February Picks

Award season is over! Below is a list of award winners we currently have in the library, and more are coming in every day. Check back in March to see what other award winners we have available for checkout. Happy February!


Newbery Medal: 

Winner- The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (Grades 3-6)

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art, and hope. 


Caldecott Medal:

Winner- This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (Grades PreK-3) 

When a tiny fish shoots into view wearing a round blue topper (which happens to fit him perfectly), trouble could be following close behind. So it’s a good thing that enormous fish won’t wake up. And even if he does, it’s not like he’ll ever know what happened. . . . Visual humor swims to the fore as the best-selling Jon Klassen follows his breakout debut with another deadpan-funny tale.



Honor-  Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Grades K-3)

A monochrome town gets a change of color and attitude with the help of a box of yarn and a girl named Annabelle. From the seemingly endless box of Extra Yarn Annabelle knits clothing for everyone around her, tempering the ill-tempered, and creating beautifully patterned warmth for people, animals, and objects, alike. When a greedy clothes-loving archduke tries to buy--then steal--the box for himself, he discovers that ill-gotten gains bear no fruit--or in this case, yarn. Mac Barnett’s elegant and clever story is complemented by Jon Klassen’s illustrations.


Honor- One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo (Grades K-3) 

When well-mannered Elliot reluctantly visits the aquarium with his distractable father, he politely asks whether he can have a penguin--and then removes one from the penguin pool to his backpack. The fun of caring for a penguin in a New England Victorian house is followed by a surprise revelation by Elliot's father.


Schneider Family Book Award: 

Winner- A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean (Grades 4-6)  

When Cally Fisher says she sees her dead mother, no one believes her. The only other living soul who sees Cally's mom is a mysterious wolfhound who always seems to be there when her mom appears. And when Cally stops talking—what's the point if no one is listening?—how will she convince anyone that her mom is still with them or persuade her dad that the huge silver-gray dog is their last link with her? A Dog Called Homeless is the gentle and touching story of how one girl's friendship with a homeless dog can mend a family's heart. 


Theodor Seuss Geisel Award:  

Honor- Let's Go for a Drive! by Mo Willems (Grades K-2) 

Gerald is careful. Piggie is not.
Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can.
Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to.
Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In Let's Go for a Drive! Gerald and Piggie want to hit the road! But the best-laid plans of pigs and elephants often go awry.




Honor- Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin (Grades PreK-2)

Pete the Cat is wearing his favorite shirt—the one with the four totally groovy buttons. But when one falls off, does Pete cry? Goodness, no! He just keeps on singing his song—after all, what could be groovier than three groovy buttons? Count down with Pete in this rocking new story from the creators of the bestselling Pete the Cat books.   





Other New and Noteworthy Books: 

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass (Grades 4-6) 

In one month Jeremy Fink will turn thirteen. But does he have what it takes to be a teenager? He collects mutant candy, he won't venture more than four blocks from his apartment if he can help it, and he definitely doesn't like surprises. On the other hand, his best friend, Lizzy, isn't afraid of anything, even if that might get her into trouble now and then. Jeremy's summer takes an unexpected turn when a mysterious wooden box arrives in the mail. According to the writing on the box, it holds the meaning of life! Jeremy is supposed to open it on his thirteenth birthday. The problem is, the keys are missing, and the box is made so that only the keys will open it without destroying what's inside. Jeremy and Lizzy set off to find the keys, but when one of their efforts goes very wrong, Jeremy starts to lose hope that he'll ever be able to open the box. But he soon discovers that when you're meeting people named Oswald Oswald and using a private limo to deliver unusual objects to strangers all over the city, there might be other ways of finding out the meaning of life.
 

The Kind of Friends We Used to Be by Frances O'Roark Dowell (Grades 5-6)

Frances O’Roark Dowell explores the shifting terrain of middle-school friendship in this follow-up to the beloved The Secret Language of Girls. Kate and Marylin are smack dab in the middle of middle school—seventh grade—and they know they can never be best friends like they used to be. Marylin is a middle school cheerleader obsessed with popularity and hairstyles, and Kate is the exact opposite with her combat boots and hankering to learn guitar and write her own songs. Still, Kate and Marylin yearn to find some middle ground for their friendship—but it’s harder than they ever imagined. 


Dogteam by Gary Paulsen (Grades 1-3) 

On a moonlit winter night, a team of dogs pulls a sled, taking the narrator and readers on a wondrous ride through the snow, into and out of the woods. It is a ride you'll wish would never end.Through this exquisite prose poem, Gary Paulsen shares the joy, the beauty, and the grandeur of the outdoors. With his joyous text and Ruth Wright Paulsen's exuberant and expressive illustrations, Dogteam is a celebration of nature, a dance that invites everyone to join in. 


Seeing Symmetry by Loreen Leedy (Grades 3-5)

This book is aligned with the Common Core State Standards for fourth-grade mathematics in geometry: (4.G.3). Once you start looking, you can find symmetry all around you. Symmetry is when one shape looks the same if you flip, slide, or turn it. It's in words and even letters. It's in both nature and man-made things. In fact, art, design, decoration, and architecture are full of it. This clear and concise book explains different types of symmetry and shows you how to make your own symmetrical masterpieces. Notes and glossary are included.