Best of 2014: Children’s Books

We continue our Best of 2014 list today with books for the younger set. From picture books to graphic novels, take a look at our staff selected titles.

Picture Books and Easy Readers

Breaking News: Bear Alert | David Biedrzycki

In this story (told in the form of a television broadcast with up to the minute updates along the bottom of each page), bears emerge from hibernation demanding to be fed.

This picture book is a comical on-the-scene news story of two bears creating chaos by simply going to town. -Andrea

Little Green Peas: a Big Book of Colors | Keith Baker

Little green peas make their way into collections of objects of many different colors, from blue boats, seas, and flags, to orange balloons, umbrellas, and fizzy drinks.

Lovely art — each page could hang on your wall. Expressive, cute, and (because a kid’s book needs to teach) teaches colors. Concept books aren’t usually this good. The total package. -Alan

The Midnight Library | Kazuno Kohara

The Little Librarian works at night with her three assistant owls. It all happens at this library: patrons who don’t want to leave at closing and noisy patrons who are shown to the quiet room.

The little librarian knows how to turn a little trouble into a lot of fun. -Leslie

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | Peter Brown

Everyone was perfectly fine with the way things were. Everyone but Mr. Tiger. Mr. Tiger was bored with always being so proper. He wanted to loosen up. He wanted to have fun. He wanted to be…wild.

I loved how Mr. Tiger felt free to be himself. -Leslie

My New Friend is So Fun! | Mo Willems

Mo Willems’ popular Elephant &Piggie characters each make new friends.

As a parent of very young kids trying to navigate the friendship frontier, this book was a conversation-starter, one that teaches a lesson about possessiveness with Willems’ trademark style and humor boosting the story beautifully. -Alan

My Teacher is a Monster (No, I Am Not) | Peter Brown

Bobby thinks his teacher, Ms. Kirby, is horrible, but when he sees her outside of school and they spend a day in the park together, he discovers she might not be so bad after all.

I love everything by Peter “Children Make Terrible Pets” Brown. His books are funny, smart, and creepy (in the right way). This one gets across that teachers are people too. -Alan

Stella’s Starliner | Rosemary Wells

Stella and her Mama and Daddy have everything they need in their silver home called the Starliner until some mean weasels say mean things about the Starliner. Stella finds new friends in a new place and is once again proud of her silver home.

“Later all the boys and girls cheered when the bookmobile came. Stella and her mama read their books until they knew them by heart. Stella didn’t have a worry in the world.” -Leslie

Children’s Fiction and Graphic Novels

The Boundless | Kenneth Oppel

Will and his father join 6000 other passengers on the first journey of Boundless, an extravagantly outfitted train pulling nearly 1000 cars.

Boundless is a fun, action packed adventure with lovable and despicable characters. The setting is original and the scenes are brilliantly drawn. I could almost feel myself jumping between cars with Will and Maren. -Elizabeth

Sisters | Raina Telgemeier

Fourteen year old Raina is on a summer road trip from California to Colorado with her mother, 9 year old sister, and 6 year old brother. Sibling rivalry, teasing, taunting, and sweltering heat conspire to make for a bumpy ride.

Sisters, as in Smile (2010), shows us a portrait of a real family, at times laughing and playful, struggling and arguing, slipping and falling, but all along caring for each other and making the best of what they have together. -Elizabeth

Children’s Nonfiction

101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition : Fun and Easy Activities, Games, and Crafts | Kyra Sundance

In addition to step-by-step instructions for teaching tricks such as jumping through hoops and opening doors, this book has simple projects for children to do for and with their dog.

The illustrations are colorful and the instructions are broken down so that they are easy to follow. -Theresa

Attack! Boss! Cheat Code! A Gamer’s Alphabet | Chris Barton

In this ironic, vividly illustrated guide the most common gaming terminology is easy to understand and fun to explore.

The perfect gift for everyone on your list who loves picture books and video games. It’s a subtle way to introduce coding lingo into your child’s vocabulary. Start them young! -Carol

Kitchen Science Lab for Kids : 52 Family-Friendly Experiments from Around the House | Liz Lee Heinecke

There’s a treasure-trove of science experiments hiding in your refrigerator, pantry, and junk drawer! This book invites you to explore science with simple projects and ingredients.

The illustrations make the instructions easy to follow, the science behind the project is explained, and they truly use (mostly) things commonly found in a household. -Theresa

Red madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat | Gail Jarrow

The early years of the 20th Century saw a mysterious deadly illness spreading in the American South. Pellagra first showed itself as a rash, then diarrhea, followed by dementia; death was the final result as there was no known cure.

This is a true-life mystery at its best with lots of false trails leading to dead ends but with the killer thwarted in the end through the determination of Dr. Joseph Goldberger, one of our country’s unsung heroes. -Theresa

Sniffer Dogs | Nancy Castaldo

A dog’s sense of smell is so keen, it’s the equivalent of a human being able to read an eye chart 5 miles away! A fascinating study of the multiple ways humans are taking advantage of dogs’ tremendous nose.

It’s so fascinating how dogs’ noses are being put to good use in so many ways. -Theresa

Super Human Encyclopedia: Discover the Amazing Things Your Body Can Do | Steve Parker

Great gift book for a budding scientist. Colorful illustrations of the human body reveal the truly amazing processes going on inside us. Open it to any page and find something interesting.