31 Days, 31 Lists: 2019 Older Reprints
Ooo! We’re so close to the end! The tension is mounting by the second. But before we get to our final two big lists, let us ease into them with a look at some of the stellar fiction reprints of 2019. These are the books for older readers that were given a second chance at life. This is not a complete list by any stretch of the imagination. Rather, it is a celebration of a selection of books that prove that the power of fiction remains with readers long after childhood. A book only truly dies when it has been forgotten from every human brain. Here are the books of 2019 that just extended their lives a generation more.
2019 Older Reprints
Bunnicula by James Howe
Imagine what a world it would be if every single reprint had the time and the care and the attention paid to it that this book has enjoyed. Someone at Atheneum needs a raise, because this is the most gorgeous, cleverest idea for a Bunnicula reprint yet. Look at that wordless cover! The drip of shiny carrot juice. The red velvety jacket. And then there’s the copious, magnificent backmatter at the end! Photos of kids in costume! International edition’s covers! Even a Dav Pilkey interpretation that I kinda love. Best reprint of the year. No competition.
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The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson, ill. Garth Williams
As it just so happens, not every Newbery Honor-winning book is currently still in print. To be honest, not every Newbery Honor-winning book deserves to remain in print, with, of course, the obvious exception of my beloved Winged Girl of Knossos. Another book deserving of a second life is Natalie Savage Carlson’s The Family Under the Bridge. It’s one of those beloved family classics that just manages to come back around once in a while. The art by Garth Williams certainly doesn’t hurt matters any. Nice to see it return.
The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins by Bea Uusma Schyffert
I tell you nothing you don’t already know when I say that publishers everywhere jumped all over the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in 2019. Suddenly their backlist was a potential goldmine. Apollo 11! Apollo 11! What do we have that’s about Apollo 11? Chronicle was particularly lucky in this respect. They had the highly visual 2003 Swedish import Astronauten som inte fick landa to bring out once again. Back in the day it was the rare nonfiction book to win a Batchelder Award. It also sports one of the best little author bios in recent memory: “Bea Uusma Schyffert is exactly one inch too short to become an astronaut. When she realized going into space wasn’t an option, she decided on an artistic career instead.” Nice to see it back.
Paddington Here and Now by Michael Bond, ill. Peggy Fortnum and R.W. Alley
I am so grateful for the popularity of the Paddington films. And if that means that we see more Paddington books republished as well, all to the good. They just do doggone ENGLISH, aren’t they? All too often when a chapter book gets reprinted you have to deal with the nastiness of the past. Not so Paddington. Their tone, their text, their everything stands up. He’ll be going strong long after we’re gone, that one.
To Dance: Special Edition by Siena Cherson Siegel, ill. Mark Siegel
When this comic memoir for younger readers first came out it was a bit ahead of its time. This book is notable on today’s list because it is one of the few books here that I reviewed when it was first released. I cannot recall, but I’m pretty sure the “Scrapbook” backmatter at the end of this new reprint is fairly new. This book won a Sibert Honor in its day, which made me wonder if it was the first comic to win a Sibert. Answer: Nope! Turns out, the very first year of the Sibert (2001) Pedro and Me by Judd Winick won. Of course that doesn’t really matter. The book is just as lovely as it was the day it first came out, I’m so happy to see it return to our shelves.
Interested in the other lists? Here’s the schedule of everything being covered this month. Enjoy!
December 1 – Great Board Books
December 2 – Board Book Reprints & Adaptations
December 3 – Transcendent Holiday Picture Books
December 4 – Picture Book Readalouds
December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books
December 6 – Funny Picture Books
December 7 – CaldeNotts
December 8 – Picture Book Reprints
December 9 – Math Books for Kids
December 10 – Bilingual Books
December 11 – Books with a Message
December 12 – Fabulous Photography
December 13 – Translated Picture Books
December 14 – Fairy Tales / Folktales / Religious Tales
December 15 – Wordless Picture Books
December 16 – Poetry Books
December 17 – Easy Books
December 18 – Early Chapter Books
December 19 – Comics & Graphic Novels
December 20 – Older Funny Books
December 21 – Science Fiction Books
December 22 – Informational Fiction
December 23 – American History
December 24 – Science & Nature Books
December 25 – Unconventional Children’s Books
December 26 – Unique Biographies
December 27 – Nonfiction Picture Books
December 28 – Nonfiction Books for Older Readers
December 29 – Older Reprints
December 30 – Middle Grade Novels
December 31 – Picture Books
Filed under: 31 Days 31 Lists, Best Books, Best Books of 2019, Booklists
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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