MISS CAROL’S FAVORITE CHILDREN’S BOOKS FROM 2011

Here is a list of favorite book finds from this past year. The list includes picture books, chapter books, and non-fiction books for children of all ages.

• Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh (jj WALSH)

  Two mice have fun playing on a teeter-totter, but as more and larger friends join them, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay balanced.

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  Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman (jj FREEDMA)

  An enterprising chicken attempts to help an artist paint the barnyard and accidentally turns the whole picture blue.

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  Bones: Skeletons and How They Work by Steve Jenkins (j 573.7 JENKINS)

  A guide to human and animal skeletons provides informative comparisons while sharing such facts as the number of bones in the human body and the ways that skeletal structures work.

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  Case Closed?: Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Michael Wandelmaier (j 902 HUGHES)

  Examines how developments in modern science, such as DNA analysis and spectroscopy, have helped to reopen archaeological mysteries about ancient cities, Egypt's first female pharaoh, a missing expedition to find the Northwest Passage, and more.

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  Charlie’s Superhero Underpants by Paul Bright and Lee Wildish (jj BRIGHT)

  When a gusting wind blows the laundry off the clothesline, Charlie travels the world searching for his favorite scarlet superhero underpants.

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  The Chiru of High Tibet: A True Story by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Linda Wngerter (j 599.64 MARTIN)

  The true story of how scientist George Schaller and four mountain men set out to save the chiru (antelope-like creatures that cannot survive captivity and live on the high plains of Tibet) from near extinction.

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  Coral Reefs by Jason Chin (j577.7 CHIN)

  During an ordinary visit to the library, a girl pulls a not-so-ordinary book from the shelves. As she turns the pages in this book about coral reefs, the city around her slips away and she finds herself surrounded by the coral cities of the sea and the mysterious plants and animals that live, hunt, and hide there.

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  The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Marcellus Hall (jj WILSON)

  While all the other animals on the farm enjoy eating their regular food, the cow chooses to eat the one thing that she loves best.

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  Danger! written by Laura Buller, Susan Kennedy, Jim Pipe, and Richard Walker (j 500 BULLER)

  A collection of facts and statistics about dangerous and/or nasty things in nature, on the Earth, in space, the human body, science, places, sports, culture, and the past.

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  Dinosaur Discovery: Everything You Need to Be a Paleontologist by Chris McGowan, illustrated by Erica Lyn Schmidt (j 560 MCGOWAN)

  Hands-on activities present information about dinosaurs and to show how paleontologists study the prehistoric creatures.

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  Fiesta Babies by Carmen Tafolla, illustrated by Amy Córdova (jj TAFOLLA)

  Babies enjoy the colorful fiesta with singing, dancing, hugs, and kisses.

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  Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (jj SMITH)

  A child explores the ordinary life of his extraordinary great-grandfather, as expressed in his topiary garden.

• If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond (jj NUMEROF)

  Chaos might ensue if you truly do give a dog a donut.

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  If You’re a Monster and You Know It by Rebecca Emberley and Ed Emberley (jj EMBERLE)

  Monsters sing their own version of this popular song that encourages everyone to express their happiness through voice and movement.

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  Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (jj STEIN)

  Little Red Chicken wants Papa to read her a bedtime story, but interrupts him almost as soon as he begins each tale.

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  Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra by David A. Adler, illustrated by Edward Miller (j 512 ADLER)

  Introduces readers to algebra by using simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve equations.

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  Press Here by Hervé Tullet (jj TULLET)

  Instructs the reader on how to interact with the illustrations to create imaginative images.

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  Smells Like Treasure by Suzanne Selfors (j SELFORS)

  Farm boy Homer faces another challenger for his uncle's spot in the society of Legends, Objects, Secrets, and Treasures but Dog's hidden ability to smell treasure guides the duo as clues lead them to fantastic mansions and hidden islands.

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  Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by Joan Paley (jj PALEY)

  Learn about what life is like for a starfish, also called a sea star.

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  A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine (j LEVINE)

  Twelve-year-old Elodie journeys to Two Castles in hopes of studying acting but instead becomes apprentice to a dragon, who teaches her to be observant and use reasoning, thus helping her to uncover who is poisoning the king.

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  There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz (jj SCHWARZ)

  The reader is invited to lift the flaps and follow the cats as they play with yarn, boxes, pillows, and fish.

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  The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kurt Cyrus (jj CYRUS)

  Follow the life of a giant prehistoric sea turtle.

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  Wonderstruck by Brian Belznick (j BELZNIC)

  Having lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, twelve-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home in 1977 to seek the father he never knew in New York City, and meets there Rose, who is also longing for something missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's in pictures.

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  You Can Count on Monsters: The First 100 Numbers and Their Characters by Richard Evan Schwartz (j 512.923 SCHWART)

  This counting book visually explores the concepts of factoring and the role of prime and composite numbers.