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.

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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.

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. 

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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