From: WMMayes at aol.com <WMMayes>
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 00:59:44 EST

I do a bunch of presentations in the fall for adults with a big handout and me trying to talk about 75 books in 90 minutes. From that list, here are what I feel are the best of the best for 2001:

Larky Mavis is my favorite book of the year and my pick for the Caldecott. Whimsical, endearing, thought provoking, and a little bit odd, here is one of the most moving and profound books I have ever read. A more straightforward story, perhaps, than We Are All In The Dumps With Jack and Guy, Sendak???s great misunderstood book about caring for all our children, but the same themes of compassion and outcasts making their own community resonate deeply within both works. This would also be a fascinating picture book to use in contrast with Skellig, the angel angle being a potential source of tremendous discussion. You need to look closely at the pictures, perhaps requiring multiple readings, to appreciate the depth of Cole???s storytelling mastery, and there are more questions raised than answered, which I think makes the book all the richer. Who are the three children who join Mavis during the story? Their silent presence is the only support offered her as she raises her "child." Children respond to them immediately when I share this book with them, and when I read the book aloud, the words "LET GO MY MA!" bring gasps from adults and children alike. A timeless masterpiece.

Goodbye Mousie by Robie Harris and Jan Ormerod Harris understanding of children is well known???her It???s Perfectly Normal is arguably the best book for children on the subject of sex. Here she shows an even greater sensitivity as she trods the well-worn territory of that first picture book on death and loss. Combined with Ormerod???s gentle illustrations, which show as great an understanding of a young child???s feelings and responses as the text, this is as good, honest, and straightforward a look at the topic as I have ever seen.


To & Fro, Fast & Slow by Durga Bernhard A strong look at the role of place and time and how it affects a young girl going through her parents??? divorce. The text is very simple, using only opposites, but the outstanding art and design show the differences between life with Dad and life with Mom. An excellent book for children of divorce.

Other Best Books (Picture Books):

Pieces: A Year in Poems & Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs by Alan Katz and David Catrow Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming What Pete Ate From A to Z by Maira Kalman Fannie in the Kitchen by Deborah Hopkinson and Nancy Carpenter Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles and Jerome Lagarrigue Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks Arachne Speaks by Kate Hovey and Blair Drawson


Best Books (Fiction):

Harley by Star Livingstone and Molly Bang I read the easy-to-read and beginning chapter books carefully each season, looking for ones that rise above the pack. For the more assured beginner, Harley has everything I require: a compelling central character (a fascinating, ill-tempered llama who doesn???t seem to fit in); a well-paced narrative with just the right sense of a controlled vocabulary; and terrific illustrations, here by three-time Caldecott honoree Bang. Kids will love reading about Harley and how he develops his special talents into a calling that is both perfect for him and helpful to his community.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen is a rich, wonderful story, one that may be overlooked at award time, but is one of the best books to booktalk. Boys and girls have read it and told me they loved it, and it is such a pleasure to talk to ten-to-thirteen-year-old girls about this wonderful book that, better than any lecture from an adult, shows why it is impossible to truly love someone until you get to know them.

Rain is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitch Smith has many things going for it, but none so attractive to me as the fresh voice of its protagonist. The writing absolutely crackles and I felt that Rain was in my room as I read the book.

Judy Moody Gets Famous by Megan McDonald Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart by Vera Williams Love That Dog by Sharon Creech Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles The Gawgon & the Boy by Lloyd Alexander Understanding Buddy by Marc Kornblatt Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez The Land by Mildred Taylor Lord of the Deep by Graham Salisbury True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff Seek by Paul Fleischman Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

Best Books (Nonfiction):

Olympia: Warrior Athletes of Ancient Greece by David Kennett and Dyan Blacklock Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz and Hudson Talbott Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta by James Rumford The Cod's Tale by Mark Kurlansky and S. D. Schindler Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People by Bonnie Christensen Nobody Particular: One Woman's Fight to Save the Bays by Molly Bang Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine by Susan Campbell Bartoletti We Were There, Too! by Phillip Hoose Countdown to Independence by Natalie Bober Shakespeare: His Work and His World by Michael Rosen and Robert Ingpen Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers

Walter the Giant Storyteller, AKA Walter M. Mayes www.walterthegiant.com

VALERIE & WALTER'S BEST BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: A LIVELY, OPINIONATED GUIDE by Valerie V. Lewis & Walter M. Mayes Newly revised and updated edition in preparation now

WALTER THE GIANT STORYTELLER'S GIANT BOOK OF GIANT STORIES, illustrated by Kevin O'Malley coming from Walker Books in Fall of 2003

PMB #323 2261 Market Street San Francisco, CA 9411400

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"Love, Food, Shelter, Clothing...Books!"
Received on Sat 15 Dec 2001 11:59:44 PM CST