Books in New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books series

With his trademark colorful and compelling images of animals both familiar and exotic, acclaimed British illustrator, Christopher Wormell, brings a uniquely artful point of view to the traditional counting book. Wormell's inventive approach to illustrating the numbers from 1 to 20 highlights intriguing parts, behaviors, or features of specific animals, rather than simply increasing the numbers of the animals themselves. This new perspective presents an opportunity for further parent-child exploration of the animal-How many legs does the camel have? What color is the ladybug?-in keeping with the current trend toward interdisciplinary education for the very young.

When I was born,the first thing my mama told mewas my name.Lucy remembers lots of things about her name. When she was two, Uncle David painted it on her step stool. When she was three, she scribbled it on the floor with an orange crayon. When she was four, she ate her very own plate of L-U-C-Y pancakes, one letter at a time. Lucy is seven now. She can reach the sink without a stool, and she doesn't write on the floor anymore. But her name still goes with her everywhere. Lucy loves her name--and she loves Mama and Dad, who chose it just for her.

"Terrific," says Eugene, after winning an all-expenses-paid vacation in Bermuda. "I'll probably get a really nasty sunburn." Unfortunately, Eugene's luck is a lot worse than that. First, his cruise ship sinks, then he ends up stranded on a tiny island. But Eugene isn't alone. There's another castaway, a parrot with a busted wing, who tells him what there is to eat and drink and how to build a sailboat. Cranky Eugene pays attention, and now his luck begins to change.

And, as Carmine takes off on her bicycle with Rufus, that is just what she intends to do. But Carmine is a dreamy painter, always in search of capturing just the right hue in her drawings, and this drawing—the one she begins in a lovely forest clearing just off the path to Granny’s—must be her best yet. Here is a new, lively retelling of a timeless tale with enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing until the very end.

Fifty years after its first publication in book form, Dylan Thomas's timeless prose poem is echoed by the rolling, evocative images of Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka — a beautiful gift for book lovers.Bring out the tall tales now that we told by the fire as the gaslight bubbled like a diver. . . .There are always Uncles at Christmas. And Aunts, of course, who might sing a little loudly after dinner. There are the neighborhood cats "sleek and long as jaguars and horrible-whiskered," the carols to sing at eerie houses, the Useful Presents and the Useless Presents, and the endless snow "shawling out of the ground." First published in HARPER'S BAZAAR some fifty years ago, A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES showcases Dylan Thomas's genius for language and remains the poet's most popular prose work in the United States. Chris Raschka's fluid torn-paper illustrations honor the poet's words, evoking their musical cadences and bringing us a fresh appreciation for this most lyric work.

A joyous celebration of the young and young-at-heartTonight’s a special night. Robert is going to his first grownup party – a birthday celebration for Great-Gran Sadie, who is one hundred years old. Robert is so excited he feels like a firecracker about to go off. But once he arrives at the party, it’s hard to remember what to do when. “Don’t do that!” says Grandpa Jack. “Don’t do that!” says Uncle Phil. “Don’t do that!” says Cousin Sidney. But what will Great-Gran Sadie say?How Robert discovers an unexpected kindred spirit comes to life in whimsical pictures that perfectly capture what it’s like to be small in a world of adults. This is one party no one will ever forget.

A New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s BookA New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s BookBrewster is excited about starting first grade . . . until Mama announces that he'll be attending Central—a school in the white part of town. Mama says they have art and music and a library bursting with books, but Brewster isn't so sure he'll fit in.Being black at a white school isn't easy, and Brewster winds up spending his first day in detention at the library. But there he meets a very special person: Miss O'Grady. The librarian sees into Brewster's heart and gives him not only the gift of books but also the ability to believe in himself.This powerful and tender story of desegregation in the 1970s introduces readers to the brave young heroes who helped to build a new world.

Who says a little chick can’t make big, loud animal noises?Most little chicks barely make a peep, but not this little chick! While his brothers and sisters nestle close to their mother hen, this little chick struts off on his own to make some new friends in the farmyard. And he has a wonderful time of it - sliding off the back of a shiny pink pig, hopping along with frogs, skipping with a flock of frisky sheep, and imitating all the sounds these animals make. Full of playful detail, John Lawrence’s bold, energetic engravings will keep toddlers smiling, long after the oinking, mooing, baaing, and quacking are over.

Charlotte is different from all the other sheep. She likes to explore the world around her, climbing up trees and wandering near the dangerous road while the wary old sheep “tsk, tsk.” But when danger strikes, only Charlotte is brave enough to go for help and save the day. This beautifully illustrated tale speaks to all shy little sheep who stand out from the crowd and aren’t afraid to follow their dreams.