2013 - 2014

1. 2013 - 2014 Black Eyed Susan Picture Books 2013 - 2014 Nominees

2. Alphasaurs This A to Z dinosaur book features a different dinosaur on single or double-paged spreads. Each dinosaur is created using the upper and lower case letter that its name begins with as well as a unique typeface. The bottom of each page includes a myriad of dinosaur factoids, often presented in alliterative style. Also included on each page is a pronunciation guide, the time period the dinosaur lived in, and what it ate.

3. The Camping Trip That Changed America President Theodore Roosevelt and environmentalist named Johnnie went on an adventure through the Yosemite Wilderness. They ditched the reporters and secret service to spend some quality time experiencing the natural wonders of granite formations, endless meadows, ancient sequoia groves, extreme weather, and wildlife. Johnnie got an amazing opportunity to explain to the President why we should protect our natural treasures.

4. Creepy Carrots Jasper Rabbit loves eating carrots from Crackenhopper Field. He stops in the morning, in the afternoon, and late in the evening to get is snack. But on one horrible day, the carrots start following him home and they creep him out. Are the carrots really creepy or is Jasper’s imagination running wild?

5. Each Kindness Chloe doesn’t make any effort to be friendly toward a new girl who joins her class. What is worse, she participates in calling her the name “Never New” because the girl wears secondhand clothing. When the girl disappears from the classroom and her teacher tells the class that she has moved away, Chloe regrets her behavior. The teacher gives a lesson on kindness and Chloe realizes that she had an opportunity to be kind but she missed it.

6. Fox Tails: Four Fables from Aesop Four of Aesop’s fables featuring a fox are woven together into one story. The fox tricks a crow and a goat, but then is duped by a stork. He’s not as smart as he thinks he is!

7. Goldilocks and Just One Bear A bear gets lost in the city and decides that he needs a little rest in someone’s home in a high rise building. He recognizes the homeowner – it’s Goldilocks! They’ve both grown up. Will they still scare each other?

8. Henry’s Heart: A Boy, His Heart, and a New Best Friend Henry’s heart speaks for itself, informing us about the heart’s physical role in the body, and voicing opinions on its likes and dislikes. Through Henry’s story we also learn how feelings affect both the physical heart and the emotional heart.

9. Joha Makes a Wish: a Middle Eastern Tale Finding a magic stick on his way to Baghdad brings a heap of trouble to Joha. Only the opposite of what he wishes for comes true and he must learn the secret of the stick’s magic before it’s too late!

10. Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match Nothing about Marisol McDonald seems to match. At first her feelings are hurt by comments about her looks, her unmatched clothing, her desire to have a game of soccer-playing pirates, and her peanut butter and jelly burrito for lunch. She decides to try and “match,” but that doesn’t feel right. In the end, Marisol appreciates her own sense of style. Being different is definitely okay and should be celebrated!

11. Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story Meteor is chosen as one of the mice to go on a space shuttle mission. He’s the only mouse brave enough to let go of his cage and playfully float in zero gravity. Even though he is tiny, he saves the mission.

12. Mrs. Harkness and the Panda In 1934, Mrs. Ruth William Harkness traveled by ship to China to bring the first panda back to the U.S. Deep in the mountains and bamboo forests, she found a baby panda. Mrs. Harkness returned to the United States with the world’s first captive panda, which she named Su Lin ("a little bit of something very cute").

13. Sophie’s Fish Sophie asks Jake to take care of her pet fish for a weekend. Jake accepts the job, assuming the task will be easy. As the time nears for Sophie to arrive with her fish, Jake begins to worry. He realizes that he doesn’t know anything about taking care of a fish. What if it wants a snack? What games will it want to play? Can he handle the job after all?

14. Stand Straight, Ella Kate: The True Story of a Real Giant This story is based on the real life of Ella Kate Ewing, who was born in 1872. She grew at a very fast rate. Children and adults teased her. She was 8 feet tall be age 17! However, she refused to hide. She worked at circuses where people paid to see her, and earned enough money to provide for herself and custom-build a home suited to her incredible height.

15. A Storm Called Katrina In this fictional story, a New Orleans family experiences Hurricane Katrina and its results. When the levees break and his neighborhood floods, Louis Daniel’s family must flee to the Superdome, where they become separated. It is Louis’s cleverness that reunites his family when he plays his cornet to attract his father’s attention. The family returns home, taking with them a displaced dog.

16. Ten Rules You Absolutely Must not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus It is Kyle’s first day of school and he’s nervous about the school bus ride. His older brother gives him ten rules to follow in order to survive the school bus ride. Don’t sit in the first row. Don’t sit in the last row. Don’t look at anyone. Well, Kyle winds up breaking every rule! Was his brother’s advice good after all?

17. Credits Cover art Photos from: http://www.titlewave.com