Each December, the Children’s Librarians of the Monroe County Library System select the books that they feel are the best of the year. Here are the choices for 2009, and where you can find them at the Fairport Library:
Picture Books:
14 Cows for America by Carmen Deedy: After the 9/11 attacks, farmers from Kenya give friendship and condolences to Americans by presenting our country with 14 of their best cows.
Higher! Higher! by Carmen Deedy: A playful and imaginative book that will make you feel like you are on a swing.
Non-Fiction:
j398.2 PIN The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney: This beautifully illustrated version of the Aesop fable is the most popular choice to win the Caldecott Medal for 2009.
j398.209 KAJ Tsunami by Kimiko Kajkawa: The dramatic artwork by Ed Young make this story of a farmer warning his neighbors of a tsunami even more riveting.
j585.5 CHI Redwoods by Jason Chin: A boy in the city reads a book about redwood trees, and he is magically transported to a redwood forest.
j811 HUG The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes: The illustrations make this famous poem come alive for children.
J Fiction:
The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo: In this mystical fantasy, Peter is told that an elephant will lead him to his long-lost sister. That very night, an elephant falls from the sky.
The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice: When Groovy’s father is taken away to jail for gambling away her family’s money, she wonders if she can ever forgive him.
The Evolution of Calpunia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly: Tomboy Callie wants to study nature but her mother wants her to learn sewing as a proper lady in 1900’s Texas should.
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass: Amanda’s birthday seems to be repeating itself. Is that a good thing? This book is kind of like a “Groundhog’s Day” for birthdays!
Season of Gifts by Richard Peck: The companion book to A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago is just as good as its predecessors.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer Figg by W.R. Philbrick: Part tall tale, part rip-roaring adventure, and part historical fiction, this is a just-plain good read.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead: The plucky main character in this book is receiving mysterious notes which accurately predict the future.