This article provides a sampling of the many children's books that are being released for Spring 2011.
Young Children
Tony Baloney (Scholastic Press) by Pam Munoz Ryan, illus. by Edwin Fotheringham, introduces Tony Baloney, a macaroni penguin. He loves fish tacos, Little Green Walrus Guys, his stuffed animal, Dandelion, and anything with wheels. He does not love trouble but trouble loves him. Ryan has written other children’s books, including Nacho and Lolita and Mud is Cake.
Little Bea (HarperCollins/Greenwillow)by Daniel Roode, a debut picture book in which a friendly bee explores her neighborhood. Roode has worked as a designer, painter, and illustrator. This is his first book for children.
Ladder to the Moon (Candlewick)by Maya Soetoro-Ng, illus. by Yuyi Morales, a picture book about the importance of family, empathy, and service, written by the sister of President Obama. From the publisher’s description, Little Suhaila wishes she could have known her grandma, who would wrap her arms around the whole world if she could, Mama says. And one night, Suhaila gets her wish when a golden ladder appears at her window, and Grandma Annie invites the girl to come along with her on a magical journey. Yuyi Morales’s breathtaking artwork illuminates the dreamlike tale, reminding us that loved ones lost are always with us, and that sometimes we need only look at the moon and remember.
Press Here (Handprint) by Herve Tullet, an interactive picture book featuring a big yellow button on the cover. Tullet has written many children’s books including include The Scribble Book, Blue & Square, and Yellow & Round.
LaRue Across America: Postcards from the Vacation (Scholastic/Blue Sky Press)by Mark Teague, in which dry-witted pup Ike LaRue sends postcards from the vacation he’s forced to take with two quarrelsome cats.
Tweens
When I Grow Up (HarperCollins) by Al Yankovic, illus. by Wes Hargis, in which an eight-year-old catalogues his outlandish dream jobs for his classmates and teacher
Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of a Civil War Woman (Abrams) by Marissa Moss, illus. by John Hendrix, a picture book biography of Sarah Emma Edmonds who dressed as a man and fought in the Civil War.
Hothead (Disney-Hyperion) by Cal Ripken Jr. and Kevin Cowherd, first in a series of baseball novels by the former Baltimore Oriole.
Dear America: Like a Willow Tree (Scholastic) by Lois Lowry, about a girl who is orphaned during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 and sent to live in a Shaker community.
Words in the Dust (Arthur A. Levine Books) by Trent Reedy is about a young girl, Zulaikha, who is for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; a good relationship with her hard stepmother; and one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft palate fixed. Zulaikha knows all will be provided for her--"Inshallah," God willing.
This is just a sampling of the many books being released for Spring 2011. A more comprehensive list can be found at Publishers Weekly.
Debbie Whittemore - I've been blogging for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) since 2006. SIBA is a trade association which represents over ...
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