Notable Books

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever
Frazee, M. (2008). A couple of boys have the best week ever. New York: Harcourt.

James and Eamon go to Eamon’s grandparents, Bill and Pam’s house. Each day Bill takes the two boys to nature camp. The two boys find nature camp to be very boring, and they prefer the time they spend at home where they play video games, watch TV late, eat banana waffles, and camp inside. The last night the boys run out of things to do, and they finally go outside and discover how fun the outdoors can be. By the end of the week, they have done so much together that they have essentially became one person, which Bill and Pam call Jamon. The illustrations are fun and the conversation bubbles provide all the conversation that takes place between the boys.

Genre: Realistic fiction
Type of book: Picture book
Interest level: K-3 Reading level: 2.7
Awards: Notable Children’s book, 2009
Caldecott Honor book, 2009

Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City
Schulman, J. (2008). Pale male: Citizen hawk of New York City. (M. So, Illus.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

A red-tailed hawk decides to stay in New York City instead of continuing on his migration journey. The excited birdwatchers of New York City name him Pale Male. Pale Male thrives in his new habitat and makes a nest with his mate on top of an exclusive apartment building on Fifth Avenue. The occupants of the apartment building get tired of the hawk’s mess and have the nest removed angering the birdwatchers and the Audubon Society. Persuaded by protestors outside the apartment occupants eventually agree to have the anti-pigeon spikes reinstalled and add a ledge to catch the hawk’s garbage. The green of Central Park and the brown of the apartment building are beautifully illustrated using water colors. The author also includes an author’s note about her research and information for further study.

Genre: Information
Type of Book: Picture book
Interest level: 3-6 Reading level: 5.8
Awards: Bluebonnet nominee, 2009
Children’s Notable book, 2009

The House in the Night
Swanson, S.M. (2008). The house in the night. (B. Krommes, Illus.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

This pattern picture book was inspired by the traditional poem; This is the Key of the Kingdom. The child in the book is reading a book in which a bird sings a song about the starry night, the moon, and the sun. The story comes full circle and ends where it begins with “here is the key to the house”. The black and white scratchboard illustrations are simple like the text. The gold accents provided by the sun, moon, and stars add interest and intrigue to the simple text and illustrations.

Genre: Fantasy
Type of Book: Picture book
Interest level: K-3 Reading level: 1.7
Awards: Children’s Notable book, 2009
Caldecott Medal winner, 2009

Rapunzel
Zelinsky, P. (1997). Rapunzel. New York: Puffin Books.

Paul Zelinsky retells the familiar folktale about a beautiful young girl who is imprisoned in a tower by a sorceress at the age of twelve. Rapunzel’s only visitor is the sorceress until a young man rides by the tower and begins suiting Rapunzel. Rapunzel’s hair is cut off and the young man is blinded when the sorceress finds out that Rapunzel is expecting a baby. After Rapunzel escapes, she finds the young man and her tears heal his eyes. Zelinsky’s choice to set the story in an Italian Renaissance style was inspired by the history of the story, the beauty of Rapunzel, and the image of a tower which is important to the story. The author includes an author’s note that traces the many translations of this popular story.

Genre: Folklore
Type of Book: Picture book
Interest level: K-3 Reading level: 3.8
Awards: Caldecott Award book, 1998
Children’s Notable book, 1998