WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE by first-time author Tess Hilmo (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). how exciting it would be for a mystery to win, a well-done sample of the genre that children will enjoy, but at the same time, fitting into the quirky, small-town, girl-centric character-driven mold that spelled success for past winners like Susan Patron's THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY and Kate DiCamillo's beloved BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE.
The muy populare THE GIRL WHO CIRCUMNAVIGATED FAIRYLAND IN A SHIP OF HER OWN MAKING by Catherynne Valente, illustrated by Ana Juan (Feiwel and Friends), an imaginative quest bringing together the classic flavor and imaginative casting found in The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice and The Wizard of Oz, but with a modern sensibility and erudite sauciness that might tickle the fancy of a team of librarians.
But girls, girls, girls. How about giving another gender some play, namely,
MY NAME IS NOT EASY by Debby Dahl Edwardson (Masrhall Cavendish). Inspired by her husband's childhood, this is a stirring narrative of an Iñupiaq boy discriminated against at boarding school, told with the prowess, drama, and emotional insight that hearkens back to Louis Sachar's HOLES and situations described in the mighty autobiography by Ednah New Rider Weber, RATTLESNAKE MESA. What a great opportunity it would be for classrooms to discuss Native America in a civil rights context, and to discover a chapter of history all too recent and all too unknown. Whether it wins or not, we should be adding it to our collections and our conversations.
another nod to classic fantasy as Portland, Oregon serves as a portal to the netherworld of The Impassable Wilderness, and is a beautiful tome to hold and to read.I have fingers and toes crossed for one of my favorites of the year, the beautifully written and poignant prose-poem about a girl who journeys from Saigon during the Vietnam War to Birmingham, Alabama, INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN by Thanhha La (HarperCollins) (which already has received a National Book Award nod). I always hope that some poetry or nonfiction takes the Newbery (how about this year's WON TON, by Lee Wardlaw; I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love it or like it a lot); departures from fiction doesn't always happen with the Newbery, but it's always interesting when it does (and there's always the Sibert Award for outstanding nonfiction, and one of my favorite prizes).
As for the Caldecott Award, my personal favorite as far as jaw-dropping-gorgeousness was BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON: ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI'S CANTICLE OF THE ANIMALS (Chronicle) reimagined by Katherine Paterson and brought to life in the paper-cut illustrations of Pamela Dalton, an artistic feat which seems almost super-human, the meticulous-labor-of-love likes of which I have not seen since Robert Sabuda's WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (a pop-up book which should have gotten a Caldecott but was probably considered a novelty). Hopefully Dalton's unusual efforts will not be overlooked.
But then, there are a lot of picture book veterans pulling out the big guns: Marla Frazee's STARS is a favorite to win, being that she is a bit overdue for a Caldecott, as is Arthur Geisert (ICE) though I'm sure all the artists sweat (albeit admiringly) when the masterful Chris Van Allsburg QUEEN OF THE FALLS) or Maurice Sendak (BUMBLE-ARDY) have new offerings. Then again, Jon Klassen's I WANT MY HAT BACK has a lot of fans, though its rather abrupt naturalistic finish lines might leave it a cult favorite. In a year of stand-outs, I have a suspicion this year's winner could be a sleeper, and I can't wait to wake up and find out whose dream came true. Certainment, two of the very best illustrated books of 2011 were FAIRLY FAIRY TALES illustrated by Elisa Chavarri, a stylish and eye-popping work which sadly came out too early in 2011 to be properly remembered when awards rolled around, and Jennifer Plecas's slam-dunk in THE BASKET BALL, probably too pink to take the gold, but still a picture party that I know many little girls will be so happy to attend. Luckily we're all such good sports! A special thank you to these illustrators who made this past year extra special for me, and congratulations to all the authors and illustrators who had works published this year. Medals or not, we win every time a child opens a book! Happy reading!
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(Aladdin, 2011).
to preschoolers, in the style taught to me by my former boss and mentor 
. I hold up the book, where there is clearly a picture of a duck, and carelessly say it is a picture of a tractor, or a pizza, or a rhinoceros, or a pair of underpants. The children immediately correct/chide me. "Nooooooooo!" What fun to correct dumb grown-ups! Later, when I was working on a book about preschool, I visited a classroom to brainstorm about what should go in it, and remembered this tack. I showed them a bunch of pictures of things that might be in a classroom, such as blocks, a sand table, chairs, and...a Tyrannosaurus Rex. "Nooooooo!" cried all the children, except for one boy, a literalist, who promptly went to the toy box and pulled out a seven-inch plastic dinosaur. "Well, maybe," I had to concede. We were off and running. Space alien? Well, maybe, if one landed from Saturn. Cupcake? Well, maybe, if it were somebody's birthday and someone's mom brought them in. "Noooooo" is mighty fun. But the idea of possibility...the "well, maybe!" of it all...that's even funnerer. And that's the spirit I tried to put in this book, which was originally titled Well, Maybe (until the marketers thought, well, maybe something else). 
And so it goes. Red Riding Hood has a basket and a wolf and a grandmother, but can she have a bottle of shampoo? Well, maybe. Goldilocks has porridge and bears and a bed, but can she have a television set? Well, maybe. Maybe Jack of beanstalk fame can have some spaghetti, maybe Hansel and Gretel may have a candy-filled pinata...but my favorite is Cinderella. She can have a fairy godmother and a coach and glass slippers, but can she have a disco ball? She can indeed, shaped like a glittering mosaic pumpkin, and her glass slippers are even 70's style, with goldfish in the heels. The text is minimal, but oh-la-la, I could not have asked for more in an illustrator than I found in the great 
. I never met her and we never spoke directly in the process of making the book, as is customary in publishing. She just went ahead and did what every picture book author dreams an illustrator will do: she ran with it, not just visually narrating the text but adding to it, creating two voices for the one song, both hers and mine. I could not have wished for a more inventive, colorful, and beautiful execution. She is totally the star. The review periodical Kirkus said: "Her brightly colored...artwork is full of so many funny details that children will find something new with each re-reading. This will certainly keep kids on their toes as they try to guess what is coming--no maybes about that." Though my favorite review so far came from artist 
and 
), who quipped that it looked "like a classic Golden Book, updated." Sigh! What could be better than that?
(the artist behind 
), because I like a book that doesn't hurry along, and I can never get over the beautiful saturation of Williams' paint printed into the paper. But I lean toward the old-fashioned, and modern children have more choices for exploring the cycle of the year. Try:
ALL AROUND THE SEASONS by Barney Saltzberg (Candlewick, 2010)
is the most visually slick and modern in mood of the picks, capturing the anticipation..and near impatience...of a little girl who can hardly wait from one birthday to the next. Luckily, there is plenty to celebrate in between, including a nifty stylized double-paged spread of a multicultural Thanksgiving dinner, the bright green of a St. Patrick's Day lawn, a sky full of Fourth of July fireworks, and a family framed in an Easter basket. Each month is a present to be opened...almost as good as a birthday party. 
, more of a loving ode to all a child can be and do in the vein of Dr. Seuss's 
. Nicely paired with books that look forward to the year, this will help children get January off on a most optimistic note. McGhee's book features incredible print illustrations against a white backdrop that will appeal to fans of Jen Corace (
). Yoo's artwork is available on 
