Favorite Picture Books of 2013

It's that time of year!  Now is the time to look through my list of books read throughout the year and pick my favorites.  I love remembering what I was thinking and feeling at the time of reading those books.  There is something special about deciding on which ones will find a place on this special list. 

Below are my top 13 for 2013. There were so many more that I wanted to add to the list but I decided to limit my list.  Also, I haven't listed the books in any special order.   And, though I would love to see some of them end up with shiny stickers at the end of January, this is really the list of books that  resonate with me after a year of reading.

Bluebird by Bob Staake (Schwartz & Wade, April 9, 2013) - Click here to view book trailer.

Journey by Aaron Becker (Candlewick, August 6, 2013) - Click here to view book trailer.

Fossil by Bill Thomson (Two Lions, November 5, 2013) - Click here to view book trailer.

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub; Illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Chronicle Books, September 24, 2013)

The Story of Fish and Snail by Deborah Freedman (Viking Juvenile, June 13, 2013)

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 3, 2013) - Click here to view book trailer.

The Mighty LaLouche by Matthew Olshan; Illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Schwartz & Wade, May 14, 2013)

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywelt; Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, June 27, 2013)

Mysterious Traveller by Mal Peet, Elspeth Graham; Illustrated by P.J. Lynch (Candlewick Press, October 8, 2013)

No Fits, Nilson by Zachariah Ohora (Dial, June 13, 2013)

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (Chronicle Books, February 5, 2013) - Click here to view book trailer.

Deep in the Sahara by Kelly Cunnane; Illustrated by Hoda Hadadi (Schwartz & Wade, October 8, 2013)

One Gorilla: A Counting Book by Anthony Browne (Candlewick Press, February 12, 2013)

What picture books would end up on your list?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - 2013 Wrap Up

At the beginning of 2012, I challenged myself to read more Nonfiction Picture Books.  I continued the challenge into 2013 and was excited to see more people joining in and linking up their nonfiction picture book reviews and posts.  Since this is technically the last Wednesday in 2013, I wanted to look back and see how I did.


Throughout the year, I read 54 nonfiction picture books and 25 more nonfiction books from previous years.  I had so many more on my list, but just ran out of time. Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order) from 2013....

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart,  Allen Young; Illustrated by  Nicole Wong (Charlesbridge Publishing, August 1, 2013)

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtmakers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel; Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth, Illustrated by Cindy Trumbore (Lee & Low, September 1, 2013)

Papa is a Poet: A Story About Robert Frost by Natalie S. Bober; Illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon (Henry Holt and Co., October 15, 2013)

Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animal Lives by Lola M. Schaefer; Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (Chronicle Books, September 24, 2013)

The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins; Illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Beach Lane Books; September 17, 2013)

Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared Into America's Hearts by Julie Cummins; Illustrated by Malene R Laugesen (Roaring Brook Press, July 23, 2013)

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligeman; Illustrated by LeUyen Pham (Roaring Brook Press, June 25, 2013)

The Beatles Were Fab (And They Were Funny) by Kathleen Krull, Paul Brewer; Illustrated by Stacy Innerst (HMH Books for Young Readers, March 19, 2013)

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson (Katherine Tegen Books, January 2, 2013)

What were your favorite nonfiction picture books in 2013?

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews and end of the year wrap ups.

It's Monday! What are you reading? - From Picture Books to YA - 12/23/13

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee from Unleashing Readers have adapted it to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Here's what jumped out of the stack this past week...

Water Can Be... by Laurie Purdie Salas (Millbrook Press, April 1, 2014) - This follow up to A Leaf Can Be... is just as charming.  Put it on your "to-read" list for 2014.

Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman; Illustrated by K.G. Campbell (Viking Juvenile, October 3, 2013) - I finally found a copy of Ame's new book.  What a fun story, and I love bears.

 
Red Knit Cap Girl to the Rescue by Naoko Stoop (November 5, 2013, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) - For fans of the Red Knit Cap Girl, she is back and this time comes to the aid of a polar bear cub.

A Big Guy Took My Ball by Mo Willems (Disney-Hyperion, May 21, 2013) - I somehow missed this book when it came out earlier in the year but finally corrected that oversight.

Poppy the Pirate Dog by Liz Kessler; Illustrated by Mike Phillips (Candlewick Press, Auugust 27, 2013) - I always have my eye out for early readers.  This one was on the holiday recommendation table at Vroman's. It's a cute story.

Bink and Gollie: Best Friends Forever by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee; Illustrated by Tony Fucile (Candlewick, April 23, 2013) - I had this on my radar earlier in the year and somehow missed it when it came out.  I had to buy it when I was hanging out at Vroman's this past week. And though I love Book 2 the best, I still adore Bink and Gollie.


Stop by later this week for my Nonfiction Picture Book 2013 wrap-up and see some of the titles I have been reading.

So, what are you reading?

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Nerdy Book Club 2013 Nerdy Award Finalists - Nonfiction Picture Books

The voting for the 2013 Nerdy Awards is currently open.  I was excited to see the finalists in the Nonfiction Picture Book Award category.  Nearly every book has been featured in some kind of post on my blog this year.  Check out the Nonfiction Picture Book Finalists, and don't forget to vote. 

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Building Our House by Jonathan Bean

Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton by Meghan McCarthy

Frog Song by Brenda Z. Guiberson, illustrated by Gennady Spirin

Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animals’ Lives by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal

Look Up: Bird Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough, illustrated by Debby Atwell

No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart and Allen Young, illustrated by Nicole Wong

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky

Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth

Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige Vs. Rookie Joe DiMaggio by Rob Skead, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

So, many of these are favorites, I just don't know how to vote.  What are your favorites from this list?

And don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

School Author Visit - Molly Idle

One of my favorite things to do is invite authors to schools.  Watching the interactions between students and an author brings a smile to my face every time.  This time, I had the great opportunity of spending the day with author/illustrator, Molly Idle.

My first stop with Molly was at Don Benito Elementary School in Pasadena.  Here is Molly with her welcome sign.

Principal Julie Reynoso introduces Molly to her Kindergarten and First Grade Students. Everyone was really excited.

Molly kicked off the visit with a slideshow. We learned about how Molly, as a child, had aspirations of becoming a writer and illustrator.

Molly has such a wonderful warm personality and connected beautifully with students.

She gave students a drawing demonstration. Here is a flamingo and a bee.

Students also had a chance to ask Molly questions about writing, and how books are created.  There was a lot of interest in the actual way books are produced.

Molly also got a chance to sign a stack of books.  Thank you Joey and Kris from Once Upon a Time for coming out and helping with book sales.

After the morning visit, Molly and I stopped by The Little Flower Café to pick up lunch. It is one of my favorite places and I think Molly loved it too.  After a quick lunch, Molly had a chance to meet up with a small group of high school students who are interested in careers as illustrators or cartoonists. 

After chatting with the high school students, Molly did another school visit at Norma Coombs Alternative School.  Principal Jennifer Smith introduces Molly to her students.

Molly again shared about her childhood.  I loved the pictures of a very young Molly already showing signs of being a future illustrator.

If you haven't read Tea Rex or Flora and the Flamingo, look for copies at your local independent bookstore.

Thank you Molly for coming out and spending the day with me and several of the schools I work with.