Awards

Each page of this book invites the reader into the world of real-life heroes in action. The labeled equipment, tools, and vehicles, along with bright colorful illustrations, introduce facts in a fascinating way. Whether many need help, or just one, readers travel with responders to deep waters, tall buildings, dense forests, dark caves and more. An interview with a firefighter is included at the end of the book for readers who want to learn more, as well as tips to create an emergency kit. Looking for a book that children will want to read again and again?

Scamp’s new owner is determined. With a little dose of tough love, he is certain he can train Scamp to behave and follow the household rules. From “Day 1,” however, it is clear that Scamp is not only cute as can be, but also a master negotiator. Each day is introduced with a list of dos and don’ts for Scamp, which his owner edits based on his pet’s response to each of the rules. By the end of the book, readers get to decide who is really training whom!

This book provides the reader with hints on how to discover feathered friends in nature…but also provides the same challenge within its own pages. As the author tells us, birds are the “cleverest blenders of all,” so readers must use a sharp eye to search and find them. From the brightly colored Northern Cardinal, to the sleeping Tundra Swan, to the Burrowing Owl, readers can take in over 50 different species of birds within this book. Each bird is labeled, and the author provides tips on where you might spot one. That is, if they are not extinct!

Louis is a stuffed bear who feels he is ignored and unappreciated. From being used as a hankie to being thrown in the wash and hung out to dry, his list of complaints is long. Louis plots his escape every step of the way, but in this heartwarming story, comes to realize that he would miss his adventurous life with the boy who loves him.

Stella is convinced that her new baby brother, named Drake is a duck. However, she is a fledging scientist and knows that evidence needs to be found to prove her theory. She investigates duck characteristics and behaviors comparing them with her baby brother. This silly story provides readers with a good laugh as Stella explores the possibilities of what having a duck brother would mean as they grow up. She decides that if her brother is a duck that she will be the best big sister a duck ever had.

For young readers who are on the go, this book has it all. Cool trains, fun excavators, exciting airplanes, and more fill the pages, showing the many ways travel can occur. However, the author and illustrator take these vehicle voyages a step further by putting the reader in the driver’s seat. Trains are cool to watch and ride, but imagine being the conductor. Through illustration and imagination, the reader is in charge of getting travelers to their destinations. If you love travel, or love the vehicles that get you there, this book is your passport to awesome.

Miranda’s favorite television program is Nature Joe Animal Show. She watches the show every day and feels that she is an animal habitat expert. When Miranda sees her teacher, Mrs. Birdley, at the grocery store, out of her natural habitat—the classroom—Miranda knows just what to do to get her back to where she belongs. This exaggerated, amusing story will have readers laughing out loud.

Get ready for a “my first animal” book with a twist. From cover to cover, a dog ensures he is the star of this book by putting himself front and center. With crayon in paw, dog takes control of the story and uses some creative editing to turn the spotlight his way. The personalities of the other animals featured in the book shine through in their comical reactions. When the others have had enough of dog’s antics, dog must use his clever editing to solve the problem and make an escape.

This book turns the tables on bedtime. Readers will laugh out loud as they listen to the description of the familiar nighttime routine…from BED’s point of view. Neither adults or children can resist developing some empathy as they listen to this gentle but candid perspective that they may not have ever considered until now. Bed’s expressions and descriptions tell a tale filled with laughter, relatability, and affection.

School is on break, and readers are invited to travel with a young girl named Adanah as she visits her Grandad in Modakeke, Nigeria. Each step in her journey, visit, and return features a letter of the alphabet, accompanied by descriptive illustrations and gentle rhyme. The author and illustrator, who are from Nigeria, share Adanah’s travels with the warmth of family and community that draws readers in and prompts personal connections. Additional alphabetical treasures are cleverly embedded within the pages, which will no doubt entice readers to select this story again and again.

Did you know that the word astronaut means star sailor? In this book, young Astrid yearns to sail the stars. Astrid and her father talk about all of the skills she must have to become an astronaut one day, such as eating from a tube and adjusting to zero gravity. Through bold, colorful illustrations and easy to read text, readers travel with Astrid and her father as they head to the space center to greet her mother, who is an astronaut just returning from space!

Readers will love having a front seat to this colorful parade of sharks. From the gentle whale shark, to the solitary cookiecutter shark, to the glowing lantern shark, this nonfiction book includes a favorite for every reader. The descriptions and illustrations of each shark create the feeling of being at an aquarium, close enough for a careful look but safe enough to avoid being chomped! The book’s endpapers show each shark’s image with its name for preview, review, and continued conversation.