1. Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows
Why? Great friendships are a staple in early chapter books. This series introduces two girls with big size personalities that perfectly mesh.
2. Bink & Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee
Why? Two very different friends put a new spin on dynamic twosomes for beginning readers.
3. Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker
Why? My favorite in the series about Clementine, an irrepressible third-grader, who learns she will once again be a big sister.
4. Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
Why? Readers get a front view seat to the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade and how it began in this award-winning nonfiction picture book.
5. Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
Why? Atinuke is a natural storyteller. Anna, a young African girl, is an engaging character who lives with her extended family in an unnamed African village.
6. The No. 1 Car Spotter by Atinuke
Why? An eyeopener into the world of a young African boy and his extended family.
7. Toys Come Home by Emily Jenkins
Why? This hard-to-classify story stayed with me long after I read it.
8. Bad Kitty Meets the Baby by Nick Bruel
Why? One word--Hysterical. Bad Kitty rules.
9. Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch
Why? A picture book about death like no other. Wow.
10. Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones
Why? Diana Wynn Jones last book proves why this author excelled in writing fantasy.
