For Kids
Children's Books for Year Round Gift Giving
Share a book with a child and give them the key to learning, discovering and the joy of being a lifelong reader. Chicago Public Library suggests these books, all published in 2011, as wonderful gifts for the special kids in your life at any time of the year.
We hope you will join us for Chicago Public Library’s next Bookamania celebration on November 17, 2012. Until then, you can make a difference by getting a library card and using it, reading aloud with a child twenty minutes a day and having these and other wonderful books in your home.
For the Youngest Book Lovers | Stupendous Stories for Older Readers | Fact is Stranger Than Fiction | For Sharing Together
For the Youngest Book Lovers
ABC Kids
By Simon Basher
Kingfisher (Ages 4-7)
This fresh alphabet book, filled with alliterative and attractive art, is aimed at modern kids.
Animal Baths
By Bob Barner
Chronicle (Ages 2-5)
All animals like to be clean, though some have some unusual ways of bathing as explored in this bright, rhyming romp.
Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed
By Eileen Christelow
Clarion (Ages 4-7)
Five little monkeys want to read all night long, but mother is too tired for even one more book in this new addition to a wonderful picture book series.
Happy Pig Day!
By Mo Willems
Hyperion (Ages 4-8)
Piggie’s favorite day of the year leaves her best friend, the elephant Gerald, feeling a bit gray and left out.
King Jack and the Dragon
By Peter Bently, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Dial (Ages 3-6)
Three determined and imaginative youngsters prove their bravery by defending their castle from all kinds of beasts until at last they surrender to some very loving giants.
Little White Rabbit
By Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow (Ages 3-6)
One thing this imaginative bunny never has to worry about is the love of his family.
Lucy on the Ball
By Ilene Cooper, illustrated by David Merrell
Random House (Ages 7-9)
With soccer practice, obedience class for Lucy and a possible family surprise on the way, Bobby has many adventures and changes to deal with in the newest book in the Absolutely Lucy series.
Mamá and Me
By Arthur Dorros, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Rayo (Ages 5-8)
Come join in as a happy family spends a colorful and loving day together. ¡Perfecto!
Moo
By Matthew Van Fleet, photographs by Brian Stanton
Simon & Schuster (Ages 2-5)
With neighing horses and baaa-ing sheep this interactive look at farm families will soon have you crowing right along!
Prudence Wants a Pet
By Cathleen Daly, illustrated by Stephen Michael King
Roaring Brook (Ages 4-7)
When Prudence’s parents won’t let her have a real pet, she creates her own from a stick, a tire and a shoe.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
By Jerry Pinkney
Little, Brown (Ages 1-4)
Get swept away into the night as a young chipmunk explores the world in this whimsical bedtime rhyme beautifully illustrated by the well-known Caldecott Medalist.
The Wheels on the Bus
By Jane Cabrera
Holiday House (Ages 2-5)
Lions roar, zebras chomp and crocodiles snap along with their friends as the wheels on the bus go ‘round and ‘round all the way to their stop.
Where’s my T-R-U-C-K?
By Karen Beaumont, illustrated by David Catrow
Dial (Ages 4-8)
Tommy has lost his beloved red truck and no one can offer him a substitute, but there sure are some hilarious attempts.
You Will Be My Friend!
By Peter Brown
Little, Brown (Ages 4-7)
Lucy the bear’s inescapable enthusiasm is not helping her find a new friend, as sometimes something special will only appear when you stop looking for it.
Stupendous Stories for Older Readers
An Accidental Adventure: We Are Not Eaten by Yaks
An Accidental Adventure: We Dine with Cannibals
By C. Alexander London
Philomel (Ages 9-12)
Eleven-year-old twins Celia and Oliver would rather watch television than travel the world, but that’s not an option when a mandatory family adventure takes them to Tibet and the Amazon with plenty of accidental, unfortunate and uproarious experiences along the way.
Bad Kitty Meets the Baby
By Nick Bruel
Roaring Brook (Ages 6-9)
Kitty isn’t sure what to make of the latest addition to her family, but with the help of her friends—and lots of slapstick—she finds that they have more in common than she thinks.
Darth Paper Strikes Back
By Tom Angleberger
Amulet (Ages 9-12)
During a new school year filled with suspense and suspensions, it will take good friends, hard work, and an origami Yoda to make things right.
Dead End in Norvelt
By Jack Gantos
FSG (Ages 10-14)
Twelve-year-old Jack is looking forward to a summer of fun, but his mother’s plans are different as she volunteers him to help an elderly neighbor write obituaries for his small Pennsylvania town.
Ellray Jakes is NOT a Chicken!
By Sally Warner, illustrated by Jamie Harper
Viking (Ages 7-9)
Ellray may be small in size, but he is big on spirit and won’t let anyone, even the class bully, push him around.
The Emerald Atlas
By John Stephens
Knopf (Ages 9-13)
After spending ten years of their lives moving from orphanage to orphanage, siblings Kate, Michael and Emma have finally discovered their own special powers, which come in handy when they set off on a dangerous, magical quest.
His Shoes Were Far Too Tight
By Edward Lear, edited by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Calef Brown
Chronicle (Ages 8-12)
Masterminded by the fantastic Pinkwater, this imaginative introduction to Edward Lear’s nonsense poetry is decorated with equally nonsensical, colorful and fun illustrations.
Melonhead and the Undercover Operation
By Katy Kelly
Delacorte (Ages 8-12)
Junior Special Agents Melonhead and Sam are on the case when they suspect one the of FBI’s 10 most wanted, The Chameleon, is living in their neighborhood.
The Monstrous Book of Monsters
By Libby Hamilton, illustrated by Jonny Duddle and Aleksei Bitskoff
Templar (Ages 7-10)
Learn how to identify, defend against and dispose of a plethora of different monsters with the help of this silly and slightly gross guide that just may save your life some day.
The Other Felix
By Keir Graff
Roaring Brook (Ages 9-12)
When he dreams at night in his bed in a big city high-rise, Felix comes across monsters and someone very mysterious who may be able to help with his daytime challenges at school.
Ruby Lu, Star of the Show
By Lenore Look
Atheneum (Ages 7-9)
When, at the beginning of third grade, Ruby’s father loses his job, she is determined to assist the family through their rough times, with some good-hearted and laugh-out-loud results.
Squish: Super Amoeba
By Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Random House (Ages 7-10)
With the aid of his comic book hero, Super Amoeba, his friends, Pod and Peggy, and his dad, Squish is just about ready to face life in the big pond.
The Trouble with Chickens
By Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Kevin Cornell
Balzer & Bray (Ages 7-10)
J.J. Tully has had seven years of search-and-rescue training, but no amount of canine schooling could prepare him for this mystery involving a villainous dachshund and some plucky birds.
Wonderstruck
By Brian Selznick
Scholastic (Ages 9-12)
With the same format and wonder he created in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Selznick has intertwined the stories of Ben and Rose, whose lives begin many years and miles apart yet bring them both to a surprising and wonderful place.
Fact is Stranger Than Fiction
The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn
By Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Barry Blitt
Atheneum (Ages 8-10)
“Poke your shovel into” the life of one of America’s greatest writers, “written” by one of his most famous characters.
Bugs by the Numbers
By Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss
Blue Apple (Ages 6-10)
With more facts and astounding feats than you can shake a stick at, this visual foray will carry you from one to 10 quintillion in the company of our creepy-crawly neighbors.
Eye-Popping 3-D Bugs
By Barry Rothstein and Betsy Rothstein
Chronicle (Ages 8-12)
Complete with its own 3-D glasses, these buggy photos and facts cover creatures from ants to walkingsticks that buzz and leap right off the page.
Sports Illustrated Kids 1st and 10: Top 10 Lists of Everything in Football
Sports Illustrated (Ages 9-12)
Football fanatics will score big with this exciting combo of photos and stats.
The Worst-Case Scenario Survive-O-Pedia
By David Borgenicht, et al, illustrated by Chuck Gonzales
Chronicle (Ages 9-12)
Be prepared for ANY situation, from an attack by an alligator to an attack of the flu, with this fascinating survival guide.
For Sharing Together
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans
By Kadir Nelson
Balzer & Bray (Ages 8 and up)
Award-winning author and illustrator Nelson shares the story of African Americans from the Revolutionary War to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to Barack Obama with moving words and stunning paintings.
Monkey: A Trickster Tale from India
By Gerald McDermott
Harcourt (Ages 4-7)
Monkey wants the delicious mangoes on the island in the middle of the river, but how will he get to them with Crocodile lying in wait?
The Neighborhood Sing-Along
By Nina Crews
Greenwillow (Ages 3-8)
Sing your way through the neighborhood with songs and rhymes familiar and new.
Toys Come Home: Being the Early Experiences of an Intelligent StingRay, a Brave Buffalo, and a Brand-New Someone Called Plastic
By Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Schwartz & Wade (Ages 6-9)
These charming adventures provide gentle insight into the daily lives of a family of toys in the great tradition of The Velveteen Rabbit.
Watch Me Grow!: A Down-to-Earth Look at Growing Food in the City
By Deborah Hodge, photographs by Brian Harris
Kids Can Press (Ages 4-7)
The only food in the city is in the grocery store? Think again! With a bit of soil, water, sun and fun, this book will have your thumb and table turning green.