1. Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin
This was one of the first 2021 books I read, and I wondered if it was too soon to declare it the best of the year. Every word and brushstroke is chosen with care to tell the story of a girl learning to connect with her past through watercress found by the side of the road. A beautiful story, beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. (It deals with her mother's life in China during the Great Famine when her brother died, so be aware.)
2. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld
A childless king and queen go to an inventor and a witch to try to get the children they always dreamed of. They get a wooden robot and a log princess. The princess transforms into a log when she falls asleep and back into a princess when the magic words are spoken. But one of the maids doesn't know this, and she throws the princess in log form out the window. A grand adventure begins for the little wooden robot as he tries to find and rescue his sister. At two points the narrator sums up the many challenges and adventures faced along the way with titles and illustrations but no more detail than that. So readers will be left to wonder about "The Old Lady in a Bottle" and "The Mischievous Pixies," or they could make up the stories themselves. Spoiler alert, they all live happily ever after with some help from friends. This is a new fairy tale that children will love. The illustrations are excellent as is the story.
3. Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer
"Is fog the river's blanket?" "Are trees the sky's legs?" "Is the moon the world's night light?" These are the imaginative questions of two small "wonder walkers." It's amazing what Archer can do with collage. Each page is a feast for the eyes.
4. Off-Limits by Helen Yoon
"I'm just looking," a little girl says when going into her father's "off-limits" office. "...and I don't think anyone would miss one piece of tape." I think you can tell where this is going. The girl's facial expressions are priceless. Exuberant celebration of office supplies might be one way to describe this book.
5. The Lost Package by Richard Ho, illustrated by Jessica Lanan
A little girl in NYC carefully puts a package together and drops it off at the post office. But on the road the package falls out of the truck and lands in a gutter. Fortunately, a conscientious little boy whose family happens to be moving to the package's destination finds it and hand delivers it once they pack and drive all their stuff across country. I think more than one thing can be gathered from this story. The package arrives at its destination despite obstacles and detours. It's also a story of kindness and friendship--the girl who sent the package in the first place, the boy who rescued the package, the family who decided to make sure it reached its destination, the new friendships that formed as a result. Also, I loved seeing the workings of the post office. The illustrations have a cinematic feel.
6. Mel Fell by Corey Tabor
Mel decides that today is the day she will learn to fly, so she jumps off her high branch and falls and falls, page after page, passing all sorts of animal onlookers. This journey downwards is pretty funny as the animals attempt to save her (of course no one is better than snail who speaks as slowly as he moves). Mel hits the water, catches a fish, flips back up and flies all the way back up, passing all the animals who are now cheering her on. She is a kingfisher, after all. The orientation of the book changes with the direction Mel is going. Funny and charming.
Norman the porcupine's best friend is a tree named Mildred. They play catch (you can imagine how that goes) and "tree" and chess. But Norman becomes jealous when another tree starts to sprout, and he thinks that the new tree threatens his friendship with Mildred. So Norman digs up the tree under cover of night and takes it away to an island, hopefully never to be seen or heard from ever again. Problem solved, right? Funny, funny stuff.
8. Moon Pops by Heena Baek
When the moon begins to melt in the oppressive heat, Granny catches the drips and makes the perfect cooling treat with them: moon pops. Everyone in her apartment building experiences relief from the heat thanks to her moon pops. But then two discombobulated rabbits show up at the door worried about their home which has melted away. Granny will figure out something. A note at the beginning explains the Korean folklore than suggests there are rabbits on the moon. Baek has illustrated the story with dioramas and charcoal drawn cutouts. LED lights illuminate the moon and its pops.
9. We Wait for the Sun by Dovey Johnson and Katie McCabe, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
Before dawn, Dovey and her Grandmother leave the warmth of their home and venture into the darkness of the forest to pick berries and watch the sunrise together. It's a sensory experience filled with descriptive language and illustrations that are all about light. It's also more than a fond remembrance of a beloved experience, though. It's a story about patience, perseverance, and courage in the darkness. It's a story about the sun rising literally and figuratively. It's a story about a grandmother loving her granddaughter, spending time with her, and teaching her to be strong and have hope.
10. The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
Any book that has the phrase "poop pollution problem" in its title bound to be good, right? It's a book that combines humor, colorful language (including almost every word for poop imaginable) and good storytelling with the factual story of the development of sewers which saved London from stinkiness and cholera.
Honorable Mention:
The Night Walk by Marie Dorleans
The Longest Storm by Dan Yaccarino
The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen
Chez Bob by Bob Shea
Boo Stew by Donna L. Washington, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
Magic Candies by Heena Baek
