Literature of 2006 That We Must Have!

Literature of 2006 that We Must Have! Compiled by Peggy M. Johnsen December 2, 2006

Christmas Literature

Buehner, Carlyn and Mark. Snowmen at Christmas. Dial Books for Young Readers. 2005. Another collaborative book by this pair provides a great companion to their Snowmen at Night. The snappy rhyming verse tells the tale of what snowmen do on Christmas Eve while people sleep.

Herman, John. One Winter’s Night. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. 2003. It is a cold winter’s night and Martha is looking for shelter. Even a cow needs a safe, warm place to give girth to her baby. One bright star guides Martha to a stable and there, a man and woman have found shelter as well – and another very special baby is about to be born.

Hoover, Helen. Great Wolf and the Good Woodsman. Woodcuts by Betsy Bowen. 2005. The miracle of Christmas permits the animals to work together as friends, despite their fear of the Great Wolf, and to rescue their beloved woodsman.

Katz, Alan. Where did they hide my presents? Silly dilly Christmas songs. Margaret K. McElderry Books. Illustrated by David Catrow. 2005. Clever, hilarious play of language and topics to the tune of favorite Christmas carols and songs.

Kinsey-Warnock, Natalie. A Christmas Like Helen’s. Illustrated by Mary Azarian. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Woodcut illustrations assist the charming and accurate descriptive telling of all the things required to have a Christmas like the author’s grandmother had, including farm animals, stories of Scotland, ice skating in the moonlight, and joining friends, family , and neighbors at church on Christmas Eve.

Leffler, Silke. A Simply Wonderful Christmas, a Literary Advent Calendar. NorthSouth Books, 2005. Wow…. 24 short holiday stories that are “whimsical, touching, funny, contemplative, unusual” and are authored by the illustrator’s fellow Austrian’s. Very unusual and the re-reading of them yearly would become a memorable Christmas tradition. Some translations are stilted and stories seem best for elementary grades.

Lloyd-Jones, Sally. Little One, We Knew you’d Come. Little, Brown & Co. 2006. Gorgeous language, incredible illustrations tell the story of the birth of Jesus.

McCaughrean, Geraldine. Father and Son, A Nativity Story. Hyperion Books for Children. 2006. This is a new telling of the Christmas story by this award-winning author who imagines how Joseph might have felt that first night with his very special son.

Mayer, Mercer. The Little Drummer Mouse. Dial Books for Young Readers. 2006. Based on the beloved carol, The Little Drummer Boy, this tale illuminates the origin of Christmas with a woodland setting and detailed Mayer artwork.

Noble, Trinka Hakes. Apple Tree Christmas. Sleeping Bear Press. 2005 (1984). ISBN 1585372700.

1 Noble shares an actual memory of a Christmas long ago in which an ice storm destroyed the family’s beloved apple tree, the tree she drew in. He father saved the special branch on which she had sat in the tree and made a drawing board for her to use.

O’Connor, Jane. The Snow Globe Family. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2006. Two families, one a tiny one that lives in a snow globe in a larger family’s home, anxiously await a big snowstorm. Nice presentation of a parallel lives and setting.

Polacco, Patricia. Welcome Comfort. Philomel Books. 1999. Welcome Comfort, a foster child, is always moving from home to home and being picked on by kids at school. When Mr. Hamp, the school custodian, becomes his closest friend, Welcome’s life changes forever. Still this Christmas will be the same as all others: no Santa Claus. The Hamps always go a way every Christmas, but Mr Hamp assures Welcome, “Child, he’ll find you. Maybe he hasn’t come because you haven’t believed hard enough.” Once again Polacco gives the reader an unforgettable message and this time it is: “believing is seeing.”

Recorvits, Helen. Yoon and the Christmas Mitten. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 2006. Striking illustrations accompany this charming story of a young Korean immigrant girl, Yoon. Yoon attempts to teach her parents about special things she has learned here in America: Santa Claus, decorated tree and stockings that one hangs. She is told by her mother that “We are not a Christmas family, we are a New Year’s day family” This charming story opens up great opportunity to discuss cultural traditions and the complexity of blending traditions from different cultures.

Reiss, Mike. Merry Un-Christmas. Illustrated by David Catrow. HarperCollins. 2006. Noelle, Holly, Carol, and Claus think the most wonderful day of this Un-Christmas; it’s the only day of the year that they actually go to school, the mail is delivered, and best of all, they don’t have to open any presents. This is a charming, humorous tale that reveals the true meaning of Un-Christmas and perhaps to consider wishing that every day was Christmas!

Vivas, Julie. The Nativity. Voyager Books. Restored, 2005. This story of the Nativity is lovingly retold in this pairing of text from the King James Version of the Bible with Julie Vivas’s heartwarming artwork. Just, plain, typical Vivas!

Wallace, Ian. The Huron Carol. Grundwood Books House of Anansi Press. 2006. Canadian author/illustrator has retold this 1641 version of “the Huron Carol” which was most likely written by Father Jean de Brebeuf, a French Jesuit missionary. This hymn has survived and been passed on from generation to generation.

Ward, Helen. Finding Christmas. Dulton Children’s Books. 2004. This book is a journey through luminous illustrations as the girl in the red coat searches for “the perfect gift.” A mysterious old gentleman scoops up everything in the store and all seems to be lost to find “the perfect gift” until “a little breath of Christmas” lands at her feet from the wintry sky. The theme of older sister is the surprise ending.

Winthrop, Elizabeth. The First Christmas Stocking. Delacorte Press. 2006. “A long time ago, in a stone hut where firewood was scant and food was meager, a girl named Claire learned to knit by her mother’s side” … and so begins the tender story that captures the true yuletide spirit of giving. This is an original tale that explains how stockings came to be hung by the hearth and filled with gifts at Christmastime.

Wormell, Christopher. Through the Animals’ Eyes. Running Press. 2006. This outstanding wood engraving illustrates the story of the birth of Christ told with illustrations of creatures of the Holy Land. An appendix gives factual details concerning each of the 22 animals used in the wood engravings.

2 Wormell is also known for Mice, Morals & Monkey Business: Lively Lessons on Aesop’s Fables; The new alphabet of Animals; Teeth, Tails, & Tentacles: An Animal Counting Book.

New Books

Becker, Suzy. Manny’s Cows,The Niagara Falls Tale. HarperCollins. 2006. 9780060541521. Manny dreads the last day of school, because you can’t go anywhere on vacation if you have 500 cows to milk everyday! This is a delightfully funny “tall tale” full of play on words, hilarious illustrations, and some true facts about cows. This book is udder-ly fun!

Belle, Jennifer. Animal Stackers. Hyperion Books. 2005. ISBN 0787818344. When you stack the letters of the alphabet, you make words. When you stack words, you can make poems. This collection of poetry blends genres in an unforgettable way. David McPhail’s whimsical illustrations assist the reads.

Burke, Jim. Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Little, Brown. 2006. ISBN 0316758191. This is a tribute to the pitcher, Christy Mathewson, and this baseball hit song. Complete lyrics, fan-pleasing trivia, and nostalgic paintings fill this book.

Brett, Jan. Hedgie Blasts Off! G.P. Putnam’s Sons. 2006. When the spectacular, sparkling explosions at a popular tourist sight slow down, Hedgie, the hedgehog, is the only one capable of flying to tiny planet Mikkop to see what is wrong.

Compestine, Ying Chang. D is for Dragon Dance. Holiday Books. 2006. ISBN 9780823418879. A possible addition to study of the Chinese New Year. See how children greet the New Year by writing characters, getting haircuts, eating noodles, and honoring their families. Authentic designs and objects.

Cronin, Doreen, and Betsy Lewin. Dooby Dooby MOO. Atheneum. 2006. Another of this team’s hilarious adventures of Farmer Brown’s animals. This time there is a secret need to rehearse for the county fair’s talent show. Great prizes!

Davis, Anne. Bud and Gabby. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN9780060753504. This would be a wonderful book to use when pets are ill. Friendship and companionship is wonderfully told and illustrated. deGroat, Diane. No More Pencils, No More Books, No More Teacher’s Dirty Looks! HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN9780060791148. This Gilbert story provides a humorous and warm reminder of the bittersweet emotions of the last day of school. Well done!

Dodds, Dayle Ann. Teacher’s Pets. Candlewick Press. 2006. ISBN 0763622524. Primary students will enjoy how show-and-tell time in Miss Fry’s class evolves from one pet being brought in and ending up staying in the room to all the children’s pets staying for the year. The year ends and the pets go home, except for one.

Fancher, Lou. Star Climbing. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 0060739010.

3 A young boy dreams a fantastical journey through sparkling star constellations. This would perhaps be an artful and creative companion to a constellation collection. Ages: 7-10.

Florian, Douglas. Handsprings. Grades 2-6. Greenwillow Books, 2006. 0060092807 This is another installment of Florian’s many themed poem collections. These poems, all about spring, are aptly paired with Florian’s childlike paintings to create joyful and liberating images of this hopeful season. This is a worthy addition to his growing works.

Freymann, Saxton and Joost Elffers. Fast Food. Scholastic. 2006. ISBN 043911019X. Vegetables and fruits express all forms of mobility. Soaring in an okra plane, kayaking on cabbage seas, and peeling out on green-bean skis are some of the fun ideas. Other books by these folks: How are you Pelling? Dog Food, One Lonely Sea Horse, Baby Food, Food for Thought. Great for creativity of thought and expression.

Geisert,Arthur. OOPS. Houghton Mifflin, 2006. One morning, while a pig family is sitting down to breakfast, a little milk spills to the floor. With each disastrous step depicted by Giesert, a seemingly ordinary incident spills out of control. Wordless. Great chain of events – cause and effect!

George, Jean Craighead. Luck, The Story of a Sandhill Crane. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 0060082017. Craighead has done it again; the daughter of naturalists, her books always speak the truth of the creatures of nature as she weaves a storyteller’s tale. This time it is the migration of sandhill cranes, their habitat and habits. Wendell Minor’s illustrations are lovely.

Goode, Diane. The Most Perfect Spot. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 9780060726973. This delightful book presents a series of mishaps when Jack and his mother go to the park for the most perfect spot for a picnic. The repetition of the language and the clues from the illustrations give the reader an inside “ride” through this park, the mishaps, and the knowledge of “who knows why?” these mishaps occur? Great double meaning of the title of the book.

Grimes, Nikki. Thanks a Million. Greenwillow Books. 2006. ISBN 068817292X. This is a collection of sixteen poems that range in form from haiku to a rebus. Pertinent topics that explore the power of remembering to use those simple words, Thank you. Cabrera’s illustrations fill each page with color and children. Ages: 7-13

Leaf, Munro. Noodle. Arthur A. Levine (Scholastic). 2006. ISBN 0690043099. A reprint from 1937, this would be a nice addition to some of our needs for character education. When Noodle is granted a wish from the good dog fairy to be any size and shape desired, he decides to remain Noodle after interviewing a variety of animals. Contentment, self-acceptance. A classic from long ago.

Lewin, Ted. How Much? Visiting Markets Around the World. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 068817552X. Gorgeous, fantastic, accurate, powerful renditions of markets around the world: Cairo, Egypt; Agua Calientes, Peru; Mysore, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and New Jersey, USA are just some you will find. Lewin also captures the authenticity of the cultures he paints. A definite must for K-6 libraries.

McLeod, Bob. SuperHero ABC. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN9780060745141. McLeod is a comic-book illustrator who has worked on such projects a Spider-man, Superman, and The Phantom. This should be a fun addition to an ABC collection. Ages: 4-8.

Martin Jr., Bill and Michael Sampson. I Love Our Earth. Charlesbridge, 2006. 9781580891066

4 Simple text and colorful photographs will make this a hit with younger kids. The graceful language describing all the things they love about the earth would make a great model or starting point for a writing piece on weather, environment, or even just for Earth Day.

Montgomery, Sy. Search for the Golden Moon Bear (2002); The Snake Scientist (1999); The Tarantula Scientist (2004); Quest for the Tree Kangaroo and Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea (2006). Houghton Mifflin. Powerful resources for in depth science topics; photographs by Nic Bishop are wonderful. These titles are part of the series: Scientists in the Field. Truly teacher AND student friendly.

Nesbit, E. Jack and the Beanstalk. Candlewick Press. 2006. This charming retelling by E. Nesbit was first published in 1908. Tavare’s dynamic illustrations call out for fairy folk collectors to add this to their library.

Prap, Lila. Once Upon 1001 Stories. Kane/Miller. 2006. ISBN1929132921. This book allows the reader to take some of their favorite fairy tales and choose which of your favorite characters do what, and where, and with whom? Great opportunity to: What would happen if Little Red Riding Hood was shut up in a tower like Rapunzel? What if Hansel turned into a frog?

Prelutsky, Jack. It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing! Winter Poems. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 9780060537159. An I Can Read Book full of Prelutsky’s great poetry. This is a level 3 book. There should be more books for students like this.

Prelutsky, Jack. The Beauty of the Beast (selected by) Grades K-6. Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. 0679970584. This is a brilliant collection of poems about the animal kingdom. Divided into five sections (“In Trillions We Thrive”, “Dragons in Miniature”, etc.), the luminous illustrations evoke the beauty and wonder that are echoed in the poems. Prelutsky has written a few of the verses himself, but he has also reached deeply into the poetic tradition to names as esteemed as Robert Frost and Marianne Moore, as well as children’s poets like Russell Hoban and Tony Johnston. An index of titles and an index of authors make the volume easy to use.

Prelutsky, Jack. Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and other Poems. Greenwillow Books, 2006. Clever poems that cross an object with an animal! Typical Prelutsky and great collage illustrations by Carin Berger.

Reynolds, Peter. So Few of Me. Candlewick Press. 2006 Again, Reynolds cleverly presents a “tough” issue: No matter how hard one works, there is always more to do!

Rosenthal, Amy Krouse. Cookies, Bite-Size Life Lessons. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN9780060580810. This is a clever dictionary of life concepts such as fair, respect, greedy, generous that uses the theme of cookies. The illustrations by Jane Dyer are stunning. Nice for Character Education title.

Roth, Susan L. Great Big Guinea Pigs. Bloomsbury Children’s Books. 2006. This fun and factual picture book features richly textured cut-paper illustrations that bring to life the story of the great, big, prehistoric guinea pig.

Root, Phyllis. Lucia and the Light. Candlewick Press. 2006 In the Far North, the sun has disappeared; someone has stolen it. Lucia sets out to find the lost sun with nothing but a bit of bread, a tinderbox, and her milk-white cat. Inspired by Nordic Lore, Root spins a golden yarn of love, light, and courage.

Shore, Diane Z. and Jessica Alexander. This is the Dream. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 9780060555191.

5 Powerful language moves through the gorgeous combinations of collage and painting in this book for nonviolent change celebration. This lyrical manuscript spans the years of the civil rights movement through the present day. An absolute must for any K-8 library.

Sidman, Joyce. Song of the Water Boatman. Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Sidman, Joyce. Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow.

Smith, Lane. John, Paul, George & Ben. Hyperion, 2006. 0786848936. This is not strictly non-fiction. Smith’s M.O. is parody, not the straight man. However, seeing his take on these founding fathers (John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, and Ben Franklin) will definitely get kids’ attention while also informing them about some of the mythology surrounding their lives and childhoods. He even includes a myth-buster’s section in the back that tells you what’s true and what’s not.

Thomas, Joyce Carol. Collected by Zora Neale Hurston. The Six Fools. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 9780060006464. Thomas has adapted one of the recorded folk stories that Hurston collected during her travels in the Gulf States in the 1930’s. Ann Tanksley puts the six fools in a retro-1930s setting in her brilliantly colored oil mono-prints. As we read this, we can laugh at the fools we meet in the story, but must remember to keep laughing at the foolish things we do! Grades: 2-5.

Thomas, Joyce Carol. Collected by Zora Neale Hurston. Three Witches. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN 9780060006495. This is another wonderful adaptation for the Zora Neale Hurston Trust and is beautifully illustrated by talented Faith Ringgold. These witches have teeth that are longer than their lips, but they are no match for the two clever children The rhythm of the language is wonderful: “O-ooo Wyncher, whyncher!”; “Block eye, chip! Block eye, chip!” ; “Hail, Counter! Hail, Jack! Hail, Hickory!” The ending phrase, “By that time I left” means “The End.”

Walker, Alice. There is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me. HarperCollins. 2006. ISBN9780060570804. Alice Walker, after returning from an inspiring walk in nature, felt compelled to write this poetic book celebrating her connections to herself with nature and creativity. Wonderful prompt for writing, let alone, a feast for the eyes from Stepfano Vitale’s illustrations. All ages.

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Dial Books for Young Readers. 2006. Fourteen of the funniest and most talented artists have answered this question with “crack you up” jokes and illustrations. Tedd Arnold, Jerry Pinkney, David Shannon, Mo Willems, David Catrow, etc….