And the Winners Are... The Best Books for Babies 2014!

By Carol Baicker-McKee

Best Books for Babies Committee, 2013 (That's me, 3rd from left in the middle row)

For a number of years, I've been fortunate to serve on an awards committee populated with remarkable people who know and love both books and babies - and which is tasked with meeting a neglected need: identifying and promoting the most outstanding books that meet the needs and interests of the very youngest "readers." 

Most of the time, books that are appropriate for infants and toddlers are overlooked by awards committees and even book reviewers, who perhaps confuse "short" and "appropriately clear and simple" with "slight" or "dull." Nothing could be further from the truth - it takes real knowledge of development and unusual creativity to craft excellent books within the boundaries of what babies are drawn to and can understand. 

This year, unfortunately, I had so many travel conflicts, I couldn't join my friends and colleagues on the committee - but I'm so pleased at the choices they've made! And so, without further ado, here is the list, accompanied by the committee's commentary.

O'Connell, Rebecca
Baby Parade 

Smiling babies and their caretakers promenade through a cheerful landscape that combines realistic elements with unusual patterns and  textures.

Light, Steve
Diggers Go

Energetic paintings of various kinds of heavy equipment stretch across the pages of this sturdy board book accompanied by amusing interpretations of the noises they make.

Brown, James
Farm

High contrast illustrations present stylized images of familiar animals and objects; slight changes in texture add tactile appeal.

Global Baby Girls

Crisp photos showcase baby girls from around the world who are 'beautiful, strong, bold and bright' and sure to capture the interest of the very youngest listeners.

Biggs, Brian
Good Night, Trucks: A Bedtime Book

Colorful cartoon-style pictures feature eleven different kinds of trucks, focusing on what they do and where they go at the end of the day.

Verdick, Elizabeth
Cuddle

Soft black-and-white photos of babies face pages that combine playful pastel illustrations with short sentences describing the babies' actions. There are three other books in the Happy Healthy Baby series, Eat, Move and Reach and all four books are recommended.

It's Time to Sleep.

Brief and basic, this colorful point-and-say board book shows photos of babies, blankets, books and bears among other familiar items associated with daily activities and bedtime routines.

Cousins, Lucy
Maisy's First Colors

Maisy and her friends enjoy their favorite yummy foods, featured in simple drawings with bright colors and described with brief rhymes.

McPhail, David
My Mother Goose: A Collection of Favorite Rhymes, Songs, and Concepts

A treasure trove of traditional rhymes and original content, this collection is decorated with old-fashioned watercolor illustrations.

Lewin, Betsy
Thumpy Feet

A goofy-looking orange cat with big green eyes, Thumpy Feet is interested in the same kinds of things that absorb babies' attention: eating, playing, stretching and sleeping.

If you'd like to learn more about these titles, view the archive of past winners, and get tips on selecting books for babies and reading to them, please visit the Best Books for Babies website! You - and the babies you love - will be glad you did.

I'll be back later in the month with tips on writing and illustrating for this discerning (and sometimes persnickety) audience.

One Final Note: If you ever get a chance to serve on an awards committee, grab it! I have learned more about excellence in children's books (for any age, really) from observing and participating in the committee's thoughtful selection process.

Five on Friday: Sports Poetry, Who's Comes in First? by Andrea Perry

May being National Physical Fitness and  Sports Month,  I decided to see if I could find any sports poetry collections.  Of all of the topics covered in children's poetry anthologies, sports was one I thought would be lacking.  But in a very brief review of the choices of athletic verse, I found books about fitness, outdoor games, specific sports, the origin and history of sports, sports seasons, sports figures, sports events and sports terminology. The only subject matter I could not find was a poem about artificial turf.  Luckily, I was able to fill that void:

ARTIFICIAL TURF 

You'll notice that it never dies

in stadiums it occupies.

Nor does it ever sprout a weed.

Its mudlessness is guaranteed.

It won't turn brown, it doesn't grow.

It's not a surface that you mow.

It's real estate that's custom made

upon which many sports are played.

Here are my five picks, for players of all ages:

Certainly your first question might be, Jabberwocky? Yes.  This Jabberwocky, by Lewis Carroll and illustrated by Christopher Myers (2007), is an interpretation of the original poem in which only the first and last verses are left in tact.  The rest is rhymed and reimagined around the Jabberwock, a menacing basketball presence, and the players he faces on the court.  To say more would be to spoil the tale, as the verse and artwork are both fabulous, and well worth a look.

Another unusual sports poetry book for older readers is  Jump Ball:  A Basketball Season in Poems, by Mel Glenn (1997).  Jump Ball follows a basketball season at Tower High School including all of the "players."  Told for the most part in free verse, there is rap and shape poetry as well.  The narrative of the season, and defining tragic event, even includes mixed in broadcast accounts of the games.  Though cliche in parts, the overall treatment is novel and entertaining.

In addition to organized sports, sometimes it is just fun to be outside and moving.  A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play by Marilyn Singer and LeUyen Pham (2012) is a celebration of universal types of play, from hide 'n seek to hopscotch to catch.  The poems follow one group of children all over their neighborhood on a summer day.  Each entry is simple and read-out-loudable. The word play is as much fun as the action.

Really Fast!

Skateboard races,

pigeon chases, 

running bases.

Backyard dashes,

racecar crashes,

puddle splashes.

Everything's a blast

when you do it really fast!

A little history makes a play in The Fastest Game on Two Feet: And Other Poems about How Sports Began by Alice Low and John O'Brien (2009).  Here we get poems preceded by fun facts about the origins of sports from ancient times to modern day.  Who could resist a book that claims the original soccer ball might have been a skull!  And what role did religion play in some early sports?

Under the heading of basketball, we learn of James Naismith's Predicament

"I don't want a game

where you run with the ball

for someone would tackle

and someone would fall..." it begins.

What does he want for his 'new' game? What doesn't he want? How should it be played? What does he use and what should he call it? Read, rhyme and learn!

Sometimes we are not even good at something (swimming!) but love to do it anyway.  That's what we take away from one of the 17 untitled poems in Good Sports:  Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing and More by Jack Prelutsky and Chris Raschka (2011).  The energy and humor of these short poems make the reading zip along.  

"I'm skating down the sidewalk,

I'm a meteor on wheels..."

The artwork of this skateboarder carries us along as readily as the rhyme.  Younger readers will find it hard to keep still after playing along with each of the narrators.  These poems will get you moving!

 

Are You Being Served? A Recipe for a Great Critique Group

by Emma D Dryden, drydenbks LLC

Note:

This post originally appeared in 2013 on “our stories, ourselves,” Emma D Dryden’s blog that explores the stories we tell and the stories we live. Emma D Dryden, founder of the children’s editorial and publishing consultancy firm, drydenbks LLC, is a highly regarded children’s book editor and publisher. She spent a weekend with the Route 19 Writers Group looking over our manuscripts, critiquing our work, answering questions, and inspiring us to think about our work in new ways. This is what she posted on her blog after that weekend and we’re honored she’s allowed us to re-post it here today.

 Ingredients: 

- 2-12 dedicated authors (can be of different genres & formats; can be of same genre & format)

- heaping doses of imagination

- heaping doses of respect

- heaping doses of sensitivity

- liberal doses of gentle honesty (if you opt for brutal, critique group will become too tough and hard to swallow)

- open-mindedness and creative flexibility

- willingness to ask questions and listen to answers

- generous sprinkles of laughter (can use hysteria and guffaws if desired)

- timer (enables fair attention paid to each author)

- cough drops & water (enables requisite read-alouds)

- bathroom & stretch breaks

- delicious food

- comfortable setting (a cozy setting is even better, if you can find it)

- wine or spirits (for after critiques are completed! Some may find wine or spirits appropriate during, but proceed with caution)

- optional: friendly dog and/or cat; fireplace; views (ocean, woodland, mountains, etc.); anything else to enhance experience

Directions:

Gather ingredients together on a regular basis. Stir with professionalism, exuberance, imagination, and inspiration. Surprises may result. Quiet moments of reflection may be required. Questions can be asked for which there may be no immediate or clear answers. That's ok. Allow for staying open to possibilities; critique groups vary based upon the ratio and balance of ingredients.  

Caution: If each author doesn’t feel heard and respected, the ratio of ingredients has gone awry and you will most assuredly want to double-check your recipe.

Note: Every once in a while, it's a good idea to add a one-time ingredient to this recipe, such as a professional editor or published author who will provide a new voice and perspective to the discussion – this can best be achieved over a weekend. For a sample taste of this sort of enhanced group experience, go to this post from the Route 19 Writers blog. 

This recipe serves many, including a richer society of writers and readers.