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Stonington Free Library
20 High Street
P.O. Box 232
Stonington, CT 06378
Phone - 860.535.0658
FAX - 860.535.3945
E-mail -
stonlib@stoningtonfreelibrary.org
Recommended Reading for Children
Caldecott Medal
From the ALA website
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
2005 Medal Winner
The 2005 Caldecott Medal winner is Kitten's First Full Moon illustrated and written by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollinsPublishers)
Henkes employs boldly outlined organic shapes and shades of black, white and gray with rose undertones on creamy paper to tell a simple story of a kitten who mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. The moon, the flowers, the fireflies' lights and the kitten's eyes create a comforting circle motif. The gouache and colored pencil illustrations project a varied page design that rhythmically paces the spare text.
"Thoughtful design, from the front jacket with reflective silver letters to the final image, sustains a completely satisfying read-aloud experience," said Caldecott Award Chair Betsy Hearne. "Kitten's frustration and eventual triumph--emotions familiar to young children--find artistic expression in a meticulously crafted book with classic appeal."
2005 Honor Books
The Red Book illustrated and written by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin Company)
With a simplicity that belies their depth, Lehman's nuanced watercolor illustrations in The Red Book transport a city girl, an island boy and the viewer beyond their familiar worlds. This wordless picture book offers an enticing visual journey with surprising twists and reveals the mysterious power of books.
Coming on Home Soon illustrated by E.B. Lewis, written by Jacqueline Woodson (G.P. Putnam's Son's/Penguin Young Readers Group)
Evocative watercolor paintings in Coming on Home Soon illuminate a story of cross-generational love and convey the longing of a child anticipating her mother's return. Lewis' portraiture and attention to light sources, from cold winter hues to warm interior tones, reflect the loneliness of the child and the comforting strength of her grandmother.
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale illustrated and written by Mo Willems. (Hyperion Books for Children)
In Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale an ordinary trip to the laundromat with Dad becomes a hilarious epic drama of miscommunication when Trixie realizes that her beloved stuffed animal is left behind. This energetic comedy, illustrated with an unconventional combination of sepia-tone photographs and wry cartoon ink sketches, charms both parents and children.
See all past Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books at the ALA site.
Newberry Medal
From the ALA website
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
2005 Medal Winner
The 2005 Newbery Medal winner is Kira-Kira written by Cynthia Kadohata, Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster.
Two sisters lie on their backs, watching the stars and repeating the Japanese word for "glittering" - "kira-kira." Like this quiet opening scene, Kadohata's tenderly nuanced novel glitters with plain and poignant words that describe the strong love within a Japanese American family from the point of view of younger sister Katie. Personal challenges and family tragedy are set against the oppressive social climate of the South during the 1950s and early 1960s.
Graceful prose illuminates complex relationships, most notably between the two sisters. Katie's remarkably authentic voice changes to reflect both her deeper understandings and her growing sense of self over a span of almost 10 years.
"With compelling quietude that makes room for both pathos and humor, this luminous novel takes us on Katie Takeshima's journey through a childhood punctuated by prejudice, poverty and family tragedy," said Award Committee Chair Susan Faust. "Young readers will be drawn into a narrative that radiates hope from the inside out."
2005 Honor Books
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (G.P. Putnam's Sons/a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
Alcatraz is the evocative backdrop for Al Capone Does My Shirts -- a highly original novel set in 1935. Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan tells about his travails on "the Rock," where his father has taken a job. Hilarious antics are deftly interwoven with themes of isolation and imprisonment, compassion and connection.
The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman (Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
The Voice that Challenged a Nation meticulously explores resonant themes with the masterful structure of a musical composition. Eloquent, economic prose sheds a personal light on one woman's sometimes reluctant role as a symbol in the struggle against racism and her calling to share an llustrious gift.
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books/Houghton Mifflin)
Set in Maine in 1912 and propelled by a tragic historical event, Schmidt's powerfully haunting novel probes a forbidden friendship between a preacher's son and a dark-skinned girl from a nearby island. Steeped in imagery and laced with surprising humor, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy explores powerlessness, possibility and the profound impact individuals can make.
See all past Newberry Medal Winners and Honor Books at the ALA site.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
From the ALA website
Administered by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award was first given to its namesake in 1954. The award, a bronze medal, honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.
2005: Laurence Yep
2003: Eric Carle
2001: Milton Meltzer
1998: Russell Freedman
1995: Virginia Hamilton
1992: Marcia Brown
1989: Elizabeth George Speare
1986: Jean Fritz
1983: Maurice Sendak
1980: Theodor S. Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
1975: Beverly Cleary
1970: E. B. White
1965: Ruth Sawyer
1960: Clara Ingram Judson
1954: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Notable Children's Books - 2005 Discussion List
From the ALA website (PDF)
Fiction
Abrahams, Peter. Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery.
Auch, M.J. Wing Nut.
Bateman, Colin. Running with the Reservoir Pups.
Bruchac, Joseph. Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two.
Erdrich, Louise. The Game of Silence.
Greene, Stephanie. Queen Sophie Hartley.
Ives, David. Scrib: Some Characters, Adventures, Letters and Conversations from the Year 1863,
Including a Deadly Chase in the Wilderness of the Fearsome Canyon, All as Told by Billy Christmas,
Who Was There.
Lawrence, Iain. The Convicts.
Lerangis, Peter. Smiler's Bones.
McDonald, Megan. Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid.
Mwangi, Meja. The Mzungu Boy.
Park, Linda Sue. Project Mulberry.
Paver, Michelle. Wolf Brother: Book One, Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.
Silverman, Erica. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa.
Wiles, Deborah. Each Little Bird That Sings.
Wilson, Jacqueline. The Illustrated Mum.
Picture Books
Beaumont, Karen. I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! Illus. by David Catrow.
Bernasconi, Pablo. Captain Arsenio: Inventions and (Mis)Adventures in Flight.
Bower, Tamara. How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt.
Frazier, Craig. Stanley Mows the Lawn.
Freymann, Saxton. Food for Thought: The Complete Book of Concepts for Growing Minds.
Graham, Bob. Oscar's Half Birthday.
Grey, Mini. Traction Man Is Here!
Guy, Ginger Foglesong. Siesta. Illus. by René King Moreno.
Henkes, Kevin. So Happy! Illus. by Anita Lobel.
Hicks, Barbara Jean. Jitterbug Jam: A Monster's Tale. Illus. by Alexis Deacon.
Markes, Julie. Shhhhh! Everybody's Sleeping. Illus. by David Parkins.
McKissack, Patricia C. and Onawumi Jean Moss. Precious and the Boo Hag. Illus. by Kyrsten Brooker.
Muth, Jon J. Zen Shorts.
Rosen, Michael. Michael Rosen's Sad Book. Illus. by Quentin Blake.
Shannon, George. White is for Blueberry. Illus. by Laura Dronzek.
Sweet, Melissa. Carmine: A Little More Red.
Van Ommen, Sylvia. Jellybeans.
Winthrop, Elizabeth. Squashed in the Middle. Illus. by Pat Cummings.
Ziefert, Harriet. Murphy Meets Paris. Illus. by Emily Bolam.
Zweibel, Alan. Our Tree Named Steve. Illus. by David Catrow.
Non-Fiction - Folklore
Pullman, Philip. Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp. Illus. by Sophy Williams.
Sherman, Pat. The Sun's Daughter. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie.
Non-Fiction - Poetry
Alarcón, Francisco X. Poems to Dream Together/Poemas para soñar juntos. Illus. by Paula Barragán.
Cyrus, Kurt. Hotel Deep: Light Verse from Dark Water.
Dawes, Kwame. I Saw Your Face. Illus. by Tom Feelings.
Gottfried, Maya. Good Dog. Illus. by Robert Rahway Zakanitch.
Janeczko, Paul B. A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Illus. by Chris Raschka.
Nelson, Marilyn. A Wreath for Emmett Till. Illus. by Philippe Lardy.
Sidman, Joyce. Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems. Illus. by Beckie Prange.
Singer, Marilyn. Central Heating: Poems about Fire and Warmth. Illus. by Meilo So.
Non-Fiction - Biography/Autobiography
Demi. Mother Teresa.
Denenberg, Barry. Shadow Life: A Portrait of Anne Frank and Her Family.
Giblin, James Cross. Good Brother, Bad Brother: The Story of Edwin Booth and John Wilkes Booth.
Non-Fiction - General
Armstrong, Jennifer. Photo by Brady: A Picture of the Civil War.
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow.
Cowley, Joy. Chameleon, Chameleon. Photographs by Nic Bishop.
DeCristofano, Carolyn Cinami. Big Bang!The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck that Became
Spectacular.
Frank, Mitch. Understanding the Holy Land: Answering Questions About the Israeli-Palestinian
Conflict.
Jenkins, Steve and Robin Page. I See a Kookaburra! Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World.
Illus. by Steve Jenkins.
Rubin, Susan Goldman. The Flag with Fifty-Six Stars: A Gift from the Survivors of Mauthausen. Illus.
by Bill Farnsworth.
Russo, Marisabina. Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II.
Winter, Jeanette. The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq.
Current Notable Childrens Books List
Current Notable Childrens Recordings List
Current Notable Childrens Videos List
Current Notable Childrens Software List
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