PICTURE BOOK HALL OF FAME

AUTHOR - DON FREEMAN

GRADES - PRESCHOOL - 1

CORDUROY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS INDUCTED INTO THE INDIES CHOICE BOOK AWARDS PICTURE BOOK HALL OF FAME. 

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY NAMED CORDUROY ONE OF THE 100 GREAT CHILDREN'S BOOKS FROM THE LAST 100 YEARS

THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSN. NAMED CORDUROY ONE OF THE TEACHERS' TOP 100 BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL NAMED CORDUROY ONE OF THE TOP 100 PICTURE BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

CLOSE TO 20 MILLION COPIES OF THE CORDUROY BOOKS HAVE SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD

Corduroy is a stuffed bear who lives in a department store. He is not happy because he wants to live in a home. A young girl buys him and they both become very happy together. 

1. Compare how Corduroy felt at the beginning and at the 
end of the story? 

2. Do you think the girl will always love Corduroy? 

3. What have you fixed to make it better? 

AUTHOR - EVE BUNTING

GRADES - 1-3

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR👍

CALDECOTT MEDAL - BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN. - NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK

AN AMERICAN BOOKSELLER  - "PICK OF THE LISTS"

HUNGRY MIND REVIEW -BOOK OF DISTINCTION

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - CHILDREN'S BESTSELLER

PARENTS' CHOICE - AWARD WINNER👍

The Los Angeles riots are seen through the eyes of a young boy who is forced out of his home by fire. The destruction of his neighborhood brought Koreans and blacks together during a time when there was great animosity between the two groups. The boy was worried about his missing cat until a fireman brought it to the shelter along with Mrs. Kim’s cat. The felines, who were enemies before the riots, were now getting along with each other. The young boy concludes that they used to be enemies because they didn’t know each other. “Out of the mouths of babes… .” 

1. What lesson did the cats teach the adults?
   

    If they can get along, why can't humans be friends?


2. Why reason does the author give for the African-Americans and
 the  Asians not

    getting along very well?
    

    They never got to know one another. They didn't do what the
 cats did. 

3. During the story, Daniel's mama said that she didn't shop at Mrs. Kim's 
market, 

    because it was better to buy from her own people. What did she mean by that? 

    Do you think that was a good idea?
    

    She meant that African-Americans should only shop from  stores that 

    were owned by African-Americans. This was not a 
good idea. People 

    should shop at stores that give them the 
best service, or have the best 

    prices. Race should not be a factor in this decision.


4. After the riots end, will Mrs. Kim and Mama treat each other differently? 


    Explain.
    

    Yes, they will treat each other differently. Near the end of the story, 
Mrs.

    Kim accepts Mama's invitation to come visit her.

AUTHOR -EZRA JACK KEATS

GRADES - PRE - K

CALDECOTT MEDAL - WINNER - BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK

SCHOLASTIC PARENT AND CHILD MAGAZINE - #4 ALL TIME GREATEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS👍

A classic in children’s literature, The Snowy Day was one of the first books to portray a black child as he enjoys the wonders of snow. It was banned in many schools and libraries.

1. At the end of the story, what do you think Peter and his friend are going

    to do in the snow? 

2. What is your favorite snow activity or if you could play 
in the snow, what would 

    you like to do?


3. Would you like to live in a place where there was snow
 everyday? Explain.


4. If you could choose another color for snow, what would 
it be? Why?

AUTHOR -LEO LIONNI

GRADES - PRE-2

ENDORSED BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ☮️

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN. - NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK

NEW YORK TIMES - BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF THE YEAR 

CALDECOTT MEDAL HONOR BOOK - BEST ILLUSTRATIONS

Almost a half of a century old, this classic tale demonstrates how creativity and cooperation allows a group of fish to survive in the ocean. Swimmy is lonely and sad after a tuna eats his brothers and sisters. He tells the red fish to swim close together in the shape of a giant fish. Swimmy, who is black, becomes the eye. The group looks like one big fish, which scares their enemies. 

1. What does cooperation mean? 

2. How does cooperation work in this story?

3. What caused Swimmy to become excited?

    He became excited when he helped the other fish.

4. How can cooperation help you at school and at home?

AUTHOR - BRENDAN WENZEL

GRADES - PRE-1

CYBILS AWARD ☮️- 

seeks out and recognizes books that represent diversity, inclusion, and appropriate representation for children and teens .

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL'S - BEST BOOKS OF 2016, PICTURE BOOKS 👍 

THE NEW YORK TIMES - NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS

NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY - BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS, PICTURE BOOKS

GOODREADS - CHOICE AWARDS 2016, PICTURE BOOKS

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN.  - NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS

PARENTS' CHOICE - AWARD WINNER👍


SHELF AWARENESS -STARRED REVIEW

The story focuses on a cat and how it is seen through the eyes of a child and eleven animals. One of the best picture books I have seen, as the facial expressions are quite revealing.

1. Would you rather have a dog or a cat for a pet? Explain.

AUTHOR - JON AGEE

GRADES - K-3

BOSTON GLOBE - BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 👍

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN. - NOTABLE BOOK

NEW YORK TIMES - BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE

CHICAGO TRIBUNE - BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2018👍

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - BEST BOOKS OF 2018

PEOPLE MAGAZINE - BEST GIFT BOOKS FOR KIDS

ENDORSED BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL  ☮️

KIRKUS REVIEW - STARRED

A young knight is glad that there is a wall in the middle of the book because it protects him from the ogre who lives on the other side. He soon learns a valuable life lesson about judging others. 

1. What lesson do you think the boy learned from this story? 

2. What would have happened to the boy if the ogre didn’t lift him over the wall? 

3. What happened to his friend, the duck?  

AUTHOR - JON KLASSEN

GRADES - PRE-2

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW

HORN BOOK- STARRED REVIEW

BOOKLIST- STARRED REVIEW

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - STARRED REVIEW

Two turtles find a hat in the desert. Since there is no way to share a hat, they decide to leave it because “it would not be right if one of us had a hat and the other did not.” 

1.   Why didn’t the second turtle take the hat?      

      The first turtle said that they both had hats in his 
dream. 

2.   Can you think of another solution to the hat problem? 

3.   What do you think would have happened if the first 
turtle found his friend 

       wearing the hat?

AUTHOR - GRACE LIN

GRADES - 3-5

NEWBERY - HONOR BOOK - 👍

The Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children”.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - STARRED REVIEW

BOOKLIST - STARRED REVIEW

KIRKUS REVIEWS - STARRED REVIEW


NEW YORK TIMES - BESTSELLER

BANK STREET COLLEGE OF EDUCATION - JOSETTE FRANK AWARD

AL ROKER'S TODAY SHOW KIDS' CLUB PICK

MYTHOPEIC FANTASY AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE👍

PARENTS' CHOICE - GOLD WINNER👍

SCHOLASTIC- TOP 100 GREATEST BOOKS FOR KIDS👍

Minli and her parents live in a barren area, where growing anything but rice is a challenge. Her mother constantly complains about their poor existence, while her father tells stories to brighten up the evenings. Through these stories, Minli learns about the old man on the moon who can change destinies. She decides to find him and bring happiness to her family. Along the way she encounters a talking goldfish, nasty monkeys, a flightless dragon, and an orphan boy. However, when she reaches her destination and gets the opportunity to change her life, she discovers something more important than material goods. The chapters are short and the adventures are nonstop. As noted below, the story received the E.B.White honor award for read-alouds. 

1. Did Minli make the right decision? What would you have done?

AUTHOR - DEBORAH RUDDELL

GRADES - K-6

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR👍

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSN.- NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS

BANK STREET COLLEGE - BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

KIRKUS REVIEWS - STARRED REVIEW

JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH -NOTABLE 

  CHILDREN'S BOOKS IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS

BULLETIN FOR THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS - STARRED REVIEW

Walking through the woods will never be the same after listening to A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk A Forest of Poems. It is a book for all ages as the illustrations and the text combine to make this an excellent read-aloud. Ask yourself this question - Is there anyone in your class who will not enjoy listening to this poem?

  “The squirrel’s life is run, run, run - It seems her work is never done.     

  Those flying leaps, those frantic trots. Those teeny shoulders tied in knots. 

                   So I propose a squirrel spa-      Someplace very la-di-dah,               

                with all the walnuts she can eat   and pedicures for all four feet.               

           She’ll have the time to ease her mind to let her curly tail unwind.                

              A week of lounging in the grass  and possibly a yoga class.”   

 I would keep this book on my desk for instant use when celebrating animals, nature, or for the enjoyment of listening to rhyming poetry. 

1. Before reading Spring Welcome, ask the class what they think “a 
 million 

    arms in woody sleeves” means. Then read the poem and discuss the 

    phrase.
 

2. Before reading Woodpecker Feud, ask the class what they think the 
 title 

    means. Then read the poem and discuss the meaning.
 

3. Before reading October Surprise Party, ask the class what they think 
 the title 

    means. Then read the poem and discuss the meaning.
 

4. After reading Chipmunks, Inc., ask the class what the Acorn Savings 
Bank is.

AUTHOR - JOHNNIE CHRISTMAS

GRADES - MATURE 3 - 6

JANE ADDAMS PEACE AWARD☮️

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

CYBILS AWARD☮️

seeks out and recognizes books that represent diversity, inclusion, and appropriate representation
 for children and teens

EL DIA DE LOS NINOS/ EL DIA DE LOS LIBROS - SELECTION☮️

Highlights diverse children's books to honor the cultures and languages of all 

     children

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD - LONGLIST👍

BANK STREET CHILDREN’S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

AMAZON.COM - BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH

CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY - BEST OF THE BEST

BOOKLIST EDITOR’S CHOICE: BOOKS FOR YOUTH

CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL’S - CHILDREN’S FAVORITES AWARD

CHILDREN’S BOOK COUNCIL’S - LIBRARIAN FAVORITES AWARD👍

THE HARVEY AWARD 👍

The Harvey Awards are one of the comic industry’s oldest and most prestigious awards. “As a reader, seeing a book acknowledged by the Harvey Awards should ensure you’re picking up the best our industry has to offer.


THE EISNER AWARD -
👍👍🏿

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, referred to as the comics industry's equivalent to the Academy Awards. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the comics industry.

When middle schooler Bree enters her new school, she finds herself placed on the swim team. However, she cannot swim. Not only must she overcome her fears, but she has to deal with team members who do not understand how to work cooperatively. She also has issues with her father who does not attend her meets. An underlying theme is whether or not kids from a lower socio-economic background can beat the swim team from a wealthy area who feel that they are better than everyone else. The story is presented in a graphic format. This heart-warming book is just perfect for reluctant readers.

1. At the end of the story, Bree says “piece by piece, it’s all coming together.”
What

    does that mean?


    She compares solving life’s problems to putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

2. Besides Bree, who do you think was the bravest person in this story.


    Her father as he learned to swim after he almost drowned.


    Mari. She apologized to her old friends for leaving them.