100 Magnificent Childrens Books of 2011

I had a lot of fun making this list last year, so I thought I’d give it another try. so here you go if you had a terribly limited library budget and could only buy 100 children’s books from the year 2011, here are the hundred I insist you get. Reducing that list to this number is painful to the point of insanity, but I did it. Also, since I systematically linked each book to the review I wrote for it, I couldn’t help but notice my own gaps. more than once I’ve found myself saying, “didn’t I check that?!?” well, we still have a couple of days left before the end of the year. . .

Illustrated books

You are reading: List of 2011 children’s literature books

• belle, the last mule at gee’s bend by calvin alexander ramsey and bettye stroud, illustrated by john holyfield

• blue chicken by deborah freedman

• the book that zack wrote by ethan long

• do you know which ones will grow? by Susan A. shea

• a dog is a dog by stephen shaskan

• it all goes ashore by brian biggs

• hot hot roti for dada-ji by f. zia, illustrated by ken min

• a house in the forest of inga moore

• pearl hugs by paul schmid

• i want my hat back by jon klassen

• ice by arthur geisert

• white bunny by kevin henkes

• i…jane by patrick mcdonnell

• hallie durand’s mitchell license, illustrated by tony fucile

• My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey by Jeanne Walker Harvey, Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

• my side of the car by kate feiffer, illustrated by jules feiffer

• new year reunion: a chinese story of li qiong yu

• perfect square by michael hall

• click here for herve tullet

• the princess and the pig by jonathan emmett, illustrated by poly bernatene

• ra ra radishes!: a vegetable song by april pulley sayre

• tell me the day backwards by albert lamb, illustrated by david mcphail

• what animals really like by fiona robinson

• will you be my friend! by peter brown

folk and fairy tales

• the boy in the dragon palace by margaret read macdonald, illustrated by sachiko yoshikawa

• the pot that the maid stirred for samantha r. come on, illustrated rafael lopez

• Gifts from the Gods: Ancient Words and Wisdom from Greek and Roman Mythology by Lise Lunge-Larsen, Illustrated by Gareth Hinds

• the greedy sparrow: an armenian tale by lucine kasbarian, illustrated by maria zaikina

• how the leopard god his claws by chinua achebe, illustrated by mary grandpre

• the mouse and the lion by rand burkert, illustrated by nancy ekholm burkert

See Also: Emily Dickinson and Reading – Emily Dickinson Museum

poetry

• everything in it by shel silverstein

• lemonade: and other one-word poems by bob raczka, illustrated by nancy doniger

• never forgotten by patricia c. mckissack, illustrated by leo and diane dillon

• won ton: a cat tale told in haiku by lee wardlaw

first chapter books

• clementine: family reunion by sara pennypacker

• ellray jakes is not a chicken! by sally warner, illustrated by jamie harper

• the great hamster massacre by katie davies, illustrated by hannah shaw

• marty mcguire by kate messner, illustrated by brian floca

• the no. 1 car spotter by atinuke, illustrated by warwick johnson cadwell

• spunky tells it all by ann cameron, illustrated by lauren castle

• the toys come home: being the first experiences of a smart stingray, a brave buffalo and a new someone called plastic by emily jenkins, illustrated by paul o. zelinsky

graphic novel

• astronaut academy: zero gravity by dave roman

• bad island by doug tennapel

• benjamin bear in fuzzy thinking by phiippe coudray

• hera: the goddess and her glory by george o’connor

• Nursery Rhymes Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes From 50 Famous Cartoonists From Various Authors With Introduction By Leonard Marcus

• buddies of dan santat

• zita the space girl by ben hatke

See Also: How to Write a Self-Help Book (That Actually Helps People)

chapter books

• anne ursu breadcrumbs

• the cheshire cheese cat: an incredible tale by carmen agra deedy and randall wright, illustrated by barry moser

• the harris burdick chronicles: fourteen amazing authors tell the stories with an introduction by chris van allsburg’s lemony snicket

• dead end in norvelt by jack gantos

• dragon castle by joseph bruchac

• the dragon’s tooth by n.d. wilson

• the floating islands of rachel neumeier

• frances hardinge fly trap

• fourth place by chris rylander

• ghetto cowboy by g. neri, illustrated by jesse joshua watson

• the girl who circumnavigated fairyland in a ship of her own construction by catherynne m. valente, illustrated by ana juan

• hidden by helen frost

• hound dog true by linda urban

• matthew kirby icefall

• inside out and vice versa by thanhha lai

• the inquisitor’s apprentice by chris moriarty

• jefferson’s sons by kimberly brubaker bradley

• kat, incorrigible by stephanie burgis

• the luck of the buttons by anne ylvisaker

• called a patrick ness monster

• most of the true story of jack by kelly barnhill

• oglefort’s ogre by eva ibbotson

• okay for now by gary d. schmidt

• an amazing day and morning on orange street by joanne rocklin

• the penderwicks at point mouette by jeanne birdsall

• diane stanley’s silver bowl

• six days of philip webb

• little people with wings by ellen booraem

• great story of candy gourlay

• the problem with may amelia by jennifer l. oak

• frank cotrell boyce’s unforgettable coat

• in awe of brian selznick

Illustrated non-fiction books

• alicia alonso: prima ballerina for carmen t. bernier-grand, illustrated by raul colon

• all the way to america: the story of a big italian family and a small shovel by dan yaccarino

• america is under attack: september 11, 2001: the day the towers fell by don brown

• Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Macy’s Parade Puppeteer by Melissa Sweet

• we can save the tiger by martin jenkins

• coral reefs by jason chin

• power island: how a community harnessed the wind and changed their world by allan drummond

• the incredible life of balto by meghan mccarthy

• Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Heroine from Marissa Moss, Illustrated by John Hendrix

• orani: my father’s village by claire a. nivola

• queen of the falls by chris van allsburg

• the man just the opposite: a true american tale by patricia rusch hyatt

• The Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the True Story of an American Feud

non-fiction chapter books

• lost amelia: the life and disappearance of amelia earhart by candace fleming

• drawing from memory by allen say

• from then to now: a brief history of the world by christopher moore

• heart and soul: the story of america and african americans by kadir nelson

• the mysteries of angkor wat by richard sobol

• wheels of change: how women rode bicycles to freedom (with a few flat tires along the way) by sue macy

• witches! the absolutely true story of the salem disaster by rosalyn schanzer

Filed Under: Best Books of 2011

See Also: Current Merit Badge Pamphlet and Requirement Revision Dates