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November 30, 2021 by Betsy Bird

31 Days, 31 Lists Returns!

November 30, 2021 by Betsy Bird   1 comments

It’s almost time for my annual contribution to capitalism. Thaaaaaat’s right! December comes tomorrow and that marks the start of my 31 Days, 31 Lists sequence!

You see, folks, if I’ve learned nothing else this year (thanks in part to the publication of my middle grade debut Long Road to the Circus) it’s that for all the great “Best Of” lists out there, often it’s the same 50-60 books that get mentioned time and time again. Don’t believe me? Check out this crazy keen round-up of the “Best Of” lists of 2021, compiled by Laurie Hnatiuk at her site Bit About Books. Some EXCELLENT books are being honored on those list . . . with a lot of gaps.

The solution? For each day of December, I’ve compiled a list of children’s books. The rules are simple. The books must have been published in 2021 in America. Aaaaaaaand . . . yeah. That’s about it.

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For easy reference you can bookmark this post. I’ll update it with links to each new list as they are released. Here’s how they’ll all play out:

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 – Books with a Message

December 11 – Fabulous Photography

December 12 – Wordless Picture Books

December 13 – Translated Titles

December 14 – Fairy Tales / Folktales / Religious Tales

December 15 – Unconventional Children’s Books

December 16 – Middle Grade Novels

December 17 – Poetry Books

December 18 – Easy Books & Early Chapter Books

December 19 – Older Funny Books

December 20 – Science Fiction Books

December 21 – Fantasy Books

December 22 – Informational Fiction

December 23 – American History

December 24 – Science & Nature Books

December 25 – Autobiographies *NEW TOPIC!*

December 26 – Biographies

December 27 – Nonfiction Books for Older Readers

December 28 – Nonfiction Picture Books

December 29 – Best Audiobooks for Kids

December 30 – Comics & Graphic Novels

December 31 – Picture Books

Some topics may change too, if I find I have insufficient titles for one list or another. Or, conversely, if I have too many books in a particular area (I swear I could make a Math Baseball list, I’ve seen so many books with that topic in 2021).

So play along at home! Find great new books you might have missed! And, above all, remember that these books are arbitrarily decided by one lone librarian in Illinois and that I miss lots of stuff. So be sure to comment with the titles that you think I should have included.

Merry December!

Filed under: 31 Days 31 Lists, Best Books, Best Books of 2021

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31 days 31 lists

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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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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  1. Best Books of the Year: Gotta Recommend Them All - ALSC Blog says:
    December 15, 2021 at 1:18 pm

    […] love to see what wins Mock competitions at various libraries. Another fun favorite to look at is Betsy Bird’s 31 Days of Lists where she features a different topic every day from Board Books to Translated Titles to […]

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