PlanetEsme.com's

DON'T MISS LIST 2004

Dear Children's Booklover,

As I look over all of the titles reviewed on PlanetEsme.com over the past year, I see more than a collection of delightful reads; I see a year's worth of great education. Truly, what child wouldn't significantly benefit from being exposed to each and every title in this assortment? What a schooling! What incredible conversations about art, war, nature, work, culture, history, geography, friendship, tolerance, self-actualization, imagination and celebration can take place using these books as catalysts! What qualities of humor, empathy and critical thinking can be fostered in children of all ages, abilities and temperments! Listening to these creative voices bound in book form singing out to their young audiences, it is easy to see the potential to learn shining forth in spite of whatever gloom beaurocrats, politicians and curmudgeons might ascribe to future generations. Whether shared in the classroom or the home, I believe wholeheartedly that these books will elevate all who receive them.

This list is simplified in order to be printer-friendly. To find book descriptions, reviews, covers, age recommendations, please visit the annotated lists by following the links below the headings. You may want to print up these pages as a checklist for visiting the more detailed sites. For the "Don't Miss" recommendations of the current year, visit www.planetesme.com/dontmiss.html.

Thank you so much to those who join in this endeavor to connect great children with great books. Happy reading always!

--Esmé Raji Codell, Site Director

Picture Books
(Click here for extended reviews of these titles and more!)
Aaaarrgghh! Spider! by Lydia Monks (Houghton Mifflin)
Agent A to Agent Z by Andy Rash (Scholastic)
Alex and the Wednesday Chess Club by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Stacy Schuett (Margaret McElderberry)
Amelia's Show- and-Tell Fiesta/Amelia y la Fiesta de "Muestra y Cuenta" by Mimi Chapra, illustrated by Martha Avilés (HarperCollins)
Apples to Oregon : Being the (Slightly) True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter (Atheneum)
The Best Bottom by Brigette Minne, illustrated by Marjolein Pottie (Milk and Cookies Press)
Blue Bowl Down: An Appalachian Rhyme by C. M. Millen, illustrated by Holly Meade (Candlewick)
The Boy Who Cried Fabulous by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Peter Ferguson (Tricycle)
Bubble Gum, Bubble Gumby Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith (Little, Brown)
The Cat Who Walked Across France by Kate Banks illustrated by George Hallensleben (Farrar Straus Giroux)
The Cats in Krasinski Squareby Karen Hesse, illustrated by Wendy Watson (Scholastic)
Clatter Bash! A Day of the Dead Celebration by Richard Keep (Peachtree) Cock-a-Doodle Moooo: A Mixed Up Menagerie by Keith DuQuette (Putnam)
A Confused Hanukkah by Jon Koons, illustrated by S.D. Shindler (Dutton)
Crepes by Suzette by Monica Wellington (Dutton)
Doodler Doodling by Rita Golden Gelman, illustrated by Paul Zelinsky (Greenwillow)
Do You Have a Hat? by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Geraldo Valerio (Simon and Schuster)
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin (Delacorte)
Elf Elementary by Edward Miller (Abrams)
Ella the Elegant Elephant by Carmela and Steven D'Amico
Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange, illustrated by Kadir Neslon (Simon and Schuster)
The Firekeeper's Son by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Julie Downing (Clarion)
Flyaway Katie by Polly Dunbar (Candlewick)
Flying Feet by James Stevenson (Greenwillow)
Fortune Cookie Fortunes by Grace Lin (Knopf)
The Frog House by Mark Taylor, illustrated by Barbara Garrison (Dutton)
Goldilocks and the Three Martians by Stu Smith, illustrated by Michael Garland (Dutton)
Good Night, Pillow Fight by Sally Cook, illustrated by Laura Cornell (HarperCollins)
Hannah Is My Name by Belle Yang (Dutton)
The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey by Demi (McElderberry Books)
Hurty Feelings by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger (Houghton Mifflin)
I, Doko: The Tale of a Basket by Ed Young (Philomel)
I Love You, Mister Bear by Sylvie Wickstrom (HarperCollins)
If I Were a Lion by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Heather M. Solomon (Atheneum)
The Impudent Rooster by Sabina I. Rascol, illustrated by Holly Berry (Dutton)
Inside Mouse, Outside Mouse by Lindsay Barrett George (Greenwillow)
I.Q. Goes to the Library by Mary Ann Fraser (Walker)
The Iris and Walter Stories by Elissa Haden Guest, illustrated by Christine Davenier (Harcourt)
Ish by Peter Reynolds (Candlewick)
Isty Bitsy the Smart Spider by Charise Mericle Harper (Dial)
Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems (Hyperion)
Let's Cook!: A Press-Out-and-Play Book by Robert Crowther (Candlewick)
Magic Thinks Big by Elisha Cooper(Greenwillow)
Manana, Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul, illustrated by Ethan Long (Holiday House)
Mary Was a Little Lamb by Gloria Rand, illustrated by Ted Rand (Henry Holt)
Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel by Leslie Connor, illustrated by Mary Azarian (Houghton Mifflin)
Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle (Philomel)
The Monster Trap by Dean Morrisey (HarperCollins)
The Moon Came Down on Milk Street by Jean Gralley (Henry Holt)
The Most Thankful Thing by Lisa McCourt, illustrated by Cyd Moore (Scholastic)
Mr. Murry and Thumbkin by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Ard Hoyt (Little, Brown)
Mr. Putter and Tabby Write the Book by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard (Harcourt)
My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel, illustrated by H.B. Lewis (Candlewick)
My Teacher for President by Kay Winters, illustrated by Denise Brunkus (Dutton) The Neighborhood Mother Goose by Nina Crews (Greenwillow)
Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis, illustrated by Jan Fearnley (Candlewick)
The Night Eater by Ana Juan (Scholastic)
Noah's Bed by Lis and Jim Coplestone (Frances Lincoln Books)
The Noisy Way to Bed by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke (Scholastic)
Now I Eat My ABC's by Pam Abrams, illustrated by Bruce Wolf (Scholastic)
Once Upon a Wedding by Jeanette Milde (R & S Books)
A Packet of Seeds by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Bethanne Andersen (Greenwillow)
Paper Parade by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Ed Briant (Atheneum)
Pinata by Rebecca Emberley (Little Brown)
Plaidypus Lost by Janet Stevens, illustrated by Susan Stevens Crummel (Holiday House)
Pumpkin Cat by Ann Turner, illustrated by Amy Junes Bates (Hyperion)
The Red Blanket by Eliza Thomas, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Scholastic)
Rocko and Spanky Go to a Party by Kara and Jenna LaReau (Harcourt)
Roger: The Jolly Pirate by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins)
Sarah So Small by Tanguy Greban, illustrated by Quentin Greban (Milk and Cookies Press)
Seadogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Mark Seigel (Atheneum)
Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola-Lisa, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max (Hyperion)
Shall I Knit You a Hat?: A Christmas Yarn by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise (Holt)
Show Dog by Megan McCarthy (Viking)
Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick)
Skin Again by Bell Hooks, illustrated by Chris Raschka (Hyperion)
Something Might Happen by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger (Houghton Mifflin)
The Sons of the Dragon King by Ed Young (Atheneum)
Speak to Me (And I Will Listen Between the Lines) by Karen English, illustrated by Amy June Bates (Farrar Straus Giroux)
A Spree in Paris by Catherine Stock (Holiday House)
Subway by Anastasia Suen, illustrated by Karen Katz (Viking)
The Sugar Child by Monique de Varennes, illustrated by Leonid Gore (Atheneum)
Superdog: The Heart of a Hero by Caralyn and Mark Buehner (HarperCollins)
Swing Otto Swing by David Milgrim (Atheneum)
The Tale of Tales by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Peter Bailey (David Fickling)
Too Loud Lily by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Kerry Argent (Scholastic)
Vote! by Eileen Christelow (Clarion Books)
Watch Out! by Jan Fearley (Candlewick)
Welcome, Brown Bird by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Peter Sylvada (Harcourt)
What Does Peace Feel Like? by Vladimir Radunsky (Atheneum) when I heard the learn'd astronomer by Walt Whitman, illustrated by Loren Long (Simon and Schuster) The Wishing of Biddy Malone by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Christopher Denise (Philomel)
Wow, City! by Robert Neubecker (Hyperion)
You're Not My REAL Mother by Molly Freidrich, illustrated by Christy Hale (Little, Brown)

Fiction
(Click here for extended reviews of these titles and more!)
11,000 Years Lost by Peni R. Griffin (Amulet)
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Putnam)
Alien in a Bottle by Kathy Mackel (HarperCollins)
The Anybodies by by N.E. Bode (HarperCollins)
Back to School, Mallory by Laurie Friedman, illustrations by Tamara Schmitz (Carolrhoda)
Bambert's Book of Missing Stories by Reinhardt Jung (Knopf)
Bindi Babes by Narinder Dhami (Delacorte)
Blue Fingers: A Ninja's Tale by Cheryl Aylward Whitesel (Clarion)
Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, illustrated by Brett Helquist (Scholastic)
The Crow Girl by Bodil Bredsdorff (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Crown Me! by Kathryn Lay (Holiday House)
The Dragons of Spratt, Ohio by Linda Zinnen (HarperCollins)
The Double Digit Club by Marion Dane Bauer (Holiday House)
Eager by Helen Fox (Random House)
Eleven by Lauren Myracle (Dutton)
Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Gris Grimly (Atheneum)
The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi, illustrated by Trica Tusa (Harcourt)
Evangeline Mudd and the Golden-Haired Apes of the Ikkinasti Jungle by David Elliot, illustrated by Andrea Wesson (Candlewick)
Fast Forward: A Dangerous Secret by Ian Bone (Delacorte)
The Fish in Room 11 by Heather Dyer (Scholastic, Chicken House)
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton (Holiday House)
Ghost Girl: A Blue Ridge Mountain Story by Delia Ray (Clarion)
A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff (Random House)
The House on Falling Star Hill by Michael Molloy (Scholastic)
How I Found the Strong: A Novel of the Civil War by Margaret McMullan (Houghton Mifflin)
Ida B and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan (Greenwillow)
Jump Man Rule #1: Don't Touch Anything by James Valentine (Simon and Schuster)
The Legend of Buddy Bush by Shelia P. Moses (McElderberry Books)
Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me by Katy Kelly, illustrated by Adam Rex (Delacorte)
Mable Riley: A Reliable Record of Humdrum Peril and Romance by Francois Place (Candlewick)
Measle and the Wrathmonk by Ian Ogilvy (HarperCollins)
Merlin and the Making of the King retold by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (Holiday House)
Millions by Frank Cottrell Boyce (HarperCollins)
Missy Violet and Me by Barbara Hathaway (Houghton Mifflin)
Montmorency: Liar, Thief, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale (Orchard)
My Guardian Angel by Sylvie Weil (Scholastic)
North by Donna Jo Napoli (Greenwillow)
The Old Man Mad About Drawing: A Tale of Hokusai by Francois Place (Godine)
The Oracle Betrayed by Catherine Fisher (Greenwillow)
Otto and the Flying Twins: The First Book of the Karmidee by Charlotte Haptie (Holiday House)
The Outcasts of Schuyler Place by legendary E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum)
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau (Random House)
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Hyperion)
The Pepins and Their Problems by Polly Hovarth, illustrated by Marilyn Hafner (Farrar Straus Giroux)
The Report Card by Andrew Clements (Simon and Schuster)
Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look (Atheneum)
Santa's Last Present by Marie Aude Murail and Elvire Murail, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Peachtree)
Say What? by Margaret Peterson Haddix, illustrated by James Bernardin (Simon and Schuster)
The School at Crooked Creek by Laurie Lawlor, illustrated by Ronald Himler (Holiday House)
The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (Athenuem)
The Shadows of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz (Delacorte)
Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen (Knopf)
Silk Umbrellas by Carolyn Marsden (Candlewick)
The Skull Talks Back by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins (HarperCollins)
Snap by Alison McGhee (Candlewick)
So B. It by Sarah Weeks (Scholastic)
The SOS File by Betsy Byars, Laurie Myers and Betsy Duffey, illustrated by Arthur Howard (Henry Holt)
Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie by Jacqueline Mitchard, illustrated by Tricia Tusa (HarperCollins)
Stopping for a Spell by Diana Wynne Jones (Greenwillow)
The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler (Candlewick Press)
The Tale of the Swamp Rat by Carter Crockett (Philomel)
The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck (Dial)
To The Edge of the World by Michelle Torrey (Knopf)
The Truth About Sparrows by Marian Hale (Henry Holt)
Unexpected Magic: Collected Stories by Diana Wynne Jones (Greenwillow)
Utterly Me, Clarice Bean by Lauren Child (Candlewick)
The Way a Door Closes by Hope Smith, illustrated by Shane Evans (Holt)
Winchell Mink: The Misadventure Begins by Steve Young (HarperCollins)
The Young Man and the Sea by Rodman Philbrick (Scholastic, Blue Sky Press)

Non-Fiction
(Click here for extended reviews of these titles and more!)
A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye (Greenwillow)
Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq by Mark Alan Stamaty (Knopf)
The Animal Rescue Store by Anne Wilson, illustrated by Elizabeth Swados (Scholastic)
The Beach Patrol by John O'Brien and Max Bilkins (Henry Holt)
Between Heaven and Earth : Bird Tales from Around the World by Howard Norman, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Harcourt)
Bottle Houses: The Creative World of Grandma Prisbrey by Melissa Eskridge Slaymaker, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Henry Holt)
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Houghton Mifflin)
Bug Safari by Bob Barner (Holiday House)
The Busy Body Book by Lizzy Rockwell (Crown)
Calavera Abcedario: A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt)
Dollmakers and Their Stories: Women Who Changed the World of Play by Krystyna Poray Goddu (Henry Holt)
Egyptology by Emily Sands,Nick Harris and Helen Ward, illustrated by Ian Andrew (Candlewick)
Election Connection: The Official Nick Guide to Electing the President (Chronicle)
The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Houghton Mifflin)
The Flower Hunter: William Bartram, America's First Naturalist by Deborah Kogan Ray (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Gargoyles, Girders & Glass Houses by Bo Zaunders, illustrated by Roxie Munro (Dutton)
Ghosts of the Nile by Cheryl Harness (Simon and Schuster)
Go Fly a Bike! The Ultimate Book of Bicycle Fun, Freedom, and Science by Bill Haduch, illustrated by Chris Murphy (Dutton)
Horse Hooves and Chicken Feet: Mexican Folktales selected by Neil Philip, illustrated by Jacqueline Mair (Clarion)
Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems by Kristine O'Connell George, illustrated by Barry Moser (Harcourt)
Island of Hope: The Story of Ellis Island and the Journey to America by Martin W. Sandler (Scholastic)
Knockin' on Wood, Starring Peg Leg Bates by Lynne Barasch (Lee and Low)
Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the U.S.S. Indianapolis by Pete Nelson (Delacorte)
The Librarian of Basra: A True Story of Iraq by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt)
Look at My Book: How Kids Can Write & Illustrate Terrific Books by Loreen Leedy (Holiday House)
Madam President : The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics by Catherine Thimmesh (Houghton Mifflin)
The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins by Bea Uusma Schyffert (Chronicle)
Mary Middling and Other Silly Folk by Rose Fyleman, illustrated by Katja Bandlow (Clarion)
Meet Me in St. Louis: A Trip to the 1904 World's Fair by Robert Jackson (HarperCollins)
My House is Singing by Betsy R. Rosenthal, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine (Harcourt)
My Light by Molly Bang (Scholastic, Blue Sky Press)
Omnibeasts by Douglas Florian (Harcourt)
On This Spot: Back Through Time by Susan Goodman, illustrated by Lee Christiansen (Greenwillow)
Pocket Poems edited by Bobbi Katz, illustrated by Marilyn Hafner (Dutton)
Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America by Sharon Robinson (Scholastic)
The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Rattlesnake Mesa: Stories from a Native American Childhood by Ednah New Rider Weber, photographs by Richela Renkun (Lee and Low)
Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison (Houghton Mifflin)
A Revolutionary Field Trip: Poems of Colonial America by Susan Katz, illustrated by R.W. Alley (HarperCollins)
Science Verse by Jon Scieszka (Viking)
September Roses by Jeanette Winter (Farrar Straus Giroux)
Sequoyah : The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing by James Rumford (Houghton Mifflin)
Skeleton Bones and Goblin Groans: Poems for Halloween by Amy E. Sklansky, illustrated by Karen Dismukes (Holt)
Sleeping Beauty retold by Adele Geras, illustrated by Christian Birmingham (Orchard)
Spy Hops and Belly Flops: Curious Behaviors of Woodland Animals by Brian Lies (Houghton Mifflin)
Time for Ballet by Adele Geras, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas (Candlewick)
Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing by Paul Janeczko
Train of States by Peter Sis (Greenwillow)
Unwitting Wisdom: An Anthology of Aesop's Fables retold and illustrated by Helen Ward (Chronicle)
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman (Clarion)
Walt Whitman: Words for America by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
What Presidents Are Made Of by Hanoch Piven (Atheneum)
A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhill by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Jane Dyer (Walker)
Wonders and Miracles: A Passover Companion by Eric A. Kimmel (Scholastic)
Words West: Voices of Young Pioneers by Ginger Wadsworth (Clarion)

Chapman Awards for Best Classroom Read-Alouds

Home to Planet Esmé

Search:	Enter keywords...