I wish I had a great photo of me driving a tractor.  A green-and-yellow John Deere, with me at the wheel, smiling in the sun.  That would be a fantastic publicity shot for my upcoming children’s book Farm. 

But, two years ago, when I was on Illinois farms doing the drawings for the book, I never took that photo.  And now I live in New York.  So when my publisher’s marketing and publicity department asked me if I had a great photo of me driving a tractor, I had to say, “How about one of me sitting in the back of a taxi?”

My tractor-photo-less-ness made me think about book publicity.  First, How low is too low?  What about a photo of me driving a tractor in overalls, with a hayseed between my teeth, hugging a goat?  Would that be too much?

Also, How wide is too wide?  Publicizing a book requires spreading oneself across media – blasting emails, updating websites, facebook-friending, guest-blogging (writing essays like this!), Twittering.  Is there a point when the efforts that go into publicity outstrip their benefit?  Is it a waste of time for me to send my farm book to Rooster Fancy? (I have no idea if Rooster Fancy exists but now I’m wondering).  Is there a danger of spending more time promoting the work than creating it?

I worry about these questions because self-promotion is often met with eye-rolling.  Especially from other writers.  My writer friends can be our own worst critics, turning our noses up at others’ publicity.  Maybe we smell others’ desperation because we recognize our own.  When we publish our own work we are ambivalent.  Proud, a little bashful.

“Uh, I have this book and…”

Publicity troubles writers.  We’re loners after all, but when publishing a book we can’t be.  We’re forced to be promoters (something lawyers or doctors don’t have to deal with: “I’m bringing a great lawsuit this year!”  “Check out my exciting upcoming surgeries!”).  But any worry about publicity is trumped by a worse danger: that our work will be met with silence.

I’d like to take this opportunity to criticize a dead man, J.D. Salinger.  I love his novels and stories, but the whole reclusive won’t-get-my-hands-dirty-with-the-world stance drove me nuts.

Salinger could afford to be reclusive, literally.  For every best-selling writer hiding out in New Hampshire there are thirty thousand writers in Brooklyn or Chicago or Oakland who would have killed to be in Salinger’s position (except for that New Hampshire part).

The rest of us publicize.  We connect with journalists, answer all letters from children, requests from libraries.  Engage as much as we can.  Say yes, to almost everything (I might even reach out to Rooster Fancy).  And not only for the sake of publicity, but because – and here’s the thing – it’s the right thing to do.  Salinger of all people should have known this.  In Franny and Zooey, when Franny is despairing about why we do anything creative, Zooey responds by conjuring up a lone woman, the “Fat Lady.”  Do it for her, he says.  Because The Fat Lady is always out there in the audience, waiting to be touched in some way, listening.  What’s more, “There isn’t anyone out there who isn’t [the] Fat Lady.”

It’s a beautiful sentiment, written by someone who proceeded to not answer his mail.  Talk about a phony.

Maybe I’m cranky.  Cranky and conflicted about publicity, with no great photo of myself on a tractor.

That is, until my mother called.  While she didn’t have a photo of me driving a tractor, she had one of me holding a goat.  She took it when I was twelve.  So she sent it to me, and I sent it to my publisher’s marketing and publicity department, and they are thrilled.

As we publicize our work, each writer must find their own balance.  Their comfort level.  Maybe keeping shirts on, but hugging a few goats.  But whatever we do, we must connect with our audience.  Because that is, after all, the point.

Call me biased, but books make the best gifts. They can be enjoyed now and cherished later (I still have my “Color Book of Baby Animals,” circa Christmas 1978). And if you’re like me and struggle with Scotch tape and scissoring straight, nothing is easier to wrap.

On top of all that, this year’s sleighful of gift books is especially impressive. You’ll find handsomely designed deluxe sets, particularly gorgeous picture books and timeless anthologies and chapters books. Here are a few to check out while last-minute shopping.

“Eric Carle Mini Library” — In the spirit of Sendak’s iconic Nutshell Library, this petite boxed set is tied up with satin ribbons and houses four Carle favorites, including that ode to butter and batter, “Pancakes! Pancakes!” Nicely stocking-stuffer-sized. Ages three and up; Philomel, $15

“Snow White: A Three-Dimensional Fairy-Tale Theater” by Jane Ray — This sumptuous edition of the classic unfurls in six delicately detailed, diorama-like spreads. Readers peer through layers of vine-twined paperwork to catch the subtleties of the tale, told crisply on scarlet fold-out “curtains.” Ages four to eight; Candlewick, $25

“All the World,” written by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee — The uplifting, poetic story is gently profound; the expressive colored pencil and watercolor illustrations eminently Caldecott-worthy. Here, a family’s outing turns into a celebration of life’s small details and big themes, a beautiful reminder that “all the world is you and me.” Ages three to seven; Beach Lane Books, $18

“Little” Books Boxed Set, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Jen Corace — Palm-sized versions of the popular picture book series — “Little Pea,” “Little Oink” and “Little Hoot”— get nestled into a whimsical boxed set. Each book puts a wry twist on a daily ritual by reversing the roles of parent and child. Take, for instance, “Little Pea”: the title baby vegetable doesn’t want to eat his supper of candy. Ages three and up; Chronicle, $20

“Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales” by Lucy Cousins—The creator of the Maisy books keeps her signature palette finger-paint-bright yet works some deliciously dark details into this compendium of fairy tales. Their common denominator? Someone eats, gets eaten, or is threatened with the fate. Not that Cousins gets gruesome; on the contrary, her boldly limned gouache animals are amusingly dressed in patterned pants and kerchiefs. Ages three and up; Candlewick, $19

“Creature ABC” by Andrew Zuckerman—Unusual for the genre, this stunning ABC book by photographer Zuckerman stands up to repeat readings. A dramatic herd of favorite and exotic animals (a serene oryx! a menacing mandrill!) glare, jump, scuttle, flap and hop across stark white pages in hyper-sharp portraits. The incredible close-ups make even the most familiar beasts newly intriguing (check out the bubbles of the lion’s spit). All ages; Chronicle, $20

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Boxed Set by Rick Riordan — With the debut of the final book in the series, “The Last Olympian,” in 2009, this holiday season marks the first time that a full set of the best-selling, action-packed titles is available. Bonuses: stickers and a map of the literally mythical Camp Half-Blood. Ages nine to twelve; Hyperion, $90

“The Magician’s Elephant,” written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Yoko Tanaka— A fortune-teller reveals that an elephant can reunite a young orphan with his sister, believed to be dead. When a pachyderm — herself an achingly affecting character — literally drops into the boy’s Old World city, he sets off on a compelling, wrenching journey for the truth. All the DiCamillo trademarks—heaps of emotion, ambitious themes, taut storytelling—are here, while Tanaka’s illustrations are the stuff of dreams. Ages nine to twelve; Candlewick, $17

After reading James Franco’s mega meta take on his month-long “General Hospital” stint, I was reminded how much I love his mom. Mind you, I’ve never met the woman. I know Betsy Franco instead from her children’s books. She’s written more than 80, the majority long before “Spider Man” swooped into theaters.

Franco handily passes the literary version of the “Pepsi Challenge” for me. That is, sometimes I pick up a book without paying attention to the credits, begin reading, and decide it’s so good that I have to stop and find out who the author is. More than once, I’ve discovered Betsy Franco’s name on the cover. Just in putting this piece together, I called up her long list of titles and spotted at least a handful of picture books that I didn’t realize were hers but distinctly remember admiring.

Although not a household name or big award grabber, Franco holds her own as a versatile, consistently good writer. Her picture books, often in verse, are lyrical, smart, and fun, and she’s not afraid to toss in a dash of learning, yet never in a teachy-preachy way. She’s edited volumes of poetry by teens and this year published her first YA novel. And how cool is this: she performs in a comedy troupe called Suburban Squirrel.

James may get more ink, but read these five favorites by Betsy, and you’ll see that she more than deserves her share of the spotlight.

1. “Mathematickles!” illustrated by Steve Salerno (ages four to eight)

2. “Birdsongs,” illustrated by Steve Jenkins (ages four to eight)

3. “A Curious Collection of Cats,” illustrated by Michael Wertz (ages eight to twelve)

4. “Messing Around the Monkey Bars: And Other School Poems for Two Voices,” illustrated by Jessie Hartland (ages nine to twelve)

5. “Metamorphosis: Junior Year,” illustrated by son Tom Franco; audio version read by sons James and Dave Franco (young adult)

It’s an exciting time of year for kids’ books—and I’m not referring to the God-awful “New Moon” movie. (I arrived at my screening late, just in time to see the pack of shirtless werewolves swagger out of the woods. Where do they buy their shorts?) What I’m talking about is awards season.

Last week, Phillip Hoose won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature for “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice,” the true account of an African-American teen who, in 1955, defied Jim Crow laws by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman. And the the New York Times and Publishers Weekly have both released their end-of-the-year “best” lists. Meanwhile, bloggers are busy hedging bets on the Newberys and Caldecotts— the final results of which, I’m sure, even clairvoyant vampire Alice Cullen can’t predict.

1. Meghan McCarthy: This author-illustrator excels at pairing quirky subject matter with lush yet comical acrylic paintings. Titles such as “Aliens Are Coming!”, a dramatic re-telling of the 1938 “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast, and “Strong Man,” a picture book biography about bodybuilder Charles Atlas, reel readers in with cartoon touches (lots of expressive pop eyes) and nicely paced storytelling. “Seabiscuit the Wonder Horse” may be my favorite, though—not only for the grinning depiction of the plucky colt but also for the quietly moving scenes of Depression-era America.

2. Doreen Rappaport: This National Book Award winner’s meticulously researched biographies are must reads for budding history buffs. (Note: they skew a bit older, more for kids eight and up.) Often featuring powerhouse illustrators (Bryan Collier, Kadir Nelson, Matt Tavares), Rappaport’s books illuminate such famous figures as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt and even the Statue of Liberty through thoughtfully selected details, quotes and scenes of adversity and inspiration.

3. Peter Sis: The Czech author-illustrator’s sophisticated nonfiction works also are more for the eight and up crowd. His courageous, determined scientists and explorers—Columbus, Galileo, da Vinci, Darwin—come to life against exquisitely detailed, award-magnet art. Yet Sis’ most haunting titles spring directly from his own life. Consider “Tibet Through the Red Box” and “The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain” essentials for introducing kids to the power of memoir.

4. Jeanette Winter: The prolific Winter often plucks small but meaningful true stories from the headlines. Her “September Roses”—about two South African sisters who get stranded in New York City with 2,400 roses after 9/11—is a brave and beautiful book about finding hope in tragedy. Since then, this author-illustrator has put a personal face on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with “The Librarian of Basra” and “Nasreen’s Secret School.” Her saturated, miniaturist-style illustrations perfectly complement the intimacy and intensity of these uplifting true stories.

5.  Jonah Winter: Yup, he’s related (son) and they’ve collaborated (“The Secret World of Hildegard” is a recent title). The author’s latest is a picture book biography on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, but his best works capture artists and athletes, often of color, from the past: Frida Kahlo, Muhammad Ali, Dizzy Gillespie and early Latino and African-American baseball stars. Winter does offbeat, too, with such titles as “The 39 Apartments of Ludwig von Beethoven,” “The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert and Sullivan” and “Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude,” a surprisingly accessible read about everyone’s favorite patroness of avant garde art.

Bonus: a trio of fine references to keep your fact-finding mission going for a while.

1.  I.N.K.: This blog, written by leading authors of the genre, is completely devoted to “Interesting Nonfiction for Kids.” The content is thorough and thought-provoking and while more oriented to  teachers, authors and librarians than parents, it’s still a solid resource for titles, interviews and activities.

2.  I.N.K. Think Tank: The blog’s spin-off site is home to a free, comprehensive database that puts you a click or two away from more than 300 nonfiction titles for kids (you just have to register). Search by author, title, subject matter or age group. Very handy!

3.  Sibert Awards: These American Library Association medals are the Newbery and Caldecott’s nonfiction cousin  (I won’t say “bastard” but they unfortunately do not garner as much attention or buzz). Usually representing a mix of age ranges, they honor the best in nonfiction writing for the year. Do peruse the list of Caldecotts, too; with nonfiction picture books becoming more and more artful and daring, they often win big for illustration.

In short, there is much for nonfiction-loving kids to choose from. And that, my friends, is a fact.

Not long ago, I came upon this scene in the children’s section of my Barnes & Noble: a boy, about four years old with hair the color of a baby duck, stood with hands bunched on elastic waist, glowering at the bespectacled bookseller, who looked more than ready for her 15-minute break.

“I like facts!” the little boy yelled up at her.

Now, I don’t know what book recommendation preceded this impassioned declaration or even what title the kid ended up with, as he quickly transferred his red-hot indignation to the arrival of his sister with a baggie full of goldfish crackers. Oddly, though, a week or so later, I heard another boy’s mom trailing the same beleaguered salesperson, explaining, almost apologetically, “He likes books with facts.”

Something about both interludes made me wonder: do we unconsciously regard kids who lean toward nonfiction as, well, a little lacking in imagination? Perhaps it’s because we associate such titles with the cheaply designed snore-fests that dominated the genre when we were kids. Back then, if you weren’t into volcanoes or sharks or “The Guinness Book of World Records,” you were sadly out of luck.

The offerings, however, have changed–big time. Nonfiction picture books now rank among the most entertaining, innovative and artful reads in all of kids’ lit. I actually had a hard time paring down a shortlist of the authors whom I suspect Barnes & Noble boy and his fact-obsessed friends would love. Here are five to start:

1. Nic Bishop: This New Zealand-born photographer reigns as the king of nature picture books. Sort of a David Attenborough for kids, he crisscrosses continents to get some freaking amazing shots: a horned frog scarfing down a mouse, a praying mantis blown up to eight times its actual size, and a bilby (look it up) foraging at night. Yet it’s not just the visuals that dazzle: Bishop culls the best–make that the weirdest–facts. Thanks to his books “Frogs” and “Marsupials,” I now know that half of a frog’s bones are in its feet and a baby koala weans by eating a special green poop his mom excretes.

2. Don Brown: In his delicately illustrated picture book biographies, Brown celebrates folks who follow their obsessions. His titles about little-known, accomplished women (for instance, explorers Alexandra David-Neel in “Far Beyond the Garden Gate” and Mary Kingsley in “Uncommon Traveler”) are particularly inspiring. His dynamic watercolors and way with details also shed new light on such well-covered historical figures as Neil Armstrong, Albert Einstein and Mark Twain.

3. Shana Corey: Corey established herself as a nonfiction writer to watch with the irresistibly titled “You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer!” and has since published several lively picture-book biographies on trailblazing women. Teamed with super-talented illustrator Edwin Fotheringham, she made a splash this year with the gorgeous “Mermaid Queen,” a biography of Australia’s Annette Kellerman, who revolutionized water sports (and bathing suits!) for women in the 1900s.

4. Deborah Hopkinson: This author’s hilarious “Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing His Forgotten Frontier Friend)” combines an obscure story about the 16th president with rambunctious meta-fictive touches (the narrative halts at one point so that readers can clap) to epitomize the ingenuity and edginess of today’s nonfiction. More traditional but equally engaging are Hopkinson’s “A Band of Angels,” a poignant portrait of the Jubilee Singers, a history-making African-American chorus, and “Sky Boys,” the compelling, and surprisingly emotional, story behind the Empire State Building’s construction.

5. Steve Jenkins: Perhaps the most award-winning-est nonfiction author/illustrator you’ve never heard of, Jenkins often grabs major medals (he’s received two Caldecott Honors) for his spectacularly illustrated picture books, largely about the animal world. Featuring his trademark torn-paper collages, the recent titles “Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea” and “Never Smile at a Monkey” are in keeping with his reputation for impeccable research and inspired touches. Prime example: “Down, Down, Down” has this really cool meter on each page that lets readers know how deep they are and the temperature.

Next week: Five more great tellers of true tales and three must-know nonfiction resources for parents …

May you enjoy this month’s picks and may no mini boxes of Good ‘n’ Plenty fall into your trick-or-treat sack.

Spooky Books

1. “Annie Was Warned” by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (ages 4 and up)

2. “The Wolves in the Walls” by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean (ages 4 and up)

3. “Sipping Spiders Through a Straw” written by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Gris Grimly (ages 4 and up, songs)

4. “The Spider and the Fly” written by Mary Howitt, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi (ages 4 and up)

5. “Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich” and “Frankenstein Takes the Cake” by Adam Rex (ages 4 and up, poetry)

6. “The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman (ages 8 to 12)

7. “Familiar and Haunting: Collected Stories” by Philippa Pearce (ages 9 to 12)

8. The “Scary Stories” Series, edited by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (ages 9 to 12)

9. “Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Death and Dementia” written by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Gris Grimly (ages 9 to 12)

10. “Gothic!: Ten Original Dark Tales” edited by Deborah Noyes (young adult)

Picture Books (ages 4 and up)

1. “The Bog Baby” written by Jeanne Lewis, illustrated by Gwen Millward

2. “The Seven Sneezes” written by Olga Cabral, illustrated by Bruce Ingram

3. “Hook” by Ed Young

4. “New York Is English, Chattanooga Is Creek” by Chris Raschka

5. “Adele & Simon” by Barbara McClintock

Easy Readers (ages 6 and up)

1. “Uh-Oh Cleo” series written by Jessica Harper, illustrated by Jon Berkeley

2. “Mouse and Mole” series by Wong Herbert Yee

Middle Grade (ages 9 to 12)

1. “The Storm in the Barn” by Matt Phelan

2. “The Scarecrow and His Servant” by Philip Pullman

3. “The Nine Pound Hammer” by John Claude Bemis

4. “William S. and the Great Escape” by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

5. “Space Race” by Sylvia Waugh

Young Adult (ages 12 and up)

1. “Celine” by Brock Cole

2. “When She Was Good” by Norma Fox Mazer

3. “Hannah” by Kathryn Lasky

4. “Going Bovine” by Libba Bray

5. “Impossible” by Nancy Werlin

Titled “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children’s Book,” the new compilation convenes an accomplished, eclectic bunch—they’d make quite the cocktail party. There’s Tiki Barber (“The Little Engine That Could”), Pete Seeger (“Rolf in the Woods”), Steve Forbes (“The Golden Bible for Children: The New Testament”), Roger Ebert (“The Saturdays”) and Jay Leno (“Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel”).

Major kid-lit luminaries—some of whose books are other contributors’ life-changers—share too: Katherine Paterson pays tribute to “The Secret Garden,” Maurice Sendak, “Harold’s Purple Crayon,” Marc Brown, “Where the Wild Things Are,” and Lois Lowry, “The Yearling.”

And while I’d never think to ask Kathy Bates, there she is, tying Rumer Godden’s 1954 storybook about a Victorian pocket doll, “Impunity Jane,” to an early awareness of feminism.

Several of the person/book match-ups neatly link past to present: submarine designer Robert Ballard plumbs “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea,” while Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniack gives a shout-out to boy engineer Tom Swift. Other picks are straight off the middle-school syllabus: “Johnny Tremain” “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Diary of Young Girl.” Still, depending on who’s doing the immortalizing, even the most passed-around titles feel deeply personal, thanks to the eloquent and thoughtful remembrances.

Here’s novelist Anne Tyler on Virginia Lee Burton’s Caldecott-winning picture book “The Little House,” in which a country cottage finds the big city inching toward her yard:

When I see those words now (and when I hear them, murmuring across the decades in my mother’s voice), I recall the feeling of elderly sorrow that came over me at age four. At age four, listening to ‘The Little House,’ I had a sudden spell … of wisdom, I guess you could say. It seemed I’d been presented with a snapshot that showed me how the world worked: how the years flowed by and people altered and nothing could ever stay the same.

The best entries surprise—not only in their choices (Newbery winner Karen Hesse reveals that all her work goes back to “Horton Hatches the Egg”) but also in how beautifully they capture the unforgettable, often overwhelming feeling of falling in love with a book for the first time. Author Dave Eggers, co-screenwriter of the upcoming “Where the Wild Things Are” movie, describes his feverish introduction to the now rather quaint National Book Award-winning animal fantasy “The Book of the Dun Cow” by Walter Wangerin, Jr.:

That book was such a small thing—a lightweight paperback book—but the power contained within was really startling to me. I had dreams about the book, thought about it constantly. I kept it out of view for some time. Even seeing the cover threw me back into that world again, and the story was too strong to casually stumble upon. Only a book has that power.

In all, I expected more funny write-ups (children’s book scholar Philip Nel takes the prize with his anecdote about pretending to be Flat Stanley in the school cafeteria). And while the contributors are fairly diverse, the books chosen feature mainly white characters, a reflection, most likely, of the publishing times in which the notables grew up. But considering the overall intent of the reference, these are quibbles.

Indeed, you should certainly find a recommendation or two for your reading list. Featuring well-chosen excerpts from each title, as well as a dollop of literary context, Silvey’s fine resource shines a spotlight on many offbeat reads (anyone know “Poppy Ott”? “Emil and the Three Twins”?), as well as some amazing but overlooked children’s book creators (husband-and-wife picture book team Alice and Martin Provensen, for one).

“Everything I Need to Know” groups its books by their effect on readers (“Motivation,” “Inspiration,” “Understanding”)—a nice touch, if you’re looking for a title with a particular track record. And though I suspect that “60 Minutes” anchor Lesley Stahl doesn’t enjoy the same playground cred as Tiki Barber, in some cases you might encourage your child to give a book a try or cast an old favorite in a new light based on whom loved it as a kid.

Kirk Douglas certainly does this for me with his pick, by far the most unexpected in the book: “The Bobbsey Twins.”

Tomorrow, Mr. Scieszka, our very own National Ambassador of Children’s Literature, kicks off what sounds like a rowdy new project called “The Exquisite Corpse Adventure.” Based on the Surrealists’ parlor game with the gruesome name, this latest endeavor from the always inventive “Stinky Cheese Man” author is part of the National Book Festival taking place in Washington, DC, this weekend.

How it works: Scieszka and 17 other big-name kids’ books creators will contribute to an ongoing illustrated tale that will unfurl online over the course of a year (one episode every two weeks). It’s billed as half game, half story, all geared to get kids pumped about reading. The line-up certainly bodes well:

M.T. Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Calef Brown, Susan Cooper, Kate DiCamillo, Timothy Basil Ering, Nikki Grimes, Shannon Hale, Daniel Handler, Steven Kellogg, Gregory Maguire, Megan McDonald, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Linda Sue Park, Katherine Paterson, James Ransome and Chris Van Dusen.

Here’s a link to the first (amusingly spoof-y) installment, written by Scieszka and illustrated by Van Dusen. Good sign: the promise of “several bad knock knock jokes.”

And should your kids walk away inspired, try creating your own illustrated “Corpse.” Imaginations just may come alive …

Illustration: braddock, jago and ghostpatrol

Time for this month’s Library List! Among the highlights: a crop of middle-school books that nail the all-too-memorable milieu. The fraught friendships.  The weird teachers. The messy kisses. The too-short pair of Jordache jeans on the first day of school. (Oh, sorry. I think that last one’s just me …)

Happy reading and, of course, if your kids have a book that they’ve loved recently, let me know at apotter@tiac.net.

Middle-School Marvels

1. Pretty much any title by Andrew Clements

2. “Millicent Min, Girl Genius” by Lisa Yee (and its sequels “Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time” and “So Totally Emily Ebers” )

3. “The Wednesday Wars” by Gary Schmidt

4. “Eleven,” “Twelve” and “Thirteen” by Lauren Myracle

5. “All of the Above” by Shelley Pearsall

6. “Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf” written by Jennifer Holm, illustrated by Elicia Castaldi

7. “The Cat Ate My Gymsuit” by Paula Danziger

8. “Boys Are Dogs” by Leslie Margolis

9. “Maizon at Blue Hill” by Jacqueline Woodson

10. “Luv Ya Bunches” by Lauren Myracle

Picture Books (ages 4 to 8):

1, “Darcy and Gran Don’t Like Babies” written by Jane Cutler, illustrated by Susannah Ryan

2. “Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman With a Great Big Heart” written by Pat Mora, illustrated by Raul Colon

3. “Two Old Potatoes and Me” by John Coy, illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

4. “Veronica” by Roger Duvoisin

5. “Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes” written by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

6. “Everyone Bonjours!” written by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Sarah McMenemy

7. “Timothy and the Strong Pajamas” by Viviane Schwarz

8. “What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!” written by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Easy Readers (ages 6 and up):

1. “The Hinky Pink” written by Megan McDonald, illustrated by Brian Floca

2. “A Birthday for Bear” written by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

3. “Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa” series written by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Verse (ages 4 to 8):

1. “On the Farm” written by David Elliott, illustrated by Holly Meade

2. “Bronzeville Boys and Girls” written by Gwendolyn Brooks, illustrated by Faith Ringgold

3. “Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary” written by Julie Larios, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Middle Grade (ages 9 to 12):

1. “Remembering Mrs. Rossi” by Amy Hest

2. “Mean Margaret” by Tor Seidler

3. “The Cabinet of Wonders” by Marie Rutkoski

4. “The London Eye Mystery” by Siobhan Dowd

5. “Lost Boy” by Linda Newbery

6. The “Missing” series by Margot Peterson Haddix

7. “My Dad’s a Birdman” written by David Almond, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

8. “Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit” by Nahoko Uehashi

Young Adult (ages 12 and up):

1. “Sophomore Switch” by Abby McDonald

2. “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang

3. “How I Live Now” by Meg Rosoff

4. “Jellicoe Road” by Melina Marchetta

5. “King of the Screwups” by K.L. Going