Kids' Best Book Lists

Best of 2002

JP Juvenile Picture Books

Banks, Kate. Close Your Eyes; Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Ill. by, Georg Hallensleben. Little tiger's afraid to sleep and dream of wondrous and scary sights.

Brett, Jan. Daisy Comes Home; Penguin-Putnam Daisy, an unhappy hen, steps into a sea of adventure. Illustrations marvelously show life in a rural Chinese mountain village.

Coville, Bruce. The Prince of Butterflies; Harcourt, Inc. Ill. by John Clapp. (older readers) How the monarch butterfly helped a boy who later as a man helps them in return.

Dallas-Conte, Juliet. Cock-A-Moo-Moo; Little Brown. Ill. by Alison Bartlett. Learning to crow is a challenge especially if you have forgotten how.

Dillon, Leo & Diane. Rap A Tap: Here's Bojangles — Think of That! Blue Sky Press. Simple collage like lithographs set the rapping verse to the beat of this tap dancer's feet.

Dunrea, Olivier. Gossie; Houghton Mifflin. A small yellow gosling who likes to wear bright red boots.

Fleming, Candace. Mucha! Muncha! Muncha! Atheneum. Ill. by G. Brian Karas. Hungry bunnies eat up the farmer's garden.

Freymann, Saxton. Dog Food; A. Levine, Scholastic Pieces of food connect to represent specific dogs big and little.

Grifalconi, Ann. The Village That Vanished; Dial. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. Tender pen & ink renderings of a people long ago who outsmarted the slave traders.

Intrater, Roberta Grobel. Peek-a-Boo, You! Scholastic. A photographic lift & flap, games babies play.

Johnson, D.B. Henry Builds a Cabin; Houghton Mifflin. Angular, art deco like drawings portray Henry Thoreau's image of life on Walden Pond.

Lin, Grace. Kite Flying; Knopf. A family makes and flies fabulous kites.

McClintock, Barbara. Dahlia; Farrar, Straus & Giroux. In a Victorian stylization, little Charlotte makes mud cakes for her dolly Dahlia.

McMullan, Kate & Jim. I Stink! HarperCollins. That's a garbage truck stinking, not you!

Newsome, Jill. Dream Dancer; HarperCollins. Ill. by Claudio Munoz. A young girl dreams ballet until one day her leg is broken. A tiny dancer brings dance back into her life.

Partis, Joanne. Stripe's Naughty Sister; Carolrhoda Books. Stripe is back, this time to guide his tiger sibling through a maze of adventure.

Pearson, Tracey Campbell. Bob; Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Bob, a rooster, helps the hen house by learning to crow like a real “male” bird.

Perdono, Willie. Visiting Langston; Henry Holt. Ill. One simple poem with splendid collage and paintings take us on a trip to Hughes' house.

Perkins, Lynne Rae. The Broken Cat; Greenwillow. How a cat gets taken to a vet while waiting for Frank's broken arm to be purrfect.

Pinkney, Sandra L. A Rainbow All Around Me; Scholastic. Ill. by Myles C. Pinkney. Lyrical images of red & blue take us through a multicultural rainbow of unity and hope.

Puttock, Simon. Squeaky Clean; Little Brown. Ill. “Oh, mother pig, we want another,” squeal her piggies three. “What another bath?” replies she.

Root, Phyllis. Oliver Finds His Way; Candlewick Press. Ill. by Christopher Denise. A toddler bear wanders off after a yellow leaf and bravely makes his way home.

Salley, Coleen. Epossumondas; Harcourt. Ill. by Janet Stevens. American folk tale of a baby possum who takes everything his sweet mama says rather literally.

Sis, Peter. Madlenka's Dog; Farrar Straus Giroux. An imaginary dog brings to life all the neighbors around the block. (lift & flap)

Stutson, Caroline. Night Train; Roaring Brook Press. Ill. by, Katherine Tillotson. Glorious, large spread images moves a train throughout the journey written in rhyming text.

Wells, Rosemary & Tom. The House In The Mail; Viking. Ill. by Dan Andreasen. A sister and brother remember 1927, when homes were mail ordered from Sears.

Wilson, Karma. Bear Snores On; Margaret K. McElderry. Ill. by Jane Chapman. In a cave, nice and snug, sleeps a bear, but beware, other forest animals are there...shhh, don't wake bear.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Our Gracie Aunt; Hyperion. Ill. by Jon Muth. (older readers) Beautiful watercolors set the mood of two children who must leave home while their mother deals with an illness.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Visiting Day; Scholastic. Ill. by, James E. Ransom. (older readers) Taking the bus with home baked treats, a grandmother takes her granddaughter on a touching journey to visit daddy in prison.

Zelinsky, Paul O. Knick-Knack Paddywhack! Dutton. A moveable parts book retelling the famous nursery rhyme with 10 old men and their dogs all rolling home.

Easy Books (JE)

Cannon, Ann Edwards. On The Go With Pirate Pete And Pirate Joe! Viking. Repetitive rhyme brings out the silly side of a pirate's life while picture clues add more fun.

Capucilli, Alyssa Satin. Biscuit Goes To School; HarperCollins. The adorable golden retriever puppy gets a glimpse of life at school before meeting the principle and being reminded of the rule.

Livingstone, Star. Harley; Sea Star Books. Ill. by Molly Bang Harley, a young Llama, learns the ways of guarding sheep and keeping peace.

McPhail, David M. Jack And Rick; Harcourt Inc. An early reader series of friendships found.

Mills, Claudia. Gus and Grandpa and the Halloween Costume; Farrar, Straus & Giroux Another tale of the loving duo which includes Dad and an old uniform worn years ago.

Parks, Carmen. Farmers Market; Harcourt Inc. A special little girl helps her parents sell their fruits and vegetables in Red Rock.

Rau, Dana Meachen. Yahoo For You; Compass Point Early Reader. Grandma Sal is always encouraging her granddaughter to try new things until one day it's her turn to try the roller coaster.

Rylant, Cynthia. The Case Of The Sleepy Sloth; Greenwillow. Detectives Jack and Bunny return to crack another case in the fifth book from the High-Rise Private Eyes series.

Thiesling, Lisa. The Viper! Dutton. An old camp tale of a viper sets the backdrop to the daily fear Peggy the pig has until she realizes how humorously wrong she is.

Young Readers (YR)

Briggs, Anita. Hobart; Simon & Schuster. Not since Babe has a pig warmed our hearts. This pig however, wants to tap dance.

Hass, Jessie. Runaway Radish; Greenwillow. A feisty horse who trains many a young rider finds a new way of sharing with others.

Hurwitz, Johanna. Oh No, Noah! Sea Star Books. A clumsy new kid, Noah, will he ever fit in and find true friendship?

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. A Doctor Like Papa; HarperCollins. Margaret wants to be a doctor like her father. Girls living in the early 1800's were not encouraged to grow up to practice medicine.

Lowry, Lois. Gooney Bird Greene; Houghton. An unusual second grader who wears pj's to school and has to sit in the middle of class.

Sachs, Marilyn. The Four Ugly Cats In Apartment 3D; Richard Jackson Book — Atheneum. Lily's mean neighbor has a soft spot for cats. When he dies, Lily decides to save his cats.

Fiction (J)

Alexander, Lloyd. Rope Trick; Dutton. Daniella earns her keep as a magician in another of Alexander's mystical realms.

Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen; Penguin Putnam. Why has 15 year old Bobby become invisible? Alicia, who is blind, helps him learn why.

Creech, Sharon. Ruby Holler; Joanna Cotler — HarperCollins. Twins Dallas and Florida, are invited to explore new wonders in the Holler, a magical place.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Pictures Of Hollis Woods; Wendy Lamb — Random House. An artist helps Hollis find her self worth.

Gray, Margaret. The Ugly Princess And The Wise Fool; Henry Holt. Shrek, move over, here comes Rose the ugly princess from the kingdom of Couscous.

Ibbotson, Eva. Journey To The River Sea; Dutton. Brazil, 1910, Maia is sent to live with nasty relatives on the Amazon.

McKay, Hilary. Saffy's Angel; McElderry. Saffy, an adopted niece, begins a quest to find a little garden statue from her past.

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Blizzard's Wake; Simon & Schuster. Kate Sterling must fight the urge to hurt the man who accidentally killed her mother.

Paterson, Katherine. The Same Stuff As Stars; Clarion. “Make a wish upon a star,” 11 year-old Angel hopes her dreams of seeing her father and coping with her younger brother come true.

Reiss, Kathryn. Paint By Magic; Harcourt, Inc. Connor travels back in time to break an evil curse by an ancient artist.

Shalant, Phyllis. When Pirates Came To Brooklyn; Dutton. Lee Bloom is growing up in the 1960's during a time of ethnic discovery and her own burgeoning friendships.

Spinelli, Jerry. Loser; HarperCollins. Donald Zinkoff is always happy, always the last to be picked for a team, a true loser.

Wallace-Brodeur, Ruth. Blue Eyes Better' Dutton. Tess and her parents learn to go on after her brother dies in a car accident.

Woodson, Jacqueline. Hush; G. P. Putnam. Evie and her family have changed everything as part of the witness protection program.

Non-Fiction (J NF)
Beginning with Dewey-Decimal Classification

J B Anderson Ryan, Pam Munoz. When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson, The Voice of a Century; Scholastic. Selznick's thought provoking illustrations accompany the insightful text of Marian's girlhood ambition to be a great singer.

J B Berenstain Berenstain, Stan & Jan. Down A Sunny Dirt Road: An Autobiography; Random. A fun filled look at the life of the real Berenstain Bears.

J B Confucius Freedman, Russell. Confucius: The Golden Rule; Scholastic. A fascinating biography of the world's oldest family tree and its great... grandfather.

J B Guthrie Partridge, Elizabeth. This Land Was Made For You And Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie; Viking. One of America's great folk music heroes depicted with stunning sincerity and images throughout Woody's difficult life.

J B Hitler Giblin, James Cross. The Life And Death of Adolf Hitler; Clarion Books. A well researched yet told with brilliant clarity, this biography uncovers the childhood and maturation of a dictator and troubled man.

J 179.6 W Waber, Bernard. Courage; Houghton. In life we face many challenges, this adorable book looks at large, minor and mythic acts of courage.

J 222.11 P Pinkney, Jerry. Noah's Ark; Sea Star. A retelling of the classic biblical tale with outstanding watercolors and imagery.

J 398.2 O Osborne, Mary Pope. The Brave Little Seamstress; Ann Schwartz — Atheneum. A German folk tale, retelling the tailor who outsmarts a giant, a king and becomes queen herself.

J 535.323 C Cobb, Vicki. I See Myself; J 546.22 C I Get Wet; HarperCollins. Young science play. Learn that water sticks to itself or that bouncing light on shinny surfaces shows a reflection, and much more.

J 624.509 C Curlee, Lynn. Brooklyn Bridge; Atheneum. With fabulous illustrations, you realize how difficult and innovative the builders of this famous bridge were more than 100 years ago.

J 635.083 E Eclare, Melaine. A Harvest Of Color: Growing A Vegetable Garden; Ragged Bears. A children's garden reaches all ethnic backgrounds through a shared salad.

J 759.06 R Raczka, Bob. No One Saw: Ordinary Things Through the Eyes of an Artist; Millbrook. Using paintings of famous artists the reader gains an amazing view of passion in art.

J 791.32 H Helfer, Ralph. Mosey: The Remarkable Friendship of a Boy and His Elephant; Orchard. A circus boy's real life story of his bond with an animal that travels heroic heights.

J 808.81 L Let There Be Light: Poems and Prayers for Repairing the World, Compiled and Illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben; Dutton. Eskimo, Lao-tzu, Buddha, to Zimbabwe traditional prayer issue words of wisdom.

J 811.54 C Chaikin, Miriam. Don't Step On The Sky: A Handful of Haiku; Henry Holt. Delightful watercolors swirl around the wonders of nature through these simple, charming poems.

J 811.54 T Testa, Maria. Becoming Joe DiMaggio; Candlewick. A story/poem of a grandfather's courage and inspiration from the sounds of baseball's legendary centerfielder.

J 811.54 T Thomas, Joyce Carol. Crowing Glory; Joanna Cotler Books — HarperCollins. Beautiful pastel drawings of family gatherings; the poetry evoking the rhythm of hair being washed, braided and then crowned.