Link Du Jour: Best Books Begin

Let the “Best of 2009” deluge commence. As a librarian, I naturally have an unhealthy obsession for annotated lists of all kinds. Seriously, if someone put an annotated list of the best manhole covers of 2009 in front of me, I’d be delighted. Delighted, folks.

If you’re interested in staying on top of all things “best of” in the children’s lit world, be sure to keep an eye on The List of Lists over at Chicken Spaghetti. She’ll be keeping track as everyone names their aught nine favorites. Let’s take a look at a few:

New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2009

I like the variety of this list. The surprises are Tales from Outer Suburbia (since it’s a book for those older than the typical picture book audience) and White Noise (as it is a pop-up book). While there are certainly books I would like to add to the mix, I can’t find much fault with their picks. I was pleasantly surprised with the inclusion of A Penguin Story, a nice title that I think might get overlooked by other “best of” lists.

Amazon Top 10 Picture Books of 2009

An interesting group. The biggest surprise for me was The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pop-Up Book. I don’t know, it seems akin to putting the digitally remastered version of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul on the top albums of 2009 list. A classic in a new format doesn’t seem to fit.

Amazon Top 10 Middle Readers of 2009

Be prepared to see When You Reach Me and The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate on just about every “best of” list that makes it to print – these two outstanding Newbery contenders deserve it. I was happy to see Toby Alone included among this group – a uniquely pleasing book.

(Thanks to EarlyWord and Chicken Spaghetti for the links)

(Top Image: ‘Rainy Day / é?¨ã®æ?Â¥‘
www.flickr.com/photos/84988327@N00/200615055)

Filed under: Link Du Jour