Monarch Award: Illinois’ K-3
Readers’ Choice Award
2016 Master List
Sponsored by the
Illinois School Library Media Association
2015 Monarch Award Winner
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = CHAOS
by Vivian Vande Velde
Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
A dog chases a
squirrel into an
elementary
school one night,
creating
monumental
chaos.
Bad Kitty School Daze
by Nick Bruel
When Kitty's owners
have finally had
enough of her bad
behavior, it's time to
ship her off to
obedience school
A Boy and a Jaguar
by Alan Rabinowitz
Illustrated by Catia Chien
Young Alan struggled
with stuttering, only
able to speak fluently
to animals. Learn how
he promised at a
young age to find his
voice to be their
advocate.
Breaking News: Bear Alert
By David Biedrzycki
In this story, told in
the form of a TV
news show, bears
emerge from
hibernation
demanding to be
fed.
Building Our House
by Jonathan Bean
A young girl narrates
her family's move
from city to country,
where they live in a
trailer while they
build a house from
the ground up, with
help from relatives
and friends.
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream
by Kristy Dempsey
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
A girl growing up in
Harlem in the 1950s,
whose mother cleans
and stitches costumes
for a ballet company,
dreams of becoming a
prima ballerina one
day.
The Dark
by Lemony Snicket
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Laszlo is afraid of
the dark which
lives in the same
big, creaky house
as him, until one
night the dark pays
him a visit.
Deep in the Sahara
by Kelly Cunnane
Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi
In west Africa, an
Arab girl who wants
to wear a malafa, the
veiled dress worn by
her mother and older
sister, learns that the
garment represents
more than
appearance.
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building
by Christy Hale
Poetry, illustrations,
and photos that
show how kids'
constructions,
created through play,
are reflected in
architecture around
the world.
Feathers: Not Just for Flying
by Melissa Stewart
Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen
Warmth, cushion
and shade are just a
few of the uses
these sixteen birds
have for feathers
other than flying.
The Girl Who Heard Colors
by Marie Harris
Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Because she has a
special extra sense
called synesthesia,
Jillian sees colors
whenever she hears
sounds
Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a
Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
by John Coy
Illustrated by Joe Morse
How James
Naismith came to
invent basketball at
a Springfield,
Massachusetts,
high school in 1891
while teaching a
rowdy gym class
If it Rains Pancakes: Haiku & Lantern Poems
by Brian P. Cleary
Illustrated by Andy Rowland
Celebrates everyday
things in the form of
haiku and lantern
poems.
Lost Cat
by C. Roger Mader
Slipper the cat is
left behind in the
commotion when
the lady she has
always lived with
moves, so Slipper
sets out to find
someone new to
adopt.
Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash
by Monica Brown
Illustrated by Sara Palacios
A unique, spunky girl
plans a one-of-a-kind
birthday party and
hopes her abuelita
(grandma) will be
able to come from
Peru to join the
festivities.
Nelson Mandela
by Kadir Nelson
A biography of the
former South African
president best known
for his political
activism and fight to
end apartheid
The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life
by Lois Ehlert
The story of
illustrator Lois
Ehlert, beginning
with her parents'
support, her early
experiments, and a
look at her behindthe-scenes bookmaking processes.
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
by Jen Bryant
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
The story of artist
Horace Pippin
describes his childhood
love for drawing and
the World War I injury
that changed his
dreams without
breaking them.
This is a Moose
by Richard T. Morris
Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Director Billy
Waddler is trying to
film a documentary
about a moose, but
that moose doesn’t
plan to spend his life
in the woods, and
his animal friends
help him prove his
point.
The Watermelon Seed
by Greg Pizzoli
After swallowing a
watermelon seed, a
crocodile imagines a
scary outcome.