Awards List: New York Times Best Sellers for Children's Picture Books, June 2018-2019

Hair Love

Cherry, M. A., & Harrison, V. (2019). Hair Love.

Hair Love is all about a little girl named Zuri whose hair has a mind of its own. Daddy helps her do her hair for a special day when she is welcoming her mom home. They go through several hairstyles but they just won't do for Zuri. They ended up watching a tutorial and using lots of tools and came up with the perfect do! This is a great story of a little girl receiving unconditional love and support from her dad. The illustrations are phenomenal with lots of emotion and detail. This would be a great mentor text for a lesson on word choice or synonyms, with words like "Kinks", "Coils", and "Curls."

Matthew A. Cherry is an American film director, writer, and producer. His other works include 9 Rides and The Last Fall.

The Day the Crayons Quit

Daywalt, D. (2016). The day the crayons quit. Penguin Young Readers Group.

The endpages of this book display different colored crayons with pulls the theme together. A young child, Duncan, receives a letter from each of his crayons. Complaints for Duncan range from red being overworked, purple would like Duncan to color within the lines, and pink has only been used once. Duncan has an idea to use all of his crayons for one picture. The book contains simple pictures that appear child drawn.

Drew Daywalt is an American author and filmmaker. He has written a whole series of "The Day the Crayons" books, so if you enjoyed The Day the Crayons Quit you should definitely read the series.

Carmela Full of Wishes

de la Pena, M. (2018). Carmela full of wishes. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers.

Carmela Full of Wishes is full of bright, colorful, simplified illustrations. The endpages shows rows of plants and farm workers. Carmela is a young girl celebrating her birthday and her wish comes true when she is old enought to go on a scooter with her holder brother to the laundry. She annoys her brother all days with her jingling birthday bracelets. She mentions several other wishes, like waiting for Dad's paperwork to get fixed. While on their trip Carmela fell and broker her dandelion so she can not make a wish. Her brother stops her crying and takes her to the of the sea to wish because all of the dandelions there are floating through the air.

Matt de la Pena is an American author of children's books. His other works include Last Stop on Market Street and We Were Here.

The Good Egg
John, J.(2019). The good egg. HarperCollins Publisher.

The Good Egg is the story of an egg who spent too much time worrying about the other eggs in the carton. The egg worried about the others and wanted them to be good eggs, too. The Good Egg went off on its own to take care of itself after learning all the cracks in its shell were due to too much pressure worrying about others. The Good Egg learned to take care of itself and decided to go back to its carton becaue it missed its friends. The friends miss the Good Egg, too. This is great mentor text to teach a lesson on caring for yourself and not taking care of your firends business.

Jory John is an American children's book author whose other works include Penguin Problems and The Cool Bean.

Grumpy Monkey

Lang, S. (2018). Grumpy Monkey. Random House Books for Young Readers.

Grumpy Monkey is the tale of Jim Panzee wakes up and feels like nothing right. As he travels along he meets his friends who tell him that he is grumpy, but he denies he is feeling grumpy. All of his friends try to cheer him up. He finally shouts, "I am NOT grumpy" and beats his chest. He and his friend decide they are grumpy and that is okay.

This would be a great mentor text to talk to children about feelings and how it is okay to feel grumpy or sad. Suzanne Lang is an American author of children's books and a television producer.

How to Babysit a Grandma

Reagan, J. (2014). How to babysit a grandma. Random House Children's Books. 

A little girl gets to stay the night at her grandmother's house, but instead she thinks she is babysitting her grandma. She gives helpful tips on how to greet grandma, as well as dozens of ways to entertain her. The pictures are bright and carefully follow the story. The little girls plays Shoe Shop with grandma and decorates her in fancy things. It's a great story to use if a child is nervous about visiting or staying with a grandparent. This could also be used as a mentor text for a class book giving advice on how to babysit a grandma.

Jean Reagan has other helpful books like How to Raise a Mom and How to Babysit a Grandpa. 

Dear Girl,
Rosenthal, A. K. and Rosenthal, P. (2019). Dear Girl.Harper Collins Publication.

Dear Girl, encourages little girls to love themselves. It sends the message that it is okay to sometimes be sad or lonely. The story invites girls to write down their feelings, to be themselves, and to be friendly to others.The illustrations are simple, but the message is a valuable one.

Amy Krause Rosenthal wrote Dear Girl, with her daughter Paris Rosenthal. She has also written Dear Boy, and I Wish You More.

Dragons Love Tacos

Ruben, A. (2012). Dragons love tacos. The Penguin Group.

Dragons Love Tacos is full of bright colorful creative pictures. Of course it features tacos and dragons throughtout. A young boy is explaining how dragons love tacos and parties, especially taco parties. Dragons do not like any salsa, so don't even try to give a drago salsa. When they dragons are accidentally served spicy salsa they blow flames and burn down the house. Those dragons are nice and help him rebuild his house.

Adam Rubin is a children's author whose books often include animals or food. Some of his other titles are Secret Pizza Party and Robo-Sauce.

The Wonderful Things You Will Be

Winfield Martin, E. (2015). The wonderful things you will be. Random House Children's Books.

The Wonderful Things You Will Be is a story describing what parents think as they look at their child. The story is written in a rhyming style and has white backgrounds with birght colorful pictures. The story continues to detail what parents wonder about and how they visualize their children as they grow up. This is an interesting persepective for this book and is one children probably don't think their parents had about them.

Emily Winfield Martin is an American author and illustrator who has other titles like Snow & Rose and Oddfellow's Orphanage. 

What Do You Do With a Chance?

Yamada, K. (2017). What do you do with a chance?. Compendium, Inc.

What Do You Do With a Chance? is the story of a little boy afraid to take a chance. When he finally decides to take a chance he became embarrased and swore to never take a chance again. After ignoring other chances, the chances stopped coming around. The boy reminded himself he needed to be brave at the right time, not all the time. After he finally grabs a chance he feels great. The book has black and white illustrations with a touch of color. 

Kobi Yamada is an author of many inspirational books like Soul Happy and Live Good. This would be great mentor text to teach a lesson on personification because "chance" is personified in this text. 

Awards List: Coretta Scott King Winner and Honors

 

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.

Trombone Shorty by T. Adams
Andrews, T. (2015). Trombone shorty. New York. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Troy Andrews tells the story of how he learned to love music and earned his nickname. He grew up in New Orleans and wanted to follow in his grandfather and brothers footsteps being a musician. Troy and his friends have their own parades with their "instruments" until one day Troy finds his trombone. He takes it everywhere and plays it for some interesting audiences. He grew up to have his own band. The illustrations are bright, detailed, and evoke emotions from the story. The end of the book has a great Author's Note with actual pictures of young Troy Andrews and his trombone. That is followed by acknowledgements, Illustrator's note, and the dedication and publishing information.

Troy Andrews is world-famous trombone and trumpet player who has his own band in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Knock Knock

Beaty, D. (2013). Knock knock. Little, Brown and Company.

Knock knock is the story of a little boy who wakes to his dads knock knock game every day, but then one day his dad is gone. He knows he needs his father to teach him and love him. He leaves a letter for his dad, and finally 2 months later his dad leaves a letter for him. The father gives his son advice to knock on doors he could not. This book has some gret illustrations, and they focus on the feelings of the family.

Daniel Beaty is an American actor, singer, writer, poet, and composer. The story Knock Knock is the tale of his life when his father was in jail. Some of Beaty's other works include Emergence-See and Through the Night.

Let it Shine
Bryan, A. (2007). Let it shine. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Let it Shine is a book of three favorite spirituals; "This Little Light of Mine", "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In", and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands". The spirituals are written with two lines per page. There are brightly colored pictures to match each pair of lines. The pictures use bright colors and large graphic shapes. The people in the pictures are just a silhouette. The end of the book has the music sheet for each spiritual.

Ashley Bryan is an American and illustrator best known for ABC of African Poetry and Who Built the Stable?

Firebird

Copeland, M. (2014). Firebird. Penguin Group. 

Firebird is written like a poem. A young girl admires a ballerina and the ballerina gives the girl encouragement and told her that she can inspire a younger generation. This is a great mentor text for similes; gray as rain and heavy a naptime. 

Misty Copeland was a young ballet dancer which is what inspired her to wright the story. Other works by Misty Copeland are Bunheads and Black Ballerinas.

Heaven

Johsnon, A. (1998). Heaven. Simon & Schuster Children's Book Publishing.

Marley is a young girl who lives in a small town with her loving family and good frinds. She writes letters to her Uncle Jack and his dog Boy and wishes to meet them. She discovers Jack is her real father and the parents who are raising her are her aunt and uncle. She learns to process the shocking news and continue to live a happy life. Should your identity be tied to those who share your blood or those who raise you?

Angela Johnson is an American writers of children's books and poetry. Other works in her collection are The First Part Last and A Sweet Smell of Roses. 

Ellen's Broom
Lyons, K. S. (2012). Ellen's broom. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Young Ellen is happy to watch as slavery was eneded and her parents who were former slaves get registered and seen as married according to the law. Hanging in their home is a broom, which was a custom for slaves who married to jump over the broom. Ellen's parents want to make sure their past is not forgotten. So, on the way to the courthouse Ellen carries the broom and decorates it for her mother to hold. While the family recognizes the broom represents slavery and the past, they keep it and treasure it to reflect on their past and celebrate their future. Ellen brings a joy and happiness to her family and the symbol of the broom.

Kelly Starling Lyons is a writer and children's book author. Look for some of her other titles like Going Down Home with Daddy and One Million Men and Me.

Goin' Someplace Special

McKissack, P.C. (2001). Goin' someplace special. Antheneum Books for Young Readers.

Young Tricia Ann wants to travel alone to her favorite place which is the public library. She gets permission from her grandmother and she starts her journey on the bus. This is the first of many reminders that she is treated differently. She sees Jim Crow signs, whites only signs, and other signs that separate people. Everytime Tricia Ann encounters unfairness she is reminded to stay proud and strong by friends in her community. When Tricia Ann arrives at the public library the sign out front says "All are welcome". The illustrations are very detailed and capture the emotion in the story.

Patricia McKissack was an American children's author. The story of young Tricia Ann is the author's own story. This could be used as mentor text on a civil rights lesson.

My Rows and Piles of Coins
Mollel, T.M. (1999). My rows and piles of coins. Clarion Books.

Young Saruni would earn coins at the market working with his mother. Saruni kept his coins in a wooden box because he was saving them to buy a bicycle. Whenever he emptied the wooden box he would put the coins in piles and the piles in rows. Saruni would practice riding a bike and riding a loaded bike. When Saruni was going to purchase his father's bicycle, his mother and father returned his box of coins as a reward for helping them. The author's note discusses the money in the story, which is Tanzanian currency. There is also a small glossary of words used in the story. This would be great mentor text about currency, making groups, and saving and counting money.

Tololwa M. Mollel was born in Tanzania and writes books for children. The Orphan Boy and The Flying Tortoise are other titles by Tololwa M. Mollel.

Martin's Big Words by D. Rappaport.
Rappaport, D. (2001). Martin's Big Words. Hyperion Books for Children.

The endpapers of this book look like stained glass windows you could find in a church. The dedication page has an author's note and illustrator's note. The pictures are mixed media with patterned pieces of paper, drawings, and actual photographs which make a rich illustration for the story. Each page tells part of the story and then has a quote which helped educate and shape Martin. The story follows Martin growing up and learning to use words and peace to solve problems. As he grew older, he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott until white city leaders agreed black people could sit anywhere they want on the buses. It highlights his "I Have a Dream" speech and how lawmakers in Washington voted to end segregation. The last page of the story has literal big words from Martin; "Freedom", "PEACE", "Together", "I have a dream", and "LOVE". There is a list of important dates for your information as well as a list of additional books and web sites.

Doreen Rappaport is an award winning author who writes multicultural stories, folk tales, myths, and history. Other titles by Doreen Rappaport are Freedom River and Hellen's Big World: The Life of Hellen Keller.

The Blacker the Berry by J.C. Thomas
Thomas, J.C. (2008). The blacker the berry. Amistad.

The Blacker the Berry is a collection of poems. The poems encourage young black boys and girls to be proud and find the beauty within themselves. The poems range from skin tones of very dark black, African Native Amerian, red skin and hair, biscuit brown, and white (not considered black at all). The illustrations in the collection highlight the individual person described in the poem. It is a powerful reminder that everyone is different and special.

Joyce Carol Thomas was an African American poet, playwright, motivational speaker, and author. Some of her other works are Marked by Fire and Bright Shadow.

Textbook Reading: Part 3: Chapters 11-16

Textbook Reading Part 3: Chapters 11-16

https://www.smore.com/w8d9g 

Awards List: Pura Belpre Winners and Honors

Pura Belpre Award

The Pura Belpre Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

The Tequila Worm

Canales, V. (2005). The tequila worm. Wendy Lamb Books.

Young Sofia grows up in McAllen Texas thirsting for more than what her world offers. She is raised by her parens and many other important people in her town that teach her the importance of family and heritage. While she clings to these ideals, she also wants to learn more and have adventures which are not offered in her town. The part of this book which really resonated with me is when Sofia had to be the one to tell her father to let go and pass. That he indeed was holding on for her. My father did the same thing when I was pregnant with my first child. My father was diagnosed with cancer and did not tell me to spare me the worry. He held on long enough to see a picture of his grandson and talk to me on the phone to ensure my son and I were both healthy. Then, he like Sofia's dad let go but left a huge hole in my heart.

Viola Canales is an American writer, professor, and former attorney. Some other notable works from Viola Canales are Orange Candy Slices and Other Secret Tales and The Little Devil and The Little Rose.

Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreno Played the Piano for President Lincoln

Engle, M. (2019). Dancing hands: how Teresa Carreno played the piano for President Lincoln. Athenium Book for Young Readers.

The story of young Teresa who learned to play piano from her father. The family has to leave their country and start over in America. Through her ability to play piano Teresa becomes well known and gets invited to play for the President. The book has glorious illustrations that are both light and dark, which is a theme which runs throughout the story. This would be a great mentor text for teaching similes because they are found throughout the book. 

Magic Windows/Ventanas Magicas

Garza, C.L. (2003). Magic windows/ventanas magicas. Children’s Book Press.

The introduction of this text explains the cut-paper art in Mexico. The story is told in English and Spanish and shows cut out the author has created and explained what they are and how they are made. Each cutout shares part of Carmen Lomas Garza's family heritage with stories and her Mexican culture.

Carmen Lomas Garza is a Chicana narrative artist who is also responsible for In My Family and Family Pictures.

The Bossy Gallito

Gonzalez, L.M. (1994). The Bossy Gallito. Scholastic.

The Bossy Gallito is based on a traditional Cuban folktale. The words are in English and Spanish. The story details Rooster who is on his way to his uncle's wedding and against his better judgement eats corn he found in mud. Rooster gets his beard dirty and looks for help to get it clean in order to go to the wedding. He stops to tell grass to clean him, but grass says no and as he continues his requests for help are denied. One friend finally said yes, the Sun. Then everyone asked before who replied no change their answers to yes and Rooster is cleaned and ready for the wedding. The end of the book has a glossary, about story information, about illustrations, the cast, the setting, and tradition and culture are explained. This would be a great mentor text for personification.

Lucia Gonzalez is an American author and librarian. Check out some of her other works like The Storyteller's Candle and Senor Cat's Romance.

Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Krull, K. (2003). Harvesting hope: the story of Cesar Chavez. Harcourt.

Harvesting Hope is full of beautiful flowing illustrations. It details the childhood of Cesar Chavez and his family losing their ranch in Arizona and relocating to California as farm workers. His mother had always taught him to use his mind and mouth to solve problems and his put this practice in action when he joined groups who wanted fair wages and treatment for farm workers. He ended up leading a peaceful protest from Delano to Sacramento and signed the first contract for farm workers. The author's note give a lot of more detailed information concerning farm workers and earning rights for them.

Kathleen Krull was a children's book author and former editor. Her other works may include Wilma Unlimited and Lives of Extraordinary Women.

Los Gatos Black on Halloween

Montes, M. (2016). Los gatos black on Halloween. Henry Holt and Company, New York. 

The glossary of Spanish words as well as the publication information are found on the last page of this book. The book is comprised of 4 line rhyming stanzas on each page. The stanzas put together a story of witches, skeletons, ghosts, a wolfman, and others gathering at a haunted house to celebrate Halloween. The party is broken up by knocks on the door by children out trick-or-treating. The story is told in English with Spanish words peppered throughout. The illustrations are detailed and use very dark colors.

Marisa Montes' other works include Juan Bobo Goes to Work and A Circle of Time.

Gracias/Thanks

Mora, P. (2005). Gracias/thanks. Lee & Low Books.

The story is told in Spanish and English. There are bright, vivid illustrations with much detail in each illustration. The story is a little boy who takes the time to give thanks for small non-material things in life like the sung, bugs, and waves. This would be a great mentor text for a lesson on being thankful for non-material things or a great topic for a class book.

Pat Mora is an American poet and author who is responsible for other titles like My Singing Nana and A Library for Juana.

Esperanza Rising

Ryan, P.M. (2000). Esperanza rising. Scholastic, Inc.

The story of young Esperanza leaving her privileged life in Mexico to come to America for a new life. Esperanza has to grow up quickly by taking care of others and herself. She works in the fields picking foods and making very little money while her mother recovers from a long illness in the hospital. She matures in so many ways when she is forced to do things she has never done before. I appreciate this story did not flow into a love story to make her a complete person, but her strength and firendships helped her grow.

Pam Munoz Ryan is an American writer with a focus in the multicultural genre. Riding Freedom and Echo are other notable titles from Pam Munoz Ryan.

Chato's Kitchen

Soto, G. (1997). Chato’s kitchen. Puffin Books.

This book has very fluid, almost poetic writing. The writing shows the reader what happens, it does not tell. Full of large colorful illustrations, Chato's Kitchen is a story of a cat who prepares a dinner for his newest neighbors, mice. A large menacing dog ends up bringing the mice to dinner, so in the end all of the guests end up eating the food they've made and not each other. The book starts with a glossary and Chato's Menu. This would be a great mentor text for a lesson on word choice.

Gary Soto is an American author, poet, novelist, and memoirist. Other titles by Gary Soto are Buried Onions and The Skirt.

Grandma's Gift

Velasquez, E. Grandma's gift. (2010). Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc. 

A young boy spends the winter break from school in El Barrio with his Puerto Rican grandmother. The story is peppered with Spanish because grandma on speaks Spanish. She knows all the best places to buy what they need to make pastales. He and his grandmother travel to the museum to see a special display his teacher had assigned as homework. This would be a great mentor text for recipes or any Spanish vocabulary classes. There is an author's note discussing the portrait the boy and his grandmother had seen at the museum by Diego Valezquez, as well as a small glossary. 

Eric Valesquez was born in Spanish Harlem to Afro-Puerto Rican parens. Other titles by Eric Valesquez are Looking for Bongo and A Thirst for Home.