At the end of the year, many librarians start wondering which books will win the Newbery and Caldecott Awards. This year, ALA will be announcing the winners on Monday, January 15th, which is also Martin Luther King, Jr. day. In anticipation of the big winners, here are my personal favorites from this year’s picture books. Many of these will be popular storytime favorites. For a craft project, you could make "blue ribbons" which the children can use as bookmarks, or they can vote for their own favorites.

• Cronin, Doreen. CLICK, CLACK, MOO COWS THAT TYPE. Illus. by Betsy Lewin.
  The cows go on strike, demanding blankets before they will give milk. They type their demands using a typewriter.
• Donohue, Dorothy. VEGGIE SOUP.
  Vibrant cut paper collage illustrations are full of energy, telling the story of the rabbit’s soup. Recipe included!
• Falconer, Ian. OLIVIA.
  In this first picture book from New Yorker cartoonist Ian Falconer, Olivia the pig does everything in an unusually exuberant fashion. Hilarious!
• Graham, Bob. MAX.
  Graham’s wry cartoons and text combine to celebrate Max, the child of superheroes who is slow to learn to fly.
• Henkes, Kevin. WEMBERLY WORRIED.
  With Henkes’s signature cartoon animal illustrations, we meet a little girl mouse who has many concerns about the first day of school.
• Massie, Diane Redfield. THE BABY BEEBEE BIRD. Illus. by Steven Kellogg
  Long out of print, this storytime favorite is back with new illustrations by Kellogg. A sure hit for the wiggliest preschool audience.
• Myers, Christopher. WINGS.
  Myers’ colorful collage illustrations perfectly match the urban setting of this "Icarus" update.
• Peters, Lisa Westberg. COLD LITTLE DUCK, DUCK, DUCK. Illus. by Sam Williams.
  A little duck arrives back at her pond before the ice has begun to thaw.
• Soto, Gary. CHATO AND THE PARTY ANIMALS. Illus. by Susan Guevara.
  In this sequel that is as good as the first book, Chato arranges for a surprise birthday party for Novio Boy.
• Thong, Roseanne. ROUND IS A MOONCAKE. Illus. by Grace Lin.
  A girl describes things from both sides of her Chinese and American cultures to explain shapes.
• Wong, Janet S. BUZZ. Illus. by Margaret Chodos-Irvine.
  A young child notices all the "buzzing" in the morning, from Daddy’s electric shaver to Mommy’s hair dryer.
• Yolen, Jane. HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT? Illus. by Mark Teague.
  In this raucous rhyming bedtime story, dinosaurs want a story or a kiss before they will go to bed.

November, 2000