ALSC announces 2011 Notable Children's Books

CHICAGO - The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has selected its 2011 list of Notable Children's Books. The list of titles includes fiction, nonfiction, poetry and picture books of special interest, quality, creativity and value to children 14 years of age and younger.

The list follows:

Younger Readers

“April and Esme, Tooth Fairies.”  By Bob Graham. Illus. by the author. Candlewick.
“Back of the Bus.”  By Aaron Reynolds.  Illus. by Floyd Cooper.  Philomel.
“Big Red Lollipop.”  By Rukhsana Khan.  Illus. by Sophie Blackall.  Viking.
“Bink and Gollie.” By Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee. Illus. by Tony Fucile. Candlewick.
“Chalk.” By Bill Thomson.  Illus. by the author. Marshall Cavendish.
“City Dog, Country Frog.” By Mo Willems. Illus. by Jon J. Muth. Hyperion.
“Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin.” By Duncan Tonatiuh. Illus. by the author. Abrams.
“Fiesta Babies.” By Carmen Tafolla. Illus. by Amy Córdova. Tricycle Press.
“Grandma’s Gift.” By Eric Velasquez. Illus. by the author. Walker.
“Hip-Pocket Papa.” By Sandra Markle. Illus. by Alan Marks. Charlesbridge.
“Interrupting Chicken.” By David Ezra Stein. Illus. by the author. Candlewick.
“In the Wild.” By David Elliott. Illus. by Holly Meade. Candlewick.
“Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!” By Grace Lin. Illus. by the author. Little, Brown.
“LMNO Peas.” By Keith Baker. Illus. by the author. Beach Lane.
“Pecan Pie Baby.” By Jacqueline Woodson. Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Putnam.
“Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes.” By Salley Mavor. Illus. by the author. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“The Quiet Book.”  By Deborah Underwood.  Illus. by Renata Liwska.  Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“Rubia and the Three Osos.”  By Susan Middleton Elya.  Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Hyperion.
“A Sick Day for Amos McGee.” By Philip C. Stead. Illus. by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter.
“Tuck Me In!” By Dean Hacohen. Illus. by Sherry Scharschmidt. Candlewick.
“We Are in a Book!” By Mo Willems. Illus. by the author. Disney/Hyperion.
“Yucky Worms.”  By Vivian French.  Illus. by Jessica Ahlberg.  Candlewick.

Middle Readers

“Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring.” By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. Illus. by Brian “Floca.” Roaring Brook/Neal Porter.
“The Bat Scientists.” By Mary Kay Carson. Illus. by Tom Uhlman. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave.” By Laban Carrick Hill. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Little/Brown.
“The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester.” By Barbara O’Connor. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
“Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature.” By Sarah C. Campbell. Illus. by Sarah and Richard P. Campbell. Boyds Mills.
“Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys.” By Bob Raczka. Illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe.” By Loree Griffin Burns. Illus. by Ellen Harasimowicz. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships.” By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot.” By Sy Montgomery. Illus. by Nic Bishop. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“Me, Frida.” By Amy Novesky. Illus. by David Diaz. Abrams.
“Nic Bishop Lizards.” By Nic Bishop. Illus. by the author. Scholastic.
“The Night Fairy.” By Laura Amy Schlitz. Illus. by Angela Barrett. Candlewick.
“Ninth Ward.” By Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little, Brown.
“¡Ole! Flamenco.” By George Ancona. Illus. by the author. Lee & Low.
“One Crazy Summer.” By Rita Williams-Garcia. Harper/Amistad.
“Ruth and the Green Book.” By Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Gwen Strauss. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda.
“Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light.” By Tim Tingle. Illus. by Karen Clarkson. Cinco Puntos.
“Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down! How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me and Mom.” By Mark Alan Stamaty. Knopf.
“Smile.” By Raina Telgemeier. Illus. by Raina Telgemeier and Stephanie Yue. Scholastic/Graphix.
“The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.” By Tom Angleberger. Amulet Books. 
“A Tale Dark and Grimm.” By Adam Gidwitz. Dutton.
“Trickster:  Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection.” Edited by Matt Dembicki. Illus. Fulcrum Books.
“Turtle in Paradise.” By Jennifer L. Holm. Random. 

Older Readers

“90 Miles to Havana.” By Enrique Flores-Galbis. Roaring Brook. 
“Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story.” By S.D. Nelson. Abrams.
“Countdown.” By Deborah Wiles. Scholastic.
“Departure Time.” By Truus Matti. Tr. by Nancy Forest-Flier. Namelos.
“The Dreamer.” By Pam Muñoz Ryan. Illus. by Peter Sís. Scholastic.
“Fever Crumb.” By Philip Reeve.  Scholastic.
“The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba.” By Margarita Engle. Holt.
“Heart of a Samurai.” By Margi Preus. Abrams/Amulet.
“Lafayette and the American Revolution.” By Russell Freedman. Illus. Holiday. 
“Mockingbird.”  By Kathryn Erskine. Philomel.
“Moon Over Manifest.” By Clare Vanderpool. Random/Delacorte. 
“Nothing.” By Janne Teller. Tr. by Martin Aitken. Atheneum.
“Ship Breaker.” By Paolo Bacigalupi. Little, Brown. 
“They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group.” By Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Illus. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“A Time of Miracles.” By Anne-Laure Bondoux. Tr. by Y. Maudet. Random/Delacorte.
“Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors.” By Joyce Sidman.  Illus. by Beckie Prange. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“We Shall Overcome: A Song that Changed the World.” By Stuart Stotts. Illus. by Terrance Cummings. Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty.” By G. Neri. Illus. by Randy DuBurke. Lee and Low.

All Ages

“Bones: Skeletons and How They Work.” By Steve Jenkins. Illus. by the author.
“Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night.” By Joyce Sidman. Illus. by Rick Allen. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
“Farm.” By Elisha Cooper.  Illus. by the author. Scholastic/Orchard.
“Meanwhile.” By Jason Shiga. Abrams/Amulet.
“Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse.” By Marilyn Singer. Illus. by Josée Masse. Dutton.
“Shadow.” By Suzy Lee. Illus. by the author. Chronicle.

For the annotated 2011 list and past Notable Children’s Books lists, please visit the ALSC website. More information about all of ALSC’s Children’s Notable Lists (books, recordings, and videos) is also available at: www.ala.org/alsc, click on “Awards & Grants” and “Children’s Notable Lists.”

Members of the 2011 Notable Children’s Books Committee are: Katie O’Dell, chair, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore.; Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua (N.Y.) Library; Dana Buttler, Beaverton  (Ore.) School District; Dr. Sue Kimmel, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va.; Michael A. Rogalla, Champaign (Ill.) Public Library; Ed A. Spicer, SpiceyReads.org, Allegan, Mich.; Dr. Tanya Tullos, Houston, Texas; Andrea Vaughn, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library; and Mary Voors, Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Ind.