Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2015 Annual Conference – San Francisco
Members
Allison Barney
Limitless Libraries Coordinator
Nashville Public Library
Nashville, TN
Sharon Haupt
District Librarian
San Luis Coastal Unified School District
San Luis Obispo, CA
Keary Bramwell
Youth Collection Specialist Librarian
Mount Prospect Public Library
Mount Prospect, IL
Danielle Jones
Youth Librarian
Multnomah County Library
Portland, OR
Paige Bentley-Flannery
Community Librarian
Deschutes Public Library
Sisters, OR
Joyce Laiosa
Adjunct Professor
University at Albany (SUNY)
Brenda Dales
Department of Teacher Education
Miami University
Oxford, OH
Kimberly Probert Grad
Library Information Supervisor
Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn, NY
NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS CRITERIA
Notable is defined as: Worthy of note or
notice, important, distinguished, outstanding.
As applied to children’s books, the term
“notable” includes books for all age levels
(through age 14) of especially commendable
quality, books that exhibit venturesome
creativity, and books of fiction, information,
poetry, folklore, and picture books that
reflect and encourage children’s interest in
exemplary ways.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
Gwen M. Taylor
Lewis Clark State College Library
Lewiston, ID
Bina Williams
Children’s Librarian
Bridgeport Public Library
Bridgeport, CT
Committee Chair:
Micki Freeny
Adjunct Faculty
University of Maryland ISchool
College Park, MD
maralitalf@yahoo.com
The evaluation criteria to be used are:
1. Literary quality
2. Originality of text and illustration
3. Clarity and style of language
4. Excellence of Illustration
5. Excellence of design and format
6. Clarity of organization and accuracy of
Information
7. Subject matter of interest and value to
Children
8. The likelihood of acceptance by children
(Board Action, June 1977)
PICTURE BOOKS
*3, 2, 1, Go! by Emily Arnold McCully. Holiday House.
8: An Animal Alphabet by Elisha Cooper. Scholastic Inc,/Orchard Books.
A B See by Elizabeth Doyle. Simon & Schuster/Little Simon.
Ask Me by Bernard Waber. Illus. by Suzy Lee. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret by Bob Shea. Disney/Hyperion,
Bear and Hare Go Fishing by Emily Gravett. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
*The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.
Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep by Todd Tarpley. Illus. by John Rocco. Little Brown and Company.
Big Bear, Little Chair by Lizi Boyd. Chronicle Books.
Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.
*Click! by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Holiday House.
Counting Lions by Katie Cotton. Illus. by Stephen Walton. Candlewick Press.
Crybaby by Karen Beaumont. Illus. by Eugene Yelchin. Macmillan/ Henry Holt and Company.
Double Happiness by Nancy Tupper Ling. Illus. by Alina Chau. Chronicle Books.
Drive: A Look at Roadside Opposites by Kellen Hatanaka. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.
*Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle. Illus. by Rafael López.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Families, Families, Families by Suzanne Lang. Illus. by Max Lang. Random House.
*Fetch by Jory Hurley. Simon & Schuster/A Paula Wiseman Book.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
2
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick. Illus. by Sophie
Blackall. Little Brown and Company.
*A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Feast by Emily Jenkins. Illus. by Sophie
Blackall. Random House/Schwartz and Wade.
Float by Daniel Miyares. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
*Fly! by Karl Newsom Edwards. Candlewick Press.
Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic Press.
*Grandma in Blue with Red Hat by Scott Menchin. Illus. by Harry Bliss. Abrams.
*The Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney. Little Brown and Company.
Have You Seen My Monster? by Steve Light. Candlewick Press.
Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor. Illus. by Jean Jullien. Candlewick Press.
*How to Draw a Dragon by Douglas Florian. Beach Lane Books.
Hurry Home, Hedgehog! A Bilingual Book of Sounds by Belle Yang. Candlewick Press.
I (Don’t) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies. Illus. by Luciano Lozano. Candlewick Press.
I Yam a Donkey by Cece Bell. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.
*If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray.
*In by Nikki McClure. Abrams/Appleseed.
In a Village by the Sea by Muon Van. Illus. by April Chu. Creston Books.
*It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
3
The King and the Sea: 21 Extremely Short Stories by Heinz Janisch. Illus. by Wolf Erlbruch. Translated by
Sally-Ann Spencer. Gecko Press.
Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi. Illus by Lea Lyon. Tilbury House Publishers.
*Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña. Illus. by Christian Robinson. Penguin/Putnam.
Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead. Illus. by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook Press.
Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett. Illus. by Christian Robinson. Chronicle Books.
Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter. Illus. by Shane W. Evans. Random House/Schwartz & Wade.
Look! by Jeff Mack. Penguin Group/Philomel Books.
Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat. Illus. by Leslie Staub.
Penguin/Dial Books.
Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina. Illus. by Angela Dominguez. Candlewick Press.
Maya’s Blanket/La Manta de Maya by Monica Brown. Illus. by David Diaz. Translated by Adriana
Domingue. Lee & Low Books/Children’s Book Press.
*Meet the Dullards by Sara Pennypacker. Illus. by Daniel Salmieri. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray.
Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano. Illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum
Books for Young Readers.
The Moon Is Going to Addy’s House by Ida Pearle. Illus. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.
Moving Blocks by Yosuke Yonezu. Michael Neugebauer Publishing Ltd./Minedition.
Mr. Squirrel and the Moon by Sebastian Meschenmoser. Translated by David Henry Wilson. NorthSouth
Books.
My Cousin Momo by Zachariah OHora. Dial Books for Young Readers.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
4
*My Pen by Christopher Myers. Disney/Hyperion.
My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald, iIlus. by Freya Blackwood. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
My Wild Family by Laurent Moreau. Chronicle Books.
The New Small Person by Lauren Childs. Candlewick Press.
*New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer. Illus. by Eric Velasquez. Holiday House.
The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein. Little Brown and Company.
On the Ball by Brian Pinkney. Disney-Hyperion.
One Family by George Shannon. Illus. by Blanca Gómez. Farrar Straus Giroux/Frances Foster Books.
One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck. Illus. by Yasmeen Ismail. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard Simon and Tanya Simon. Illus. by Mark Siegel. Roaring Brook
Press.
Outstanding in the Rain: A Whole Story with Holes by Frank Viva. Little Brown and Company.
*P. Zonka Lays an Egg by Julie Paschkis. Peachtree.
The Plan by Alison Paul. Illus. by Barbara Lehman. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
* Poem in Your Pocket by Margaret McNamara. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Schwartz & Wade Books.
Pool by JiHyeon Lee. Chronicle Books.
The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton. Scholastic Press/Arthur A. Levine Books.
The Queen’s Hat by Steve Antony. Scholastic Press.
Red by Jan De Kinder. Translated by Laura Watkinson. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
5
*Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall. Harper Collins/Greenwillow Books.
Roger Is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen. Translated by Laura Watkinson. Eerdmans Books for
Young Readers.
*Should You Be a River: A Poem about Love by Ed Young. Little Brown and Company.
*Sidewalk Flowers by Jon Arno Lawson. Illus. by Sydney Smith. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood
Books.
*Skunk by Mac Barnett. Illus. by Patrick McDonnell. Roaring Brook Press.
The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche, Enchanted Lion Books.
Special Delivery by Philip C. Stead. Illus. by Matthew Cordell. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.
*Spectacular Spots by Susan Stockdale. Peachtree.
Spots in a Box by Helen Ward. Candlewick Press/Templar Books.
Squid Kid the Magnificent by Lynne Berry. Illus. by Luke LaMarca. Disney/Hyperion.
Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer. Illus. by Holly Clifton-Brown. Chronicle Books.
*Stormy Night by Salina Yoon. Bloomsbury.
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev. Illus. by Taeeun Yoo. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books.
*Such a Little Mouse by Alice Schertle. Illus. by Stephanie Yue. Scholastic/Orchard Books.
*Supertruck by Stephen Savage. Roaring Book Press/A Neal Porter Book.
Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell. Little Brown and Company.
That’s (Not) Mine by Anna Kang. Illus. by Christopher Weyant. Two Lions.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
6
This Is Sadie by Sarah O’Leary. Illus. by Julie Morstad. Random House/Tundra Books.
Tiptoe Tapirs by Hanmin Kim, translated by Sera Lee. Illus. by Hanmin Kim. Holiday House.
*Toad Weather by Sandra Markle. Illus. by Thomas Gonzalez. Peachtree.
Toys Meet Snow: Being the Wintertime Adventures of a Curious Stuffed Buffalo, a Sensitive Plush
Stingray, and a Book-loving Rubber Ball by Emily Jenkins. Illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky. Random
House/Schwartz & Wade Books.
Two Mice by Sergio Ruzzier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.
Two White Rabbits. By Jairo Buitrago. Illus. by Rafael Yockteng. Translated by Elisa Amado. House of
Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.
Wait by Antoinette Portis. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.
Waiting by Kevin Henkes. HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books.
We Dig Worms! by Kevin McCloskey. Toon Books.
*Whale Trails: Before and Now by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Henry Holt and
Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.
*When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt. Illus. by Jill McElmurry. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Where’s the Baboon? by Michaël Escoffier. Illus. by Kris Di Giacomo. Enchanted Lion Books.
Where’s Walrus? and Penguin? by Stephen Salvage. Scholastic Press.
The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The White Book by Silvia Borando, Elisabetta Pica and Lorenzo Clerici. Candlewick Press.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
7
Who Done It? by Oliver Tallec. Chronicle Books.
Whose Tools? by Toni Buzzio. IIllus. by Jim Datz. Abrams/Appleseed.
Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman. Illus. by Zachariah OHora. Little Brown and Company.
*A Wonderful Year by Nick Bruel. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.
Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. Illus. by Lauren Castillo. Candlewick Press.
Zen Socks by Jon J. Muth. Scholastic Press.
FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION, VERSE NOVELS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS)
Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr. Translated by Guy Puzey. Illus. by Kate Forrester. Candlewick
Press.
All the Answers by Kate Messner. Bloomsbury.
Another Kind of Hurricane by Tamara Ellis Smith. Random House/Schwartz & Wade Books.
Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Illus. by Gary A. Rosen. Penguin Group/Dial Books
for Young Readers.
*Audacity by Melanie Crowder. Penguin/Philomel Books.
Baga Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola. Illus. by Emily Carroll. Candlewick Press.
The Bamboo Sword by Marge Preus. Abrams/Amulet Books.
*Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little Brown and Company.
*Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly. Harper Collins/Greenwillow Books.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
8
Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands. Simon & Schuster/Alladin.
Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman. Henry Holt & Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley. Illus. by Diana Sudyka. Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers.
Completely Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. Illus. by Marla Frazee. Disney/Hyperion.
*The Cottage in the Woods by Katherine Coville. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends.
Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge. Abrams/Amulet Books.
The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Henry Holt and Company.
Dear Hank Williams by Kimberly Willis Holt. Henry Holt and Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.
Detective Gordon: The First Case by Ulf Nilsson. Illus. by Gitte Spee. Translated by Julia Marshall. Gecko
Press.
Detective’s Assistant by Kate Hannigan. Little Brown and Company.
The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon. HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books.
*A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans by Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder. Illus. by
Mary GrandPré. Random House/Crown Books for Young Readers.
Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah. Illus. by Helen Crawford-White. Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky.
*Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Illus. by Dinara Mirtalipova. Scholastic Press.
*Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks. Henry Holt and Company.
Finding the Worm by Mark Goldblatt. Random House.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
9
Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee. Illus. by Christopher Denise. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for
Young Readers.
*Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt. Penguin Group/Nancy Paulsen Books.
Flop to the Top! by Eleanor Davis and Drew Weing. Toon Books.
*Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy by Susan Vaught. Simon Schuster/A Paula Wiseman Book.
Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar. Random House Children’s Books/Delacorte Press.
George by Alex Gino. Scholastic Press.
Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia. HarperCollins/Amistad.
Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead. Random House/Wendy Lamb Books.
The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War by multiple authors. Illus. by Jim
Kay. Candlewick Press.
Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young
Readers.
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord. Scholastic Press.
Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson. Illus. by David Shannon. Abrams Books for Young
Readers.
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick Press.
*Honey by Sarah Weeks. Scholastic Press.
*The Imaginary by A. F. Harrold. Illus. by Emily Gravett. Bloomsbury.
Juba! by Walter Dean Myers. HarperCollins/Armistad.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
10
The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste. Algonquin Young Readers.
The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau. Scholastic Press.
*Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lại. HarperCollins.
Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends.
Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure by Nadja Spiegelman. Illus. by Segio García Sánchez. TOON Graphics.
Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff. Penguin Group/Philomel.
The Lunch Witch. By Deb Lucke. Papercutz.
Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall. HarperCollins Publishers.
The Marvels by Brian Selznick. Scholastic Press.
*Moon Bear by Gill Lewis. Illus. by Alessandro Gottardo. Simon Schuster/Atheneum.
Moonpenny Island by Tricia Springstubb. Illus. by Gilbert Ford. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray.
Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books.
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel. Illus. by Jon Klassen. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Nooks & Crannies. By Jessica Lawson. Illus. by Natalie Andrewson. Simon & Schuster Books for Young
Readers.
Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion .
Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. Candlewick Press.
*The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.
Piper Green and the Fairy Tree by Ellen Potter. Illus. by Qin Leng. Knopf Books for Young Reader.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
11
*Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury.
*The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
*Red Butterfly by A. L. Sonnichsen. Illus. by Amy June Bates. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
*Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson. Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers.
The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.
Shadows of Sherwood: A Robyn Hoodlum Adventure by Kekla Magoon. Bloomsbury.
*Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum.
The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems. Illus. by Tony DiTerlizzi. Disney/Hyperion.
Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm. Illus. by Matthew Holm. Scholastic Graphix.
The Tale of Rescue by Michael J. Rosen. Illus. by Stan Fellows. Candlewick Press.
The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. Little, Brown and Company.
*This Side of Home by Renée Watson. Bloomsbury.
The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I by Michael Foreman.
Henry Holt and Company.
Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee. Penguin/G P Putnam's Sons.
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones. Illus. by Katie Kath. Random
House/Alfred A. Knopf.
*The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers.
The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang. Scholastic Press.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
12
We Are All Made of Molecules. By Susin Nielsen. Random House/Wendy Lamb Books.
*Wish Girl by Nikki Lofton. Penguin/Razorbill.
Written and Drawn by Henrietta by Ricardo Siri Liniers. Toon Books.
INFORMATION PICTURE BOOKS
The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton. Illus. by Don Tate. Eerdmans Books for Young
Readers.
An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns by Betsy R. Rosenthal. Illus. by Jago. Lerner
Publishing Group/Millbrook Press.
The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond. Enchanted Lion Books.
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. lllus. by R.
Gregory Christie. Lerner Publishing Group/Carolrhoda Books.
A Chicken Followed Me Home! Questions and Answers about Familiar Fowl by Robin Page. Simon &
Schuster/Beach Lane Books.
*Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews by Kathleen Benson. Illus. by Benny Andrews.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.
*Earmuffs for Everyone: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs by
Meghan McCarthy. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/A Paula Wiseman Book.
*Egg: Nature’s Perfect Package by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt.
*Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson. Illus. by
Sean Qualls. Random House/Schwartz and Wade.
*Flowers Are Calling by Rita Gray. Illus. by Kenard Pak. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The Flying Birds by Eun-sun Han. Illus. by R. Ju-kyoung Kim. TanTan Publishing.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
13
Frederick’s Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass by Doreen Rappaport. Disney/Jump at the Sun.
Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game by John Coy. Illus. by Randy DuBurke. Lerner
Publishing Group/Carolrhoda Books.
*Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped with the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff.
Illus. by Vincent X. Kirsch. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Growing Up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Republic All the Way to
the Major Leagues by Matt Tavares. Candlewick Press.
Hippos Are Huge! by Jonathan London. Illus. by Matthew Trueman. Candlewick Press.
The House That Jane Built: A Story about Jane Addams by Tanya Lee Stone. Illus. by Kathryn Brown.
Henry Holt and Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.
How to Swallow a Pig: Step-by-step Advice from the Animal Kingdom by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
I’m Trying to Love Spiders (It Isn’t Easy) by Bethany Barton. Penguin Group/Viking.
*In Mary’s Garden by Tina and Carson Kügler. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illus. by James E.
Ransome. Simon & Schuster Books for Young People/A Paula Wiseman Book.
A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston. Illus. by Sylvia Long. Chronicle Books.
The Nutcracker Comes To America: How Three Ballet-Loving Brothers Created A Holiday Tradition by
Chris Barton. Illus. by Cathy Gendron. Lerner Publishing Group/Millbrook Press.
*One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul. Illus. by
Elizabeth Zunan. Lerner/Millbrook Press.
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate. Peachtree Publishers.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
14
Queen of the Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story by Emily Arnold McCully. Farrar Strauss
Giroux/Margaret Ferguson Books.
*Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane.
Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith. Illus. by Giuliano
Ferri. Two Lions.
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder. Illus. by Julie Morstad. Chronicle Books.
*Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm by Karen Deans. Illus. by Joe
Cepeda. Holiday House.
Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree by Kate Messner. Illus. by Simona
Mulazzani. Chronicle Books.
*Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrew. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Abram Books.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner. Illus. by Christopher Silis Neal. Chronicle
Books.
Water Is Water: A Book about the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul. Illus. by Jason Chin. Roaring Book
Press/A Neal Porter Book.
Woodpecker Wham! by April Pulley Sayre. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Henry Holt and Company.
NON-FICTION (INCLDUING INFORMATION PICTURE BOOKS, POETRY AND FOLKLORE)
*28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr. Illus. by Shane
Evans. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.
*Big Red Kangaroo by Claire Saxby. Illus. by Graham Byrne. Candlewick Press.
*Bird & Diz by Gary Golio. Illus. by Ed Young. Candlewick Press.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
15
The Boy Who Fell off the Mayflower or John Howland’s Good Fortune by P.J. Lynch. Candlewick Press.
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose. Farrar Straus
Giroux.
Breakthrough! How Three People Saved “Blue Babies” and Changed Medicine Forever by Jim Murphy.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.
*The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko. Illus. by Sean Qualls and Selina
Alko. Scholastic/Arthur A Levine Books.
Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Jessica Dee Humphreys & Michel Chikwanine,
Illus. by Claudia Dάvila. Kids Can Press/CitizenKids.
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Emu by Claire Saxby. Illus. by Graham Byrne. Candlewick Press.
*Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess. Illus. by Kris Di Giacomo.
Enchanted Lion Books.
Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum
Books for Young Readers.
Extraordinary People: A Semi-Comprehensive Guide to Some of the World’s Most Fascinating
Individuals by Michael Hearst. Illus. by Aaron Scamihorn. Chronicle Books.
*Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow. Highlights/Calkins Creek.
*First Flight around the World: The Adventures of the American Fliers Who Won the Race by Tim
Grove. Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum/Abram Books.
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams Books for Young
Readers.
Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston
Weatherford. Illus. by Jamey Christoph. Albert Whitman and Company.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
16
Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash. Candlewick Press.
Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks. Roaring Brook Press/First Second.
I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda,
with Liz Welch. Little Brown and Company.
The Inker’s Shadow by Allen Say. Scholastic Press.
The Inventors’ Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford by Suzanne Slade. Illus. by Jennifer Black
Reinhardt. Charlesbridge Publishing.
Ira’s Shakespeare Dream by Glenda Armand. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Lee and Low Books.
Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad by
Martin W. Sandler. Illus. by Karen Minot (map illustrations). Candlewick Press.
Lincoln’s Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, America’s First Private Eye by Samantha Seiple. Scholastic Press.
Mad about Monkeys by Owen Davey. Flying Eye Books.
March: Book Two by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Illus. by Nate Powell. Top Shelf Productions.
Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff. Illus. by
Iacopo Bruno. Candlewick Press.
The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Z. Guiberson. Illus. by Gennady Spirin. Henry Holt and
Company.
Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring
Brook Press.
The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk by Sy Montgomery. Photos by Keith
Ellenbogen. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
17
*Rad American Women A to Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History… and
Our Future by Kate Schatz. Illus. by Miriam Klein Stahl. City Lights Books.
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip through the Motown Sound by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Roaring Brook Press.
Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia’s Desert Wilderness by Narelle Oliver. Candlewick Press.
Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg. Illus. by Fiona Smyth.
Seven Stories Press/Triangle Square.
Spidermania: Friends on the Web by Alexandra Siy. Illus. by Dennis Kunkel. Holiday House.
Steve Jobs: Insanely Great by Jessie Hartland. Random House/Schwartz & Wade Books.
Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights. By Ann Bausum. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press.
Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Tommy: The Gun that Changed America by Karen Blumenthal. Roaring Brook Press.
A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups by Anna Wright. Charlesbridge Publishing.
*Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli. Penguin
Group/Viking.
*Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda
Blackmon Lowery. Illus. by P J Loughran. Penguin/Dial Books.
The Underground Abductor: An Abolitionist Tale by Nathan Hale. Abrams/Amulet Books.
Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey. National Geographic.
Welcome to New Zealand: A Nature Journal by Sandra Morris. Candlewick Press.
A Year without Mom by Dasha Tolstikova. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
18
POETRY
Amazing Places. Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illus. by Chris Soentpiet & Christy Hale. Lee & Low
Books.
Beastly Verse. Compiled and illustrated by JooHee Yoon. Enchanted Lion Books.
*Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects. Compiled by Paul B. Janeczko. Illus. by Chris
Raschka. Candlewick Press.
Flutter & Hum = Aleteo y zumbido: Animal Poems = Poemas de animals. Complied by Julie Paschkis.
Illlus. by Julie Paschkis. Henry Holt & Company.
*Lullaby & Kisses Sweet: Poems to Love with Your Baby. Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illus. by
Alyssa Nassner. Abrams/Appleseed.
My Seneca Village by Marilyn Nelson. Namelos.
National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry: More than 200 Poems With Photographs That Float,
Zoom, and Bloom! Compiled by J. Patrick Lewis. National Geographic.
Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Compiled by Elizabeth Hammill. Illus. by
multiple artists. Candlewick Press.
The Popcorn Astronauts: And Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell. Illus. by Joan Rankin. Simon
& Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Sail Away by Langston Hughes. Illus. by Ashley Bryan. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books.
The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist by Margarita Engle. Illus. by Aliona Bereghici. Two Lions.
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston
Weatherford. Illus. by Ekua Holmes. Candlewick Press.
Association for Library Service to Children/ALA
Notable Children's Books - Nominated Titles for Discussion
2016 Midwinter Meeting – Boston
19