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In the Children's Literature class I took during the Fall 2000 semester, we created a card file of children's books that we have read. My file has grown to include some 300 books, grouped into eight categories. The following is a sampling from my file.

Traditional Literature Picture Books Poetry Fantasy Realistic Fiction Historical Fiction Biography Information


Traditional Literature

Anderson, Hans Christian. The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. Scribner, 1953.
Winner of a 1954 Caldecott Honor.

A one-legged tin soldier endures everything for the love of a one-legged lady. Beautiful illustrations.		 Anderson, Hans Christian. The Wild Swans. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. Scribner, 1963.

Eleven brothers are turned into swans by a wicked stepmother. Only their loving sister can save them. Beautiful 2-color illustrations
Brown, Marcia (retold). The Blue Jackal. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. Scribner, 1977.

The jackal falls into some blue dye while escaping some hostile dogs. When he returns to the wilderness, the other animals don't recognize him. He lords it over them until his true colors emerge.		 Brown, Marcia (retold). The Bun. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. Harcourt, 1972.

A bun rolls away from the woman who made him, and escapes from everyone else until a sly fox outwits him. Russian variant of the Gingerbread Man.
Brown, Marcia (retold). Dick Whittington and his Cat. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. Scribner, 1950.

Because of a cat, Dick gains riches and eventually becomes Mayor of London. Explains the chime of the Bow Bells in England.		 Brown, Marcia. Once a Mouse... Illustrated by M. Brown. Scribner, 1961.
Caldecott Medal, 1962.

A hermit changes a mouse into a tiger. the tiger becomes proud and arrogant, so the hermit changes it back into a mouse.
Brown, Marcia (translator). Shadow. Illustrated by M. Brown. Aladdin Books, 1982.
Caldecott Medal, 1983.

Shadow of the general African tradition is explained in free verse.		 Brown, Marcia (retold). Stone Soup, an old tale. Illustrated by Marcia Brown. Scribner, 1947.

Three hungry soldiers trick the villagers into being generous with their food. This version is set in France.
Chang, Monica (retold) and Rick Charette. Story of the Chinese Zodiac. Illustrated by Arthur Lee. Yuan-Liou, 1994.

The animals are in a race to be one of the first twelve across the river. The winners will become the symbols for the zodiac. Rat tricks Cat out of her spot in the zodiac, and therefore cements their animosity for all time. Bilingual book, English and Chinese.		 de Paola, Tomie. The Lady of Guadalupe. Illustrated by Tomie de Paola. Holiday, 1980.

Juan Diego sees the Virgin Mary and is sent on a mission to the bishop to build a cathedral for the indios. Explains why she is the patron saint for the poor.
de Paola, Tomie (retold). The Legend of the Bluebonnet. Illustrated by Tomie de Paola. Putnam, 1983.

A Comanche girl sacrifices her doll, her most loved posession, so that her people would receive rain. The Bluebonnet blooms as a reminder of her selfless sacrifice.		 Demi. One Grain of Rice. Illustrated by Demi. Scholastic, 1997.

A greedy overlord hoards all the rice during a famine. He promises a girl a reward of anything she'd ask, and she asks for a single grain of rice. He must double that the next day, and that amound the day after, and so on for several weeks. A lesson in exponential growth.
Evans, Katherine. The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Illustrated by Katherine Evans. Whitman, 1960.

Peter pulls a prank by calling out "Wolf!" to create havoc. When a wolf actually comes, he calls for help and nobody believes him.		 Greene, Ellin (retold). The Legend of the Christmas Rose. Illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak. Holiday, 1990.

The Robber family brings an abbott to see their magical garden that appears every Christmas. The abbott's attendant's faithlessness causes the garden to die. The abbott looses his life saving the Christmas Rose, and his servant repents by gaining a pardon for Robber Father.
Greene, Jaqueline Dembar. Butchers and Bakers, Rabbis and Kings. Illustrated by Marilyn Hirsh. Kar-Ben, 1984.

A new king has just conquered Tudela in Moorish Spain. The Jews in the city go on strike when he begins treating them as second-class citizens. He is forced to negotiate with them in terms of fair treatment.		 Hawkes, Kevin (retold). El zorro y el cuy. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Macmillian/McGraw-Hill, 1993.

The guinea pig outwits the farmer and the fox in order to escape being eaten. Standard episodic fairy tale. Spanish.
Hayes, Joe. Watch out for Clever Women! Cuidado con las mujeres astutas! Illustrated by Vicki Trego Hill. Cinco Puntos Press, 1994.

Collected stories. One contains a woman who tricks robbers out of their gold. Bilingual, English and Spanish.		 Kimmel, Eric (retold). Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock. Illustrated by Janet Stevens. Scholastic, 1988.

Anansi uses a magic rock to trick his neighbors out of food. His neighbors catch him at it and make him repay what he has taken.
Lathrop, Dorothy P. Animals of the Bible. Illustrated by Dorothy Lathrop. JB Lippincott, 1937.
Caldecott Medal, 1938.

Retelling of the Bible stories that contain animals. This was the first Caldecott Medal.		 McDermott, Gerald. Arrow to the Sun. Illustrated by Gerald McDermott. Viking, 1974.
Caldecott Medal, 1975.

The Sun sends life to a maiden. The woman's son grows up and wishes to claim his birthright. He travels to the Sun and must complete several tasks.


Picture Books

Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno's Counting Book. Illustrated by M. Anno. HarperCollins, 1975.

Pictures involving the growth of a town count from 0 to 12. Plenty of things to count! Wordless.		 Blair, Margot. The Red String. Illustrated by Greg Colson. Getty Museum and Children's Library, 1996.

The red string of creativity travels along different story and setting ideas. Wordless.
Briggs, Raymond. The Snowman. Illustrated by R. Briggs. Random House, 1978.

A picture walk through a boy's nighttime adventures with his snowman. Wordless.		 Brown, Marcia. All Butterflies. Illustrated by M. Brown. Scribner, 1974.

An alphabet book, presented in two-word sets and illustrated by wood cuts.
Brown, Marcia. Listen to a Shape. Photographed by M. Brown. Franklin Watts, 1979.

Brown shows you shapes through beautiful photos of nature.		 Brown, Margaret Wise. The Runaway Bunny. Illustrated by Clement Hurd. Scholastic, 1942.

A baby bunny threatens to run away, and his mother promises to follow him wherever he goes. A story of parental love.
Bunting, Eve. The Wall. Illustrated by Ronald Himler. Clarion, 1990.

A boy's father takes him to see his grandfather's name on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.		 Carle, Eric. From Head to Toe. Illustrated by E. Carle. HarperCollins, 1997.

Animals and children move different parts of their bodies. Interactive.
Field, Rachel. Prayer for a Child. Illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones. Aladdin, 1984.
Caldecott Medal, 1945.

Beautifully illustrated bedtime prayer.		 Fleischman, Paul. Weslandia Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. Candlewick, 1999.

Wesley has no desire to be just like the others and, for his summer project, builds a civilization complete with numerical and writing systems.
Hall, Donald. Ox-Cart Man. Illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Viking, 1979.
Caldecott Medal, 1980.

A man takes goods his family made during the winter and sells them in town during the summer.		 Hoban, Tana. Is It Rough? Is It Smooth? Is It Shiny? Photographs by T. Hoban. Greenwillow, 1984.

A series of black and white photographs with vivid texture. Wordless.
Johnson, Stephen T. Alphabet City. Illustrated by S. Johnson. Viking, 1995.
Caldecott Honor, 1996.

Incredible paintings illustrate letters found in an urban environment.		 Keats, Ezra Jack. The Snowy Day. Illustrated by E. Z. Keats. Viking, 1962.
Caldecott Medal, 1963.

Peter goes outside and plays in the fresh snow.
Macaulay, David. Black and White. Illustrated by D. Macaulay. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
Caldecott Medal, 1991.

Four semi-interlocking stories about a boy on a train, parents acting strangely, people waiting for a train, and cows getting loose. Somewhere in between, a prisoner excapes from jail and eludes capture. Told in mixed media.		 Martin, Bill Jr. and John Archambault. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Illustrated by Lois Ehlert. Scholastic, 1989.

The lower-case letters climb to the top of the coconut tree and fall down, only to be comforted by their parents and try again. Told in rhyme.
McCloskey, Robert. Make Way for Ducklings. Illustrated by R. McCloskey. Viking, 1941.
Caldecott Medal, 1942.

Two ducks raise ducklings on an island in Boston and march them through the city on their way to a new home.		 McGrath, Barbara Barbieri. ¡A Contar Cheerios! Ilustrado por Rob Bolster y Frank Mazzola, Jr. Scholastic, 2000.

Cuenta de 1 a 10 (por unidades) y de 10 a 100 (por decenas) con Cheerios y fruta.
McGrath, Barbara Barbieri. The Cheerios Counting Book. Illustrated by Rob Bolster and Frank Mazzola, Jr. Scholastic, 1998.

Counts 1 to 10 (ones) and 10 to 100 (tens) using Cheerios and fruit.		 Mosel, Arlene. Tikki Tikki Tembo. Illustrated by Blair Lent. Holt, 1968.

Tikki falls into a well. It takes a long time for his brother to get help because of his long name. Explains why the Chinese give their sons short names.
Moss, Lloyd. Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin. Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Caldecott Honor, 1996.

The instruments of an orchestra are introduced, as well as words like duo and trio. Great sound words.		 Musgrove, Margaret. Ashanti to Zulu. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Dial, 1976.
Caldecott Medal, 1977.

Alphabetical listing of 26 African tribes and specific customs. Customs appear to be random.
Ness, Evaline. Sam, Bangs, and Moonshine. Illustrated by E. Ness. Holt, 1966.
Caldecott Medal, 1967.

Sam keeps sending her friend off to find an imaginary kangaroo. Sam gets a gerbil and gives it to her friend, since it looks like a kangaroo.		 Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia. Illustrated by Fritz Siebel. Harper & Row, 1963.

Amelia Bedelia, a housekeeper, takes her employer's instructions on keeping the house literally. Good lesson on puns or misunderstood words.
Rabe, Berniece. The Balancing Girl. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. Dutton, 1981.

A girl gets laughed at because of her leg braces and wheelchair. Then she sets up a domino train that becomes the focus of the school fair.		 Rathmann, Peggy. Officer Buckle and Gloria. Illustrated by P. Rathmann. GP Putnam's Sons, 1995.
Caldecott Medal, 1996.

Officer Buckle's safety tips don't sink in until Gloria, a police dog, joins him and acts out the tips.
Rohmann, Eric. Time Flies. Illustrated by E. Rohmann. Crown, 1994.
Caldecott Honor, 1995.

A bird flies through time to the era of the dinosaurs and back again. Wordless.		 Rylant, Cynthia. When I was Young in the Mountains. Illustrated by Diane Goode. Dutton, 1982.
Caldecott Honor, 1983.

A woman reminisces about her girlhood in the Appalachian Mountains.
Sendak, Maurice. Where the Wild Things Are. Illustrated by M. Sendak. Harper & Row, 1963.
Caldecott Medal, 1964.

Max gets sent to his room and goes where the wild things are to become their king. He gets lonely and returns to his room where supper's waiting.		 Seuss, Dr. Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! Illustrated by Dr. Seuss. Random House, 1975.

All sorts of unusual ideas to think about! Told in rhyme.
Soto, Gary. Too Many Tamales. Illustrated by Ed Martinez. Putnam, 1993.

Maria thinks she lost her mother's ring in the Christmas tamales. She and her cousins eat 24 tamales to try and find the ring.		 Spier, Peter. The Erie Canal. Illustrated by P. Spier. Doubleday, 1970.

Illustration of the traditional song about the canal.
Spier, Peter. People. Illustrated by P. Spier. Doubleday, 1980.

Exploration of differences and similarities of people all over the world.		 Velthuÿs, Max. El gentil dragón rojo. Ilustrado por M. Velthuÿs. Macmillian/McGraw-Hill, 1973.

Las personas tienen miedo del dragón hasta él los ayuda. Español.
Waddell, Martin. Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? Illustrated by Barbara Firth. Candlewick, 1988.

Little Bear can't sleep because he's afraid of the dark. Great pictures.		 Waddell, Martin. Let's Go Home, Little Bear. Illustrated by Barbara Firth. Candlewick, 1991.

Little Bear is afraid of the noises in the woods as they walk home.
Waddell, Martin. Owl Babies. Illustrated by Patrick Benson. Candlewick, 1992.

Baby owls are scared when Mommy owl is gone at night.		 Waddell, Martin. You and Me, Little Bear. Illustrated by Barbara Firth. Candlewick, 1996.

Little Bear wants to play, but Big Bear has things to do. Little Bear helps as much as he can, then goes to play by himself. Finally, Big Bear has time to play.
Wegen, Ron. Sky Dragon. Illustrated by R. Wegen. Greenwillow, 1982.

A family is watching clouds as a snowstorm blows in. Then they build out of snow the dragon they saw in the clouds. Told entirely in snatches of dialogue.		 Weisner, David. Free Fall. Illustrated by D. Weisner. Scholastic, 1988.

Boy dreams of adventures that come from books. Wordless.
Williams, Vera B. Music, Music for Everyone. Illustrated by V. Williams. Greenwillow, 1984.

Four girls form a band to help pay for a grandmother's illness.		 Zemach, Margot. It Could Always be Worse. Illustrated by M. Zemach. Farrar, 1976.
Caldecott Honor, 1977.

A man complains to the Rabbi that his hut is too crowded, and the Rabbi instructs him to bring all his livestock into the house. The man realizes that just his family in the hut isn't nearly so crowded as he thought.


Poetry

Bauer, Caroline Feller. Snowy Day, Stories and Poems. Illustrated by Margot Tomes. Harper Trophy, 1986.

Collection of traditional tales and poetry about snow.		 Carle, Eric. Animals, Animals. Illustrated by E. Carle. Philomel, 1989.

A collection of animal poetry from all over the world. Includes well-known poets.
Dunbar, Paul Laurence. Jump Back, Honey. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan, et al. Hyperion, 1999.

A collection of poems, mostly written in the dialect of former slaves. Various themes.		 Fleischman, Paul. Joyful Noise: Poems for two voices. Illustrated by Eric Beddows. Harper and Row, 1988.
Newbery Medal, 1989.

Collection of bug poems to be read aloud as a duet.
George, Kristine O'Connell. Little Dog Poems. Illustrated by June Otani. Clarion, 1999.

Poems about a girl's experience with her small dog. Language captures dog's antics.		 Griego, Margot C. et al. Tortillitas para Mama. Illustrated by Barbara Cooney. Holt, 1981.

Common Latin American nursery rhymes in Spanish and English.
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Spectacular Science. Illustrated by Virginia Halstead. Simon and Schuster, 1999.

A collection of poems about topics in Science. The first one includes a definition of science.		 Keats, Ezra Jack. Over in the Meadow. Illustrated by E. Keats. Four Winds, 1971.

Counting rhyme that describes a meadow's inhabitants and their young.
Medina, Jane. My Name is Jorje, On Both Sides of the River. Illustrated by Fabricio Vanden Broeck. Wordsong, 1999.

Poems about a recent immigrant's experiences in school. Bilingual, English and Spanish.		 Willard, Nancy. A Visit to William Blake's Inn. Illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen. Harcourt, 1981.
Newbery Medal, 1982.
Caldecott Honor, 1982.

Poems describing a traveler's stay at an inn owned by William Blake.


Fantasy

Berenstain, Michael. The Sorcerer's Scrapbook. Illustrated by M. Berenstain. Random House, 1981.

A wizard tells of his adventures in saving a duke from poison. Based on popular myth.		 Gardner, John. Dragon, Dragon and other tales. Illustrated by Charles Shields. Knopf, 1975.

Collection of stories with modern elements combined with standard fairytale elements.
Johnston, Tony. The Vanishing Pumpkin. Illustrated by Tomie de Paola. G. P. Putnam, 1983.

A 700-year-old woman and an 800-year-old man look for a vanished pumpkin. A 900-year-old wizard has borrowed it.		 L'Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle in Time. Dell, 1962.
Newbery Medal, 1963.

Meg searches to save her father and brother from IT. Good vs. evil.
Milne, A. A. The House at Pooh Corner. Decorations by Ernest H. Shepard. Dutton, 1928.

Pooh and his companions have Very Exciting Times in Hundred Acre Wood.		 Nolen, Jerdine. Raising Dragons. Illustrated by Elise Primavera. Silver whistle, 1998.

A girl raises a dragon, who helps around the farm.
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Illustrated by Mary Grandpré. Scholastic, 1997.
National Book Award (UK), 1997.

Harry Potter attends a school for wizards where his name is famous.		 Singer, Isaac Bashevis. The Fearsome Inn. Illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian. Scribner, 1967.

A Jewish scholar breaks an enchantment set by a witch and a demon. Folktale elements. Slavic Jewish culture.
Turner, Megan Whalen. The Thief. Puffin, 1996.
Newbery Honor, 1997.

Gen goes on a quest to find a legendary stone. Mild profanity.		 Yolen, Jane. Child of Faerie, Child of Earth. Illustrated by Jany Dyer. Little, Brown, and Company, 1997.

A human girl and a boy from Faerie become friends.


Realistic Fiction

Ackerman, Karen. By the Dawn's Early Light. Illustrated by Catherine Stock. Athenum, 1994.

Rachel thinks about her mother's graveyard shift in a factory as she prepares for bed. When her mother gets home at dawn, she and her brother get up to greet her.		 Bauer, Marion Dane. A Taste of Smoke. Yearling, 1993.

Caitlin must deal with her sister's new boyfriend, a hundred-year-old fire, and a restless ghost.
Brown, Jeff. Flat Stanley. Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman. Scholastic, 1964.

Stanley becomes flat when a bulletin board falls on him. He is of great help, but people begin to make fun of him. His brother helps him to become normal once again.		 Calhoun, Mary. Flood. Illustrated by Erick Ingraham. Morrow Junior Books, 1997.

Sarajean's family are forced out of thier house during the 1993 Mississippi River flood.


Historical Fiction

Bagnold, Enid. National Velvet. Avon Flare, 1935.

Velvet rides her horse in the Grand National in England, in spite of the fact that girls aren't allowed to enter. She is found out. The publicity affects those around her, but not herself.		 Beim, Lorriane and Jerrold. Sasha and the Samovar. Illustrated by Rafaello Busoni. Harcourt, 1944.

Sasha wants to help take care of the farm when his father and brothers go off to war, but he's too little. He ends up carrying the samovar out to the field where his grandmother is working so they can have tea. WWII Russia.
Brown, Marcia. The Little Carousel. Illustrated by M. Brown. Scribner, 1948.

A carousel comes to New York, but Anthony doesn't have the money to ride. The conductor lets him turn the crank for a while in exchange for a ride. Turn of the century.		 Coleman, Evelyn. White Socks Only. Illustrated by Tyrone Geter. Whitman, 1996.

A black girl drinks at a "Whites Only" drinking fountain, thinking that she must be wearing white socks. Other blacks follow her example, to the consternation of a white bigot.


Biography

Aliki. William Shakespeare and the Globe. Illustrated by Aliki. HarperCollins, 1999.

Gives what is known about Shakespeare's life, especially his connection with the Globe Theatre. Act Five continues the story with the reconstruction of the Globe in modern times.		 Ancona, George. The Pinata Maker/El Pinatero. Harcourt, 1994.

Tio Rico (Don Ricardo) makes pinatas in southern Mexico. Follows his activities on a typical day. English and Spanish.
Behrens, June. Sally Ride: An American First. Children's Press, 1984.

Covers Sally Ride's austronaut training and basic biographical information. Published before the Challenger explosion.		 Fox, Mary Virginia. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Enslow, 1983.

Covers Justice O'Connor's life, including her motivations, up to her appointment in the Supreme Court.


Information

Aliki. How a Book Is Made. Illustrated by Aliki. Harper, 1986.

Goes through the publishing process from an author's idea to the final product. Dated.		 Axelrod, Alan and Dan Fox. Songs of the Wild West. Illustrations by Metropolitan Museum of Art. Simon and Schuster, 1991.

A collection of cowboy songs and artword with historical commentaries.
Catchpole, Clive. The Living World: Mountains. Illustrated by Brian McIntyre. Dutton, 1984.

General Overview of life (plants, animals) on mountains, especially those that can survive above the tree line.		 Cleary, Brian P. Hairy, Scary, Ordinary: What Is an Adjective? Illustrated by Jenya Prosmitsky. Scholastic, 2000.

Tells in rhyme what an adjective is and gives examples.
Cooper, Ilene. The Dead Sea Scrolls. Illustrated by John Thompson. Morrow, 1997.

Traces the discovery and study of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as their probable history.		 Gelman, Rita Golden and Susan Kovacs Buxbaum. What are Scientists? Illustrated by Mark Teague. Scholastic, 1991.

Describes what various scientists do in rhyme. Gives derivations.
Lauber, Patricia. Volcano: the Eruption and Healing of Mt. St. helens. Aladdin, 1986.
Newbery Honor, 1987.

Describes how Mt. St. Helens erupted and the recovery process. Incredible photos.		 Sitomer, Mindel and Harry. How Did Numbers Begin? Illustrated by Richard Cuffari. Crowell, 1976.

Traces the development of numbers from one-to-one correspondence to counting. Includes names.