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Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

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Children's and Teen: 0 - 2 years old

Cover art for SWIRL BY SWIRL
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 3, 2011
Kirkus Star SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE
by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
"Exquisitely simple and memorable. (Informational picture book. 2-8)"
"A spiral is a snuggling shape" is the somewhat homely observation that begins Sidman's brief and graceful poem--she goes on to catalog and celebrate the ways that spirals manifest themselves in the physical and natural world in a way that will draw in the youngest listeners. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2010
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Eric Puybaret
"Add in the generous trim, and this one's worth making room for. (Picture book. 2 & up)"
It can be hard to make a new picture-book version of this old Christmas chestnut stand out. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FATHERS ARE COMING HOME
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 27, 2010
THE FATHERS ARE COMING HOME
by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Stephen Savage
"Savage's illustrations—glowing, blocky linocuts, which evoke in line, shape and color the classic work of Esphyr Slobodkina—do their best, but they cannot lift this barely middling text to greatness. (Picture book. 2-5)"
The author of Goodnight Moon has, justifiably, been apotheosized into the pantheon of children's literature's greats. Read full book review >
Cover art for ¡MUU, MOO!
CHILDREN'S
Released: March 1, 2010
¡MUU, MOO!: RIMAS DE ANIMALES/ANIMAL NURSERY RHYMES
by Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy, translated by Rosalma Zubizarreta, illustrated by Viví Escrivá
"Escrivá's depictions of children and the animals' humorous expressions infuse each page with an infectious, childlike happiness. (Nursery rhymes. 1-7)"
Ada and Campoy team up again (¡Pío Peep!, 2003, etc.) to produce this lovely anthology of rhymes, songs and poems from the Hispanic oral tradition. Read full book review >
Cover art for ALL THE WORLD
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 8, 2009
Kirkus Star ALL THE WORLD
by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee
"At once a lullaby and an invigorating love song to nature, families and interconnectedness. (Picture book. 2-5)"
In flowing rhyme, Scanlon zooms outwards from smallness to bigness: "Rock, stone, pebble, sand / Body, shoulder, arm, hand / A moat to dig, / a shell to keep / All the world is wide and deep." Read full book review >
Cover art for THREE LITTLE KITTENS AND OTHER FAVORITE NURSERY RHYMES
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2009
THREE LITTLE KITTENS AND OTHER FAVORITE NURSERY RHYMES
edited by Tony Ross, illustrated by Tony Ross
"Although readers are almost certain to find one or two rhymes previously unfamiliar to them, overall it's an ordinary outing, unlikely to displace the collections illustrated by Richard Scarry or Rosemary Wells, or to make much of an impression on the diapered set. (Nursery rhymes. 2-4)"
The first U.S. edition of a large-type, large-format gathering of standard Mother Goose rhymes—plus the occasional interloper, such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Read full book review >