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Young Hoosier Book Award2015-2016 Picture Books
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First begun in 1974, the Young Hoosier Book Award encourages Indiana students to read for fun. Since 1992, the Award has been divided into three categories based on grade level: Kindergarten-3rd grade (picture books), 4th-6th grade (intermediate), and 6th-8th grade (middle grade). Each year, teachers, students, parents and media specialists submit suggestions to the Young Hoosier Book Award committee, who nominate twenty books in each category. Students read the books on the list and vote for their favorites. Votes are then tallied and the winning illustrator and authors are presented the award in the spring of the following year.
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2014-2015 Young Hoosier Book Award Winner
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Creepy Carrots!
by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper Rabbit loves chowing down on stolen carrots from Crackenhopper Field…until the carrots start following him. Or do they? Jasper thinks he sees the carrots lurking in the shadows of his bedroom, or looming up behind him in the bathroom mirror, or creeping after him (with a quiet "tunktunktunk") wherever he goes -- but they're always gone when he takes a closer look. What's a paranoid rabbit to do? Find out in this clever, atmospheric, mock-horror story packed with kid-friendly thrills and a surprising, satisfying ending.
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Crankee Doodle
by Tom Angleberger
“Yankee Doodle went to town / a-riding on a pony / stuck a feather in his hat / and called it macaroni.” Many know the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” but few understand it. This unapologetically silly picture book reveals that the legendary ride to town (and the whole macaroni thing) was all suggested by Mr. Doodle’s overeager pony. This just makes Mr. Doodle cranky: “I do not want macaroni. I do not want a feather. I do not want any other clothing, any other pasta, or any other parts of a bird. I do not want anything that they have in town!” A historical note ends this colorful, comical take on a nonsensical old song.
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My Dream Playground
by Kate M. Becker
Right now there is just an empty lot down the street, but a resourceful little girl dreams that one day there will be a playground — a real playground, a fun playground — right in her own neighborhood. When she sees a man measuring the empty lot, she’s sure that he’s there to help make her playground dream come true. And he is! Inspired by the real story of the first-ever playground built by KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit that has helped build more than two thousand play spaces across the country, here is the tale of how a determined young girl, with the help of her family, friends, and community, makes her dreams of a playground in her own neighborhood a reality.
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On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein
by Jennifer Berne
A boy rides a bicycle down a dusty road. But in his mind, he envisions himself traveling at a speed beyond imagining, on a beam of light. This brilliant mind will one day offer up some of the most revolutionary ideas ever conceived. From a boy endlessly fascinated by the wonders around him, Albert Einstein ultimately grows into a man of genius recognized the world over for profoundly illuminating our understanding of the universe. Jennifer Berne and Vladimir Radunsky invite the reader to travel along with Einstein on a journey full of curiosity, laughter, and scientific discovery. Parents and children alike will appreciate this moving story of the powerful difference imagination can make in any life.
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What Floats in a Moat?
by Lynne Berry
Archie the Goat needs to deliver several barrels of buttermilk to the queen, but in order to get them to her, he needs to cross the moat. Testing several different theories to find out what will float and what will sink, Archie and his friend Skinny the Hen don’t succeed at first, but they do try, try, try again (and again). And with reason and persistence, they’ll get that buttermilk where it needs to be!
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Mr. Tiger Goes Wild
by Peter Brown
In a drab, gray city full of very proper and polite animals, brilliant orange Mr. Tiger is frustrated with the buttoned-down status quo. After scandalizing his genteel neighbors by roaring, walking on all fours, and (gasp!) taking off his clothes, Mr. Tiger flees the city for the freedom of the lush, green wilderness. Eventually, however, he misses his friends, and he returns home to find that the uptight city-dwellers have learned to loosen up. This charming and distinctively illustrated tale of self-expression is sure to grab kids who long for a walk on the wild side.
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Mo's Mustache
by Ben Clanton
Mo is a monster who just got a mustache. A big, black, beautiful mustache. Everybody likes Mo's mustache. Now Knot, Dot, Nib, Tutu, Bob, Bill, and Ben all have mustaches too. In fact, soon EVERYBODY has a mustache! Why is everyone copying Mo? And how will he (and his mustache) ever stand out? A wonderfully silly book about style and individuality, sure to grow on readers who don't have facial hair -- and even those who do!
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Ben Rides On
by Matt Davies
Ben loves his new bike. In fact, he loves it so much he even likes riding to school (especially if he can take the long way around)! That is, until an encounter with the local bully, Adrian Underbite, leaves Ben bike-less. When Ben discovers where his bike actually is, the reader is in for a dramatic cliffhanger. Find out if Ben will ever be able to get his bike back in this hilarious and tender tale by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Matt Davies. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013
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The Day the Crayons Quit
by Drew Daywalt
Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun. What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?
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Mitchell Goes Bowling
by Hallie Durand
Four-year-old Mitchell, a high-energy child who enjoys knocking things down is brought to a bowling alley by his long-suffering dad. When they step into the bowling alley, Mitchell feels right at home. Pizza! Giant crashing noises! Special shoes! But as Mitchell picks up the biggest ball and quickly learns the word gutter, and when Dad does a little kick with his leg and earns a big X on the scoreboard, Mitchell starts to get peevish. How can Mitchell get a chance to do a steamin’-hot-potato-dance too? With wit, warmth, and comedic charm, Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile roll another strike with this tale of a lovably rambunctious child and his doting dad.
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How to Train a Train
by Jason Eaton
This whimsical guide covers everything you need to know about finding, keeping, and training your very own pet train. Finding advice on caring for a dog, a cat, a fish, even a dinosaur is easy. But what if somebody’s taste in pets runs to the more mechanical kind? What about those who like cogs and gears more than feathers and fur? People who prefer the call of a train whistle to the squeal of a guinea pig? Or maybe dream of a smudge of soot on their cheek, not slobber? In this spectacularly illustrated picture book, kids who love locomotives (and what kid doesn’t?) will discover where trains live, what they like to eat, and the best train tricks around—everything it takes to lay the tracks for a long and happy friendship. All aboard!
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The Girl Who Heard Colors
by Marie Harris
This eye-opening picture book introduces readers to their five senses and to synesthesia—a condition in which one sense triggers another. For some people, sounds or tastes have colors. And for others, numbers and letters do. Imagine that when you hear a bell you see silver or when a dog barks you see red. That’s what it’s like for Jillian—when she hears sounds she sees colors. At first the kids at school make fun of Jillian. Jillian worries about being different until her music teacher shows her that having synesthesia is an amazing thing. This lively, informative picture book makes synesthesia easy to understand and celebrates each person’s unique way of experiencing the world.
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Water in the Park: A Book about Water & the Times of the Day
by Emily Jenkins
“A wonderfully fresh look at a timeless topic,” raves Booklist in a starred review. From the first orange glow on the water in the pond, to the last humans and animals running home from an evening rain shower, here is a day-in-the-life of a city park, and the playground within it. A rhythmic text and sweet, accessible images will immerse parents, toddlers, and young children in the summer season and the community within a park.
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Take Me Out to the Yakyu
by Aaron Meshon
You may know that baseball is the Great American Pastime, but did you know that it is also a beloved sport in Japan? Come along with one little boy and his grandfathers, one in America and one in Japan, as he learns about baseball and its rich, varying cultural traditions. This debut picture book from Aaron Meshon is a home run—don’t be surprised if the vivid illustrations and energetic text leave you shouting, “LET’S PLAY YAKYU!”
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Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg
by Lori Mortensen
Cowpoke Clyde’s house was completely clean—he’d even shooed off the horseflies: “Then right behind his cookin’ pot, / he spied one thing he’d plumb forgot: / ol’ Dawg, his faithful, snorin’ friend, / all caked with mud from end to end.” Needless to say, Dawg wakes up and runs. The chase that follows—with page-turn surprises—makes for a hilarious shaggy-dog story involving fleas, a hog, bribery, cats, deception, and a mule. The rhyming stanzas are pitch-perfect, Texas-style, and plumb near cry out to be read aloud. Austin’s expressive acrylic and colored-pencil caricatures of Cowpoke Clyde and his menagerie are priceless. A storytime shoo-in!
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Eat Like a Bear
by April Pulley Sayre
A sleepy bear awakes in spring and goes to find food. But what is there to eat in April? In May? Follow along and eat like a bear throughout the year: fish from a stream, ants from a tree, and delicious huckleberries from a bush. Fill up your belly and prepare for the long winter ahead, when you'll snuggle into your warm den and snore like a bear once again.
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Memoirs of a Hamster
by Devin Scillian
Night 1 / My life is perfect. / I have a bowl full of seeds, a cozy pile of wood shavings, and room to run. / I'm never leaving here. / Question: Who's the luckiest hamster in the world? / Answer: ME! Seymour the hamster has the perfect life. He has a spacious cage, a constant food supply, and a FuzzyBoy 360 exercise wheel that lets him run to his heart's content. Life could not be better. Or could it? When Pearl the cat tells Seymour of the goodies beyond the safe confines of his cage, he starts to think he's missing out. And out is the new in! It's only after Seymour is out of his cage that he begins to fully appreciate his safe and cozy home.
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Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great
by Bob Shea
Ever since Unicorn moved into the neighborhood, Goat has been feeling out of sorts. Goat thought his bike was cool-until he saw that Unicorn could fly to school! Goat made marshmallow squares that almost came out right, but Unicorn made it rain cupcakes! Unicorn is such a show-off, how can Goat compete? When Goat and Unicorn share a piece of pizza, Goat learns that being a unicorn might not be all it's cracked up to be. And when Unicorn shows his admiration for Goat, it looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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E-I-E-I-O : How Old MacDonald Got His Farm With a Little Help from a Hen
by Judy Sierra
In this lighthearted mash-up of two familiar children's stories, Old MacDonald isn't a farmer -- he's just a guy who's tired of mowing his lawn. When a goat fails to keep the grass cropped, MacDonald buys a chicken…but not just any chicken. Nope, this is the Little Red Hen, "the smartest hen in history," and she's got big plans for turning Old MacDonald's yard into a sustainable suburban farm. But will the neighbors put up with a muddy, noisy, stinky farm next door? Check out this visually exaggerated but slyly funny read-aloud to find out.
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The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf
by Mark Teague
In this original version of the traditional tale, the three little pigs are in their usual trouble with the somewhat bad wolf—who is really just very hungry and frustrated that the pizza parlor will not serve him. The three pigs spend their money on different things: potato chips, sody-pop, and building supplies. It comes as no surprise that a wolf is able to blow down the first two pigs' houses. When the wolf can't blow down the third pig's brick house, everyone comes together and the fun begins.
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Outfoxed
by Mike Twohy
One dark night in the henhouse, a hungry fox in search of his dinner gets more than he bargains for. Instead of a chicken, Fox grabs a duck. A very smart duck. A duck so sly, he plans to convince Fox that he isn’t a duck but a—dog! Yes, a dog. This clever story and its accompanying visual narrative will delight readers young and old—because if it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it HAS to be a duck…right?
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Michigan City Public Library
100 E. 4th Street
Michigan City, Indiana 46360
219-873-3044
http://mclib.org/
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