100 Magnificent Children’s Books of 2012
Happy 2013, everybody!
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And that officially marks the end of all my 2012 reviews. I’ll have an appropriate regret-filled post on the matter tomorrow, but for now let’s celebrate the year! Everyone has their own little lists, and I am no exception. In case you’re curious, I did similar ones for 2010 and 2011. Now just because I don’t mention your favorite book here, that doesn’t mean I don’t adore it on some level. I just had to limit these titles to 100, which is bloody difficult. Similarities to the 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing list from NYPL are acknowledged, but there are some definitely differences, you betcha. For one thing, I could only include the books I’d actually read on this list.
So without further ado . . . here we go!!
Picture Books
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook Press
Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff. Beach Lane Books
Beach Feet by Kiyomi Konagaya. Illustrated by Masamitsu Saito. Enchanted Lion Books
Boot & Shoe by Marla Frazee. Beach Lane Books
Cat Tale by Michael Hall. Greenwillow Books
Chloe and the Lion by Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Adam Rex. Hyperion Books
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Peter Brown. Simon & Schuster
Duck Sock Hop by Jane Kohuth. Illustrated by Jane Porter. Dial Books for Young Readers
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Balzer & Bray
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Roaring Brook Press
Happy Like Soccer by Maribeth Boelts. Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Candlewick Press
H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination by Christopher Myers. Egmont USA
It’s a Tiger! by David LaRochelle. Illustrated by Jeremy Tankard. Chronicle Books
Jimmy the Greatest! by Jairo Buitrago. Illustrated by Rafael Yockteng. Groundwood Books
John Jensen Feels Different by Henrik Hovland. Illustrated by Torill Kove. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Jonathan & Martha by Petr Horacek. Phaidon
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters by K.G. Campbell. Kids Can Press
Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy by Jan Thomas. Beach Lane Books
Me and Momma and Big John by Mara Rockliff. Illustrated by William Low. Candlewick Press
My Dad Is Big and Strong, But . . . by Coralie Saudo. Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo. Enchanted Lion Books
The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart. Illustrated by David Small. Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Step Gently Out by Helen Frost. Photographs by Rick Lieder. Candlewick Press
The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson. Illustrated by Julie Morstad. Simply Read Books
Trains Go by Steve Light. Chronicle Books
Up, Tall and High by Ethan Long. G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Folk and Fairytales
The Goldilocks Variations by Allan Ahlberg. Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg. Candlewick Press
The Great Race: An Indonesian Trickster Tale. Retold by Nathan Kumar Scott. Illustrated by Jagdish Chitara. Tara Books
Hans My Hedgehog: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm. Adapted by Kate Coombs. Originally written by Brothers Grimm. Illustrated by John Nickle. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Robin Hood. Retold by David Calcutt. Illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith. Barefoot Books
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse: An Aesop Fable. Retold by Helen Ward. Templar Books
Poetry
Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems by Gail Carson Levine. Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Harper
Leave Your Sleep: A Collection of Classic Children’s Poetry. Adapted to music by Natalie Merchant. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Farrar Straus Giroux
National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Edited by J. Patrick Lewis. National Geographic
Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature by Nicola Davies. Illustrated by Mark Hearld. Candlewick Press
Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & Paintings by Douglas Florian. Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. Beach Lane Books
Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School. Edited by Timothy P. McLaughlin. Illustrated by S. D. Nelson. Abrams Books for Young Readers
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Early Chapter Books
The Adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-Fated by Gerald Morris. Illustrated by Aaron Renier. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Duck for a Day by Meg McKinlay. Illustrated by Leila Rudge. Candlewick.
The No. 1 Car Spotter and the Firebird by Atinuke. Illustrated by Warwick Caldwell Johnson. Walker & Company.
Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell. Candlewick Press.
Sadie and Ratz by Sonya Hartnett. Illustrated by Ann James. Candlewick Press.
Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Older Chapter Books
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton. David Fickling Books
Buddy by M. H. Herlong. Viking
The Case of the Deadly Desperadoes by Caroline Lawrence. Orion Children’s Books
Chickadee by Louise Erdrich. Harper
Crow by Barbara Wright. Random House
Deadweather and Sunrise by Geoff Rodkey. Putnam Juvenile
Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski. Scholastic
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Scholastic Press
Freaky Fast Frankie Joe by Lucile Clifton. Holiday House
Goblin Secrets by William Alexander. Margaret K. McElderry Books
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy. Illustrated by Todd Harris. Walden Pond Press
In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz. Dutton Children’s Books
The Kairos Mechanism by Kate Milford. The Clockwork Foundry
Katerina’s Wish by Jeannie Mobley. Margaret K. McElderry Books
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead. Random House
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine. G. P. Putnam’s Sons
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Illustrated by Patricia Castelao. Harper
Pickle: The Formerly Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School by Kim Baker. Illustrated by Tim Probert. Roaring Brook Press
Plunked by Michael Northrop. Scholastic Press
The Prince Who Fell From the Sky by John Claude Bemis. Random House
Return to the Willows by Jacqueline Kelly. Illustrated by Clint Young. Henry Holt and Company
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick Press
The Star Shard by Frederick S. Durbin. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin. Little, Brown and Company
Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker. Balzer & Bray
Three Times Lucky by Shelia Turnage. Dial Books for Young Readers
The Traveling Restaurant by Barbara Else. Gecko Press
The Unfortunate Son by Constance Leeds. Viking
The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Harper
Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Seth. Little, Brown & Co.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio. Alfred A. Knopf
Graphic Novels
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel. Graphix
Drama by Raina Telgemeier. Graphix
Fangbone! Third-Grade Barbarian by Michael Rex. G. P. Putnam’s Sons
Giants Beware! by Jorge Aguirre. Illustrated by Rafael Rosado. First Second
Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O’Connor. First Second
Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez. Graphic Universe
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Big Bad Ironclad! by Nathan Hale Amulet Books
The Secret of the Stone Frog by David Nytra. Toon Books
Nonfiction Picture Books
Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why by Lita Judge. Flash Point
Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman by Marc Tyler Nobleman. Illustrated by Ty Templeton. Charlesbridge Publishing
The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel. Illustrated by Amanda Hall. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
How Many Jelly Beans? by Andrea Menotti. Illustrated by Yancy Labat. Chronicle Books
It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw by Don Tate. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Lee & Low Books Inc.
Jazz Age Josephine by Jonah Winter. Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey by Gary Golio. Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. Clarion Books
Nonfiction Chapter Books
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano. Illustrated by Michael Carroll. Charlesbridge
Buried Alive! How 33 Miners Survived 69 Days Deep Under the Chilean Desert by Elaine Scott. Clarion Books
Chuck Close: Face Book by Chuck Close. Abrams Books for Young Readers
The Fairy Ring by Mary Losure. Candlewick Press
The Great Molasses Flood: Boston, 1919 by Deborah Kops. Charlesbridge
Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. Hyperion
The Human Body Factory by Dan Green. Illustrated by Edmond Davis. Kingfisher
Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank. Clarion Books
The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins by Marc Aronson and Lee Berger. National Geographic Books for Children
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World by Sy Montgomery. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson. Scholastic Press
Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature’s Undead by Rebecca L. Johnson. Millbrook Press
Filed under: Best Books, Best Books of 2012
About Betsy Bird
Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.
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Elizabeth,
As an aspiring children’s book writer, this year my goal is to go to the library and read more children’s books. This list is a great place for me to start as we start to polish our manuscript and illustrations and search for more inspiration.
Thank you and happy new year!
Melissa
Glad to see that Plunked made your list. That one flew a bit under the radar this year, but I enjoyed it and each time I booktalk it, it gets checked out.
brenda
Bird: Where is OCTOBER MOURNING by Leslea Newman? Simply among the magnificent.
Oh, absolutely! Magnificent indeed, but very young adult. Not so much for the 0-12 crowd, methinks. But were I to do a similar YA list it would be right on there.
This list rocks. I’m familiar with the fiction picture books….but not so much the nonfiction. I think I know where my head is! Definitely a keeper, thanks for compiling.
Yay! So glad to see The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart, illus by David Small on your list. Lovely, lovely book. It’s fun for kids to spot the teddy bear on each page. May be my 2nd favorite book by them. It’ll take a lot to knock The Library from my No. 1 spot.
Also glad that No. 1 Car Spotter and The Star Shard also were mentioned. Great books that aren’t getting the buzz they deserve.
Lots of books on the list that I still need to read.
Thank you for this annual list!