First Short Reading List for 2012 Election

I know you've all been eagerly awaiting the publication of our first short reading list.   Thanks to those of you who emailed us with suggestions -- we took your thoughts into consideration as we sorted through the titles we've posted so far. 

Now, let it be known that we think all of the books posted on this blog are extremely well-done.  However, there are some that, when considering the Caldecott criteria, stand out among the rest and will be brought to our Mock Caldecott program on January 14, 2012.  So, with that being said, here are the titles on our first short list, in no particular order:

A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis
by Matt de La Peña, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

This Plus That: Life's Little Equations
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jen Corace

Blackout
by John Rocco

Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems
by Kristine O'Connell George, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart
by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fanchar

Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom
by Shane W. Evans

The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred
by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Rafael López

If I Never Forever Endeavor
by Holly Meade

Little White Rabbit
by Kevin Henkes

Say Hello to Zorro!
by Carter Goodrich

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts about Peace
by Anna Grossnickle Hines

All the Water in the World
by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Katherine Tillotson

The Secret Box
by Barbara Lehman

Queen of the Falls
by Chris Van Allsburg

Where's Walrus
by Stephen Savage

Perfect Square
by Michael Hall

The Adventures of Mark Twain by Huckleberry Finn
with considerable help from Robert Burleigh and Barry Blitt

Me...Jane
by Patrick McDonnell

The Secret River
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon

Ladder to the Moon
by Maya Soetoro-Ng, illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Mine!
by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Patrice Barton

Night Flight: Amelia Earhart Crosses the Atlantic
by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor

The Great Migration: Journey to the North
by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist


You may have noticed that this first "short" list isn't so short -- we had a very difficult time narrowing down our choices due to the high caliber of children's picture books being published this year.  And there are more coming out every day!  So keep following us, we'll continue to post excellent children's picture books on this blog, and we encourage you to get your hands on copies of them, read them, share them with the children in your life, and let us know what you think of them!