Children's Choices for 2006

What is the Children's Choices project?

Each year 10,000 school children from different regions of the United States read and vote on the newly published children's and young adults' trade books that they like best. The Children's Choices for 2006 list is the 32nd in a series that first appeared as “Classroom Choices” in the November 1975 issue of The Reading Teacher (RT), a peer-reviewed journal for preschool, primary, and elementary levels published eight times a year by the International Reading Association (IRA). This list is designed for use not only by teachers, librarians, administrators, and booksellers, but also by parents, grandparents, caregivers, and everyone who wishes to encourage young people to read for pleasure.

Children's Choices is a project of a joint committee supported by IRA and the Children's Book Council (CBC). IRA is a nonprofit educational organization whose members include classroom and reading teachers, school administrators and supervisors, parents, college/university faculty, and others who are dedicated to improving reading instruction and promoting literacy worldwide.

CBC is the nonprofit professional association of U.S. publishers and packagers of books for young people. It encourages childhood literacy through sponsorship of national programs including Young People's Poetry Week and the 87-year-old annual observance of Children's Book Week, as well as working cooperatively with other professional associations.

In 1969, IRA and CBC formed a liaison committee to explore areas of mutual interest to reading teachers and publishers. Among the committee's initial charges was the development of a core selection of trade books for the classroom. This list of Children's Choices has remained an important activity of the committee, which each year produces this child-selected bibliography identifying titles that can be used successfully in reading programs, can be related to the classroom curricula, and are known to engage children.

How are books selected and annotated?

More than 460 books were evaluated by children for Children's Choices for 2006. The books to be tested were selected by publishers from the books they published in 2005 and were sent to five review teams located in different regions of the United States. Each team consisted of a children's literature specialist plus one or more classroom teachers who in turn worked with other classroom teachers, school librarians, and more than 2,000 children. Throughout the school year the books were in classrooms, being read to or by children.

Children's votes were tabulated in March, and the top 97 titles for 2006 were announced at the annual International Reading Association Convention in May. The review teams provided an annotation for each title on the list.

What bibliographic information is provided?

Books selected for the Children's Choices list have been grouped by reading levels:

• Beginning readers (ages 5–7)

• Young readers (ages 8–10)

• Advanced readers (ages 11–13)

Users should note that many books read easily by beginning readers are also enjoyed by more advanced readers, and many titles for advanced readers are accessible to younger readers or can be read aloud in the classroom.

The title, author, illustrator, publisher, and price are provided for each book as well as a brief annotation prepared by a review team. All books listed are hardcover unless otherwise noted. Prices are accurate as of late spring 2006; they are subject to change without notice. These abbreviations are provided for easy reference:

All books on this list should be available through your local library or a local bookseller.

Beginning readers

The Bake Shop Ghost

Jacqueline K. Ogburn. Ill. Marjorie Priceman.

For years Miss Cora Lee Merriweather's habitually sour face has peered over her delicacy-filled bakery counter. After her death, she haunts the shop. Annie Washington fights back. Determined, she finally discovers a secret that leads to a surprising partnership. (Team 3)

Houghton Mifflin. 28 pp. US$16.00 (trade).

Belinda in Paris

Amy Young. Ill. by the author.

Everyone in Paris is excited to see the famous ballerina Belinda dance, everyone except Belinda who has lost her shoes. With help from a cobbler and some unique foot forms, a night of marvelous dancing is saved. Très magnifique! (Team 3)

Viking Children's Books. 32 pp. US$15.99 (trade). CAN$23.50.

The Big, Blue Lump

Yetti Frankel. Ill. by the author.

Bandy is a little bug who only looks helpless. Cyril the pig was only one of a number of animals to discover he wasn't an easy meal. The obvious and predictable humor captivates children. (Team 1)

Snow Tree Books. 32 pp. US$16.95 (trade).

Brand-new Pencils, Brand-new Books

Diane deGroat. Ill. by the author.

Gilbert is excited and nervous about the first day of first grade. Will his teacher be nice? Will Patti still be his friend? Will he learn to read? In this reassuring story young readers will identify with the emotions all students experience. (Team 4)