I’ve read hundreds of picture books this past year! My main goal was to discover the newest published picture books and share the ones I liked with an audience of teachers, parents, and anyone who reads to children. I feel so fortunate to have read and learned from over 360 books! Of course, as I read, I would stop and think ‘I love this book’. I would close my eyes and imagine reading it again to my granddaughters or to a room full of uplifted faces. Some books touched my heart, some tickled my funny bone, and some simply wormed their way into my mind and wouldn’t let go! These are the books I added to my list of mentor texts to inform my own writing.
Not using any specific criteria, these became my top picks for 2015. Below are my Fifteen Faves of Twenty Fifteen listed alphabetically (by title). You can click on the title of each book to read my summary of the story and see the activities I chose to go with each book.
Bear and Bunny by Daniel Pinkwater and Will Hillenbrand
The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond
I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney
Leo, A Ghost Story by Marc Barnett and Christian Robinson
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds and Matt Davies
The Peddler’s Bed by Lauri Fortino and Bong Redila
A Rock Can Be… by Laura Purdie Salas and Violeta Dabija
Seaver the Weaver by Paul Czajak and The Brothers Hilts
Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld
Those Pesky Rabbits by Ciara Flood
Yard Sale by Eve Bunting and Lauren Castillo
*****
And just because 15 is too hard to choose… here are the 5 runner ups making my list Twenty Fifteen!
Ketzel, The Cat Who Composed by Leslea Newman and Amy June Bates
Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats by Alicia Potter and Brigitta Sif
One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck and Yasmeen Ismail
Soon by Timothy Knapman and Patrick Benson
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder and Julie Morstad
Juliana Lee 