JUDY & PEGGY'S 20 (EACH) FAVORITE PICTURE BOOKS OF 1998

[Judy Freeman <BKWSSF@AOL.COM>]

Hi Folks--

On Tuesday night, October 27, we (Judy Freeman and Peggy Beck) did an LM_NET
chat discussing our 20 Favorite Picture Books of 1998. Since then, loads of
you have e-mailed us, asking if we could post our list. So here it is, with 20
or so titles from each of us. You'll note there are actually 33 books on the
list--we agreed on 8 of the titles as joint favorites. It's tough coming up
with only 20 books. All of them are stellar read-alouds; many work wonderfully
with older kids, often to grade 6 or beyond. We have tried out many of these
on our own students, and can vouch for successful story sessions. Many
otherwise terrific titles we left off with reluctance, but perhaps you'd like
to start a new thread of Other Best Books of 1998. Enjoy!

JUDY FREEMAN & PEGGY BECK'S LIST OF 20 BEST PICTURE BOOKS OF 1998

The Ballad of Mulan, retold and illus. by Song Nan Zhang (Pan Asian
Publications, 1998) All ages
Relive the ancient saga of the young girl turned warrior to save her father in
this

study of Northern Wei culture, with detailed watercolors and calligraphy.
Bilingual versions make it perfect for multicultural studies. (Judy's Note: Fa
Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior by Robert D. San Souci, illus. by Jean and
Mou-Sien Tseng, Hyperion, Gr. 2-6 is also gorgeous.) (PEGGY)

The Bat Boy & His Violin by Gavin Curtis, illus. by E. B. Curtis (Simon &
Schuster, 1998) Grades 1-3
Reginald's father, manager of the Dukes, the worst team in the Negro National
League in 1948, is skeptical about his young son's violin playing and brings
him to the field as a bat boy. Good historical fiction both gym and music
teachers will love. (JUDY)

Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu by Emily Arnold McCully
(Scholastic, 1998) Grades 1-6
In 17th century China, Jingyon studies kung fu with Buddhist monks, who rename
her Wu Mei, meaning beautiful warrior. She aids Mingyi, a poor bean curd
seller threatened by a bandit who demands to marry her, by teaching her to use
her qi or vital energy to defeat the bandit. (JUDY)

Black Cowboy Wild Horses: A True Story by Julius Lester, illus. by Jerry
Pinkney (Dial, 1998) Grades 2-up

Former slave Bob Lemmons tames the wild stallions and becomes a legend in this
powerful adventure. Pair this with Mrs. Mack to show riders' special bond with
horses. (PEGGY)


Black Whiteness by Robert Burleigh, illus. by Walter Lyon Krudop
(Atheneum,1998) Gr. 2-7

Burleigh pays tribute to Byrd who lived alone for six months in 1934 in vast
and bitter cold Antarctica. List the details given by Burleigh which show what
it was like to live alone in
-60 degree weather with no modern conveniences. (PEGGY)


Boss of the Plains: The Hat That Won the West by Laurie M. Carlson, illus. by
Holly Meade (DK Ink, 1998) Grades 1-6
A trip out West in 1859 for New Jersey hatter, John Stetson, gave him the idea
for a new hat he called "Boss of the Plains," still known to us as the
Stetson. (PEGGY)

Bridges Are to Cross by Philemon Sturges, illus. by Giles Laroche (Putnam,
1998) Grades 1-4
Gorgeous cut paper collages and brief text illustrate all types of bridges
worldwide. A possible Caldecott Honor? (JUDY, PEGGY)

Bug Off!: A Swarm of Insect Words by Cathi Hepworth (Putnam, 1998) Grades 2-6
Each page of this witty vocabulary-building word book features one word, such
as "frantic," "Beethoven," and "slice," with an insect-based portrait that
shows the meaning of the word in context. Kids will go buggy coming up with
new words to  draw which the rest of the group can then can identify and
define. The author's companion book, Antics (Putnam, 1992) is done as an
alphabet book of "ant" words. (JUDY)

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci, illus. by Brian
Pinkney (Simon & Schuster, 1998) Grades 2-6
The godmother narrates the tale, and it's a real Creole treat. Scratchboard
illustrations again, as Pinkney did in the duo's Caldecott Honor, The Faithful
Friend. (JUDY)

Faraway Drums by Virginia Kroll, illus. by Floyd Cooper (Little, Brown, 1998)
Grades K-2
Jamila  Jefferson draws upon her grandmother's stories of Africa to soothe her
sister's

fears of loud city sounds as they settle in their new apartment. Her
imaginative explanations to match the sounds lend themselves to interpretive
art projects. (PEGGY)


Getting' Through Thursday by Melrose Cooper, illus. by Nneka Bennett (Lee &
Low, 1998) Grades 2-5)

Mama uses her wits and her humor to help Andre and his brother and sister get
through each Thursday, the day before payday when everything runs out and they
feel blue. (PEGGY)


Ghosts of the White House by Cheryl Harness (Simon & Schuster, 1998) Grades
3-6
Busy but lotsa fun, this is an illustrated tour of the White House with ghosts
of each president who appear to tell a bit about themselves. (JUDY, PEGGY)

The Hatmaker's Sign: A Story by Benjamin Franklin by Candace Fleming, illus.
by Robert Andrew Parker (Orchard, 1998) Grades 3-6
Thomas Jefferson's angry at the many changes made in his draft of the
Declaration of Independence. To console him, Benjamin Franklin tells him a
parable about a Boston hatmaker whose original shop sign was "improved upon"
and edited by everyone until there was nothing left but a picture of a hat.
The story-within-a-story device provides useful lessons on history and writing
and editing as well. (JUDY)

I Lost My Bear by Jules Feiffer (Morrow, 1998) Grades PreK-2
One of the most perfect picture books of the year. The narrator lost her
stuffed bear and runs through a gamut of hilarious and believable emotions
until she finds it. Kids can act out all the emotions, write and talk about
the stuff they've lost and how they found it, and experiment with reading it
aloud themselves. (JUDY)

Letter to the Lake by Susan Marie Swanson; illus. by Peter Catalanotto (DK
Ink, 1998) Grades 3-5

The gray-toned pages of Rosie's winter day reflect tiny color images of her
memories of the lake and contrast with the alternating full color spreads of
the summer. (PEGGY)


The Long and Short of It by Cheryl Nathan and Lisa McCourt, illus. by Cheryl
Nathan (BridgeWater, 1998) Grades PreK-3

Nathan and McCourt use familiar objects to compare and contrast long and
short, and tissue paper collages to demonstrate perception and size. ("A
Boston terrier's tail is shorter than a used black crayon.") Pair with
Measuring Penny and have children create their own standards of comparison.
(PEGGY)


Look-Alikes by Joan Steiner (Little, Brown, 1998) All ages.
This one's a must, in multiple copies. With one double page color photo per
scene, you'll think you're looking at, say, a picture of a railroad station,
but soon discover that every object you see--from train to ceiling to
track--is made of found objects--coffee pot, juicer, food, money. The more you
pore, the more amazed you'll be. (JUDY, PEGGY)

Martha Walks the Dog by Susan Meddaugh (Houghton Mifflin, 1998) Gr. 1-4
Talking dog, Martha, encounters ferocious Bad Dog Bob, and learns that nice
words work best. I wrote this up as a Readers Theater script & my second grade
classes acted it out last week. MAGIC! Make sure your best, most expressive
reader gets the part of Martha. (JUDY)

Measuring Penny by Loreen Leedy (Henry Holt, 1998) Grades 1-3
Lisa's homework assignment is to measure something using standard and
nonstandard units, so she picks her Boston terrier, Penny, whom she measures
in multiple ways. Just for starters, kids can try measuring stuff in the room
using whatever's at hand. Math teachers will LOVE this. (JUDY, PEGGY)

Meet My Staff by Patricia Marx, illus. by Roz Chast (HarperCollins, 1998) Gr.
2-6
My second graders howled at all the members of a kid's staff who do all the
things he'd prefer not to, from homework to toy-fixing. They then worked in
groups of 2 or 3 to come up with a staff member who'd do their dirty work at
school, like the Friend-Maker and Miss Pencil (she sharpens). They came up
with a name, wrote a descriptive sentence or 2, drew a portrait, and presented
their results. FUN!!!  (JUDY)

Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten by Joseph Slate,
illus. by Ashley Wolff (Dutton, 1998) Gr. PreK-1
On-the-go black and white dog teacher we met and loved in Miss Bindergarten
Gets Ready for Kindergarten (Dutton, 1996), is now preparing for her class's
100th day. Each in the alphabetical roster of 26 animal pupils goes home to
finish assembling a collection of one hundred wonderful things to bring to
school. Ask your students to assemble new collections not already displayed in
the story. Librarian extraordinaire Dale Copps has posted a Day 100 Activities
Lesson Plan at: <http://www.alltogethernow.org/mp/29.htm#Top>   Also try:
<http://users.aol.com/a100thday/ideas.html> (JUDY)

Mrs. Mack by Patricia Polacco (Philomel, 1998) Gr. 3-up

At age 10, Pat discovers her passion for horses when Mrs. Mack teaches her to
ride. Have children write and illustrate a story about something they dream of
doing. (PEGGY)


My Freedom Trip: A Child's Escape from North Korea by Frances and Ginger Park,
illus. by Debra Reid Jenkins (Boyds Mills, 1998) All ages
Young Soo, based on the author's mother, takes a dangerous trip across the
38th parallel prior to the outbreak of the Korean War. Children could plot the
actual journey and research North Korea's history. (PEGGY)


The Old Woman and the Wave by Shelley Jackson (DK Ink, 1998) Grades K-2
An old lady lives under a perpetually-threatening wave. It's strange and
quirky, but the collage illustrations are fascinating. Compare and contrast
with last year's masterpiece, My Life with the Wave by Catherine Cowen. (JUDY)

Over the Moon by Rachel Vail, illus. by Scott Nash (Orchard, 1998) Gr. K-up

Onstage, a cow, directed by monkey Hi Diddle Diddle, manages to jump under,
next to, and through the moon before she finally makes it over. Older kids can
rewrite stories behind other nursery rhymes. (PEGGY)


Show and Tell Bunnies by Kathryn Lasky, illus. by Marylin Hafner (Candlewick,
1998) Grades PreK-1
Rabbit Clyde (from Lunch Bunnies) comes across a round, gray, and furry ball
to bring in for show & tell. After lunch, the class discovers the ball has
hatched hundreds of tiny spiderlings. This one's a winner for the first week
of school or for library where you can demonstrate how we can satisfy our
curiosity with books. (JUDY)

Squids Will Be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables by Jon Scieszka, illus. by
Lane Smith (Viking, 1998) Grades 2-6
18 off-the-wall fables about "all kinds of bossy, sneaky funny, annoying dim-
bulb people," transformed into animals to protect the "not-so innocent." The
hip, au courant stories are just the ticket for small groups to perform,
Reader's Theater-style. The natural progression is for students to next write
and illustrate new fables, using aphorisms their parents recite and lessons
they dispense daily. My third graders mostly stared at me when I read it
aloud, while I laughed like crazy. For best results, read to grades 4+ .
(JUDY)

Stella Louella's Runaway Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst (Simon & Schuster, 1998)
Grades PreK-2
Stella's library book is due by 5 pm. but where is it? This delightful
circular story with its large genial pastel illustrations will be fun to act
out in Reader's Theater (if you write up a script) or creative drama or to
retell in sequence. Also great for map skills, as Stella and friends travel
all over town to trace the book's route. (JUDY)

Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (Philomel, 1998) Grades 2-5
Reading was torture for Trish until fifth grade when she encountered tall,
elegant teacher, Mr. Falker who thought her drawings were brilliant and who
led her out of her disability. On the last page, kids find out Trish is really
Polacco herself. Betcha you can't read this aloud without crying.  (JUDY,
PEGGY)

Things That Are Most in the World by Judi Barrett, illus. by John Nickle
(Atheneum, 1998) Grades PreK-2
Ridiculous sentences incorporate whimsical superlatives, including silliest,
hottest, smelliest, and stickiest. Pair kids up to write, illustrate and share
new sentences using superlatives. (PEGGY)

This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie, illus. by Kathy Jakobsen (Little,
Brown, 1998) Grades 1-6
In a glowingly illustrated picture book crammed with coast to coast details,
including quotes from Woody and his many songs, we learn the rest of the
verses as we travel through the U.S. and Seeger's life. Jakobsen  also did the
great My New York. A possible Caldecott? (JUDY, PEGGY)

To Everything There Is a Season by Leo and Diane Dillon (Scholastic, 1998)
Grades 1-6
The well-known verses from Ecclesiastes are illustrated with breathtaking
paintings from a variety of cultures and art styles around the world. Horn
Book thought it was all technique, no emotion, but I continue to be wowed each
time I open it. Our Caldecott pick. (JUDY, PEGGY)

Willy the Dreamer by Anthony Browne (Candlewick, 1998) Grades PreK-2
It's Willy the chimp from the Willy the Wimp books, and the kids'll love
pointing out all the bananas as he dreams of what he wants to be. One first
grade class did a great job acting it out in narrative pantomime. (JUDY,
PEGGY)


ABOUT JUDY & PEGGY:

JUDY FREEMAN, librarian at Van Holten School in Bridgewater, New Jersey, is
the author of Books Kids Will Sit Still For: The Complete Read-Aloud Guide and
More Books Kids Will Sit Still For (both Bowker) and the tape/book package Hi
Ho Librario: Songs, Chants,
and Stories to Keep Kids Humming (Rock Hill Press, 1997).  She is the "Book
Talk" columnist for Instructor Magazine and an adjunct instructor at the
Rutgers University School of Communication, Information and Library Studies,
for which she will be presenting (in May, 1999) her 15th annual "WINNERS!"
conference, where she'll evaluate the best 100 children's books, grades
PreK-6, of 1998.  Judy will be serving on the Newbery Committee to help select
the next Newbery Award book for the year 2000. Judy presents children's
literature workshops for BER (Bureau of Education and Research) across the
U.S. and Canada. You can reach her at <BKWSSF@aol.com>.

PEGGY BECK writes the "Book Talk" column for the NJEA REVIEW as well as
reviews for LIBRARY TALK. This is her 4th year as an educational media
specialist at J. F. Cooper Elementary School in Cherry Hill, NJ, after 24
years as a high school English teacher and Media Department Chairperson at
Cherry Hill H.S. East. She is past editor of SIGNAL TAB, the
Newsletter of the Educational Media Association of New Jersey, and of the NEW
JERSEY ENGLISH JOURNAL. She is the recipient of last year's EMAnj/WINNEBAGO
PROGRESSIVE SCHOOL MEDIA AWARD. You can reach her at: <pbeck@recom.com>.

Finally, our thanks to the wonderful, vivacious, and talented Joyce Valenza,
who invited us to chat, coped valiantly with Judy's recalcitrant Mac, and
moderated our most enjoyable hour with the swell LM_NET participants.

Judy Freeman--Librarian
Van Holten School
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
<BKWSSF@aol.com>

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