Best children’s books of 2011

Best Books

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  "Bumble-Ardy" by Maurice Sendak

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  "The Chronicles of Harris Burdick" by Chris Van Allsburg

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  "Edwin Speaks Up" by April Stevens and Sophie Blackall

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  "Grandpa Green" by Lane Smith

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  "I Spy with My Little Eye" by Edward Gibbs

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  "Love, Mouserella" by David Ezra Stein

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  "One Moon, Two Cats" by Laura Godwin

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  "R My Name is Rachel" by Patricia Reilly Giff

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  "Wonderstruck" by Brian Selznick

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  "The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse" by Eric Carle

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"Bumble-Ardy" by Maurice Sendak

AGES 6 MONTHS–3 YEARS

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle (Philomel, $18)
Master storybook artist Eric Carle’s latest celebrates German painter Franz Marc’s blue horses. It also taps in to the unique spiritual authority of artists and children, who can, and in fact must, paint things the way they wish, and in any darn color they please.

I Spy with My Little Eye by Edward Gibbs (Templar Books, $15)
This oversize picture book is an insta-classic for its simplicity, evocative animal illustrations and a built-in suspense that makes tots excited to turn the page. A die-cut hole gives them a glimpse of the color of the critter on the next page (say, white), plus a handful of hints (such as “I live in the Arctic”) with which to make an educated guess.

One Moon Two Cats by Laura Godwin; illustrated by Yokoo Tanaka (Atheneum Books, $17)
Simple rhyming couplets and sumptuous illustrations tell the charming tale of two cats, one in the country and one in the city, whose journeys begin when the sun goes down and end when their human families are waking up.

AGES 4–6 YEARS

Bumble-Ardy by Maurice Sendak (Michael di Capua Books, $18)
Maurice Sendak’s first children’s book in 30 years, about an eight-year-old pig who’s been denied birthday parties all his life, builds in momentum like his iconic masterpiece, Where the Wild Things Are. Sendak’s drawings are, amazingly, better than ever.

Edwin Speaks Up by April Stevens and Sophie Blackall (Schwartz & Wade, $18)
Whimsical illustrations by Sophie Blackall accompany April Stevens’s hilarious tale about an animal clan’s accident-prone trip to the grocery store to get the makings of a birthday cake for baby Erwin. Little does anyone know he’s the sharpest—and most communicative—one in the family.

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (Roaring Brook Press, $17)
Caldecott Honor winner Lane Smith has created a moving ode to the life cycle with Grandpa Green, the story of a kind-hearted, horticulture-loving old man whose mind is not what it used to be. The story’s author-cum-memory is his adoring, imaginative great-grandson.

Love, Mouserella by David Ezra Stein (Nancy Paulsen Books, $16)
The entirety of Stein’s touching book is a letter written by little Mouserella to her Grandmouse, who recently returned home after a visit. Mouserella chronicles her day-to-day adventures endearingly, championing snail mail with aplomb.

AGES 7–10 YEARS

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: 14 Amazing Authors Tell the Tales by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin, $25)
Fourteen illustrious children’s book authors, among them Louis Sachar and Lois Lowry, joined forces to write stories spun from the artwork found in Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, much beloved for its open-ended invitation to daydream outcomes.

R My Name Is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff (Wendy Lamb Books, $16)
This Depression era–set book grapples with the uncertainty and tough times of a 12-year-old city kid who’s suddenly caring for her younger siblings on a farm while her dad looks for work. Rachel’s fears and her courage make for a gripping dose of inspiration.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, $30)
The second novel by Brian Selznick uses the processes of his first, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, to tell two parallel stories, one in words, about a boy who’s lost his mom, and the other, about the plight of a deaf girl, only in beautifully rendered images. The plot lines arc and intersect to reveal a poignant surprise.