ACL

Association of Children's Librarians

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About
    • Meeting Minutes
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Institutes
    • Performers’ Showcase
    • Professional Development
  • Resources
    • Storytime Ideas
    • Read-alikes
    • Reviews
    • Programming Ideas
    • Distinguished Books Lists
    • More…
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Join

Outstanding!

Every month, we’ll post an annotated bibliography of books that were rated ‘Outstanding’ and nominated for our Distinguished List at our previous month’s meeting. Members can see full reviews of these books and many more in the May edition of BayViews.

Picture Books

building our houseBuilding Our House written and illustrated by Jonathan Bean

For every child who stops to gaze at a construction site, here is a feast of how-to details that also tells a warm story of one family’s home-building adventure. (Preschool – Grade 4)

I Scream Ice Cream!: A Book of Wordles by Amy Rosenthal; illustrated by

“Wordles are groups of words that sound exactly the same but mean different things,” for example “I scream” and “ice cream.”  Not all wordles are easy to decipher but this is a wonderful book for readers who like puns and wordplay. (Grade 3 – Adult)

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?: The story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone; illustrated by

Stone’s terrific telling of the story of Elizabeth Blackwell’s path to becoming the first woman doctor in the U.S. and Priceman’s energetic illustrations make this little biography engaging and empowering for young readers. (Kindergarten – Grade 2)

Fiction

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner

Maggot Moon is a dystopia as bleak as 1984, seen through the eyes of a teenager who is “a breeze in the park of imagination” and has a unique, funny and almost poetic voice. (Grades 8 – 10)

Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher

Oberan Venn, explorer and adventurer, is holed up in his ancestoral home figuring out the magic of the obsidan mirror, a time travel device, that will allow him to find and save his wife from a tragic accident.  His seclusion is disrupted by unexpected visitors – his angry teenage godson, a girl from the future, and a scarred face man who owned the mirror in the Victorian era.  There’s more – a fairy queen wants Venn and wants him bad. (Grade 8 – Adult)

P. S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

Following up on her Coretta Scott King winner One Crazy Summer (2010), Rita Williams-Garcia has crafted a sequel as tremendously full of sound, light, discomfort and warmth as the original. Triumphant. (Grades 4 – 8)

Poetry

I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky; illustrated by

“When you use no herbs in cooking, / Do you hope you’re saving thyme? / When a lemons’ green and tiny, / Does it seem a bit sublime?”  Prelutsky has once again created joyous verse that will have kids laughing and appreciating the cleverness of wordplay from a master. (Grades 1 – 4)

Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky; illustrated by Carin Berger

Presented as a field guide, Children’s Poet Laureate emeritus Prelutsky and collage artist Berger introduce sixteen new specimens, including the Planda and the Slobster, created from animal names mashed up with other nouns. Poems and illustrations play on these implied traits and are beautifully crafted and full of creative wit. (Kindergarten – Grade 3)

Nonfiction

Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet written and illustrated by Andrea Cheng

In this terrific biography, Cheng gives us a powerful portrait of an amazing artist (potter), poet, and quiet rebel. The physical, mental, and spiritual pain of slavery is conveyed in (mostly short) free verse poems, many in Dave’s voice.  Cheng illustrates her own verse with striking woodcuts that deliver parts of the story in bold strokes of black-and-white. (Grade 3 – Adult)

The Warrior’s Heart: Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage by Eric Greitens

Eric Greitens writes a memoir of his young manhood, including his humanitarian work in Bosnia and Rwanda, his Rhodes Scholarship, and, especially, his training to become a Navy SEAL.  Greitens has a message for teens – think critically, challenge yourself, and be strong in order to serve others. (Grades 7 – 11)

– Hayley

Published on Jun 5, 2013
Posted by: hayleybeale
Categories: Outstanding Books of the Month
Tags: outstanding

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Outstanding! »
« LEGO Summer Reading Lists Available from ALSC

Recent Posts

  • Ernie the Earthworm Review
  • Composting Pie Review
  • Blossom and the Daisies Review
  • Earthworms Help Plants Review
  • Composting Fun Review

Sign up to receive our blog and other updates by email.

Blog updates
Sending

Categories

  • ACL Events
  • Awards
  • Board Book Round Up
  • Book Discussion Groups
  • Book Themed
  • DIY: Do It Yourself
  • Games
  • General
  • Media Watch
  • Message from ACL
  • Movie Themed
  • Multicultural Programs/Equity   
  • News
  • Obituary
  • Out of the Ordinary
  • Outstanding Books of the Month
  • Professional Development
  • Programming Ideas
  • Review
  • San Francisco Public Library
  • STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
  • storytime
  • Updates
  • Virtual
  • Website of the Month

Tags

2018 Summer Reading 2019 Summer Reading ACL BayNews ACL Institute ACL Meeting ALA Conference ALSC American Library Association Arne Nixon Center BAYA Bay Area Storytelling Festival BayNews Beatty Award Beverly Cleary Board books Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Caldecott Medal California Library Association Children's Fairyland Cindy CLA Common Core Do-It-Yourself Programs Dorothy Helfeld Fellowships Edgar Awards Ezra Jack Keats Awards fantasy Flap books Infopeople Jacqueline Woodson Kate DiCamillo Mary Ann Scheuer Maurice Sendak National Book Award National Book Awards Newbery Medal Oakland Public Library outstanding Performers' Showcase Pop-up books School Library Journal Storytime Summer Reading Summer Reading Program Sydney Taylor Awards

Archives

  • 2025
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2024
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2023
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2022
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2021
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • July
    • June
    • April
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
  • 2005
    • December
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • March
  • 2004
    • December
    • September
    • January
  • 2003
    • October
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • February
    • January
  • 2002
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • May
  • 2001
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • February
  • 2000
    • December
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • June
    • May
    • March
    • January
  • 1999
    • December
    • November

© Copyright 1999 - 2025 Association of Children's Librarians of Northern California · All Rights Reserved · Log In