Flotsam
By: David Wiesner
Medal Winner
Reviewed by: Lara Lleverino
Recommended age: 6 - 12 years of age
David Wiesner's Flotsam is one of the best wordless books around. The story follows a child who finds a camera on the beach and takes the roll of film inside to be developed. The pictures take him and the reader on an incredible visual adventure!
Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet
By: David McLimans
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
Feast your eyes on these amazing creatures before they disappear. This stampede of wild animals, from Chinese Alligator to Grevy's Zebra, are so rare, they're all endangered. David McLiman's bold and playful illustrations transform each letter into a work of art, graphically rendered with animal characteristics. Scales, horns, even insect wings transform the alphabet into animated life.
Once you take this eye-opening safari, you'll never look at letters or animals with the same way again. A striking work of art and a zoological adventure, Gone Wild is sure to be loved by children and adults alike.
From the publisher
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by: Kadir Nelson
Honor
Reviewed by: Lara Lleverino
Recommended age: 6 - 12 years of age
In the vein of Amos Fortune Free Man this is a non-fiction picture book with fictionalized elements. Carole Boston Weatherford takes the historically real Harriet Tubman and known historical facts about her life and puts words between her and God to tell an inspiring story of courage and faith. Some may struggle with Weatherford putting words in God's mouth and maybe to a less extent into Harriet's as well but the effect is extremely moving. Kadir Nelson's illustrations are once again beyond beautiful and moving, a perfect pairing with Weatherford's text.
