Jon Agee.  Nothing

When Suzie Gump, the richest lady in town, walks into Otis's empty antique shop and insists on buying nothing, she starts a fad that has everyone buying nothing and emptying their homes and stores to make room for it--until Suzie realizes things have gone too far.

Monika Bang-Campbell.  Little Rat Makes Music

Little Rat loves the violin but hates to practice, until her teacher suggests she perform a duet with one of the advanced students at the holiday concert.

Elise Broach.  When Dinosaurs Came with Everything

Although his mother is a little worried, a young boy is delighted to discover that every shop in town is giving away real dinosaurs to their customers.

Moinca Brown.  My Name Is Gabito:  The Life of Gabriel Garcia

Marquez/Me llamo Gabito:  La vida de Gabriel Garcia Marquez  As a boy, Gabito had the ability to imagine many things. He lived in a small house with a large family. He would grow up to become a writer known as Gabriel García Márquez.

Nancy Coffelt.  Fred Stays with Me!

A child describes how she lives sometimes with her mother and sometimes with her father, but her dog is her constant companion.

Brock Cole.  Good Enough to Eat

When an Ogre comes to town demanding a bride, the mayor sacrifices the homeless girl with no name that everyone thinks is a pest and a bother, but she finds a way to outwit them all.

Carmen Agra Deedy.  Martina the Beautiful Cockroach:  A Cuban

Folktale  In this humorous retelling of a Cuban folktale, a cockroach interviews her suitors in order to decide whom to marry.

Leo Dillon and Diane Dillon.  Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose

Presents an illustrated collection of twenty-four counting rhymes, from "Baa, baa black sheep" to "Wash the dishes, wipe the dishes."

Brian Floca.  Lightship

Lightships once served where lighthouses could not be built. They helped to guide sailors safely through the fog.

The Global Fund for Children.  Global Babies

Board book.

Maya Christina Gonzalez.  My Colors, My World/Mis colores, mi

mundo  Maya, who lives in the dusty desert, opens her eyes wide to find the colors in her world, from Papi's black hair and Mami's orange and purple flowers to Maya's red swing set and the fiery pink sunset.

Bob Graham.  Dimity Dumpty:  The Story of Humpty's Little Sister

Humpty Dumpty's little sister is too shy to be part of her family's circus act, but she finds courage when her brother needs her help.

Emily Gravett.  Orange Pear Apple Bear

Explores concepts of color, shape, and food using only five simple words, as a bear juggles and plays.

Janice N. Harrington.  The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County

A young farm girl tries to catch her favorite chicken, until she learns something about the hen that makes her change her ways.

Kevin Henkes.  A Good Day

A bird, a fox, a dog, and a squirrel overcome minor setbacks to have a very good day.

Here's a Little Poem:  A Very First Book of Poetry

Edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters.  A collection of poems for children with the various themes of self, family, going outside, and when it is time for bed.

Rachel Isadora.  Yo, Jo!

Jomar greets his neighbors using slang, but his grandfather wants to hear some more traditional words.

Darrin Lunde.  Hello, Bumblebee Bat

Simple text and illustrations introduce the endangered bumblebee bat of Thailand.

Patricia C. McKissack.  The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll

During the Depression, three young sisters get one baby doll for Christmas and must find a way to share.

Marisa Montes.  Los Gatos Black on Halloween

Easy to read, rhyming text about Halloween night incorporates Spanish words, from las brujas riding their broomsticks to los monstruos whose monstrous ball is interrupted by a true horror.

Yuyi Morales.  Little Night

At the end of a long day, Mother Sky helps her playful daughter, Little Night, to get ready for bed.

Lynne Rae Perkins.  Pictures from Our Vacation

Given a camera that takes and prints tiny pictures just before leaving for the family farm in Canada, a young girl records a vacation that gets off to a slow start, but winds up being a family reunion filled with good memories.

Jerry Pinkney.  Little Red Riding Hood

A sweet little girl meets a hungry wolf in the forest while on her way to visit her grandmother.

April Pulley Sayre.  Vulture View

Turkey vultures soar on the balmy air, looking for their next stinky feast. These birds don't hunt--they like their food to be already dead. Vultures are part of nature's cleanup crew.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger.  Dog and Bear:  Two Friends, Three Stories

Three easy-to-read stories reveal the close friendship between Dog and Bear.

Laura Vacarro Seeger.  First the Egg

A picture book about transformations.

Lauren Thompson.  Ballerina Dreams:  A True Story

True story of five little girls with cerebral palsy or other physical disabilities who were determined to become ballerinas.

Lisa Wheeler.  Jazz Baby

Baby and his family make some jazzy music.

Mo Willems.  Knuffle Bunny Too:  A Case of Mistake Identity

Her daddy in tow, Trixie hurries to school to show off her one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny. But an awful surprise awaits her: someone else has the exact same bunny.

Mo Willems.  There Is a Bird on Your Head!

Gerald the elephant discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head-- two birds on your head! Piggie will try to help her best friend.

Nic Bishop.  Nic Bishop Spiders

Text and photographs introduce readers to different types of spiders and their behavior.

Nick Dowson.  Tracks of a Panda

A mother panda teaches her cub how to survive in their mountain habitat but as the sound of villagers clearing the forest approaches, she knows they must look for a new home.

James Cross Giblin.  The Many Rides of Paul Revere

An illustrated biography of Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere.

Rene Goscinny.  Nicholas and the Gang

Nicholas is invited to a birthday party by the girl next door, plays a very messy game of chess, and learns that walking on your hands is much harder than turning somersaults.

Amy Hest.  Remembering Mrs. Rossi

Although she loves her father, their home in New York City, and third-grade teacher Miss Meadows, Annie misses her mother who died recently.

Lita Judge.  One Thousand Tracings:  Healing the Wounds of World

War II  The author describes her family's efforts to help their friends and others who were left homeless and hungry in the aftermath of World War II.

Issa Kobayashi.  Today and Today

A selection of haikus by the Japanese master.

Barbara Lehman.  Rainstorm

In this wordless picture book, a boy finds a mysterious key which leads him on an adventure one rainy day.

Ellen Levine.  Henry's Freedom Box:  A True Story from the

Underground Railroad  A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry "Box" Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.

Ted Lewin.  At Gleason's Gym

Describes the visitors and activities which go on at Gleason's gym in Brooklyn, where famous boxers such as Muhammed Ali trained.

Pat Mora.  Yum!  Mmmm!  Que Rico!:  Americas' Sprountings

This collection of haiku focuses on 14 foods native to the Americas and celebrates the fun of these foods as well as their origins.

Linda Sue Park.  Tap Dancing on the Roof

Sijo is a traditional Korean form of poetry. Sijo is syllabic, like Japanese haiku, with three lines of 14 to 16 syllables each: the first two introduce the topic, the third and fourth lines develop it, and the fifth and sixth lines contain an unexpected humorous or ironic twist. This collection contains 26 sijo.

Deborah Kogan Ray.  Down the Colorado:  John Wesley Powell,

the One-Armed Explorer  Although John Wesley Powell's minister father always wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, young Wes had different plans for his future. Enraptured by the wonders of the natural world, he was determined to take the path of science. Even after losing his right arm below the elbow in battle during the Civil War, Wes would not be deterred from his dream of leading the first scientific expedition down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. Braving treacherous rapids and perilous waterfalls, Major Powell would surpass all expectations and return home a national hero.

Jutta Richter.  The Cat:  Or, How I Lost Eternity

Eight-year-old Christine is late for school every day because a talking alley cat demands her attention, giving her much to think about as he tries to teach her to be spiteful and pitiless.

Laura Amy Schlitz.  The Bearskinner:  A Tale of the Brothers Grimm

A retelling of the Grimm fairy tale in which a despondent soldier makes a pact to do the devil's bidding for seven years in return for as much money and property as he could ever want.

Brian Selznick.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret

When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized.

Trenton Lee Stewart.  The Mysterious Benedict Society

After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

Sara Varon.  Robot Dreams

The enduring friendship between a dog and a robot is portrayed in this wordless graphic novel.

Lloyd Alexander.  The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio

Naive and bumbling Carlo, his shady camel-puller Baksheesh, and Shira, a girl determined to return home, follow a treasure map through the deserts and cities of the infamous Golden Road, as mysterious strangers try in vain to point them toward real treasures.

Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson.  Miss Crandall's School

for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color

Poets Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson tell the story of Prudence Crandall's school for African American girls opened in 1833.

Ann Bausum.  Muckrakers:  How Ida Tarbell, Upton Sinclair,

and Lincoln Steffens Helped Expose Scandal, Inspire Reform, and Invent Investigative Journalism  

Ibtisam Barakat.  Tasting the Sky:  a Palestinian Childhood

Memoir of a Palestinian woman's childhood experiences during the Six-Day War and its aftermath.

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand.  Friday:  Viva la Vida!  Long Live

Life!  Biographical poems about the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

Loree Griffin Burns.  Tracking Trash:  Flotsam, Jetsam, and the

Science of Ocean Motion  Describes the work of a man who tracks trash as it travels great distances by way of ocean currents.

Ying Chang Compestine.  Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party

Starting in 1972 when she is nine years old, Ling, the daughter of two doctors, struggles to make sense of the communists' Cultural Revolution, which empties stores of food, homes of appliances deemed "bourgeois," and people of laughter.

Christopher Paul Curtis.  Elijah of Buxton

In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom.

Margarita Engle.  The Poet Slave of Cuba:  A Biography of

Juan Francisco Manzano  Juan Francisco Manzano was born in 1797 into the household of wealthy slaveowners in Cuba. He spent his early years at the side of his owner's wife, entertaining her friends. His poetry was his outlet, reflecting the beauty and cruelty of his world. Written in verse.

Russell Freedman.  Who Was First?  Discovering the Americas

Was Christopher Columbus the first explorer to 'discover' America and the first to make a successful round-trip voyage across the Atlantic?

Al Gore.  An Inconvenient Truth:  The Crisis of Global Warming

Gore's bestselling book is now adapted for perhaps the most important audience of all: today's youth, who have no choice but to confront the planetary emergency head-on. Bursting with color photos, this book clearly explains global warming.

John Grandits.  Blue Lipstick:  Concrete Poems

A 15-year-old girl named Jessie voices typical and not so typical teenage concerns in this unique, hilarious collection of poems.

Jennifer Holm.  Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf:  A

Year Told through Stuff  The first year of middle school can be exciting, or scary, just ask Ginny.

Kathleen Krull.  Marie Curie:  Giants of Science

A brief biography of the scientist who twice received the Nobel Prize for her work with radium.

Miyuki Miyabe.  Brave Story

Young Wataru Mitani's life is a mess. His father has abandoned him and his mother has been hospitalized after a suicide attempt. Desperately he searches for some way to change his life; a way to alter his fate.

Greg Neri.  Chess Rumble

Branded a troublemaker due to his anger over everything from being bullied, to his sister's death a year before, Marcus begins to control himself and cope with his problems at home and at his inner-city school when an unlikely mentor teaches him to play chess.

J. K. Rowling.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Burdened with the dark, dangerous, and seemingly impossible task of locating and destroying Voldermort's remaining Horcruxes, Harry, feeling alone and uncertain about his future, struggles to find the inner strength he needs to follow the path set out before him.

Laura Amy Schlitz.  Good Masters!  Sweet Ladies!  Voices

from a Medieval Village   A collection of short one-person plays featuring characters, between ten and fifteen years old, who live in or near a thirteenth-century English manor.

Gary Schmidt.  The Wednesday Wars

During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in.

Peter Sis.  The Wall:  Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

In his most personal work to date, award-winning author Peter Ss offers a brilliant graphic memoir, taking readers on an extraordinary journey as he recalls his youth growing up in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, when his country was on the Communist side of the Iron Curtain.

Shaun Tan.  The Arrival

In this wordless graphic novel, a man leaves his homeland and sets off for a new country, where he must build a new life for himself and his family.

Kate Thompson.  The New Policeman

Irish teenager JJ Liddy discovers that time is leaking from his world into Tir na nOg, the land of the fairies, and when he attempts to stop the leak he finds out a lot about his family history, the music that he loves, and a crime his great-grandfather may or may not have committed.

Rosemary Wells.  Red Moon at Sharpsburg

As the Civil War breaks out, India, a young Southern girl, summons her sharp intelligence and the courage she didn't know she had to survive the war that threatens to destroy her family, her Virginia home, and the only life she has evern known.

Marcia Williams.  Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

A retelling in comic strip form of Geoffrey Chaucer's famous work in which a group of pilgrims in fourteenth-century England tell each other stories as they travel on a pilgrimage to the cathedral at Canterbury.

Jacqueline Woodson.  Feathers

When a new, white student nicknamed "The Jesus Boy" joins her sixth grade class in the winter of 1971, Frannie's growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.

Tim Wynne-Jones.  Rex Zero and the End of the World

In the summer of 1962 with everyone nervous about a possible nuclear war, ten-nearly-eleven-year-old Rex, having just moved to Ottawa from Vancouver with his parents and five siblings, faces his own personal challenges as he discovers new friends and a new understanding of the world around him.

Ashley Bryan.  Let It Shine:  Three Favorite Spirituals

Illustrated versions of three well-known hymns.

Jack Prelutsky.  Good Sports:  Rhymes about Running, Jumping,

Throwing, and More  An illustrated collection of poems for children about various sports activities.

Jacques Prevert.  How to Paint the Portrait of a Bird

In this joyful picture book, Caldecott Medalist Gerstein brings his unique vision, ingenuity, and sense of fun to Preverts famous poem about the nature of art and creativity.