Bank Street College Best Children's Books

The Bank Street College Children's Book List is a book list for children, ages infant to 16; there are five categories of recommended age-range. The Committee annually chooses the best 600 fiction and nonfiction children’s books from over 6,000 titles reviewed.

                              

Khan, R. (2010). Big red lollipop. New York, NY: Viking 

           Children’s Picture Book: Fiction. Rubi’s invited to an American birthday party and her mother (Ami) insists she take her younger sister, Sana. All sorts of complications result; Rubi’s upset with her sister for eating her lollipop, and Rubi receives no more invites to birthday parties. Then, Sana is invited to a birthday party and her mother asks she take youngest sister Maryam. A delightful insight into how children (and parents) cope with cultural differences, this book relates how sibling, friend and parent conflicts are aspects of every child’s experience. Sophie Blackwell’s maps, tracking Rubi’s excited run home and her chasing Sana around the kitchen as viewed from above are exceptionally well-executed. Another fabulous illustration of Blackwell’s is the musical chairs scene. Recommend read aloud for ages 3-9 years, independent read for all ages. Awarded Bank Street College Best Books and Charlotte Zolotow Award, both in 2011



McGill, A. (2008). Way up and over everything. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

                  Children’s Picture Book: Folktale. McGill shares a story of her ancestry; her great-grandmama’s mama, Jane, was a sixteen year old slave of Ol’ Man Deboreaux when this story unfolds. One day five new African slaves are brought to the quarters and work hard in the fields, but are missing during supper. Jane follows the overseer, dogs and master to the fields where she witnesses the Africans dance, lift off the ground, and mysteriously disappear into the sky. Jane retells this story to her children, their children, and the legend is passed on. McGill adds in her endnotes that these ‘flying stories’ of people trying to escape during the 1800s were often retold. The narrative, soothing Southern vernacular of a modern youngster retelling a folk-tale, lends authenticity and fittingly, a sense of peace. Jude Daly’s watercolors depict each character’s uniqueness, while reminding the reader of the repetitiveness of a slave’s life. Recommend read aloud for ages 4-11, independent read for all ages. View as useful in teaching students about heritage and history. Awarded Bank Street College Best Books and ALA Notable Book, both in 2009.



                 Graham, B. (2008). How to heal a broken wing. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

     Realistic: Children’s Picture Book. Acclaimed Australian author and illustrator Bob Graham grabs the reader’s heart with this poignant tale of a boy named Will who finds a wounded bird on the city streets. With the help of his mother and father, he nurses the bird back to health and sets it free to fly again in the urban skies. Most noteworthy are the pen, chalk and watercolor illustrations of Graham’s, which provide the primary narrative for this story. The details in the illustrations depict the outside world as being of a violent nature and the majority of the people in it self-absorbed. Yet, the reader/listener remains consumed by the empathy and power that one caring soul can provide. Recommend read-aloud for children ages 5-9 for its message and independent read for all ages. Especially view as useful for instructing young writers of intermediate school age in the use of illustrations to tell a story. Awarded Bank Street College Best Books and Charlotte Zolotow Award, both in 2009.

Mandell, M. (2011). A donkey reads. New York, NY: Star Bright Books.

                      Children’s Picture Book: Folktale. The Mongols have just invaded a small village in 1242 present-day Turkey. Each villager is demanded to bring tribute, but Mustafo’s family can only offer a scraggly donkey. The village wise man, Nasreddin Hoca, convinces the tyrant that this is a donkey with exceptional literary talents. And, given a month, Hoca is able to bring forth the same donkey, seemingly able to read. Nasreddin Hoca was a 13^th century teacher and imam, writing many stories of which this is one. His life-span is contemporary with the actual invasion of the Mongols into then Anatolia. Andre’ Letria’s oil paintings perfectly accompany the tale and accentuate the folk-lore origins of the story. Recommend as a read-aloud for ages 4-8 for its social message ‘give as you are able’, the educational message, ‘the importance of reading’, and as an introduction to folktales. View also as an independent read for ages 8-adult; this is an authentic folktale from which readers of every age can gain more insight into world history. Awarded Junior Library Guild Selection and Bank Street College Best Books, both in 2012.

Emmett, J. (2011). The princess and the pig. New York, NY: Walker & Co.

                  Children’s Picture Book: Fairy Tale. A piglet and a princess change places; the princess is raised by a poor farmer, while the piglet is groomed as a princess. Both parties believe this is their fate, since isn’t that how it happens in books? The farmer comes to realize after many years that the switch may have been a real accident and attempts to rectify the situation. The joy of this book lies in the reliance of both parties on fairy tales and the beloved and familiar books depicted that lead the farmer and the royal family in their decision making. Repetition of lines lends an anticipatory and silly touch for the young listener. The illustrations by Poly Bernatene are created digitally and the lay out fits the scenes appropriately. Recommend read aloud for ages 4-10. View as appropriate for teaching the concept of theme and compare/contrast to ages 9-11. Awarded Bank Street College Best Books in 2012. View Jonathan Emmett’s short video as he reads aloud sections of the book:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEI0ocBajvY