NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS
Children's Picture Books
Andrews, J., Hamilton, E. W. (2013). The very fairy princess sparkles in the snow. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Geraldine always wants to be in the spotlight. She pretends she is a fairy princess and wishes to spread her sparkle everywhere she goes. She is excited about the Winter Wonderland Festival and wants to be the soloist in the concert. Geraldine gets her opportunity to shine when the soloist can’t make it to the show. Geraldine finds her sparkle and sings wonderfully. Illustrator, Christine Davenier, created beautiful watercolor images to share Geraldine’s sparkle. Geraldine provides hope and inspiration to all young children who desire to be in the spotlight. (NYT, November 3, 2013)
Brett, J. (2013). Cinders a chicken Cinderella. New York: Penguin Group.
When Tasha, the caretaker’s daughter, falls asleep in the henhouse the hens go to the ball at the Ice Palace. Cinders must help the other hens get dressed for the ball. By the time they are ready to leave, she is wet and has nothing to wear to the ball. A silkie hen comes to her rescue, giving her beautiful clothes and a sleigh to ride in to the ball. Cinders stuns the other guests, who do not realize it is her, and spends the evening dancing with the prince. As it becomes midnight, she hurriedly leaves before the spell is broken. Prince Cockerel finds her slipper and silvery egg. The next day, he arrives at the henhouse to find the mystery guest. Cinders becomes Princess Cinderella and rules the roost from that day forward. The detailed images created by Jan Brett are exquisite. This book is a new spin on the classic Cinderella. (NYT, November 17, 2013)
Cronin, D. (2013). Click, clack, boo!: A tricky treat. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Farmer Brown does not like Halloween. However, his animals do and decide to have a Halloween party in the barn. Farmer Brown hears many noises, which scare him, and he hides in his bed. Duck, who is dressed up for Halloween leaves a note for him to come to the party at the barn. When Farmer Brown gathers his courage and runs to the barn to join the party, Duck awards him Best Costume. The illustrations are a delight, especially the animals dressed in costume for the Halloween party. (NYT, October 13, 2013)
Evert, L. (2013). The Christmas wish. New York: Random House.
Anja wanted nothing more than to be one of Santa’s Elves. She decided to travel to the North Pole. Along the way she was guided by a red bird, a horse, a musk ox, a bear, and a reindeer. Eventually, the reindeer took her to Santa. He had been waiting for her. As he took her home on Christmas morning, he gave her a bell to ring three times if she needed help. As she awoke, she was in her bed and did not see the sleigh or Santa. However, she did have the bell and wondered if it was all just a dream. The images are photographs taken by Per Breiehagan. (NYT, November 24, 2013)
Litwin, E., & Dean, J. (2012). Pete the cat saves Christmas. New York: Harper.
Pete the cat is determined to save Christmas. Santa was ill and could not deliver presents to all the children. Pete volunteers and travels in his minibus pulled by Santa’s reindeer. Although he knows that he will have many obstacles, Pete gives it his all in order to save Christmas. The full color pages, illustrated by Dean, are vibrant and eye catching. Pete proves that no matter your size, you must give of yourself in order to help others. (NYT, December 8, 2013)
Long, L. (2013). An Otis Christmas. New York: Philomel Books.
Otis, the tractor, lived on a farm. On Christmas Eve, the farmer gave Otis a new horn. That night the pregnant horse began having trouble. The farmer needed to get the doctor. Otis set off through the snow to get Doc Baker. When he got to his home, he remembered to use his new horn to wake the doctor. Once they arrived back at the farm, Doc Baker helped deliver the new foal. The new foal was marked with a star on his forehead. Otis was proud to help his friends on the farm. The artwork adds dimension to the story. The images are filled with rich colors. Otis, the tractor, saves the day and reminds the reader of the need to help others. (NYT, November 24, 2013)
MacLachlan, P., & Kellogg, S. (2013). Snowflakes fall. New York: Random House.
The snowflakes fall after the flowers have gone. They cover everything in their path. Then as the snowflakes melt in the sun, they become part of the streams and rivers. Once the flowers bloom again, the snowflakes are remembered. Each snowflake is unique and beautiful just as all children are unique and beautiful. The illustrations are beautiful images which give life to the story. Snowflakes Fall was written in honor of the children who lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary. (NYT, November 24, 2013)
Scieszka, J., Barnett, M. (2013). Battle Bunny. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Alex is celebrating his birthday today. He received the Birthday Bunny book from his Grandma but has altered the story to become Battle Bunny. In the story, it is Bunny’s birthday and he has transformed into Battle Bunny. Battle Bunny is a great villain and is plotting to put his Evil Plan in action. He terrorizes the forest until stopped by the birthday boy, Alex, who has super powers. This is a fun book to inspire readers to write their own stories. (NYT, November 10, 2013)
Tullet, H. (2011). Press here. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
Following instructions is the name of the game with this creative book. It focuses on learning directions, colors and more while interacting with the book. The illustrations are simple colored dots. Press Here is a fun book for all ages. It encourages the reader to “play” with the book. (NYT, October 6, 2013)
Piggie is pretending to be a frog. She is hopping and yelling “ribbit”. Gerald, the elephant, is very concerned about Piggie. He doesn’t understand what pretending means. Piggie encourages Gerald to pretend with her and be a frog but he refuses. Gerald decides to pretend to be a cow. The illustrations are simple line drawings. The story is fun for beginning readers and appeals to their need to pretend. (NYT, October 27, 2013)