 Roots
and Blues: A Celebration
by Arnold Adoff, R. Gregory Christie
Ages 8–12
Poems, poetic prose, and vibrant
paintings honor the legacy of blues music, from the
slave ships, to plantation fields, to chain gang labor,
to the energy of the juke joints. Words and illustrations
work together to portray the pain and misery and memories
and hope that was transformed by rhythm and harmony
into the music called the blues. |
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 Odetta:
The Queen of Folk
by Stephen Alcorn
Ages 8–12
This accessible biography introduces
young readers to the influential folk singer who began
to sing in childhood and never stopped. Blessed with
a magnificent voice, Odetta uses her talents to inspire
others to support the civil rights movement. Lyrical
text and rich paintings tell the story of the queen
of folk music. |
|
 The
Nutcracker
adapted by AnnMarie Anderson,
illustrated by Alison Jay
Ages 4–8
On Christmas Eve, Clara and her
enchanted toys enjoy themselves in a dreamland full of
sweets. Based on the Balanchine staging of the ballet,
this retelling of the classic tale features an abbreviated
storyline and delicate crackle-varnish oil paintings.
Perfect for reading aloud, children will enjoy the tiny
details featured in each scene. |
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 Our
Abe Lincoln
by Jim Aylesworth
Ages 4–8
The simple text of this biography
is adapted by a popular song during Lincoln’s presidential
campaigns, and can be sung to the tune of “The
Old Grey Mare.” The charming and detailed illustrations
will enchant children as they sing along. |
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 Chasing
Vermeer
by Blue Balliett
Ages 9–12
Petra and Calder, two bright
sixth-graders, join together to find a missing Vermeer
painting. This mystery sends them on a quest full of
patterns, puzzles, as they investigate the meaning of
art. (1st in series) |
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 The
Wright 3
by Blue Balliett
Ages 9–12
Sixth-graders Petra and Calder
are joined by Tommy in this architectural mystery as
they try to prevent the destruction that threatens Frank
Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. (2nd in series) |
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 The
Calder Game
by Blue Balliett
Ages 9–12
Now in 7th grade, series heroes
Petra, Tommy, and Calder participate in the Calder Game,
trying to join five ideas or things that move in relationship
to each other. This provocative mix of mystery, art concepts,
and philosophy will appeal to motivated readers. (3rd
in series) |
|
 Alicia
Alonso: Prima Ballerina
by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, Raul
Colon
Ages 10–up
This biography in free verse
tells the story of Alicia Alonso, the famous Cuban
ballerina. From her childhood, to her climb to achieve
the rank of prima ballerina, and her fight to keep
dancing when she begins to lose her sight, Alicia’s
grace and strength are celebrated. The physical trials
of ballet dancing, and Alicia’s complex relationship
with the Cuban government give this biography depth. |
|
 Masterpiece
by Elise Broach, Kelly Murphy
Ages 8–12
Two very different families share a
Manhattan apartment. Marvin the beetle follows his family’s
rules about staying hidden from the humans, though he worries
that the human family does not appreciate their 11-year-old
son James. Tempted by the pen and ink set James receives for
his birthday, Martin draws an intricate picture for James and
then reveals himself as the artist. Before James can hide the
drawing, his parents have discovered it and proclaim him a
talented artist. Soon a museum curator is asking James to forge
a Dürer miniature to catch a thief. The fast moving story
and wonderfully detailed drawings will captivate young readers. |
|
 Ashley
Bryan: Words to My Life’s Song
by Ashley Bryan
All Ages
This powerful autobiography
tells a story of a creative life. Illustrations and
memories show a boy finding art materials during the
Depression, storing art supplies in his gas mask during
WWII, losing an art scholarship because of his race,
and an award-winning art career. A book for parents
and children to enjoy together, this book will inspire
artists of all ages. |
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 The
Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
by Eric Carle
Ages 4–8
The artist in this book paints
the world as he sees it: a blue horse, a red crocodile.
As the book progresses, the animals move further away
from reality: a polka-dot donkey. This homage to Franz
Marc, whose work was banned by the Nazis, celebrates
the joy of using one’s creative powers. A short afterward
includes details about Franz Marc’s life. |
|
 Yellow
Square:
A
Pop-up Book for Children of All Ages
by David A. Carter
Ages 3–up
A yellow square hides in plain
sight, or within the paper engineering on each page,
encouraging readers of all ages to explore the modern
art inspired pages. |
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 The
Big Book for Little Hands
by Marie-Pascale Cocagne
Ages 3–6
This engaging activity book reinforces
educational concepts as young artists color and complete
the illustrations. |
|
 A
Nest for Celeste
A
Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home
by Henry Cole
Ages 8–12
Celeste, a quiet mouse who weaves
baskets from grass, forages for food in Oakley Plantation
near New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1821. Tormented by rats
and chased by a cat, she is rescued by Joseph, the young
assistant to John James Audubon. Joseph carries Celeste
in his pocket as he helps Audubon find plants and birds
to serve as models for their illustrations. Beautifully
natural pencil drawings capture Celeste’s bravery, resourcefulness,
and overwhelming need for a home to call her own. A compelling
mix of fantasy and fact, this book full of art captures
the nature of art and artists. Audubon’s time-appropriate
habit of hiring hunters to shoot the birds he paints may
be unsettling for modern readers. |
|
 Cool
Daddy Rat
by Kristyn Crow
Ages 3–up
Bass player Cool Daddy Rat heads
out to perfrom in the big city and his son Ace comes
along in this tribute to jazz. Scat lines are delicious
to read aloud. |
|
 The
Girl Who Wanted to Dance
by Amy Ehrlich
Ages 6–10
Clara, who longs to dance,
lives with her sad father and loving grandmother who
tells her that her absent mother also loved music and
dance. When a traveling dance troupe visits the village,
Clara’s father recognizes Clara’s mother, and forgives
her for leaving the family. This haunting fairy tale
compassionately addresses the irresistible artistic
urge and the pain of those left behind.
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|
 Miss
Etta and Dr. Claribel: Bringing Matisse to America
by Susan Fillion
Ages 10–up
Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel
Cone were two unmarried sisters from Baltimore who
fell in love with modern art in Paris. The two sisters,
encouraged Leo Stein, supported beginning artists like
Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, bought their paintings,
and brought them back to America. Without professional
advice or counsel, trusting their eyes and instincts,
the two sisters concentrate on the avant-garde. Few
were aware of the extent of their collection until
Etta published a catalog in 1934, revealing one of
the foremost collections of Matisse’s work in the world,
bequeathed to The Baltimore Museum of Art in 1949.
This touching story is lavishly illustrated with reproductions
of the Cone Collection and the colorful Matisse-inspired
paintings by the author. |
|
 Ballet
for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring
by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan,
Brian Floca
Ages 6–10
This inspired book manages
to capture the excitement of dance, music, and stage
design while celebrating the collaboration between
dancer Martha Graham, composer Aaron Cop,and, and
set designer Isamu Noguchi. The book follows the
creation of a ballet from Martha’s original idea
to the opening night, highlighting the vital contributions
from each of the artists. |
|
 Canadian
Railroad Trilogy
by Gordon Lightfoot, Ian Wallace
Ages 4–up
The lyrics of Lightfoot’s 1967
song describe the construction of the transcontinental
Canadian Pacific Railway, commissioned to mark Canada’s
Centennial. Wallace’s beautiful paintings celebrate
the Canada’s natural beauty while also illustrating
the damage to First Nation people and the hardships
of those who toiled to build the railroad. Many paintings
show the railway in detail, while others focus on the
history and settlement of Canada. |
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|
 Color
Magic Sticker Play Book
by Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ages 4–8
More than 2000 red, blue, and
yellow translucent stickers in various geometric shapes
encourage children to experiment with color and the shapes
that make up the world around us. The reusable stickers
easily peel away from the laminated pages, making it
simple to create new masterpieces. |
|
 Swing
Café
by Carl Norac, Rebecca Dautremer
Ages 4–8
A Brazilian cricket named Zaz
dreams of singing in New York City. She rides a woman’s
fruit decorated hat from Brazil to Manhattan, where
she meets a local fly named Buster who takes Zaz to
the Swing Café on East 54th Street where they dance
to glorious swing music. The accompanying CD includes
a narration of the book with snippets of 1930s jazz
songs, plus seven complete classic swing songs by Ella
Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Fats Waller,
and more. |
|
 Skit-Scat
Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
by Roxane Orgill, Sean Qualls
Ages 5–up
This stylish biography begins
with the child Ella dancing to her mother’s records,
and ends with her first big job with the Chick Webb
Band in Harlem in 1921. Orphaned at 14, Ella lived
for a time in an abusive orphanage and then on the
streets, singing and dancing for money. Judged not
pretty enough to be a singer, the determined Ella believed
in her own talent and refused to be discouraged. Richly
colored illustrations capture the spirit a poor young
girl chasing her dream of becoming a jazz singer in
this frank, yet not frightening, biography. |
|
 The
Carnival of the Animals
by Jack Prelutsky, Mary GrandPré
Ages 6–12
The animals are having a carnival,
and each arriving guest is celebrated with both music
and words in this book designed to introduce children
to classical music. New poems by Jack Prelutsky can
be enjoyed both by reading the book with exuberant
illustrations by Mary GrandPré, and by listening to
the accompanying CD, featuring the Württemberg
Chamber Orchestra performing the suite by Camille Saint-Saens
as Prelutsky reads the poems, which perfectly capture
the essence of each animal featured in the movements
of the music. |
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 Duck!
Rabbit!
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Tom Lichtenheld
Ages 3–8
This clever book uses a simple
version of the classic optical illusion that can look
like either a duck or a rabbit, depending on your perspective.
As the background details change, snappy dialog, that
begs to be read, aloud argues for both creatures, encouraging
young readers to also take sides. |
|
 For
the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart
by Elizabeth Rusch, Lou Fancher,
Steve Johnson
Ages 4–8
Maria Anna Mozart, Wolfgang’s
older sister, was also a musical prodigy and one
of the most accomplished pianists of her time. As
children, Maria and Wolfgang played recitals all
over Europe, but as they grew older Maria was told
she must marry and have a family while Wolfgang was
encouraged to pursue his musical gifts. This biography
is organized into the structure of a piano sonata,
from First Movement to Finale underscoring the love
of music that bound these two siblings together. |
|
 Gallop!
by Rufus Butler Seder
Ages 4–8
Inventor, artist, and filmmaker Seder
has created Scanimation, a new animation technique. A hidden
tab in each page slides an acetate layer over an animal image,
creating the illusion of motion reminicent of Eadweard Muybridge’s
motion photography. Rhyming text accompanies each animated
image on this fascinating picture book. |
|
 Swing!
by Rufus Butler Seder
Ages 4–8
Seder’s amazing Scanimation technology
animates various activities: hitting a baseball, riding a bike,
spinning on the ice. Rhyming text captures in words the energy
of the moving images. |
|
 And
Picasso Painted Guernica
by Alain Serres
Ages 9–12
This beautifully illustrated
book begins with seven-year-old Picasso painting doves,
and then highlights his new ways of seeing and painting.
The horrifying German bombing of the people of Guernica
inspired Picasso to paint the massive Guernica in 1937
as a protest against the bombing of defenseless civilians,
and against the brutality of war everywhere. Both the
steps of creating the huge painting and the elements
that compose it are thoroughly explored in this tribute
to the transformative power of art. |
|
 The
Composer Is Dead
by Lemony Snicket, Carson Ellis
Ages 5–up
This introduction to the instruments
of the orchestra is cloaked in a murder investigation. When
the composer is found dead (“This is called decomposing.”),
the Inspector begins interrogating the sections of the orchestra.
The accompanying CD features Snicket (Daniel Handler) narrating
the performance with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra of
Nathaniel Stookey’s original score. A national tour begins
March 7, 2009, in New York City. |
|
 All
God’s Critters
by Bill Staines, Kadir Nelson
Ages 5–8
Kadir Nelson’s playful illustrations
enliven this energetic spiritual. The song’s message
of tolerance encourages everyone to sing along—and
everyone can thanks to the sheet music included at
the end of the book. |
|
 Somebody
Everybody Listens To
by Suzanne Supplee
Ages 12–up
Encouraged by her best friend
and biggest fan, recent high school graduate Retta Lee
Jones sets off to Nashville to make her name in country
music. Living in the car she borrowed from her grandmother,
Retta tries to make her hard-earned waitressing money
last as long as possible as she searches for a way to
break into the completive music scene. Biographical notes
about other music stars who overcame great odds to become
successful introduce each chapter, giving Retta (and
readers) hope that dreams can come true. |
|
 The
Last Train
by Gordon M. Titcomb, Wendell
Minor
Ages 3–8
Based on Gordon Titcomb’s
2005 song, this book celebrates the golden age
of railway travel. Wendell Minor’s glowing and
detailed paintings show the narrator as a young
boy, walking along the tracks in a misty haze.
The lyrics of the text evoke the sounds and tempos
of trains traveling the rails: “If you close
your eyes and listen, you can almost hear the sound,
of those big iron horses, rolling into town.” |
|
 The
Game of Mix-Up Art
by Hervé Tullet
Ages 3–up
This innovative board book
allows young readers to create their own paintings
by turning page flaps. Designed to stimulate busy little
minds and fingers, each page is divided into three
sections, encouraging the creation of mix-and-match
colorful abstract paintings with designs of polka dots,
splotches, swirls, etc. This stylish and clever book
is part of a series of board books that includes The
Game of Mix and Match, The
Game of Patterns, The
Game of Let’s Go, The
Game of Light, and The
Game of Finger Worms. |
|
 Art & Max
by David Wiesner
Ages 5–8
Art, a desert lizard, is a painter
of portraits. When his friend Max decides to also become a
painter, he asks Art what he should paint. Art suggests that
Max paint him, and the literal-minded Max begins applying paint
directly to Art’s scaly skin. When Art’s painted exterior explodes
during a temper tantrum, Max attempts to reconstruct him with
unexpected consequences. The expressive illustrations highlight
the feisty friendship in this humorous exploration of the creative
process. |
|
 Jazz
Age Josephine
by Jonah Winter, Marjorie Priceman
Ages 4–8
This accessible biography of
Josephine Baker uses the rhythms of blues and jazz
to tell the story of the famous singer and dancer.
Beginning with her impoverished childhood dancing for
money on the streets of St. Louis we follow Josephine
to her big break as a chorus line dancer in New York
and to her fame in Paris as the American icon of the
Jazz Age. |
|
 Paris
in the Spring with Picasso
by Joan Yolleck, Marjorie Priceman
Ages 4–8
It’s spring in Paris and Gertrude
Stein and Alice B. Toklas prepare for an evening party
for their friends Pablo Picasso, Max Jacob, Apollinaire,
and others. Marjorie Priceman’s exuberant illustrations
beautifully complement the text presenting a normal
day in the lives of creative people as Picasso paints,
Stein reads, and Jacob writes a poem. |
|
 The
House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China
by Ed Young
All ages
This picture book memoir begins
in 1931, when Ed was born and the crash of the stock
market has brought turmoil to China. Baba, Ed’s father,
convinces a landowner in Shanghai to let him build a
huge brick house on his land. Baba promises to return
the house after 20 years, long enough to see his family
safely through the troubled times. Safe inside the house,
Ed grows up surrounded by his extended family and friends,
using his imagination to transform chairs into horses
and the roof into a roller skating rink, while raising
silkworms and training fighting crickets. |
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