Each year, Austin Public Library youth services librarians read hundreds of books and we gather together lists of our favorites. Some of these win awards and are placed on official reading lists. . . and some aren't. If you're looking for great books that you might have missed last year, here are a few to try.
Use the call number to indicate the appropriate recommended age.
Book List Category:
By Mark Gonyea.
Introduces color theory with primary and secondary colors, the color wheel, and how artists visualize and choose colors.
By [written and edited by Lorrie Mack and Penny Smith].
Illustrations and simple text show baby animals. From enormous elephants to cute meerkats, all animals start as babies. Discover a world of curious young creatures and the parents who keep them safe.
By by Edward Miler.
Fireboy gives tips on preventing fires and staying safe if a fire does start.
By Sarah C. Campbell ; photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell.
What's the biggest mathematical mystery in nature? Fibonacci numbers! The pattern creeps up in the most unexpected places. It's clear that math holds secrets to nature and that nature holds secret numbers.
By written by Donna Jo Napoli ; illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
The story of Wangari Maathai, who in 1977 founded the Green Belt Movement, an African grassroots organization, and in 2004 was the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
By editorial supervisor of Japanese edition, Teruyuki Komiya ; photographer, Toshimitsu Matsuhashi ; Japanese translation by Junko Miyakoshi ; English language adaptation by Kristin Earhart.
See life-size photographs of various animals, with fold-out pages and charts of interesting facts.
By by Laurie Lawlor ; illustrated by Ethan Long.
A collection of 26 American similes--one for each letter of the alphabet--including notes on the origins and meanings of each.
By by Andrea Davis Pinkney ; illustrated by Brian Pinkney.
"This picture book is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth's lunch counter sit-in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement."--Amazon.com.
By by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter ; illustrated by Matt Phelan.
After receiving letters from fans asking for writing advice,accomplished authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter joined together to create this guidebook for young writers. The authors mix inspirational anecdotes with practical guidance on how to find a voice, develop characters and plot, make revisions, and overcome writer's block. Fun writing prompts will help young writers jump-start their own projects, and encouragement throughout will keep them at work.
By Margarita Engle ; illustrations by Julie Paschkis.
In the Middle Ages, people believed that insects were evil, born from mud in a process called spontaneous generation. This is the story of one young girl who took the time to observe and learn, and in so doing disproved a theory that went all the way back to ancient Greece.
By by Russell Freedman.
"Examines World War I, the first global war in which modern weapons inflicted mass slaughter and an estimated 20 million people were killed."--Amazon.com.
