Young Readers
2007 Notable Children's Books
Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children
(ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children's books. According to
the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or
notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's
books, notable includes books of especially commendable quality, books
that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information,
poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that
reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways. The
current year's Newbery, Caldecott, Sibert, Geisel, and Batchelder Award
and Honor books automatically are added to the Notable Children's Books
list.
Younger Readers
Armstrong, Jennifer. Once upon a Banana. Illus. by David Small. A
runaway monkey discards a banana peel, setting in motion a sequence of
events in this nearly wordless picture book, punctuated by a series of
rhyming street signs.
Bachelet, Gilles. My Cat, the Silliest Cat in the World. illus. This
silly cat doesn’t always act like other cats. Could that possibly mean
it’s not really a cat? That's the question in a picture book that will
have readers giggling.
Bateman, Teresa. Keeper of Soles. Illus. by Yayo. When Death comes
calling for his soul, Colin the cobbler thinks on his feet and promises
the Grim Reaper a new pair of sandals—then boots, then walking shoes—in
a lighthearted variant of the tale about outwitting death.
Beaumont, Karen. Move Over, Rover! Illus. by Jane Dyer. Beaumont’s
cumulative, patterned text is expanded by Dyer’s watercolors, which
contain text clues to tell the story of creatures that seek shelter by
squeezing into Rover’s doghouse. Geisel Honor Book.
Chaconas, Dori. Cork & Fuzz: Short and Tall. Illus. by Lisa McCue.
Muscrat Cork, who is older, has serious problems when he decides that he
should be taller than his possum friend, Fuzz.
Chodos-Irvine, Margaret. Best Best Friends. illus. Two best friends have
a fight that separates them--no more hugs, no more sharing toys until
the fight is over. Preschoolers will see themselves in this loving
story.
Crews, Nina. Below. illus. Holt. The world underneath the steps comes to
life when Jack plans the rescue of action-figure Guy, who has fallen
“below.”
Diakité, Penda. I Lost My Tooth in Africa. Illus. by Baba Wagué Diakité.
Amina loses her tooth while on vacation in Mali, but instead of a visit
from the Tooth Fairy, she gets a chicken!
DiCamillo, Kate. Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride. Illus. by Chris Van Mr.
Watson’s pig, "the porcine wonder,” finally gets behind the wheel of a
1959 pink convertible. Geisel Honor Book.
Gravett, Emily. Wolves. illus. When Rabbit goes to the library and
checks out a book about wolves, he learns things he would rather not
know.
Grey, Mini. The Adventures of the Dish and the Spoon. illus. An
irreverent look at the old nursery rhyme takes the dish and spoon off on
a romantic getaway involving vaudeville, crime, and, of course, true
love.
Henkes, Kevin. Lilly's Big Day. illus. When her teacher announces he is
getting married, the irrepressible Lilly automatically assumes she will
be his flower girl.
Hills, Tad. Duck & Goose. illus. When Duck and Goose find a large,
round, spotted “egg,” they both claim it. Then these rivals become
friends as they care for and imagine a future for their mysterious
charge.
Hopkinson, Deborah. Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building.
Illus. by James E. Ransome. In 1931, near their Manhattan home, a boy
and his dad keep a close watch as the world’s tallest building is built
in record time.
Howe, James. Houndsley and Catina. Illus. by Marie-Louise Gay. While
Houndsley the dog tries not to discourage Catina the cat's authorial
ambitions, Catina encourages Houndsley to enter a cooking contest. The
friends realize their friendship is more valuable than dreams of fame.
Kvasnosky, Laura McGee. Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways. illus. The popular
fox sisters return in this book, which includes three adventures
precipitated by the foxes' need to avoid the dreaded cucumber sandwiches
Dad is preparing. Geisel Medal Book.
Look, Lenore. Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding. Illus. by Yumi Heo.
Jenny struggles with her feelings when her family celebrates the
marriage of Uncle Peter in a traditional Chinese way.
MacDonald, Margaret Read. Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! A Palestinian
Folktale. Illus. by Alik Arzoumanian. A childless woman prays for "a
child, even if it is nothing more than a cooking pot!" She gets what she
wishes for in this Palestinian folktale.
MacLachlan, Patricia and Charest, Emily MacLachlan. Once I Ate a Pie.
Illus. by Katy Schneider. “I am not thin, but I am beautiful,” says Mr.
Beefy, a self-satisfied pug. Oil portraits of various canine breeds are
paired with brief, humorous, and poignant first-person poems.
McClintock, Barbara. Adèle & Simon. illus. As he makes his way home with
his big sister Adèle, forgetful Simon manages to lose his hat, gloves,
and more all over Paris.
McLimans, David. Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet. illus. This
black-and-white iconic alphabet book is sure to intrigue readers of any
age. Contemporary interpretation of an illuminated alphabet melds
animals and letters into unique and elegant images. Caldecott Honor
Book.
Montes, Marisa. Los Gatos Black on Halloween. Illus. by Yuyi Morales.
Spanish and English words blend perfectly in this original and spooky
Halloween poem. ¡Delicioso!
Newman, Jeff. Hippo! No, Rhino! illus. An absent-minded zoo keeper
places the Hippo sign in front of the rhino’s enclosure. Ignorant
visitors mistake the rhino for a hippo even though the youngest reader
can plainly see the truth, and say, “No, rhino!”
Pinkney, Jerry. The Little Red Hen. illus. Oh joy of joys! There is
yummy bread to be made, but who will help the little red hen?
Portis, Antoinette. Not a Box. illus. Spare line drawings and minimal
text show a personified bunny playing with, in, and on a cardboard box.
Geisel Honor Book.
Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. Black? White! Day? Night! A Book of Opposites.
Illus. An interactive concept book presents children with pairs of
opposites in die-cuts that lead them from one element to another in a
parade of happy contradictions.
Shannon, David. Good Boy, Fergus! illus. Shannon portrays the antics of
Fergus, a West Highland terrier, who gets into all kinds of trouble, but
is always a “good boy.”
Sierra, Judy. Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie. Illus. by Edward
Koren. An endearing, fuzzy monster creates an appetizing tart made of
hundreds and thousands of succulent flies. Fun, irreverent,
tongue-twisting verse and illustrations.
Watt, Mélanie. Scaredy Squirrel. illus. Scaredy Squirrel’s safe life in
his nut tree is insured by his emergency kit, which includes
antibacterial soap, bug spray, and sardines. When he loses the kit while
evading a killer bee, something amazing happens.
Wheeler, Lisa. Mammoths on the Move. Illus. by Kurt Cyrus. “Stepping,
stomping, marching, tromping. Watch out, wooly mammoths!” The rhyming
text sings as the scratchboard-and-watercolor paintings portray the
journey of these prehistoric creatures.
Winter, Jonah. Dizzy. Illus. by Sean Qualls. From his difficult
childhood through the creation of bebop, the jazz great Dizzy
Gillespie’s life is told in syncopated rhythms in this swinging
picture-book biography.
Middle Readers
Bardoe, Cheryl. Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas. Illus. by Jos.
A. Smith. Bardoe’s picture-book biography of the father of genetics
describes his early life, his quest for education, and the research that
resulted in his significant contribution to the world of science.
Barrows, Annie. Ivy and Bean. Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Bean knows she
won’t like the new girl (“Next train for Boring is leaving now!”), but
when Bean gets into trouble, Ivy is the one who comes to her rescue.
Brown, Susan Taylor. Hugging the Rock. When her mother leaves home,
Rachel learns to communicate with and to love her father, while
adjusting to disturbing truths about her mother's past.
Demi. Su Dongpo: Chinese Genius. illus. This richly illustrated
biography illuminates the life of the eleventh-century Chinese poet,
scholar, and statesman.
DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Illus. by
Bagram Ibatoulline. A self-important china rabbit finds himself on a
journey that spans years and miles, bringing special people into his
life and changing him forever.
Faller, Régis. The Adventures of Polo. illus. A wordless picture book in
graphic-novel format depicts the fantastic voyage of a dapper dog above
and below the water, then across the ocean floor.
Goodman, Susan E. All in Just One Cookie. Illus. by Timothy Bush. As
Grandma bakes her cookies, Cat and Dog learn about each ingredient, from
butter to chips.
Hatkoff, Isabella and others. Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a
Remarkable Friendship. Illus. by Peter Greste. When Owen, a baby hippo,
loses his mother in the 2004 tsunami, he bonds with Mzee, a giant
Tortoise.
Henderson, Kathy. Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War. Illus.
by Jane Ray. Derived from one of the first recorded stories on earth,
this tale of Ancient Iraq introduces Lugalbanda and his heroic deeds to
assist the kingdom of Uruk during a war.
Jenkins, Emily. Toys Go Out: Being the Adventures of a Knowledgeable
Stingray, a Toughy Little Buffalo, and Someone Called Plastic. Three
friends have wonderful adventures, explore their world, and learn more
about themselves in this tale. Illustrations by Caldecott Medal-winner
Paul O. Zelinsky.
Kuklin, Susan. Families. illus. American families from many different
cultures and backgrounds share their love, laughter, and challenges.
Kurlansky, Mark. The Story of Salt. Illus. by S.D. Two poisons
chemically combine to make salt—a substance necessary for all mammals to
survive. Kurlansky tells the story in lucid text, decorated with
whimsical illustrations.
Lin, Grace. The Year of the Dog. During the Year of the Dog,
Chinese-American Grace makes new friends, learns more about her family,
and finds her place in the world.
Look, Lenore. Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything. Illus. by Anne Wilsdorf.
In this second Ruby Lu book, a new cousin’s emigration from China brings
changes—some good and some challenging—into second-grader Ruby Lu’s
life.
Lord, Cynthia. Rules. “A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his
shorts.” Twelve-year-old Catherine creates rules for her younger,
autistic brother, David. Catherine learns to use words to forge
connections with family and friends. Newbery Honor Book and a Schneider
Family Book Award Winner.
Marrin, Albert. Oh, Rats! The Story of Rats and People. Illus. by C.B.
Mordan. Marrin takes us on an icky, scary, and fascinating exploration
of the life of rats, and considers why we are so afraid of them.
McCarthy, Meghan. Aliens Are Coming! The True Account of the 1938 War of
the Worlds Radio Broadcast. illus. This is the radio broadcast that sent
listeners into a panic. This dramatic picture book introduces young
children to this piece of history.
Montgomery, Sy. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud
Forest of New Guinea. Photos by Nic Bishop. Biologist Lisa Dabek and her
multinational team search for the elusive Matschie’s tree kangaroo in
the cloud forests of Papua New Guinea. Sibert Honor Book.
Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz. Illus. by Christopher Myers. Stunning
paintings and thrillingly musical poems bring jazz to life for young
readers. King Illustrator Honor Book.
Patron, Susan. The Higher Power of Lucky. Illus. by Matt Phelan. In the
California desert community of Hard Pan (population 43), 10-year-old
Lucky Trimble eavesdrops on 12-step program meetings from her hiding
place behind Hard Pan’s Found Object Wind Chime Museum & Visitor Center.
Newbery Medal Book.
Pennypacker, Sara. Clementine. Illus. by Marla Frazee. Perceptive text
and animated line drawings bring to life third-grader Clementine.
Despite good intentions, things often go wrong for her; she pays
attention, but not to the things that grownups think are important.
Raczka, Bob. Here's Looking at Me: How Artists See Themselves. illus.
Photographer Cindy Sherman asks, "How much of your real self can be
captured in a painting, or even in a photograph? Raczka analyzes 14
self-portraits by well-known artists from the fifteenth to the twentieth
century.
Rubin, Susan Goldman and Weissberger, Ela. The Cat with the Yellow Star:
Coming of Age in Terezin. illus. Rubin and Weissberger describe the hope
offered imprisoned children by caring adults and the theater they
created.
She's All That! Poems about Girls. Ed. by Belinda Hollyer. Illus. by
Susan Hellard. This collection of more than 70 poems about girls
celebrates their yearnings, challenges, and triumphs.
Sidman, Joyce. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. Illus. by
Beth Krommes. Readers are challenged to guess the answers to pairs of
riddles in verse about meadow phenomena, plants, and animals.
Siegel, Siena Cherson. To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel. Illus. by
Mark Siegel. Siegel dramatizes the struggle and fulfillment of becoming
a professional ballerina. Partnered by husband Mark Siegel’s evocative,
elegant illustrations in graphic-novel format, her memoir leaps off the
page. Sibert Honor Book.
Singh, Vandana. Younguncle Comes to Town. Illus. by B.M. Kamath. When
the eternally childlike Younguncle breezes into the life of one Indian
family, he brings with him stories, a touch of magic, and a zest for
life that makes for a refreshing read.
Thimmesh, Catherine. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on
the Moon. illus. With heart-stopping prose and stunning NASA
photographs, Thimmesh's book celebrates the men and women who solved a
series of unfolding crises that threatened the mission of Apollo 11.
Sibert Medal Book and a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults.
Tingle, Tim. Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and
Freedom. Illus. by Jeanne Rorex Bridges. A Choctaw angel leads seven
slaves to freedom by walking on Bok Chitto, a river in Mississippi,
which was a boundary between freedom and slavery before the Civil War.
Weatherford, Carole Boston. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to
Freedom. Illus. by Kadir Nelson. Nelson’s dramatic renderings evoke the
spiritual and physical journey of Harriet Tubman. Caldecott Honor Book
and King Illustrator Book Winner.
Older Readers
Avi. Crispin: At the Edge of the World. In fourteenth-century England,
Crispin and his friend Bear face danger as they flee from their enemies
to the coast in order to find freedom and safety.
Bausum, Ann. Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines
of the Civil Rights Movement. illus. The 1961 Freedom Rides come to life
through the personal stories of two men united for a common cause.
Includes civil rights song lyrics, firsthand accounts, and provocative
black-and-white photographs. Sibert Honor Book and a YALSA Best Book for
Young Adults.
Bondoux, Anne-Laure. The Killer’s Tears. Tr. by Y. Maudet. After his
parents are murdered by itinerant criminal Angel, young Paolo and the
killer haltingly discover their capacity for love and forgiveness.
Batchelder Honor Book and a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults.
Budhos, Marina. Ask Me No Questions. In the wake of 9/11, with their
father detained at the Canadian border, Nadira and her sister navigate
tense circumstances as they seek their father’s release. YALSA Best Book
for Young Adults.
Coombs, Kate. The Runaway Princess. By competing in the contest herself,
Princess Meg foils her father’s plans to marry her to the prince who
destroys a dragon, a witch, and a group of bandits.
Cottrell Boyce, Frank. Framed. The transformative powers of art and
soccer receive due appreciation in this very funny tale of how one small
Welsh town is brought to life when the National Gallery moves into the
mountain next door.
DeMari, Silvana. The Last Dragon. Tr. by Shaun Whiteside. With the help
of two bewildered but kindly humans and, later, a feisty orphan, a young
elf and irascible dragon, attempt to fulfill a prophecy that tests their
courage and resilience. Batchelder Honor Book.
Ellis, Sarah. Odd Man Out. While spending the summer on an island in
British Columbia with his grandmother and five girl cousins, Kip finds a
lively family and a disturbing secret about his father.
Fleischman, Sid. Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini. illus. Harry
Houdini’s journey from poverty to world renown is dramatically captured
by a fine writer and fellow magician. YALSA Best Book for Young Adults.
Fradin, Judith Bloom and Fradin, Dennis Brindell. Jane Addams: Champion
of Democracy. illus. In a well-documented biography, the Fradins trace
Jane Addams' life from her awkward childhood to her accomplishments as
social activist, pacifist, and winner of the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize.
Freedman, Russell. The Adventures of Marco Polo. Illus. by Bagram
Ibatoulline. This gorgeously illustrated volume leads readers from
thirteenth-century Venice to the Far East and back, asking them to
consider this question: Was Marco Polo the world’s greatest explorer or
the world’s biggest liar?
Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus
Boycott. illus. The story of the civil rights movement’s landmark
victory is told through the eyes of the people who were there. YALSA
Best Book for Young Adults.
Holm, Jennifer L. Penny from Heaven. Eleven-year-old Penny looks forward
to spending the summer rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers and scheming
with her cousin Frankie. Instead, she navigates the space between her
two families and uncovers the reason for their estrangement. Newbery
Honor Book.
Hopkinson, Deborah. Up Before Daybreak: Cotton and People in America.
illus. The voices of Slaves, sharecroppers, and millworkers trace the
threads of cotton from the Industrial Revolution through the Great
Depression. YALSA Best Book for Young Adults.
Krull, Kathleen. Isaac Newton. Illus. by Boris Kulikov. This entry in
the Giants of Science series offers readers an engaging and elucidating
account of the great physicist’s life and works.
Krull, Kathleen. Sigmund Freud. Illus. by Boris Kulikov. The fascinating
life, career, revolutionary ideas, and far-ranging influence of the
Austrian father of psychoanalysis are explored in this volume in the
Giants of Science series.
Larson, Kirby. Hattie Big Sky. Sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks is
looking for a place to belong—a home. In 1918, she leaves Iowa for the
Montana prairie, where she strives to forge a new life. Newbery Honor
Book and a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults.
Lowry, Lois. Gossamer. In this story of abuse, love, and patience,
Littlest One and Thin Elderly, both dream givers, come into the lives of
three people and work their transformative magic.
Lupica, Mike. Heat. A refugee from Cuba, 12-year-old Michael Arroyo is a
pitching prodigy whose right to play Little League baseball is
challenged by a hostile coach.
Mourlevat, Jean-Claude. The Pull of the Ocean. Trans. by Y. Maudet. This
contemporary version of the Tom Thumb story follows charismatic Yann,
the youngest and smallest of seven brothers, as he silently leads his
siblings across the rain-soaked French countryside. Batchelder Award
Book.
Paulsen, Gary. The Legend of Bass Reeves: Being the True and Fictional
Account of the Most Famous Marshal in the West. A man who was born a
slave and survived in the wilderness of the American West becomes one of
the most successful lawmen of his time, a real hero.
Pearsall, Shelley. All of the Above: A Novel. Illus. by Javaka Steptoe.
In alternating voices, students in an urban middle school tell of their
triumphant construction of the world's largest tetrahedron and the way
the project changed their lives.
Pratchett, Terry. Wintersmith. Thirteen-year-old Tiffany Aching didn’t
mean to make the Wintersmith fall in love with her—it just happened. But
now Winter holds the world in his frozen fist, all for the love of
Tiffany. YALSA Best Book for Young Adults.
Reeve, Philip. Larklight: A Rousing Tale of Dauntless Pluck in the
Farthest Reaches of Space. Illus. by David Wyatt. A rip-snorting
Victorian science fiction adventure pulls out all the stops as Art and
his big sister, Myrtle, strive to save the British Empire and its
planetary territories from a race of sinister, space-going white
spiders.
Roy, Jennifer. Yellow Star. This free-verse novel recounts the life of
four-year-old Syvia and her family, who are forced to live in the Lodz
Ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Rubin, Susan Goldman. Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter. illus. A strikingly
designed biography explores the development of the Pop artist whose
paintings of mundane objects had a radical impact on our thinking about
art.
Salisbury, Graham. House of the Red Fish. One year after the bombing of
Pearl Harbor, 13-year-old Tomi Nakaji is determined to raise his
father's fishing boat, which was sunk by the army in the wake of the
attack. A sequel to Under the Blood-Red Sun.
Todd, Mark and Watson, Esther Pearl. Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? The
Art of Making Zines and Mini-Comics. illus. Dive into this how-to guide
for creating and appreciating the zine alternative art-form.
Walker, Paul Robert. Remember Little Bighorn: Indians, Soldiers, and
Scouts Tell Their Stories. illus. Enriched by historical quotes,
photographs, and drawings by battle warriors, this book offers an
insightful examination of the bloody battles at Little Bighorn in 1876.
Winthrop, Elizabeth. Counting on Grace. Grace Forcier and her family
withstand the living and working conditions in a Vermont textile mill
town in the early 1900s. When Lewis Hine and his camera come to visit,
she dares to hope for a better life.
All Ages
Campoy, F. Isabel and Ada, Alma Flor. Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A
Hispanic Folktale Collection. Illus. by Felipe Dávalos and others. This
glorious—and gloriously illustrated—collection presents a grand variety
of tales of many different origins, united in their telling by
Spanish-speaking peoples and by the appreciation of the compilers.
Harris, Robie H. It's Not the Stork!: A Book about Girls, Boys, Babies,
Bodies, Families, and Friends. Illus. by Michael Emberley. If it’s not
the stork, where do babies come from? Share this book with children as
young as four to answer their questions about their bodies, their
families, and how babies grow.
McKissack, Patricia C. Porch Lies: Tales of Slicksters, Tricksters, and
Other Wily Characters. Illus. by André Carrilho. Ten original tales of
exaggeration and humor derived from African American lore and tradition
recount various ways clever, colorful folk outwitted those who tried to
best them—even the Devil himself.
Oberman, Sheldon. Solomon and the Ant and Other Jewish Folktales.
Forty-three folktales, arranged chronologically with notes on sources
and variants, reflect the wisdom and humor of the Jewish oral tradition.
Wiesner, David. Flotsam. illus. A vintage camera washed up on the beach
provides a young boy with a surprising view of fantastical images from
the bottom of the sea. From fish eye to lens eye, readers see a
frame-by-frame narrative of lush marinescapes ebbing and flowing from
the real to the surreal. Caldecott Medal Book.
Reprinted with permission from the American Library Association. For
more information or a complete list of past winners, check out the
website at www.ala.org.
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