2008 Notable Books for Children

Agee, Jon. Nothing.

Suzie Gump, the richest lady in town, visits Otis’ s Antique Shop to buy something special. When she asks Otis what was on sale and he answered nothing, she asks for that nothing and buys it. In no time, the entire town is buying nothing as well creating a series of hilarious events that lead to buying something again. Jon Agee is trying to play a trick on his readers to show how crazy we can get when it comes to shopping and he is also playing with space as he illustrates each page. This book is suitable for readers ages 4 years and older because the vocabulary is simple and the pictures are big and exciting enough to grab the early readers' attention.

Broach, Elise. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything.

How would you like to go buy a doughnut and get a dinosaur for free? On the day when a little boy had to go with his mom to run some boring errands like going to the barbershop, the most amazing thing happened: on this day only, stores all over town are giving away one special treat: a live dinosaur. Imagine by the end of the day, if you got o the mall! This crazy story only gets better with the gigantic illustrations and funny events that take place. Young readers will be fascinated by how the main characters are handling things. This book is intended for readers 4 years of age and older. The illustrations take almost the whole page in each page and the text is simple to read.

Brown, Monica. My Name Is Gabito: The Life Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the most brilliant writers in Latin America. This book talks about his early years and how he began imagining the characters for his stories. Great story! Excellent illustrations. Inspirational story full of imagination and creativity that will teach the value of perseverance. This inspirational book is about an inspired person full of creativity and talent. Young readers will love this book. This book is suitable for readers 8 years and older because of the text and problems that require more understanding.

Pinkney, Jerry. Little Red Riding Hood.

In this remake of the classic Grimm Brothers folktale, Jerry Pinkney introduces the two main characters slightly different than the originals: a black Little Red Riding Hood and a “sly, scary wolf.” The typical girl going to visit her grandma who lives in the woods. When the wolf finds out where she is headed, he hurries off to Grandma's house and eats her before Little Red Riding Hood gets there. He ends up eating the girl too, and a wood cutter happened to find out and killed the wolf to save Little red Riding Hood and her grandmother. This book is perfect for a read-aloud with the different sounds described in the story, like the wood cutters’ “Chop, Chop!” of the wood, the “Crunch, Crunch!” of the girl’s feet on the snow. The illustrations vividly depict the narrations. This book is suitable for readers 4 years and older because the text is easy to read.

Global Fund for Children. Global Babies.

This great board book shows babies around the world dressing colorful clothes. The clothing reflects the different traditions and costumes around the world. The pictures make the book more visually appealing. It is perfect to share with babies and preschoolers because it has a plethora of pictures. My baby loved the book. Looking at other babies from different backgrounds will grab the interest of children. Pictures taken by Frans Lemmens and Keren Su. This book is perfect to use with infants and kindergarteners because it is amzing how there are so many people in this world and yet, all different.