Best Picture Books of 2011

I read 70+ picture books published in 2011 in my quest to put together my own list of the best picture books of the year. I read every picture book mentioned on a list and in major blogs as Caldecott contenders/best of 2011. So I feel pretty confident that (unlike last year) I really saw all of the best the year had to offer. This is a pretty objective list (as objective as I can be). Unlike the Books of 2011 list which was about favorites and titles I loved, this is about quality. I evaluate them based on story, illustrations, how well they’re suited to each other, language, and kid appeal.

(Just a note: If you don't have kids yet and so this doesn't seem quite relevant, there is one title that I would encourage you to go read: I Want My Hat Back)

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
How to describe this book? Told through dialogue, it's a story of a bear’s search for his missing hat, accompanied by nearly expressionless illustrations that result in deadpan humor. The bear asks a series of animals “Have you seen my hat?” He lies down lamenting, “My poor hat. I miss it so much,” before realizing that one of the animals was lying (something that readers already saw and recognized). The major events of the story are implied rather than shown, including the wickedly funny conclusion, but I think this makes the whole thing more fun, as readers figure out the hidden jokes. Everything in this book—illustrations, text, pacing, etc.—work together to create a hilarious and clever picture book that is truly original.

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes
The endpapers alone are enough to set this book apart. As the title suggests, this book shows spirals in nature—where they can be found, what purpose they serve, and how beautiful they are. The reader is presented with animals (snails, merino sheep, squirrels curled up to sleep, monkeys grasping trees), plants (ferns, flowers like roses and calla lilies), and even forces of nature (whirlpools, waves, tornadoes, galaxies). The stunning scratchboard illustrations are intricate and give the reader myriad things to look at and find. A reader could spend hours scrutinizing the pages. But this book does even more—it alerts the reader to the beauty and genius of nature. It inspires the reader to look outward for the spirals around them. See the real cover with a snail front and center here.

Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell
When I heard about a book about Jane Goodall, I rolled my eyes, totally uninterested. But in trying to keep up with buzz, I checked it out, read it, and found it was wonderful! It tells the story of a girl named Jane and the childhood explorations of nature and dreams of future explorations she shares with her stuffed chimpanzee. I loved the use of old ornamental engravings. Both the prose and the illustrations capture childhood wonder, innocence, and whimsy. What I really loved about his was that it didn’t strike me as a book about Jane Goodall, but a book about childhood imagination and dreams, and their coming true!

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey and Tom Lichtenheld

The perfect book for little truck-lovers who need to go to bed. Nice pastel illustrations accompany clever rhyming stanzas about various kinds of trucks and the things they need to do to go to sleep. Dear Cement Mixer "takes his bath, gets shiny-bright. / Pulls up his chute, turns off his light. / He cuts his engine, slows his drum, / And dreams of sweet dreams of twirly fun.” In the illustration, Cement Mixer has pulled a blanket over himself (which sits on top of him like a handkerchief). At the end of each description the reader whispers, “Shh…goodnight, goodnight.” It’s the kind of book that would likely be requested over and over and over again, and good enough that a parent wouldn’t mind. A gem.

Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Peterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton
This is a “reimagined” version of St Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of Creatures illustrated in beautiful scherenschnitte (papercuttings). Each page contains a few lines thanking God for his creations of a certain category—sun, moon and stars, wind and air, water, etc. The intricate paper cutouts that accompany the lines are filled with details and scenes of people, animals, and nature, often framed by natural ornamentation. Children will have much to look at on each page, and it’s kinda nice to have such a high quality book that is all about gratitude to God.

Melvin and the Boy by Lauren Castillo
A story not just about having a pet, but about caring enough about something to let it go. A boy wants a pet and thinks he’s found the perfect solution when he sees some turtles in the public park. He takes one home, names him Melvin (because “because Melvin is a good name for a turtle”) and tries to do all the things he imagined doing with a pet-—playing, sharing food, meeting his friends, taking him for a walk, etc-—but Melvin doesn't really like to come out of his shell. Melvin realizes that his pet would be happier back in the pond with his friends. This a quiet, sweet book with some humor and lovely illustrations that perfectly suit the story.

Bone Dog by Eric Rohman
In this sweet Halloween story, a boy and his beloved dog, Ella, anticipate the end of their time together in her old age. Under the full moon Ella promises Gus she will never leave him, noting that “a promise made under a full moon cannot be broken.” After Ella dies, Gus goes out to trick-or-treat in a skeleton costume, only to be surrounded by a bunch of real skeletons, who are eager to turn him into one of them. “Bone appetite!” Before they can get too close, a bone dog comes racing in. I won’t spoil the end but it’s funny, just as many of the illustrations and skeletons’ lines are. A story of grief, mixed with humor. The ghouls of Halloween make for an entertaining read, yet it's also a comforting story, as Gus comes to terms with the death of his friend. The illustrations are fantastic hand-colored relief prints with heavy black outlines.

Press Here by Herve Tullet *
An interactive book that doesn’t require some kind of electronic tablet. It starts with a yellow dot on a white page. Underneath it says, “Press here and turn the page.” Turning the page reveals a page that looks identical except another yellow dot has appeared next to the first one. The reader is soon instructed to rub one of the yellow dots, the result is that on the next page, that dot is red. The reader introduces more dots and more colors, shakes them around, turns off the lights, blows the dots out of the way, and enlarges them. It’s fun, creative and unique, and I imagine kids would love it.

Along A Long Road by Frank Viva *
As the small print notes at the beginning, “this book was created as a single, continuous thirty-five-foot-long piece of art using Adobe Illustrator.” The reader follows as someone travels along a long, glossy, golden yellow road that can be traced, unbroken from beginning to end. The stylized illustrations are appealing, and each page has lots of little details tucked away for children to find.


Can We Save the Tiger? By Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White

It’s not all that often that nonfiction titles are truly interesting, but this one is. It’s a book about endangered animals. It discusses different kinds, explaining their situation and why it is what it is. Jenkins details the plight of extinct animals, animals who are losing their habitats, animals that have been affected by unnatural predators that humans have brought to their habitats, animals endangered accidentally by human actions or disease, and animals who used to be endangered or on the brink of extinction but aren’t anymore thanks to conservation efforts. Well-written, easy to understand, interesting. But the highlight of this book, and the thing that takes it to the next level are the illustrations. Natural history illustrator Vicky White’s illustrations are stunning! You can see some of her more serious artistic work here.

* not eligible for Caldecott

Honorable Mention
Gingerbread Man Loose in School by Laura Murray, illustrated by Mike Lowery
Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christine Davenier
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee
Where's Walrus by Steven Savage
A House in the Woods by Inga Moore
Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes
Perfect Square by Michael Hall
If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche
Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? by Susan A. Shea, illustrated by Tom Slaughter


Notably missing:

Grandpa Green – a nice idea with nice illustrations but a bit confusing. There are pronoun problems, and it comes off as a book for adults not kids. Kids will probably like the topiary but I don't know if they'd get the rest of it.

Blue Chicken – inconsistent and unrealistic (I know it’s about chickens that come to life off the page, but how does pouring water over everything only eliminate the blue you don’t want?), some redundancy, a little wordy.