Top 10 Picture Books of 2011

This took longer than expected. As I mentioned in my last post, selections this year were hard. In addition, I discovered I needed to segregate picture books for little kids (babies, toddlers, preschoolers) from those for school-age children. While some books could overlap between the two age groups, there was no way for me to compile a fair list if I lumped them all into one group. For books where I couldn’t find an age listing, I put them where I felt they fit best. I’ll start off with my Top 10 for the youngest category and then list the Top 10 in the older category.

Top 10 Picture Books for Preschoolers and under

• Ricky’s Christmas Tree by Guido van Genechten
• A Cat’s Alphabet Book by Sally O. Lee
• My Daddy by Guido van Genechten
• Going to the Beach with Lily and Milo and Going to the Zoo with Lily and Milo by Pauline Oud (I reviewed these together, so I am counting them as one.)
• One Little Blueberry by Tammi Salzano
• Oops! by Leo Timmers
• 1-2-3- Count with Me and A is for Apple by Georgie Burkett (Again, I reviewed these together and count them as one.)
• Ricky is Brave by Guido van Genechten
• Thankyouplease by Pierre Winters and Barbara Ortelli
• Ian’s New Potty by Pauline Oud

There are repeat names on this list, but I felt these authors and publishers truly knew how to create books attractive to this market.

Top 10 Books of 2011 for Ages 3 and up

• A Dog is A Dog by Stephen Shaskan
• My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister
• Will & Kate: A Love Story by Ink Robin
• Sea Monster’s First Day by Kate Messner
• The Butt Book by Artie Bennett
• Not Fat Because I Wanna Be by LaNiyah Bailey
• The Dancing Clock by Steve Metzger
• Humbug, A Christmas Carol by Lee Baker
• My Name is Not Alexander by Jennifer Fosberry
• Fifo “50 States” by Hayley Rose

Honorable Mentions

• A Christmas Secret by Candace Hall
• Frederico, The Mouse Violinist by Mayra Calvani
• The Ice Cream King by Steve Metzger
• Marta’s Gargantuan Wings by J. Aday Kennedy
• Every-Day Dress-Up by Selina Alko
• Freckleface Strawberry Best Friends Forever by Julianne Moore
• Limelight Larry by Leigh Hodgkinson
• Don’t Worry Douglas! by David Melling
• Cinderfella and the Furry Godmother by Dixie Phillips
• Tumbleweed Christmas by Beverly Stowe McClure
• Secret Service Saint by Janet Ann Collins
• Seven Miles to Freedom by Janet Halfmann 

My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAllister

Every once in a while you come across a book that depicts what every kid is thinking. My Mom Has X-Ray Vision by Angela McAlliser is definitely one of those books!

Matthew’s mom is just like all the other moms with her ordinary hair and clothes. She’s just like all the other moms, except that Matthew is fairly certain that she has X-ray vision. How else could she always know what Matthew was doing, even if she’s downstairs or in another room? He’s pretty sure she’s some kind of superhero, and one day, he decides to find out if he’s right.

Oh my goodness, this is the best book. The Lil Princess (7) and I loved it! As a kid, weren’t you sure your mom had these special powers that allowed her to see everything you were doing? Well, McAllister took every kid’s nightmare and turned it into a zany book where a young boy is convinced his ordinary mom must have X-ray vision to know he’s jumping on his bed when she is in the living room and to know he is using her saucepans in the yard when she is still in the kitchen.

Even the artwork for this book is a bit outrageous. Alex T. Smith, who also illustrated Home (another of my favorite tiger tales books), does a stupendous job with My Mom Has X-Ray Vision. He captures Matthew’s imaginary adventures–which his mom always seems to know about by seeing through the walls–with an element of silliness and fun.

Boys and girls alike will be drawn to this one.  My daughter and I will definitely be reading My Mom Has X-Ray Vision again soon.

Rating:  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

• Publisher:Tiger Tales
• ISBN-10:9781589254282
• ISBN-13: 978-1589254282
• SRP:  $15.95 hardcover, $7.95 paperback

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