Mirette on the High Wire
By: Emily Arnold McCully
Medal Winner
NOT REVIEWED
One day, a mysterious stranger arrives at the boardinghouse of the widow Gateau—a sad-faced stranger, who keeps to himself. When the widow's daughter, Mirette, discovers him crossing the courtyard on air, she begs him to teach her how he does it.
But Mirette doesn't know that the stranger was once the Great Bellini—master wire walker. Or the Bellini has been stopped by a terrible fear. And it is she who must teach him courage once again.
Emily Arnold McCully's sweeping watercolor paintings carry the reader over the rooftops of nineteenth-century Paris, and into an elegant, beautiful world of acrobats, jugglers, mimes, actors, and one gallant, resourceful little girl.
From the dust jacket
Seven Blind Mice
By: Ed Young
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
"It's a pillar," says Red Mouse.
"It's a fan!" cries Orange Mouse.
"No, it's a spear," says Yellow Mouse.
But as the seven blind mice go out one by one to investigate the strange Something by the pond, each comes back with a different idea of what it is. Argue as they might, they cannot agree.
Only when the last mouse ventures out and investigates do they finally learn for certain what the strange Something is, and what the whole truth is as well!
Caldecott medalist Ed Young's paper-collage illustrations joyously capture the wit and humor of this tale based on the ancient fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant. The very youngest readers will delight in Young's brightly colored mice who will lead them to discoveries of color, the days of the week, and one of the truest paths to wisdom.
From the dust jacket
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
By: Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by: Lane Smith
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
This award-winning picture book is a wild, irreverent collection of reimagined fairy tales from the author and illustrator of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!. Makes for an extremely fun and funny read-aloud for the whole family.
A long time ago, people used to tell magical stories of wonder and enchantment. Those stories were called Fairy Tales. Those stories are not in this book. The stories in this book are Fairly Stupid Tales.
In this fourth wall-breaking picture book, young readers will delight in the strange twists on familiar tales. From "The Stinky Cheese Man" to "Cinderummpelstiltskin" these unique, hilarious retellings poke fun at classic stories and characters. The wonderfully offbeat and bizarre illustrations, as well as innovative play with typography and book design, make for a one-of-kind masterpiece from two powerhouse children's book creators.
From the publisher
Working Cotton
By: Sherley Anne Williams
Illustrated by: Carole Byard
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
The bus arrives at the field in the dark of morning, workers gather around the fire, and "everyone speak in smoky whispers," Shelan's family's day in the fields begins.
Too small to carry her own sack, Shelan piles cotton in the middle of the row for her mamma to collect; she admires her daddy who picks cotton so fast you can hardly see him do it; and she imagines how much cotton she could pick if she were as old as her sisters. "It's a long time to night."
Sherley Anne Williams draws on her childhood experience in the cotton fields of Fresno for this evocative story of a migrant family's day. Dramatic illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist Carole Byard capture the poignant reality of life in the fields
From the dust jacket
