the washington post book world sunday, december 12, 2010 l l
10 EZ
BEST OF 2010
Kids’ Books CHILDREN
ART&MAX, by David Wiesner (Clari- on, $17.99). Leaping lizards! In this reptilian romp, diminutiveMax as- pires to become a painter but manages to create mostly havoc.—Kristi Jemte- gaard
CITY DOG, COUNTRY FROG, byMo Willems, illustrated by Jon
J.Muth (Hyperion, $17.99). Set to the rhythm of the seasons, this tale about an un- likely friendship is both wistful and re- alistic on the unbidden changes life brings to us all.—K.J.
SHARK VS. TRAIN, by Chris Barton, il- lustrated by Tom Lichtenheld (Little Brown, $16.99). Two boys, two toys. Who will win? Tom Lichtenheld’s drawings of a smirking, toothy shark and a maniacal, smoke-spouting train evoke the playground antics and one- upmanship of life in basements and backyards everywhere.—K.J.
A SICK DAY FORAMOSMCGEE, by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (Roaring Brook, $16.99). When Amos comes down with “the sniffles and the sneezes,” his zoo-animal friends catch the crosstown bus to care for him.—K.J.
UBIQUITOUS, by Joyce Sid- man, illustrated by Beckie Prange (HoughtonMifflin, $17). In this appealing inter- mingling of art and science, species that have successfully survived and spread—such as bacteria, mollusks and crows— are celebrated with facts, illus- trations and poems. — Abby McGanney Nolan
PRE-TEENS
BALLET FOR MARTHA: Making Appa- lachian Spring, by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca (Roaring Brook, $17.99). This picture book about the making of “Ap- palachian Spring” reveals the contri- butions of the three innovators behind it:Martha Graham, Aaron Copland and IsamuNoguchi.—A.M.N.
COSMIC, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Walden Pond, $16.99). A theme-park rocket, a Chinese mogul and a former astronaut figure in this hilariously in- ventive novel in which a boy ends up in deep space—and deep trouble— when he assumes his father’s identity. —Mary Quattlebaum
THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY), by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fothering- ham (Scholastic, $17.99). Playful yet in- formative, this inspired picture book is about the biography thatMark Twain’s 13-year-old daughter secretly began to write about her famous father.— A.M.N.
MIRROR MIRROR: A Book of Revers- ible Verse, byMarilyn Singer, illus- trated by JoséeMasse (Dutton, $16.99). Read it from the top down and Hansel is admonished, “Fatten up. / Don’t / keep her waiting.” Read it again from the bottom up and see how the warning changes. “Keep her wait- ing. / Don’t / fatten up.” Lustrous mir- ror-image illustrations accompany these clever reversible poems based on well-known fairy tales.—K.J.
ONE CRAZY SUMMER, by Rita Wil- liams-Garcia (Amistad, $15.99). In this vibrant novel of the revolutionary ’60s, Delphine, 11, and her two younger sis- ters learn surprising truths in a sum- mer camp run by the Black Panthers. —M.Q.
TEENS
THE DREAMER, by PamMunoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sis (Scholastic, $17.99). Punctuated by short poems and pointillist art, this luminous novel imagines the Chilean childhood of PabloNeruda, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century.—M.Q.
INCARCERON, by Catherine Fisher (Dial, $17.99).Nothing is as it seems in this eerie, intricately plotted fantasy, including the three main characters: an incarcerated teen named Finn, the warden’s privileged daughter and the strangely alive, malevolent prison that binds them.—M.Q.
MOCKINGJAY, by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, $17.99). Gripping and com- plex, this final book in the dystopic se- ries “TheHunger Games” finds teen warrior Katniss Everdeen trying to hang on to what’s right and real as she battles a brutal government—and her own allies and conscience.—M.Q.
SHIP BREAKER, by Paolo Bacigalupi (Little Brown, $17.99). A teenaged ship scavenger and the wealthy girl he res- cues struggle to survive on the post- apocalyptic Gulf Coast. A gritty, tautly paced thriller.—M.Q.
THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Ter- rorist Group, by Susan Campbell Bar- toletti (HoughtonMifflin, $19). This sobering history includes essential background information, memorable testimony from KKK members and vic- tims alike, and plenty of illuminating period illustrations.—A.M.N.
DAVID WIESNER ‘Art & Max’
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