||Nancy's picks for the best picture books
2007 and ideas for using them in the classroom. Compiled
by Nancy Polette © 2007.
|Last updated: Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Ada, Alma Flor. EXTRA! EXTRA! FAIRY TALE NEWS FROM HIDDEN FOREST.
Illustrated by Leslie Tryon. Atheneum, 2007. Grades 2-4
An enormous beanstalk has sprouted outside Jack's house. Hare and Tortoise are off to the races. Fairy tale characters are making
headlines. An excellent model for creating a literary newspaper.
Barron, TA. THE DAY THE STONES WALKED.
Illustrated by William Low. Philomel, 2007. Grades 3-4
A tale centered on the mysterious stone faces on Easter Island.
Brett, Jan. THE THREE SNOW BEARS.
Putnam, 2007. Grades K-3
A little Inuit girl, Aloo-ki, loses her sled dogs and finds an igloo that belongs to the bear family. A delightful, beautifully
illustrated Inuit Three Bears.
Catalanotto, Peter. IVAN THE TERRIER.
Atheneum, 2007. Grades PreK-2
Familiar tales are interrupted by the antics of a lively dog.
Cole, Brock. GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT. Farrar, 2007. Grades K-3
When an ogre threatens the town, the townspeople dress up a poor girl to offer the ogre for his meal. The ogre turns out to be fussy and
the girl is brave. A fun tale.
Cooper, Helen. DELICIOUS! Farrar, 2007.
Cat, duck and squirrel can't find a pumpkin for pumpkin soup. What other soup can they make that fussy duck will eat?
Dodds, Dayle Ann. THE PRINCE WON'T GO TO BED.
Illustrated by Kyrsten Brookker. Farrar, 2007. Grades K-3
Why won't the prince go to bed? What have Nanny, the Squire, Cook, the Lords and Ladies and the Royal Guard forgotten? Let the reader
Dorros, Alex and Arthur Dorros. NUMERO
UNO, Illustrated by Susan Guevara. Abrams, 2007. Grades 1-3
In a small village Hercules is known for this strength and Socrates for his intelligence. Constant arguing over who is most important
causes the villagers to send the two away for a few days. On their return they make an important discovery.
Flaherty, A.W. THE LUCK OF THE LOCH NESS
MONSTER. Illustrated by Scott Maagoon.
A real winner! A little girl traveling by ship to Scotland tosses her oatmeal out the port hole. A small worm likes the oatmeal and
follows the ship to Scotland growing larger and larger as the days pass .. finally settling in Scotland as the Loch Ness Monster. A
clever tale beautifully illustrated.
Harshman, Marc. ONLY ONE NEIGHBORHOOD.
Illustrated by Barbara Garrison. Dutton, 2007. Grades K-2
"One bakery has many breads. One school has many children. One city has many neighborhoods.'''' Explores the concept of one and many,
Heller, Linda. CASTLE ON HESTER STREET.
Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. Simon & Schuster, 2007. Grades 2-4
A reissue of an award book that tells of an immigrant's experiences on Hester Street in New York City.
Hughes, Pat. SEEING THE ELEPHANT.
Illustrated by Ken Stark. Farrar, 2007. Grades 2-4
A Civil War story where war takes on a whole new meaning for a young boy. A powerful tale with equally powerful illustrations.
Isadora, Rachel. THE PRINCESS AND THE
PEA. Putnam, 2007. Grades K-3
A retelling of a favorite tale with an African setting.
Kasza, Keiko. BADGER'S FANCY MEAL.
Putnam, 2007. Grades K-2
Badger is bored with his meals, but when he tries catching the favorite foods of other animals he finds his meals weren't so bad after
all. A delightful read-aloud.
Kelly, True. THE BLABBER REPORT. Dutton,
2007. Grades K-2
Blabber, the mouse, likes to talk until it is time to give an oral book report. With the help of his friends he manages in a hilarious
Matthews, Tina. OUT OF THE EGG.
Houghton-Mifflin, 2007. Grades K-3
A twist on the Little Red Hen tale when a chick emerges from the egg with a mind of her own.
McDaniels, Preston. A PERFECT SNOWMAN.
Simon & Schuster, 2007. Grades PreK-2
The tale of a snowman who receives three perfect gifts, humility, compassion and love.
Mayer, Mercer. THE HARVEST KNIGHT. Dial,
2007. Grades 2-4
A young hero imagines what it would be like to be a knight in days of old.
When he considers all the dangers he is glad he did not live 1000 years ago.
Meng, Cece. THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT
HICCUPS. Illustrated by Janet Peederson. Clarion Books, Grades K-3
The wonderful thing about hiccups, having a hippos, flying books, an ice cream party, belly bouncing ... a hilarious tale with lots of
Schertle, Alice. VERY HAIRY BEAR.
Illustrated by Matt Phelan. Harcourt, 2007 Grades PreK-2
Bear pays no attention when his nose gets sticky from honey, wet from fishing or stung by bees, but when winter comes a cold nose is
just too much!
Storage, Patricia. SUGAR CANE.
Illustrated by Raul Colon. Jump At the Sun. Hyperion,2007.
A retelling of Rapunzel in a Caribbean setting.
Thompson, Lauren. THE APPLE PIE THAT PAPA BAKED.
Illustrated by Jonathan Bean. Simon & Schuster, 2007. Grades 1-3
"These are the apples, juicy and red, that went into the pie, warm and sweet, that papa baked" ... for guess who!
Wild, Margaret. PIGLET AND PAPA.
Illustrated by Stephen Michael King. Abrams, 2007. Grades PreK-1
A simple repeating text with familiar animal pictures makes this a gentle read aloud.
Wilson, Karma. HOW TO BAKE AN AMERICAN
PIE. Illustrated by Raul Colon. McElderry Books, 2007. Grades 2-4
Including a dash of purple mountain majesties, cupfuls of courage, and a pinch of liberty, this combination of ingredients beautifully
defines the United States of America.
Yorinks, Arthur. THE WITCH'S CHILD.
Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith. Abrams, 2007. Grades 1-3
Rich prose and exciting illustrations tell a tale that shows the power of love. Hopefully, Rosina, a witch who is mean, horrible,
wicked, cruel, powerful, evil and heartless will take a permanent place in fairy tale literature.
Zifert, Harriet. WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THIS LAND.
Illustrated by Simms Taback. Putnam, 2007. Grades 1-3
A new land holds great promise for a new young man. Based on the song by Oscar Brand.