page
Children’s Literature Reviews
287
2013 Notable Children’s Books
in the Language Arts
Tracy Smiles, Patricia Bandré, Shanetia Clark, Donalyn
Miller, Jean Schroeder, Yoo Kyung Sung, and Barbara Ward
I
t is with great pleasure that the NCTE Children’s Literature Assembly presents the 2013
Notable Children’s Books in the Language
Arts. While all the books adhere to agreed upon features of quality children’s literature, it is the careful
attention to language that makes the NCBLA award
list unique, with each book evaluated carefully
according to the following criteria:
Stories That Connect Us to the Past
His Name Was
Raoul Wallenberg:
Courage, Rescue,
and Mystery
during World
War II
Written by Louise W.
Borden
Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2012, 135 pp.,
ISBN 978-­0-­6185-­0755-­9
• Explicitly deals with language, such as play on
words, word origins, or the history of language
• Demonstrates uniqueness in the use of
language or styles
• Invites child response or participation
This year we organized the list around the theme of
“Stories,” because we believe when the books we
share and create with children center on the value
of the stories themselves, their potential for creating new, reimagined worlds, seeing the familiar differently, and expanding children’s life spaces from
“what is” to “what might be” is limitless (Short,
2012, p. 12).
We invite readers to join us in sharing these
stories that connected us to the past, created community with others, explained the natural world,
engaged our imaginations, and expanded our
notions of what it means to be human.
Reference
Short, K. G. (2012). Story and world-­making. Language
Arts, 90, 9–­17.
Louise Borden encourages readers to become
storytellers and share the life story of Sweden’s
Raoul Wallenberg who offered hope to Jews
in Hungary during WWII. Described as a man
“. . . with energy and intelligence . . .” (p. 51),
Wallenberg was responsible for saving thousands
of lives. This free verse biography is beautifully
written. Photographs of key people, places, events,
and documents support the telling of Wallenberg’s
compelling story. Wallenberg once said, “I’d never
be able to go back to Stockholm without knowing
inside myself I’d done all a man could do to save
as many Jews as possible” (p. 110). (JS)
I Lay My Stitches Down:
Poems of American Slavery
Written by Cynthia Grady
Illustrated by Michele Wood
Eerdmans, 2012, unpaged, ISBN 978-­0-­8028-­5386-­8
Reading Grady’s soul-­stirring poems that
commemorate the strong women who, with
deliberate attention to stitches and pieces of
cloth—­old sheets, worn out flannel shirts, or
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raggedy blankets—­
created quilts to
pass along from one
generation to the next.
Grady’s collection
celebrating African
American culture and
history is written in
unrhymed verse. In
addition to the quilts
of poetry, Wood’s
masterful artwork synthesizes the heartbreaking
and hopeful underpinnings of each poem. A list of
additional readings is provided. (SPC)
Lewis Michaux spent most of his adult life
putting books by African Americans into the
hands of African Americans. After several failed
ventures, Lewis started his own bookstore with
five books, peddling his wares on Harlem’s city
streets. Certain that knowledge is power, this
“born salesman with a passion for books” (p. 57)
provided access to that knowledge and power
through his Harlem bookstore. Blending elements
of fact and fiction, the book uses multiple voices
and a writing style akin to a documentary film to
describe the life, times, and acquaintances of the
man known as the Professor whose store became
a rallying point for black pride and heritage and
inspired others to dream. (BW)
The Lions of Little Rock
Written by Kristin Levine
Penguin/Putnam, 2012, 298 pp., ISBN 978-­0-­3992-­5644-­8
Unspoken: A Story from the
Underground Railroad
Many residents of Little Rock, Arkansas,
refused to accept the Supreme Court-­ordered
desegregation of its public schools in 1957, forcing
the closure of several high schools. Twelve-­year-­
old Marlee unexpectedly finds friendship with
Liz, an outspoken new girl attending her middle
school. But when Liz leaves school amid rumors
she was passing for white, Marlee continues
their friendship despite potential danger. While
shedding light on a little-­known part of history,
this book describes the coming of age of a quiet
but determined girl and her divided community.
This personal perspective on civil rights is filled
with powerful language and characters who, like
Marley, are struggling to find the words, deeds, and
time to take action. (BW)
Written and illustrated by Henry Cole
Scholastic, 2012, unpaged, ISBN 978-­0-­5453-­9997-­5
No Crystal Stair:
A Documentary
Novel of the Life
and Work of Lewis
Michaux, Harlem
Bookseller
Written by Vaunda
Micheaux Nelson
Illustrated by R. Gregory
Christie
Lerner/Carolrhoda, 2012,
188 pp., ISBN 978-­0-­
7613-­6169-­5
The story opens with a young farm girl walking
home to complete her farm chores. She notices a
group of Confederate soldiers marching. While
attending to the chickens, she feels a presence.
Scared, she runs home. An eye of someone who
hides among the stalks is seen. During the family
dinner, the farm girl wonders about this stranger,
sneaking food out to the shed. Slave bounty
hunters visit and notify her family that an escaped
slave may be in the area. . . . Is it the figure whose
eye is the only thing that she, and the readers, see?
Unspoken is a quiet book; yet it shouts volumes,
calling for readers to inhale each illustration and
acknowledge the bravery of the characters. (SPC)
Stories That Create
Community with Others
Each Kindness
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Nancy Paulsen, 2012, unpaged, ISBN 978-­0-­3992-­4652-­4
When Maya is transferred to Chloe’s school,
she works hard to make friends. Sadly, her new
schoolmates don’t accept her because of what she
eats and wears. Chloe feels conflicted. She feels
it’s okay not to be friends with Maya because
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of everybody else’s indifference, yet knows she
should be nice to Maya—­someday—­very soon.
But Chloe learns a hard lesson when Maya moves
away. Each Kindness shows us the consequence of
bullying and the importance of kindness. (YKS)
now-­today-­because it is right now-­today-­that we
are children.” (YKS)
Walking on Earth
and Touching
the Sky: Poetry
and Prose by
Lakota Youth
at Red Cloud
Indian School
Endangered
Written by Eliot Schrefer
Scholastic, 2012, 253 pp.,
ISBN 978-­0-­5451-­6576-­1
Fourteen-­year-­old
Sophie spends every
summer in the Congo
with her mother, a
bonobo researcher
and activist. One
day Sophie buys a
sickly, mistreated
baby bonobo with
whom she has an inseparable bond. However,
this is not a typical animal rescue story. Episodic
encounters with men in military uniforms develop
into the arrival of war at the sanctuary. The powerful
descriptions of the baby bonobo’s physical and
emotional vulnerability expose, symbolically, the
fragile instability of the Congo. The European and
Indigenous Congo languages reflect the historically
situated colonialism and consequences of global and
regional politics within oppressive regimes. (YKS)
Written by Timothy P.
McLaughlin
Illustrated by S. D.
Nelson
Abrams, 2012, 80 pp., ISBN 978-­1-­4197-­0179-­5
Timothy McLaughlin began his teaching career
as a volunteer at the Red Cloud Indian School
on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Dedicated
to creating a classroom environment based on
trust and inclusion, McLaughlin built a writing
community with his 5th-­8th–­grade students
that led to the creation of this poetry and prose
collection. Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky
offers a rare glimpse into the lives of modern day
Native American teenagers, merging both cultural
perspectives and adolescent voices, standing as
both a cultural document and a literary work. (DM)
Wonder
Written by R. J. Palacio
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012,
320 pp., ISBN 978-­0-­
3758-­6902-­0
I Have the Right to Be a Child
Written by Alain Serres (Translated by Helen Mixter)
Illustrated by Aurelia Fronty
Groundwood, 2012, unpaged, ISBN 978-­1-­5549-­8149-­6
What does it mean to be a child? What are the
rights of a child? Around the world, children
are often the most physically and emotionally
vulnerable citizens. This book raises awareness of
children’s rights and advocates for children to be
protected from unjust contexts and violations of
basic rights. Voices in the texts are dynamically
poetic and child-­friendly. The meaning of
children’s rights is examined through a range of
similar and opposite concepts like “respected” and
“ignored.” Emphasis on timely issues reminds the
reader that “we need our rights to be respected
289
Born with severe
facial abnormalities,
August (Auggie)
Pullman was
homeschooled
until now, his fifth-­
grade year. Auggie
has a supportive family and a great dog to help
him through the rough spots of this challenging
transition. When Auggie wears his old Halloween
costume to school instead of the new costume
his friends are expecting, he hears comments he
can’t shake out of his mind. What if people are
pretending to be his friend and going to school was
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a horrible mistake? Told in multiple voices, this
compelling story provides a glimpse into the lives
of others, prompting readers to contemplate the
human condition and the precepts of life. (PB)
Moonbird: A Year on the Wind
with the Great Survivor B95
Stories That Explain
the Natural World
A tiny 20-­year-­old rufa red knot known as B95
(because of his bird-­band number) has traveled
a distance equivalent to a trip to the moon and
halfway back. First banded in 1995, this amazing
bird migrates from Tierra del Fuego near the
bottom of the Earth north to Southampton Island
to mate, breed, and eat before heading south
once again. Scientists counting red knots look for
Moonbird each year. This unexpectedly inspiring
survival tale of the Moonbird’s extraordinary
feat—­eluding predators, enduring long and tiring
fights, and surviving human threats to feeding
grounds—­reminds readers of the interconnection
between species through one incredible winged
wonder. (BW)
A Leaf Can
Be . . .
Written by Laura
Purdie Salas
Illustrated by Violeta
Dabija
Millbrook, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 978-­0-­
7613-­6203-­6
This informational
book celebrates nature, specifically, leaves. Salas
describes the chameleon-­like abilities of leaves:
“A leaf can be a . . ./ Soft cradle/ Water ladle . . ./
Rain stopper . . ./ Shade spiller.” Leaves protect;
they heal; they warm; they nourish. Leaves mark
the passage of the seasons. The illustrations
delicately uplift depictions of the leaves through
muted greens, oranges, yellows, reds, and browns.
The language, both visual and written, will delight
readers. Salas includes a glossary to remind readers
that this is indeed a nonfiction text that can be used
to inspire young scientists, nature explorers, and
backyard game players. (SPC)
Written by Phillip M. Hoose
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012, 148 pp., ISBN 978-­0-­
3743-­0468-­3
National
Geographic Book
of Animal Poetry:
200 Poems with
Photographs
That Squeak,
Soar, and Roar!
Edited by J. Patrick Lewis
National Geographic
Society, 2012, 192 pp.,
ISBN 978-­1-­4263-­1009-­6
And Then It’s Spring
Written by Julie Fogliano
Illustrated by Erin Stead
Roaring Brook, 2012, unpaged, ISBN 978-­1-­5964-­3624-­4
“First you have brown, all around you have
brown.” With this, the reader enters into the world
of a young boy and his animal friends who eagerly
prepare for and await the arrival of spring. They
plant seeds, wish for rain, worry, and carefully
check for the tiniest hint of green. Nothing
seems to be growing. Are the birds hindering
their progress? Could it be the bears and “all that
stomping?” Children of all ages will understand
the boy’s desire to exchange the dull, leafless
brown scenery of winter for the sparkly green
newness of spring. (PB)
Whether they are big, small, feathered, furry, or
scaly, all animals are welcome in this stunning
book of poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis. Divided
into seven sections, the book includes a variety
of poetic forms—­limericks, shape poems, and
haiku among others—­written by classic and
contemporary poets. Children of all ages can
expect to find rich language and mesmerizing
photography on every page. For example, in
Visitor, Kristine O’Connell George helps readers
experience the “Bright flits, brisk zips,/ a green-­
gray blur,/ wings, zings, and whir” (p. 76)
of a hummingbird. Tips for writing poems, a
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Water Sings
Blue: Ocean
Poems
bibliography of poetry books, and several indices
conclude this volume. (PB)
Written by Kate
Coombs
Illustrated by Meilo So
Chronicle, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 978-­0-­
8118-­7284-­3
Snakes
Written and photographed
by Nic Bishop
Scholastic, 2012, 48 pp.,
ISBN 978-­0-­5452-­0638-­9
Nic Bishop’s
book, Snakes,
presents readers
with extraordinary
close-­up photos of
different snakes and
concisely descriptive
prose guaranteed to enhance any reader’s snake
experiences. The brilliant snake images look
scary, fearful, greedy, gruesome, and yet, in a way,
beautiful. The high quality of each snake photo,
along with varying font colors and sizes, makes
this an irresistible informational text. Endnotes
include how Bishop put together photos for this
book and personal stories about his encounters
with snakes. (YKS)
Unbeelievables:
Honeybee Poems
and Paintings
Written and illustrated by
Douglas Florian
Beach Lane, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 978-­1-­
4424-­2652-­8
“We dance. We
prance./ We waggle.
We wiggle./ Come glance at our stance/ While we
jiggle and wriggle./ Our dance round and round/
Shows where flowers are found.” Unbeelievables
features twin texts in a book that engages the
audience with poetry and informational text.
Two coexisting genres invite young readers to
explore the lives of honeybees in and out of the
honeycomb. While the informational text provides
facts about honeybees, rhythmical poems play
matchmaker between young readers and honeybees
while illustrating the importance of this small
insect to the well-being of the earth. (YKS)
291
The sea’s majestic
power ebbs and flows in the 23 poems in this
themed poetry collection where the waves “roll
green, rise and lean—­/ wake and roar and strike
the shore!” The poems and their accompanying
color-­drenched watercolors frolic through the
ocean, moving from its briny depths where a shark
“slides through the water / like a rumor” to the
shore, pondering a shipwreck’s “bones of twenty
trees.” “Sea Urchin” slyly recalls the tale of a sea
urchin attracted to the “wonderful tines” of a fork.
The author regards a jellyfish whose “wind-­shape
passes, / kimono trailing” and one whose dome
hides a “frosted sting.” (BW)
Imaginative Stories That Shape
Experience and Thought
43 Old Cemetery Road: The Phantom
of the Post Office
Written by Kate Klise
Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, 160 pp., ISBN 978-­0-­
5475-­1974-­6
Olive Spence, a ghost, Ignatius P. Grumply,
a children’s author, and Seymour Hope, their
11-­year-­old son, live happily in the Spence
Mansion at 43 Old Cemetery Road. Together,
they write and publish a children’s book, mailing
it to fans—­three chapters at a time. But the local
post office soon will be closing. According to
Sal U. Tayshuns, the postmaster general, letters
will be replaced by the VEXT-­mail veil, a new
“video-­enhanced text messaging system” you
wear over your head. Written through a series of
letters, newspaper articles, memos, and VEXT-­
mail transcripts, Kate and Sarah Klise incorporate
clever, laugh-­out-­loud wordplay in this fourth book
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about Ghastly, Illinois, “America’s Favorite Ghost
Town” (Endpaper). (PB)
Bear Has a
Story to Tell
Written by Philip C.
Stead
Illustrated by Erin E.
Stead
Roaring Brook, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 978-­1-­
5964-­3745-­6
Amid preparations
for winter, Bear wants to share a story with
his animal friends. Unfortunately, they are
preoccupied. Finding no receptive listeners in
Mouse, Duck, Frog, or Mole, Bear must wait
until spring to tell his story. Not surprisingly, he
forgets the story during his hibernation and needs
prompting from his friends to remember how
it goes. The softly hued illustrations show Bear
tiredly wandering through the forest, but still
caring enough to monitor the wind’s direction as
Duck departs. This cyclical picturebook celebrates
the power of storytelling. (BW)
Cat Tale
Written and illustrated by
Michael Hall
Greenwillow/
HarperCollins, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 0-­0619-­
1516-­5
Author-­illustrator
Michael Hall has
readers tripping
along with feline
friends as they set
off on an afternoon outing with books and kitty
chews. Playful encounters for the three on their
excursion highlight homophones and homonyms.
“They board a train./ They train a duck/ to duck a
shoe./ They shoo a truly naughty gnu.” The bold
geometric illustrations contribute to the story’s
raucous tone, offering opportunities for laugh-­out-­
loud language play. (JS)
Chopsticks
Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by Scott Magoon
Disney/Hyperion, 2012, unpaged, ISBN 978-­1-4231-0796-5
A “sequel” in a place-­setting series, Chopsticks
is a tale of best friends, a pair of chopsticks who
are “practically attached at the hip.” The buddies
enjoy having fun together until an accident
occurs, causing one of the chopsticks to be
“whisked away” by a whisk, repaired by a bottle
of glue, and put away to recuperate. Scared to be
alone, the other chopstick resists going into the
world. Rosenthal’s play on words and Magoon’s
expressive illustrations will have readers laughing
out loud. Chopsticks has an enduring quality, both
in language and lessons learned, which will linger
with readers. (SPC)
Hades: Lord of the Dead
Written and illustrated by George O’Connor
First Second, 2012, 80 pp., ISBN 978-­1-­5964-­3434-­9
The fourth installment in the Olympians graphic
novel series features Hades, the Greek God of
the Underworld. Readers will delight in Hades’s
manipulative efforts to convince Persephone
to become his queen—­tapping into the young
goddess’s desire to escape her controlling mother,
Demeter, and tricking Persephone into eating that
famous pomegranate. O’Connor updates the classic
Greek myth with modern-­age superhero comic
illustrations and snappy dialogue, but the storyline
remains faithful to the original. Extensive notes in
the back explain the literary allusions and terms
scattered throughout the text and illustrations. (DM)
The Obstinate Pen
Written and illustrated by
Frank W. Dormer
Henry Holt, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 978-­0-­
8050-­9295-­0
After chasing his
interested nephew
Horace away, Uncle
Flood begins writing
with his new pen,
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“This is my true story.” But the pen, readers
quickly discover, has its own agenda, and writes
instead, “You have a BIG nose.” In a fit, Uncle
Flood torpedoes the pen out the window. After
continued encounters resulting in insults of
different characters, the pen finally ends up in the
hands of nephew Horace, who draws . . . and the
pen lets him. Dormer cleverly weaves the written
text into the color-­filled pen-­and-­ink illustrations,
humorously showing how mighty the pen can
indeed be. (JS)
Sadie and Ratz
Written by Sonya Hartnett
Illustrated by Anne James
Candlewick, 2012, 64 pp.,
ISBN 978-­0-­7636-­5315-­6
Hannah loves her
hands, naming them
Sadie and Ratz,
and she enjoys a
rich imaginary life
playing with them.
Unfortunately,
Hannah’s little
brother, Baby Boy, ruins her fun when he invades
her privacy and gets the attention of her parents.
Whenever Baby Boy angers Hannah, Sadie
and Ratz “wake up”—­leaping to her defense,
which only gets Hannah in trouble. Humorous,
sophisticated word choices reveal Hannah’s rich
imagination, inviting personal connections and
discussion. (DM)
Z Is for Moose
member of the cast is an anxious moose! After
waiting patiently for his turn, Moose is aghast
when he hears that M stands for Mouse. A rampage
ensues as Moose stomps through the next letters
and comically defaces others with his red crayon.
This clever twist on a traditional format unfolds
letter by letter, with each framed cartoon-­style
illustration depicting one scene of the show. Label-­
like text and speech bubbles partner with the
illustrations to delight young readers. (PB)
293
Stories That Illuminate What
It Means to Be Human
The Encyclopedia
of Me
Written by Karen Rivers
Scholastic, 2012, 247 pp.,
ISBN 978-­0-5453-1028-4
Autism; BFF; Coffee;
Devil-­May-­Care
Attitude. Can a
great story evolve in
alphabetical order?
Isadora (aka Tink)
decides to record
her life as an encyclopedia to pass time while
she is grounded. Sometimes Tink feels lost in the
family fray, made more complex by her twin older
brothers, one of whom has autism. Labeled as the
peacemaker, Tink tries to navigate relationships
with her family, friends, and a possible romance.
Karen Rivers’s characters come alive through
Tink’s strong voice. This unique structure offers a
new perspective on journaling and story. (JS)
Written by Kelly
Bingham
Illustrated by Paul O.
Zelinsky
Greenwillow, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 978-­0-­
0607-­9984-­7
Standing in the
wings, Apple, Ball, Cat, and the rest of the actors
wait to present the alphabet. With Zebra directing
the show, what could go wrong? Plenty, if one
Forgive Me, I
Meant to Do It:
False Apology
Poems
Written by Gail Carson
Levine
Illustrated by Matthew
Cordell
HarperCollins, 2012,
80 pp., ISBN 978-­0-06178725-6
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From Red Riding Hood to her editor, Levine’s
poetry collection, centered on false apologies, puts
a new slant on familiar folklore and the notion of
apologizing. Featuring William Carlos Williams’s
original poem “This Is Just to Say,” Levine offers
suggestions for writing false apology poems,
including a “Do Not Attempt” warning. Matthew
Cordell adds to the humor with his pen-­and-­ink
drawings. This book is delightful, fiendish, and
appealing to readers of all ages. (JS)
House Held Up
by Trees
Written by Ted Kooser
Illustrated by Jon
Klassen
Candlewick, 2012,
unpaged, ISBN 978-­07636-5107-7
A perfect blending
of muted illustrations and lyrical poetic verse,
House Held Up by Trees is about a house that
belonged to a small family and the yard that was
meticulously cared for by the father. Time passes,
and the children grow up and move away. The
father moves to the city with hopes of visiting
his children. The old, abandoned house becomes
overcome by vandals and weariness. Kooser’s
narrative shows that the “winds pushed . . ., but
the young trees kept it from falling apart.” Nature
embraces the old house and raises it toward the sky
where it remains today. (SPC)
See You at Harry’s
Written by Jo Knowles
Candlewick, 2012, 310 pp., ISBN 978-­0-7636-6455-8
Twelve-­year-­old Fern feels overlooked in her
family. Her older sister, Sara, is taking a gap year
before college. Her
brother, Holden,
thinks no one
knows about his
homosexuality. Fern’s
little brother, Charlie,
grabs most of the
attention and tests
Fern’s patience. Fern’s
father comes up with
embarrassing plans to
increase business at
the restaurant, and Fern’s mother meditates. Fern’s
friend, Ran, encourages her that “All will be well,”
but when a horrible accident rips her family apart,
Fern doesn’t believe anything will be well again.
See You at Harry’s is an emotionally draining, but
ultimately uplifting story of one family struggling
to heal after tragedy. (DM)
The One and Only Ivan
Written by Katherine Applegate
Illustrated by Patricia Castelao
HarperCollins, 2012, 320 pp., ISBN 978-­0-­0619-­9225-­4
Ivan the gorilla, star attraction at the Exit 8 Big
Top Mall and Video Arcade, spends his days in a
glass domain. Ivan seems content, but when the
mall owner brings in a baby elephant, Ruby, to
increase attendance, Ivan hatches a plan to save
her. Deprived of his natural role as a silverback,
a mighty protector, Ivan feels powerless, but
finds an opportunity for redemption. Based on
a true story, The One and Only Ivan encourages
readers of all ages to consider animal rights and
humanity’s role in caring for wild creatures. Like
the best animal characters, Ivan teaches us how to
be better people. (DM)
2013 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Committee Members: Tracy Smiles (TS), Chair,
Western Oregon University, Monmouth; Patricia Bandré (PB), Salina Public Schools, Salina, KS;
Shanetia Clark (SC), Salisbury University, MD; Donalyn Miller (DM), Northwest ISD, Ft. Worth,
TX; Jean Schroeder (JS), Tucson ISD, AZ; Yoo Kyung Sung (YKS), University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque; Barbara Ward (BW), Washington State University, Pullman.
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