OREM — Orem children's librarian Patricia Castelli has assembled a list of 100 of the best children's books from the 21st century. This is a partial list. The complete list is available on the Orem City Library Web site: lib.orem.org.
Bilingual books for preschoolers:
LATINO LULLABIES AND GENTLE GAMES: Mi Nino Arrorro, Lulu Delacre: musical arrangements by Cecilia Esquival and Diana Saez. Preschool.
Energetic Spanish finger plays, poems and songs with luscious illustrations are wonderful to share with a Spanish-speaking or bilingual child.
A TALL TALE ABOUT A GIANT WOMAN WITH A BIG HEART: Pat Mora. Illustrated by Raul Colon. Preschool.
Soft and dreamy art accompanies this story that seamlessly introduces a few Spanish words in a tale about a giant who helps her villagers stay happy and safe.
JUST A MINUTE; A TRICKSTER TALE AND COUNTING BOOK: Yuyi Morales. Preschool-Grade 3.
Senor Death has come for Grandma, but she has work to do. She counts each task in English and Spanish until death is tricked out of Grandma.
Poetry:
LOVE THAT DOG: Sharon Creech. Grades 4-6.
The simple but powerful story in verse grows out of a class poetry unit that begins "I don't want to because boys don't write poetry."
TECHNICALLY, IT'S NOT MY FAULT: John Grandits. Concrete Poems. Grades 4-8.
Experiences of a boy are turned into a laugh-out-loud collection of poems. The placement of words on the page is half the fun.
DARK SONS: Nikki Grimes. Teen.
A novel in poetry relates the lives of two boys in alternating chapters, Ishmael, the son of Abraham, and Sam, who lives in New York. Both realize their faithful father is God.
OH NO! WHERE ARE MY PANTS AND OTHER DISASTERS: POEMS: Hopkins, Lee Bennett, editor. Pictures by Wolf Erlbruch. Grades 2-6.
Amusing poems with a facing page of illustration explore the various ways children find to become embarrassed. Some turn out well, some not so well.
POEMS SELECTED BY PAUL B. JANECZKO: PaulB. Janeczko. Illustrated by Chris Raschka.
A KICK IN THE HEAD; AN EVERYDAY GUIDE TO POETIC FORMS. All ages.
Delightful poetry and energetic illustrations make this guide to poetic forms a must have for would-be poets of all ages.
A WREATH FOR EMMETT TILL: Marilyn Nelson. Illustrated by Philippe Lardy. Grades 6 & up.
Dramatic illustrations and a powerful poem comprised of fifteen sonnets explore the brutal murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till by white racists.
IF NOT FOR THE CAT: Jack Prelutsky. Illustrated by Ted Rand. Preschool.
This book of riddles in Haiku is a work of beauty for the ear and the eye. Prelutsky was recently named children's poetry's first laureate (September 2006).
SONG OF THE WATER BOATMAN AND OTHER POND POEMS: Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Beckie Prange. Grades 2-6.
Nature lovers will cozy up to this look at pond life in poetry with lovely watercolor illustrations in the hues of each season.
Picture books:
A CRASH COURSE FOR MOLLY: Eva Eriksson. Translated from Swedish by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard. All ages.
Molly is learning to ride a bike, but the harder she tries not to wreck, the more she runs into things. Share this hilarious book with teens ready for a learner's permit.
WHERE IS THE GREEN SHEEP? Mem. Fox. Illustrated by Judy Horacek. All ages.
Color and opposites are two of the basic concepts in this book, but it is the humor that will win fans of all ages.
TRACTION MAN IS HERE! Mini Grey. All ages.
The action figure is a hero with an outfit for every daunting task. What is he to do when Grandma knits him a green romper with matching bonnet?
KITTEN'S FIRST FULL MOON: Kevin Henkes. Preschool.
Soothing black and white illustrations follow a kitten's quest for a bowl of milk that is, alas, only the reflection of the moon.
THE OLD AFRICAN: Julius Lester. Grades 5-up.
Haunting illustrations accompany this powerful story of a young man with magical power. Captured by slave traders, he uses his power to help others.
THE DAY THE BABIES CRAWLED AWAY: Peggy Rathmann. All ages.
Black silhouettes against colorful skies show a hero preschooler in a fireman's hat trying to bring back five babies who crawled away while their mothers were chatting.
MY FRIEND RABBIT: Eric Rohmann. Preschool.
A series of unfortunate events follow a friend's desire to help rabbit.
BIG MAMA MAKES THE WORLD: Phyllis Root. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Preschool.
Big Mama, with a baby on her hip, creates the whole world in six days, and then rests.
THE HIDDEN ALPHABET: Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Preschool and up.
In this clever book, each page has a window revealing an object beginning with a featured letter. The page lifts, revealing the letter which incorporates the object.
WILD ABOUT BOOKS: Judy Sierra: Illustrated by Marc Brown. Preschool and up.
Rhyming lines bring smiles when the bookmobile makes a wrong turn into the zoo. The librarian discovers new challenges, such as finding a waterproof Harry Potter for otter.
MADLENKA'S DOG: Peter Sis. All ages.
Madlenka has a leash and an imaginary dog. As she walks through her ethnically diverse neighborhood, a lift-the-flap shows what each of her neighbors see.
THE THREE PIGS: David Wiesner. All ages.
The author/illustrator achieves an amazing three-dimensional effect when the three little pigs figure out a way to climb off their pages into a safer world.
DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! Mo Willems. All ages.
Meet a pigeon that doesn't know how to take "no" for an answer. The illustrations, though seemingly simple, show an enormous range of emotion.
KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE: Mo Willems. All ages.
Black and white photographs of a cityscape are backdrops for the cartoon-style Daddy and Trixie on their ill-fated trip to the Laundromat.
Easy readers:
HI! FLY GUY: Tedd Arnold. Kindergarten to Grade 2.
A boy miraculously catches a fly to be his pet for the Amazing Pet Show. The judges at first dismiss the idea, but the boy and his fly rise above the competition.
ELVIS THE ROOSTER ALMOST GOES TO HEAVEN: Denys Cazet. Grades 2-4.
Elvis the Rooster has a life crisis when he finds that the sun will rise whether or not he crows. It's up to the hens to restore his confidence, which they manage with theatrics.
MERCY WATSON TO THE RESCUE: Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. Grades 2-4.
The sunny art matches Mercy's sunny disposition. She's a very cheerful pig who accidentally sets off a disaster and comes to the rescue by chance.
BABYMOUSE: QUEEN OF THE WORLD: Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. Grades 2-4.
Third-grade Babymouse longs to be queen of the world. All her dreams are in pink, and everyday life is black and white with some pink highlights for smaller flights of fantasy.
BIG SURPRISE IN THE BUG TANK: Ruth Horowitz. Pictures by Joan Holup. Grades 1-3.
A sequel as entertaining as the 2001 Breakout at the Bug Lab, the two brothers have a problem with a pair of hissing cockroaches that soon become many cockroaches.
MARTIN BRIDGE: READY FOR TAKE OFF: Jessica Scott Kerrin. Illustrated by Joseph Kelly. Grades 2-4.
Three stories feature an energetic boy who makes discoveries about kindness, jealousy, and trusting his parents.
RUBY LU, BRAVE AND TRUE: Lenone Look. Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Grades 2-4.
Ruby Lu greets everything with enthusiasm. A reader can't help but cheer her on, even when she decides to drive to Chinese School early Saturday morning.
JASON, RAT-A-TAT: Colby Rodowsky. Pictures by Beth Peck.
Rodowsky, Colby. Pictures by Beth Peck. Jason, Rat-a-Tat. (2002) Grades 2-4. 68 pages.
Jason is nine, and he's always on the go as a tagalong to sporting events, but with grandpa's help, he finds something he can play.
HENRY AND MUDGE AND THE GREAT GRANDPAS: Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Sucie Stevenson. Grades 1-3.
Henry and his dog Mudge go visit Great-Grandpa where he lives with other great-grandpas. They go on a happy outing that may make you laugh.