Best Picture Books and Nonfiction of 2014

What makes a book great?  I created this list with a teacher/school librarian's eye.  These are books that are fun to share with a group;  books that children love and make children cheer;  books that connect to the wider world, and springboard us into further classroom connections or themes; books that promote empathy, history, imagination and arts appreciation; books that are exemplary in their beauty and expand what a book can be.  I create these lists with the belief that children's literature is our best hope for equalizing education in America, and recognizing also, in America, we are short on funds in homes and schools.  And so I recommend these titles that I share with my own, knowing the children will be the better for encountering them, and that in combination with best books from other years culminate in well-rounded learning through reading.  Links for information, please support your local independent bookseller!


Best picture books of 2014:

Adventures with Barefoot Critters by Teagen White (Tundra Books)
Aviary Wonders, Inc.:  Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual by Kate Samworth (Clarion)
Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe, illustrated by S.D. Schindler (Eerdmans)
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd (Chronicle)
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Atheneum)
Go to Sleep, Little Farm by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Green is a Chile Pepper:  A Book of Colors by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by John Parra (Chronicle) 
I Wish I Had a Pet by Maggie Rudy (Beach Lane)
A Letter for Leo by Sergio Ruzzier (Clarion Books)
The Midnight Library by Kazuno Kohara (Roaring Brook)
The Orchestra Pit by Johanna Wright (Roaring Brook)
Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border (Philomel)
A Perfect Place for Ted by Leila Rudge (Candlewick)
Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony (Scholastic)
Rooting for You! by Susan Hood, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Disney-Hyperion)
The Scarecrow's Wedding by Julia Donaldson, illusrtated by Alex Scheffler (Arthur Levine Books)
The Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose (Little, Brown)
Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton  (Candlewick)
Wazdot?  by Michael Slack (Disney-Hyperion)



 




 





Other great picture books of 2014:  My Teacher is a Monster! by Peter Brown (Little, Brown); Draw! by Raul Colon (Simon & Schuster); Before After by Anne-Margot Ramstein and Matthias Arégui (Candlewick); Noodle Magic by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrated by Meilo So (Orchard); I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel by Caryn Yacowitz, illustrated by David Slonim (Arthur Levine); Princess Sparkle-Heart Gets a Makeover by Josh Schneider (Clarion);  The Dandelion's Tale by Kevin Sheehan, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey; The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane);  The Storm Whale by Benji Davies (Holt); Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau by Andrea Beaty; Troll Swap by Leigh Hodgkinson (Nosy Crow):  Big Bad Bubble by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri (Clarion); The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak (Dial); Never Say a Mean Word Again:  A Tale from Medieval Spain by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard (Wisdom Tales); Rex Wrecks It! by Ben Clanton (Candlewick);   The Odd One Out:  A Spotting Book by Britta Teckentrup (Big Picture Press).

Best nonfiction of 2014:

Ashley Bryan's Puppets by Ashley Bryan (Atheneum)
Ballerina Dreams:  From Orphan to Dancer by Michaela and Elaine DePrince, illustrated by Frank Morrison (Random House)
The Cosmo-Biography of Sun Ra by Chris Raschka (Candlewick)
Firefly July:  A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet  (Candlewick)
Food Trucks!  by Mark Todd (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Gingerbread for Liberty!  How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Girl from the Tar Paper School:   Barbara Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement by Teri Kanefield (Abrams)
Ivan:  The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Clarion)
Josephine:  The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Chronicle)
Malala:  A Brave Girl from Pakistan/ Iqbal:  A Brave Boy from Pakistan by Jeanette Winter (Beach Lane)
Miss Patch's Learn to Sew Book by Carolyn Meyer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
On the Wing by David Elliot, illustrated by Becca Standtlander (Candlewick)
The Right Word:  Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Eerdmans)
Some Bugs by Angelina DeTerlizzi, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (Beach Lane)
Tiny Creatures:  The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton (Candlewick)
Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)


 
Other great nonfiction of 2014:  The Pilot and the Little Prince:  the Life of Antoine de Saint Éxupery by Peter Sis (Farrar Straus Giroux); Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (Abrams);  Weeds Find a Way by Cindy Jenson-Elliot, illustrated by Carolyn Fisher (Beach Lane);  Leontyne Price:  Voice of a Century by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Raul Colon (Knopf);   Lend a Hand:  Poems About Giving by John Frank, illustrated by London Ladd (Lee & Low);  Everything is a Poem:  The Best of J. Patrick Lewis by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Maria Cristina Pritelli (Creative Editions); The Case for Loving:  The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Aiko, illustrated by Sean Qualls (Arthur Levine Books);  Star Stuff:  Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos by Stephanie Roth Sisson (Roaring Brook); Buried Sunlight:  How Fossil Fuels Have Changed the Earth by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm (Scholastic); The Iridescence of Birds:  A Book About Henri Matisse by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Hadley Hooper (Roaring Brook);Handle with Care:  An Unusual Butterfly Journey by Loree Griffin Burns, photos by Ellen Harasimowicz (Millbrook); Feathers:  Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen (Charlesbridge); Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales (Roaring Brook).  

Best chapter books for young readers coming soon! 

What did I miss?  Please share your favorites of the past year in the comments below! 

And if you're looking for great children's literature from past years to supplement your child's education...
Best books list 2006, click here! 
Best Books 2007, click here!
Best Books 2008, click here!
Best Books 2009, click here!
Best Books 2010, click here
Best Books 2011, click here!
Best Books 2012, click here!  
Best Books 2013, click here!

THE PILOT AND THE LITTLE PRINCE (NONFICTION)

The Pilot and the Little Prince:  The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry by Peter Sis (Farrar Straus Giroux). 

ROSIE REVERE, ENGINEER (PICTURE BOOK)

 
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts. Amazing girl inventor who never gives up! Recommended by The PlanetEsme Plan.  Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  

MY TEACHER IS A MONSTER! (PICTURE BOOK)

My Teacher is a Monster!  (No, I Am Not.) by Peter Brown.  A boy with a penchant for irritating his teacher encounters her outside of school and finds her to be an entirely different creature.  Brown's pictures are funny and Ms. Kirby's illustrated metamorphosis into a human being is gradual and pretty darn great.  This book, despite it's laughs, has an unexpected depth and speaks volumes about teacher/student relationships; the only disappointment is that when Robert regresses into his bad behavior back in the classroom at the end of the book, Ms. Kirby is depicted as the monster instead of Bobby.<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div><br />

FIREFLY JULY (POETRY)

Firefly July:  A Year of Very Short Poems by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet.  

Sun's a roaring dandelion, hour by hour.
Sometimes the moon's a scythe, sometimes a silver flower.
But the stars!  all night long the stars are clover.
Over, and over, and over!
- Robert Wallace, "In the Field Forever"

What greater gift on the bookshelf than a perfect anthology of poems?  This lovely, over-sized tome of thirty six well-chosen treasures takes us through the wheel of the year with evocative and colorful full-edge mixed media. The only complaint might be wishing the "very short" ride would never end, but open it back up, and the seasons begin again.   A book that would be relished as a gift, and a lyrical read-aloud treat for teachers as well.Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  
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AVIARY WONDERS, INC. (PICTURE BOOK)

Aviary Wonders, Inc.:  Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual by Kate Samworth.  <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Arial; panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} </style></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Extremely creative and extraordinarily gorgeous build-your-own-bird guide that painlessly introduces children to high-level science vocabulary and explores biology part by beautiful painted part, while quirky Q&A and assembly instructions also introduce readers to wonderful expository writing.   Teachers, this is an out-of-the-box mentor text, as children will enjoy creating their own catalogs and order forms for creatures that inspire them.  Imagination takes flight.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Link for information; please support your local independent bookseller.  </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div><br />