These reviews are also going to be pretty short.

There will also be hardly any nonfiction, because I sell very few nonfiction picture books in the shop, so I haven’t had the same experience with those as I have with the fiction this year.

1. OTIS by Loren Long

2. THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET by Judy Sierra; illustrations by Melissa Sweet

3. THE CIRCUS SHIP by Chris Van Dusen

4. ARE YOU A HORSE? by Andy Rash
This book has one joke, but it’s a good one (which I will not reveal, because it’s on the last page). Roy is given a saddle for his birthday, and he has never seen one before (which is a little odd considering he’s basically dressed like a cowboy). Fortunately said saddle comes with instructions: 1. Find a horse. 2. Enjoy the ride. So Roy goes off looking for a horse, working his way through many different living creatures in the process (and learning something from each one). I LOVE Rash’s art, too. This one’s a favorite in my house as well as in the shop.

5. THE LION AND THE MOUSE by Jerry Pinkney
I am assuming that you have all seen this magnificent, beautiful achievement by one of the finest children’s book illustrators to ever walk the earth. If this doesn’t (finally, belatedly) earn him the Caldecott Medal he has long deserved, I suspect I will not be the only unhappy reviewer/reader/blogger/bookseller out there.

6. THE CURIOUS GARDEN by Peter Brown
A quietly lovely book about a little boy who discovers a small patch of green on top of the railroad tracks in the dingy, brown place where he lives. He begins to tend to the green, eventually growing a garden, which inspires others to grow their own. Slowly, across the city, the gardens spread. With its basic message of “act locally,” this book is very close to my heart.

7. ALL THE WORLD by Liz Garton Scanlon; illustrations by Marla Frazee
This is such a beautiful book. My 3 year old daughter wasn’t enraptured by it, but I think it works best either with someone younger (who is listening more to the cadence than the story) or someone older (and a little more capable of conscious thought about the world at large). This is the kind of book I often sell to a grandparent – often grandparents come in asking me for “something new and beautiful” that might be saved forever. This is definitely that book. This is also the perfect book to give your picture book-loving adult friend or relative.

8. 14 COWS FOR AMERICA by Carmen Agra Deedy; illustrations by Thomas Gonzalez
This book is based on the true story of a Masaai man named Kimeli who returned to his Kenyan village after 9/11, bringing with him the story of what happened that day. The villagers are so moved by the story and wonder what they can do for the people of the US. Kimeli offers his prize cow – a generous, symbolic gift as to the Masaai, the “cow is life.” In the end, fourteen cows are given as a gift. This is one of those stories that we don’t often hear about, making it the perfect story to be turned into a picture book. “No nation is so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort.”

9. THE CHRISTMAS MAGIC by Lauren Thompson; illustrations by Jon Muth
Jon Muth’s illustrations alone are enough to get just about any book into one of my “best of” lists. When you pair them with Lauren Thompson’s delicate story, this book becomes my favorite “pretty” Christmas book of the last…well, several years, at least. Santa Claus (dressed all in midnight blue in a lovely variation on what has become tradition) is preparing for the arrival of the Christmas magic, and the book takes you step by step with him through everything that leads up to Christmas Eve. He selects a toy for each child, because he knows what each wants most, and loves them all (there’s no “good list” and “bad list” here). He grooms the reindeer, and polishes the sled, and carefully, quietly, lovingly welcomes in the magic of the season as he always has and always will. This got added to my personal Christmas book collection immediately.

10. PRINCESS BESS GETS DRESSED by Margery Cuyler; illustrations by Heather Maione.
There is always a need for a sparkly pink princess book, but I truly cannot abide selling them if the sparkly pinkness masks a mediocre story. Not the case here – this is delightful, and my customers agreed with me. Princess Bess has a day filled with obligations, and must change her clothes for each one. Finally at the end of the day she is free to retire to her room, where she strips off her finery and dances around the room in her favorite outfit of all – a set of simple cotton underwear. The rhymes are good, the art is good, and the extensive fashion display is sure to please fans of FANCY NANCY as well as little girls who just love dressing up.

11. LLAMA LLAMA MISSES MAMA by Anna Dewdney
I am a big fan of the LLAMA LLAMA books, both as a bookseller and as a mother. This one was especially timely for me as my daughter started preschool this past fall, and that’s what this book is about. We got a lot of mileage out of “Don’t forget when day is through, she will come right back to you!” which is what the teacher tells Little Llama when he gets sad and misses his mama. Also, it’s just fun to say “llama” over and over and over and over again.

12. RHYMING DUST BUNNIES and HERE COMES THE BIG, MEAN DUST BUNNY! by Jan Thomas
I think you either think Jan Thomas’s books are hilarious, or not. There’s no in-between. I am definitely in the former category. (A BIRTHDAY FOR COW is so beloved in our house that every family member can be heard yelling “A TURNIP!!” occasionally.) I LOVE the dust bunnies. In the first book, Ed, Ned and Ted, the dust bunnies, rhyme all the time: “What rhymes with car?” “Far!” “Jar!” “Tar!” “Look!” says their friend Bob. As the others try to educate Bob on proper rhyming technique, it becomes apparent that Bob is trying to deliver a message to the others. Will they listen before it’s too late? The second book has the dust bunnies attempting to placate (and, eventually, befriend) the big, mean dust bunny they’ve encountered.

The illustrations might have you thinking that these books are best for younger toddlers, but the humor’s more sophisticated than that. Molly liked hearing A BIRTHDAY FOR COW when she was 2 1/2, but now that she’s a little past three, she truly finds it funny.

13. FELICITY FLOO VISITS THE ZOO by E.S. Redmond
Redmond tells the tale of little Felicity Floo, who infects an entire zoo full of animals because she uses her hand to wipe her runny nose rather than a tissue, and for some reason (you must suspend your disbelief here), you are allowed to pet every single animal in this zoo. She leaves teeny tiny little green handprints all over the animals, and begins an epidemic so large they name it after her. The whimsical Edward Gorey-esque illustrations fit the story perfectly, and, of course, it sends a very timely message in a brand new way.

14. THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Clement C. Moore;  illustrations by Rachel Isadora
Isadora pairs her awesome African-inspired art (LOVE Santa’s white dreadlocks) with Moore’s classic poem to create yet another book of hers that had to go on my home shelf immediately. Bonus: as I said to one of my favorite customers (who shares my sarcastic sense of humor): “I didn’t know that people of color celebrate Christmas too!” (This customer is African-American and we often discuss the dearth of books for children that aren’t about slavery or civil rights or athletes or drugs.) Never is the whitewashing of children’s publishing more evident than when the Christmas books start to arrive. I’d like to think that many more will follow this, but history has me rolling my eyes at the very idea.

15. NEVER SMILE AT A MONKEY by Steve Jenkins
This book has the creepiest back cover of any picture book, ever. Jenkins uses his trademark paper collage art to instruct the reader about what not to do should you encounter certain animals. Since he often has more than one book published per year, I feel like Jenkins must have a sort of picture of Dorian Gray, asleep, in his attic – how else could he make so much art out of teeny tiny pieces of paper? I have never been less than impressed with his art, and the information contained within the books is always top-notch as well. This book is no different and will certainly please animal lovers, especially those who have a taste for the slightly scarier side of nature.

16. DINOTRUX by Chris Gall
Honestly, this idea is so obvious that I can’t believe no one ever thought of it before, but that’s also what makes it brilliant. This imagines that before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, there were Dinotrux! The Dumplodocus…the Semisaur…the Blacktopadon. So simple, so clever, so funny. Absolutely fantastic, bold art. Great cover. This was on many, many in-store wish lists this past holiday season, and I love the way little boys’ eyes light up when they see it.  Dads are also usually pretty gleeful when they pick it up, like the little boy inside of them can’t wait to turn the pages. Sometimes a book is pure fun to sell and this book has been one of those for me.

And…that’s it! I am sure I forgot something, and if I remember what it is, I will add it to this post another time. Let me know if I seem to have missed something that you think is amazing!

These are in no particular order, and if I reviewed the book here earlier in the year, I’ll link to the review. And I probably won’t do more than two or three per post. Also: I’ve been asked to do some holiday gift recommendations, and the specific requests will be fulfilled in other posts, but I’ll put a little note at the end of each favorite to tell you who I think might like that book best.

Today: two picture books.

1. THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET by Judy Sierra, illustrations by Melissa Sweet.

This has been a huge hit in our house since the moment of publication as well as being a big success for me at work. The premise is that it’s time for all the little letters to be tucked into their beds, but a number of them aren’t quite ready. By the end of the book, though, they’re all snoring Z Z Zs. I know this entire book by heart, and I never get tired of reading it:

It’s sleepytime in Alphabet Town!
As moms and dads run round and round
the little letters skitter-skatter
helter-skelter. What’s the matter?

Uh-oh! A is wide awake!
And B still has a bath to take…

One by one they take us through the steps most kids go through at bedtime…F has got the fidgity wiggles; M is mopey; N is naughty; X expects a great big hug. And at the end of the book, they’re all tucked in to their own little beds with something that begins with their letter either tucked in with them or sitting on a nightstand beside them or something (L has a lamp; T has a teddy bear etc). This is an utterly charming read with lots to see in each lively picture.

We have been reading this to Molly since she was about 2 1/2 and she’s a little over 3 now and still loves it. I think it’s good for anyone from 2-4, and it also makes a great gift for new parents building a collection. Order THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET from an independent bookstore!

2. OTIS by Loren Long

Mr. Long wrote this as a sort of homage to books like MIKE MULLIGAN AND THE STEAM SHOVEL, and the influence and respect for Virginia Lee Burton and others like her are all over this book. Someday, I believe, OTIS will be remembered just as fondly as the books that inspired it.

Otis is a hardworking, joyful little red tractor who likes both his work and his playtime. He has a heart as big as the farm he lives on, which helps him to soothe a scared little calf to sleep with his gentle puff putt puttedly chuff. One day, however, the farmer shows up with a brand new big yellow tractor and Otis is put out to pasture. It will take a very bad day for the farmer to realize just how valuable Otis is (which of course he does).

I was lucky enough to be at an MBA breakfast where Mr. Long explained the origin of this book and showed slides of the art as it went through various color schemes. I had him sign my copy for Molly, and it has been a favorite in our house ever since. We can all be heard letting out the occasional putt puff puttedy chuff. It’s been just as big a hit at the store, too, appealing to a wide range of customers.

OTIS works for anyone who loves a good story. Molly has never shown any like for modes of transportation before; the story is the hook here rather than the fact that Otis is a tractor. She had just turned 3 when we started reading this. It’s long-ish, so this is good for a 3 who likes a long story, and also for 4s and 5s primarily. Order OTIS from an independent bookstore!

Order THE CIRCUS SHIP from an independent bookstore!

Today’s video is a lament over the gone-out-of-printness of FOX MAKES FRIENDS by Adam Relf.

This? Is a very cool book.

Once I saw that it was published by National Geographic, I expected nothing less. I expected top-notch historical information presented in an entertaining way, and this book is actually a lot of fun. I mean, about as fun as a book about pushing West back in the pioneer days can be.

HOW TO GET RICH ON THE OREGON TRAIL is written like a journal, from the point of view of a young man named William Reed. His physician father decides that the family should go West to seek a new life, as his father and his father’s father did before him. So the family sells their Illinois home; buys a wagon, oxen, horses and supplies; and sets off on the months-long, perilous journey to Oregon.

The book contains some surprisingly laugh out loud moments. For example, before William and his family set out, he lists his private fears in his journal. Among them: Starvation (I am fond of eating and do not wish to give it up). The mood is also frequently lightened by William’s brother, Nathan, who conceives one get-rich-quick scheme after another as their journey continues.

Despite my generalized comments at the beginning, the book doesn’t shy away from the low points of these journeys. William’s family are robbed by fellow travelers. His father treats many people for cholera, and they encounter a lot of graves along the way. There are conflicts with the Indians, conflicts with other travelers, encounters with slavery, unclean water, lice. The book doesn’t delve into any of these topics very deeply, but it definitely paints a broad picture.

The overall mood is definitely more uplifting than these journeys actually were, but there’s a lot of good information conveyed here. The art is terrific and the design of the book is very entertaining. I think this is a must for libraries, definitely, and any kid with an interest in American history would enjoy having this on their personal shelves as well.

It never fails to surprise me when people have never even heard of a book I love. Even though I know that there are bajillions of books in and out of print every year, bestsellers and not, good and not, picture books and chapter books and nonfiction books and activity books, I am still surprised, every time, when I am head over heels crazy nuts for a book and encounter someone who has never heard of it. Especially if that person is involved in books somehow – a librarian, a teacher, an author, a fellow bookseller. So instead of continually saying “What? You’ve never heard of WHAT?” I have decided to just spotlight those books I’m crazy about right here in this blog.

I’m calling the series “Gold Star Classics” because these are books that I think should be classics (or already are classics) and, well, that I’d give a gold star to if I could. (Upon further reflection, I’m pretty sure you all could have figured that out on your own. You’re a pretty smart bunch.) Many of these will likely be picture books, because I don’t review picture books here very often yet, but I’m sure I’ll talk about longer fiction as well.

So, on to my first pick!

(Which will not surprise…probably a lot of people.)

In my opinion, IF I BUILT A CAR by Chris Van Dusen (author/illustrator of DOWN TO THE SEA WITH MR. MAGEE and A CAMPING SPREE WITH MR. MAGEE; illustrator of Kate DiCamillo’s MERCY WATSON books) is the greatest boy-centric picture book of the last decade, minimum. I can say without ego that I “discovered” this at my old store – we’d had two copies sitting in a turnaround for two months before I picked it up and read it and then forced it into the hands of all of my coworkers. Somehow most of us hadn’t read it in F&G (folded and gathered; a galley for a picture book).

Once we’d all read it, we started selling it like mad. Seriously. It came out in May of 2005, and between now and then, Children’s Book World has sold hundreds and hundreds of copies. It was book talked at every school book fair. It was sold to every young boy who shopped at the store. Then our customers took up the banner and came in to buy it for gifts for other people and recommended it to their friends, who came in for it. Families wore out copies and came back to purchase it a second time. Then in 2007 it came out in paperback, and CBW sold hundreds of paperbacks…while continuing to sell it in hardcover. Which they continue to do to this day.

There is nothing about this book I don’t love.

Jack, from the backseat, said to his dad,
This car is OK. This car is not bad.
But it’s just a car. Nothing great. Nothing grand.
It’s nothing at all like the car I have planned.

From here, Jack proceeds to describe in wonderful detail the car he would build if he could. And what a car it would be! It would fly. It would go underwater. It would have an amazing aesthetic design and be super-safe. It would have a fireplace! A pool! A snack bar! And it would smell fantastic, as the following lines (which appear on what may be my favorite page, artistically) tell us:

A car that smells GOOD? Now that’s something new.
But if I built a car, that’s just what I’d do.

Inside the engine I’ll add a machine
To capture the odor of burnt gasoline
And change it to something more pleasing to noses–
Like blueberry muffins or freshly picked roses.

The rhyme scheme, I think, is one of the finest I’ve ever read. So many “rhyming” picture books have lines that scan horribly, making them an annoyance to read aloud. That isn’t the case here – far from it. One major review I read complained about the lot of a plot, but this isn’t a plotted picture book – it’s a flight of fancy, along the lines of what so many kids must imagine every day.

And the art. Oh, the art. The fantastic, 50’s-inspired art. Another reviewer thought it would appeal more to adults than kids, but I haven’t found that. The colors are so vibrant, the expressions so cartoonish without being over the top. (Jack’s dad’s face on the last page kills me every time.) It’s just so beautiful and awesome and angle-y and specific and great. (And if you’re a Mr. Magee fan, which you should be, you can spot him and Dee, his dog, on one of the pages.)

I think I could count on just my hands the number of times we handed this book to someone and they didn’t purchase it. It really is that good. I’ve never understood why it wasn’t a New York Times bestseller. (I remember when we had passed the 200-sold mark my friend Sarah asked her roommate, a manager at a large local chain, to check and see how many their store had sold. TWO.) It completely deserved the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award it won in 2006. It is a joy to read aloud. It is an almost guaranteed surefire hit, and anyone who can’t sell it should get out of the bookselling business.

I hope it’s in print forever.