According to the ALSC website, the Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. These award winning books have been recognized for their ability to engage children and make reading fun and enjoyable. I highlighted some of my son and I's favorite picks below.
Keller, Laurie (2016). We are Growing! New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.
In this 2017 Geisel Medal winning book, we see that watching grass grow can be pretty entertaining. In the book, we find Walt and his fellow blades of grass discovering what they are the "-est" at. While all his friends explore their unique traits, Walt can't seem to figure out what he's the best at. With the guidance of his friends and a lawnmower, Walt finds he is unique after all.
I read this charming book to the toughest critic I know, my 2 year old son. He was engaged and delighted throughout the whole reading, just as I was. We both loved the goofy and lovable characters. I found the action words to be very entertaining to my son while reading and the illustrations were so much fun to look at. I can't wait to discover more works by this author.
To see more picture books from this author, visit lauriekeller.com.
Pizzoli, Greg (2016). Good Night Owl. New York, NY: Disney-Hyperion.
Owl is snug in his bed and ready for a peaceful night's sleep when an unpleasant noise disturbs him. He is determined to find the source of this disturbance and will do just about anything to get rid of it, even at the expense of his home!
I found this book to be delightful and quite funny. My son loved the mouse and wanted to "squeek" right along with him. I highly recommend reading this gem to toddlers and early elementary students.
For a preview of this book:
Book Trailer for Good Night Owl
Willems, Mo (2012). Let's Go for a Drive! New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.
This 2012 Honor Book winner is from Willems' Elephant & Piggie series. In it, we find Gerald and Piggie ready to hit the road but not before they have all the items needed for the perfect road trip. Even though they forget one VERY important item, they don't let it get in the way of having fun together.
I really enjoyed this book and found it to be so much fun to read to my son. We especially loved when the singsongy parts appeared in the book. My son immediately wanted me to read it to him again as soon as we finished it, which is rather rare with his limited attention span. This is a testament to how engaging this book is to young children. I highly recommend this book for toddlers to elementary aged children.
To see the complete Elephant & Piggie series, visit the official website.
BallSullivan, Mary (2013). Ball. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Children.
Ball tells the story of an adorable dog who simply wants to play with his favorite toy, his beloved ball. Once his best friend leaves for school, the dog sets out to find a new playmate but finds his imagination is the only real substitute.
At first glance, I was unsure if a book using only one word over and over again would capture my son's attention. I found this to be an unexpected pleasure to read, using different inflections while repeating the only word in the book, ball. It was a fun read and great for new readers.
To see more of Mary Sullivan's work, visit her official website.
King, Anna (2015). You Are (Not) Small. New York, NY: Two Lions.
In this delightful and charming book, two bear-like creatures argue with one another about who is big and who is small, only to find out that maybe they aren't seeing the the whole picture.
I found this book to be a great resource when teaching little ones about differences among all types of people. While my son may be too young to grasp the message of the book, I believe elementary aged students will enjoy the cute creatures and gain a valuable lesson from this book.
Visit annakang.com to see more of her works.
Long, Ethan (2012). Up, Tall and High. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
This 2013 Geisel Award winning book centers around three colorful and spirited birds. In the book, the birds demonstrate the concept of its titular words, up, tall, and high while using fun pull up flaps.
The silly nature of this book really appealed to my son. This book was also a fun way to teach young children about the opposites, using the examples of up and down, tall and short, and low and high. My son found the pull up flaps to be quite captivating and engaging. I highly recommend this for small children and beginning readers.
For more works from Ethan Long, visit his official website.
Litwin, Eric (2012). Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
In this installation from the Pete the Cat Series, created by illustrator James Dean, we find Pete loving his new shirt, especially his "four groovy buttons". As each button pops off, Pete's cool as a cucumber demeanor aids him in just walking along and singing his song.
I love how music is infused in this book, even giving you a link to download a free song. My son loves music so when I sing about the four buttons my son is bobbing his head right along with me. I also appreciate how Pete handles stressful situations with a cool head and an optimistic attitude. This book would be ideal for any age of elementary student.
To learn more about Pete the Cat, visit petethecatbooks.com.
Milgrim, David (2016). Go, Otto, Go! New York, NY: Simon Spotlight.
In this 2017 Geisel Honor winner, we find Otto the robot missing his family in outer space. Using his resourcefulness, Otto assembles a homemade rocket and attempts to take off into space to see his loved ones. Although things don't go as planned, Otto sees that he has his own special family here on earth.
This was the first book I've read in The Adventures of Otto series and I quite enjoyed it. Otto is a lovable character who demonstrates inventiveness and ingenuity when trying to solve a problem, which is a great quality to instill in children. Early readers will really enjoy this.
To find more The Adventures of Otto books, visit The Adventures of Otto.
To find more The Adventures of Otto books, visit The Adventures of Otto.
Grant, Judyann (2008) Chicken Said, "Cluck!". New York, NY: HarperCollins.
In this 2009 winner, Earl and Pearl set out to plant some pumpkins. They become annoyed by their pet chicken's incessant scratching at the newly planted pumpkin seeds and set out to "shoo" the chicken from their garden. The chicken stays put but this turns out to be fortunate for them as the chicken becomes a hero for "shooing" away some pesky grasshoppers who are trying to eat their pumpkins.
The repetitive nature of the book makes it fun and easy to read. My son especially loved imitating the chicken's cluck. Elementary age students will enjoy practicing their reading skills with this book.
This book is part of the "I Can Read" series of books. To learn more about these books, go to icanread.com.
First the EggSeeger, Laura (2007). First the Egg. New York, NY: Roaring Brook.
In this book, the author uses the adage of the chicken and the egg to present us with the cyclical nature of the world. Through beautiful illustrations and clever cutouts this book demonstrates the process of transformation.
My son really enjoyed the simplicity of this book and had fun discovering all the hidden gems in the cutouts. Very young readers will find this book to be especially engaging.
Visit Laura Seeger's website to see more books from her.
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