American Library Association

American Library Association

Notable Children's Books, March 2002

Younger Readers

And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon by Janet Stevens.

Car Wash by Sandra Steen. A visit to the car wash turns into an underwater adventure.

Chato and the Party Animals by Gary Soto. Cat forgets to invite boy.

Clever Beatrice by Margaret Willey. Girl outwits giant.

Crossing by Phillip Booth. A train poem from the 1950's with paintings.

Emma's Yucky Brother by Jean Little. Family adopts boy and Emma has mixed feelings about it.

Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins. Girl notices how her family members are similar and different.

Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack. Tricia Ann uses the segregated buses of the 1950's to get to the library where all are welcome.

Gus and Grandpa at Basketball by Claudia Mills. Beginning chapter book, Grandpa helps boy focus.

Harley by Star Livingston. Llama does not do well as a pack animal but shines as a sheep guardian.

Henry's First-Moon Birthday by Lenore Look. Child helps with brother's birthday celebration.

Hickory Chair by Lisa Rowe Fraustino. Blind boy finds notes Gran left behind before she died.

Iguanas in the Snow by Francisco X. Alarcon. 17 bilingual poems.

Inside Freight Train by Donald Crews. A board book that lets you look inside freight cars.

Juan Bobo Goes to Work by Marisa Montes. Based on Puerto Rican folktale.

Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure by Mick Inkpen. Boys find treats among the alphabet.

"Let's Get a Pup," Said Kate by Bob Graham. Kate and family go to the pound and adopt a pup but miss the dog they saw.

Mice and Beans by Pam Munoz Ryan. Preparing for a birthday party, includes some Spanish.

Milo's Hat Trick by Jon Agee. Bear keeps show from going under.

My Car by Byron Barton. Sam and his much loved car.

Olivia Saves the Circus by Ian Falconer. Olivia helps out when the lion tamer, juggler, and tightrope walker are sick.

Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson. Girls tackle racial issues.

Race of the Birkebeiners by Lise Lunge-Larson. Set in Norway, baby prince is saved in 1206.

Sheila Rae's Peppermint Stick by Kevin Henkes. A board book about teasing.

Stray Dog by Marc Simont. Caldecott Honor book.

Turtle Splash: Countdown at the Pond by Cathryn Falwell. 10 turtles become 1 as they leave their log.

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert. Caterpillars change into butterflies.

Web Files by Margie Palatini. Crimes solved by duck detective.

You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman. Short poems to be read by two people.

Middle Readers

Brooklyn Bridge by Lynn Curlee. Paintings show bridge's construction.

Handel: Who Knew What He Liked by M. T. Anderson. Picture book biography.

Hero of Ticonderoga by Gail Gauthier. Girl discovers own talents.

In the Days of the Vaqueros by Russell Freedman. History of cow herding.

Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz. Plan for a giant horse.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. Loss and grief.

Remember Pearl Harbor: Americans and Japanese Survivors Tell Their Stories by Thomas B. Allen.

Shipwrecked! The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhonda Blumberg. Young boy is first Japanese to visit the U. S.

Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac. Based on Mohawk lore.

Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone. Nathan yearns to join the only African American lifesaving crew in 1890.

Woody Gutherie: Poet of the People by Bonnie Christensen. Biography.

Caldecott 2002

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

Honor Books

Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by Brian Selznick

Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier

The Stray Dog written and illustrated by Marc Simont

Newbery 2002

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

Honor Books

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath

Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson

Coretta Scott King 2002

Goin' Someplace Special illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

The Land written by Mildred D. Taylor

EDITORS' CHOICE

BY BOOKLIST, JANUARY 2002

                                    Young Readers Ages 2-8

Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs by Linda Ashman. Ages 2-5 -- Animal homes.

Davy Crockett Saves the World by Rosalyn Schanzer. Ages 5-8 --A tall tale in which Davy faces Halley's Comet.

Dig, Wait, Listen by April Pulley Sayre. Ages 4-7 --Life cycle of a desert dwelling toad.

Henry's First-Moon Birthday by Lenore Look. Ages 4-8 -- The celebration of the arrival of her baby brother according to Chinese traditions as seen through Jen's eyes.

"Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate by Bob Graham. Ages 3-5 -- Family goes to a pet shelter.

Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport. Ages 4-9 -- A picture book biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. with wonderful art.

Midnight Babies by Margaret Wild. Ages 2-5 -- Babies listen to music at a cafe.

My Car by Byron Barton. Ages 2-4 -- Geometric shapes become objects.

Other Side, The by Jacqueline Woodson. Ages 5-8 --Two girls play together during pre-civil rights times.

Patches Lost and Found by Steven Kroll. Ages 5-8 -- Mystery of a lost guinea pig.

Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root. Ages 3-5 -- A family heading for the lake on a very hot day uses creative ways to keep the car going.

Sophie's Masterpiece: A Spider's Tale by Eileen Spinelli. Ages 4-7 -- An artistic spider lives in a boarding house.

Two Homes by Claire Masurel. Ages 2-5 -- A young boy shares with us the two houses of his divorced parents.

When Moon Fell Down by Linda Smith. Ages 3-5 -- An adventure with the moon and a cow.

Widget by Lyn Rossiter McFarland. Ages 3-6 -- A stray dog named Widget tries to find a new home but learns that there are already 6 cats.

                      Middle Readers Grades 3-8

Amber Was Brave by Vera. B. Williams. Gr. 3-5 -- Two sisters try to help each other during tough times.

Benno's Bear by Naomi Flink Zucker. Gr. 4-7 -- A story of fantasy and fairy tale where a young boy needs the help of his pet bear to struggle through life.

Fair Weather by Richard Peck. Gr. 4-6 -- Rosie lives on a farm in 1893 before moving to Chicago. She goes to the World's Columbian Exposition with her aunt.

Fiesta Feminia: Celebrating Women in Mexican Folktales by Mary-Joan Gerson. Gr. 4-8 -- 8 Mexican folktales that feature strong female characters.

Heaven Eyes by David Almond. Gr. 5-8 -- Three British orphans leave a home for damaged children.

Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans, The by Sy Montgomery. Gr. 4-7 --Discover why these tigers like to eat people, mostly men.

Racing the Past by Sis Deans. Gr. 4-7 -- Ricky is harassed on the school bus so he quits taking it. He becomes a great runner.

Shakespeare: His Work & His World by Michael Rosen. Gr. 5-9 -- Tries to explain why Shakespeare's work endures.

Single Shard, A by Linda Sue Park. Gr. 4-8 -- In 12th century Korea, a 12 year-old masters pottery making. Newbery 2002

We Were There, Too! Young People in U. S. History by Phillip Hoose. Gr. 5-8 -- Meet 60 young people through journals, diaries, and interviews and learn how they made a difference.

                                 Older Readers Grades 6-12

Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez. Gr. 6-12 -- A Mexican American teenager works hard and dreams of college.

Goose Chase by Patrice Kindl. Gr. 6-9 -- Magical geese help Goose Girl flee from suitors.

Greatest: Muhammad Ali by Walter Dean Myers. Gr. 6-10 -- A biography about Muhammad Ali.

Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth Century American Art by Jan Greenberg. Gr. 5-up -- Poems inspired by art.

In the Days of the Vaqueros: America's First True Cowboys by Russell Freedman. Gr. 5-up -- History of Indian cow herders that taught the settlers in the American West.

Lord of the Deep by Graham Salisbury. Gr. 6-8 -- A Hawaiian teenager discovers his step-dad is not all he thought him to be.

Matter of Profit by Hilari Bell. Gr. 6-10 -- A warrior is given one year to prove the existence of rebels.

Of Sound Mind by Jean Ferris. Gr. 6-9 -- Theo is coming-of age as the only hearing person in his family.

Other Side of Truth, The by Beverly Naidoo. Gr. 6-10 -- Sade, 12, must leave her comfortable home in Nigeria and care for her brother on the streets of London.

Rags and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier. Gr. 8-10 -- Jason tries to help the police catch the killer of a young girl. But is he the killer?

Seeing Stone, The by Kevin Crossley-Holland. Gr. 6-10 -- Thirteen year old Arthur goes back in time to meet the legendary Arthur.

Shipwrecked! The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhonda Blumberg. Gr. 5-9 -- Story of the first Japanese person to live in America.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. Gr. 6-9 -- Four girls discover themselves one summer.

Slap Your Sides by M. E. Kerr. Gr. 7-10 -- A Quaker teenager is a pacifist during WWII.

Treasure at the Heart of Tanglewood by Meredith Ann Pierce. Gr. 6-10 -- Hannah tries to restore a knight to human form.

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