Written by Kristen Landon
Published by Aladdin, 2010
ISBN 9781442402713

Money. It means a lot to people all over the world. That cute shirt you bought yesterday or that pasta you are having for dinner tonight both cost money. Cold hard cash, credit cards, and little tiny pieces of metal.
 
Imagine a world where, if you spent too much money, you had a kid taken away. That is what happened to Matt and his family in the book The Limit by Kristen Landon. One rough golf game played by Matt’s father cost the family thousands of dollars and two kids.
 
In this dramatic, exciting page-turner, Kristen Landon expresses love, trust, friendship, and the power of kids with a dream of freedom.

—Megan Zamow, 6th grader

Written by Maya Soetoro-Ng
Illustrated by Yuyi Morales
Published by Candlewick, 2011
ISBN 9780763645600

“Where do people go when they’re gone?” is a question children frequently ask and adults can’t always answer. In this picture book filled with warm flowing colors we travel with young Suhaila up into the skies where Grandma Annie awaits at the top of a golden ladder.

The international themes of this picture book would invite a more in-depth discussion of world tragedies with older readers, but are not too complex for a gentle read-aloud with younger listeners. Hope is the theme that resonates throughout and we are reminded that hope can begin here on earth—with us. “We’ll throw in our hearts to make the land a little more kind… build bridges and buildings and bonds between people… a net of love that surrounds us all.”

Both author and illustrator share their own thoughts on the back pages, helping the older reader better understand the underlying concepts behind the creation of this picture book.

—Heidi Håvan Grosch, educator and children’s literature enthusiast

Written by Lynne Berry
Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
Published by Henry Holt, 2009
ISBN 9780805086966

When five little ducks decide to go camping, everything is fine until… night comes and imaginations take over, chasing five little ducks together in one duck tent.

A tale of fishing, fun and frolics, the lilting rhyme also lends itself to a fun read-aloud for the youngest listeners. Nakata’s watercolor and ink illustrations are bright and friendly and invite the reader into the pages filled with minimal text.  One in a series about these ducks (look for Duck Skates and Duck Dunks) this charming little picture book is a nice addition to a classroom or library.

—Heidi Håvan Grosch, educator and children’s literature enthusiast

Compiled by Jane Y0len and Andrew Fusek Peters
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Published by Candlewick, 2010
ISBN 9780763642495

This wonderful collection of poems from “the hoot of an owl to the horns of the city, from children giggling in the bath to the hushed notes of a lullaby… captures the many moods of bedtime” (from the cover jacket). Sixty poems collected by noted children’s authors Yolen and Peters include classic writers like Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Sylvia Plath as well as contemporary writers like Lee Bennett Hopikns and Mary Ann Hoberman.

“Wherever night falls/The earth is always there/To catch it” – Roger McGough

Karas’ illustrations are soft and inviting and add a peaceful quite to these poems from various parts of the English-speaking world including the United States, Australia, the Caribbean and Great Britain.

“In the absence of light/little shadows, in fright/cling tightly together/ And call themselves Night.” – Philip Waddell

An index of first lines, an index of poets and copyright acknowledgements are all included at the back of this book which would be a wonderful addition to any school library.

—Heidi Håvan Grosch, educator and children’s literature enthusiast

Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Published by Greenwillow, 2011
ISBN 9780061964176

On page 123 of this book, the author writes:

“The hot dogs were perfect. The potato chips were perfect. Even the carrot sticks were perfect; they were sweeter than ever, and crunchy, and the most pure orange color imaginable. Can food somehow know it’s your birthday and change to become more delicious? Underneath it all lay the faded red-and-white-checked tablecloth that Alice’s mother had found in the back of the cupboard. It was perfect, too.”

That’s just how I feel about this book. It is exquisite. It captures the sense of turning ten with just the right nuances, concerns, temperament, and fascination. Henkes notices everything—tastes, sounds, smells, textures, light—and weaves the details seamlessly into the story. The book in itself is a painting of a particular place and time, a vacation beach house in Florida during the week of a nine-turning ten-year-old’s birthday.

From the beginning, Alice has a queasy feeling in her stomach. They’ve been to the beach house for years, long enough to have an established circle of friends. She can’t wait to see them. Upon arrival, she discovers that things will be different this year. The cast of characters is changing, people are growing older, family dynamics have altered … a first taste of growing up. The adults in Alice’s world are caring. The disruptive force is a six-year-old girl whose mother has divorced her father. Her unhappiness taints the otherwise perfect birthday celebration, but Alice has the underpinnings and perception to move through and past the unhappiness.

The language, the book’s design, the paper, the spot illustrations all make this a reading experience to cherish. Much like the coveted Junonia shell that Alice seeks, this is a rare book. To the teachers and librarians I know, this will not be every child’s book. Give it to those perceptive readers who look at the world with wonder, curious about the lives of others.

—Vicki Palmquist, children’s literature enthusiast