Children/Young Adult Book Awards: 1980-1989

In this affectionate story, three children follow their grandfather up to the attic, where he pulls out his old bowler hat, gold-tipped cane, and his tap shoes. Grandpa once danced on the vaudeville stage, and as he glides across the floor, the children can see what it was like to be a song and dance man. Gammell captures all the story's inherentjoie de vivrewith color pencil renderings that leap off the pages. Bespectacled, enthusiastic Grandpa clearly exudes the message that you're only as old as you feel, but the children respond--as will readers--to the nostalgia of the moment.

"With the same delightfully irreverent spirit that he brought to his retellings of Little Red Riding Hood, Marshall enlivens another favorite. . . . The illustrations are fraught with delicious humor and detail. Like its predecessor, perfect for several uses, from picture book hour to beginning reading".--Kirkus Reviews.

Taro is a Japanese boy whose penchant for sleeping is the butt of village jokes, much to the chagrin of his poor widowed mother, who works hard to provide them with necessities. Taro cannot be coaxed into working, despite his mother's pleas, until he falls in love with a rich merchant's daughter and hatches a scheme to make himself wealthy. The author's foreword explains that many gods and demons inhabit Japanese folklore, which will help readers understand how Taro, disguised as a local deity, is able to convince the rich neighbor that his daughter must wed the laziest boy in town.

When he falls asleep with a book in his arms, a young boy dreams an amazing dream-about dragons, about castles, and about an unchartered, faraway land. And you can come along.

Mirandy is sure she'll win the cake walk if she can catch Brother Wind for her partner, but he eludes all the tricks her friends advise. This gets a high score for plot, pace, and characterization. Mirandy sparkles with energy and determination. Multi-hued watercolors fill the pages with patterned ferment. A treat to pass on to new generations.

Among the greatest charms of children is their ability to view a simple activity as a magical adventure. Such as a walk in the woods late at night. Jane Yolen captures this wonderment in a book whose charm rises from its simplicity.

Mufaro was a happy man. Everyone agreed that his two daughters were very beautiful. Nyasha was kind and considerate as well as beautiful, but everyone -- except Mufaro -- knew that Manyara was selfish, badtempered, and spoiled.

When the king decided to take a wife and invited "The Most Worthy and Beautiful Daughters in the Land" to appear before him, Mufaro declared proudly that only the king could choose between Nyasha and Manyara. Manyara, of course, didn't agree, and set out to make certain that she would be chosen.

Al, a janitor, and his faithful dog, Eddie, live in a single room on the West Side. They eat together, they work together, they do everything together. So what's the problem?
Thier room is crowded and cramped; their life is an endless struggle. Al and Eddie are practically at eachothers throats when a large and mysterious bird offers them a new life in paradise. After some debate, they decide to accept.
Transported to a gorgeous island in the sky, Al and Eddie are soon living a life of ease and luxury. But they come to find that the grass can be a little too green on the other side. After a dramatic, nearly tragic escape from their paradise prison, both man and dog agree: there really is no place like home.

In this much-honored, wonderfully creative alphabet book, letters are pulled, twisted, reversed, and curled until they become part of what they represent. F becomes a fish, and S becomes a swan. Young readers will never look at the alphabet the same way again!

The village of Tos is like no other village in the world, for in this village the women live in round houses and the men live in square ones. The story of how this came to be is told from the point of view of a young girl who grew up there.

Richly hued oil paintings complement a story simply and gracefully told. "Children...love the story for its mystery, and its familiarity. Adults will find that, like most classic fairy tales, this one rewards periodic rethinking." --New York Times Book Review "Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light." -- School Library Journal

One couldn't select a more delightful and exciting premise for a children's book than the tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip with other children to the North Pole

In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came. When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room. All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons. They plucked banjos and strummed guitars.
When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long. They all knew they would be together next summer.

In this delightful story, the king refuses to leave his bathtub and rule the kingdom. “Beauty aside, this also has a panache and sly wit that will please children and their parents, who will be called on to peruse the book again and again

Retells the segment from Spenser's The Faerie Queene, in which George, the Red Cross Knight, slays the dreadful dragon that has been terrorizing the countryside for years and brings peace and joy to the land.

None of the pond-residents--bird, turtle, beaver, or fish--has seen Mother Duck's missing baby. But clever viewers of these charming color scenes can see that the duckling isn't really lost, just adventuring--and never very far away. "A reassuring story of youthful independence and familial love"

Magic Frog gives words of encouragement to the young mouse as he heads out on the long and perilous journey to reach the wonderful land of legend. He faces many obstacles on his quest and sacrifices much to help others in need. But the mouse's compassion and faith in himself prove to be a source of great power, and bring him rewards beyond his dreams.

"Artfully understated retelleing and magnificent apintings result in an unsurpassable presentation of the ancient fairytale. This is a triumph of children's literature, for all ages." --Publisher's Weekly

This stunningly illustrated book depicts Louis Bleriot's historic first cross-Channel flight.

She sets off through the forest to visit her grandmother in this classic edition.

"Ten small toes all washed and warm . . . Nine soft friends in a quiet room . . ". A father prepares his little girl for bed with a warm and reassuring countdown to the land of dreams. "A loving family picture book".--Boston Globe.

Shadow lives in the forest...
It goes forth at night
to prowl around the fires.
It even likes to mingle
with the dancers...
Shadow...
It waves with the grasses,
curls up at the foot of trees...
But in the African experience Shadow is much more. The village storytellers and shamans of an Africa that is passing into memory called forth for the poet Blaise Cendrars an eerie image, shifting between the beliefs of the present and the spirits of the past.
Shadow...
It does not cry out,
it has no voice...
It can cast a spell over you...
It follows man everywhere,
even to war...

After a fire destroys their home and possessions, Rosa, her mother, and grandmother save and save until they can afford to buy one big, comfortable chair that all three of them can enjoy.After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother and grandmother save their coins to buy a really comfortable chair for all to enjoy.

"An evocative remembrance of the simple pleasures in country living; splashing in the swimming hole, taking baths in the kitchen, sharing family times, each is eloquently portrayed here in both the misty-hued scenes and in the poetic text."

The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home. But they were bored and restless and, looking for something interesting to do, thought they'd give Jumanji a try. Little did they know when they unfolded its ordinary-looking playing board that they were about to be plunged into the most exciting and bizare adventure of their lives.

Follow Little Wolf to the fabled lake in the south where the buffaloes begin. Watch the huge beasts surge out of the water and onto the prairie, as Little Wolf leads them to a victory against the enemies of his people.

Inspired by William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, this delightful collection of poetry for children brings to life Blake’s imaginary inn and its unusual guests.

"In a delightful and unusual book, a boy trots down Market Street buying presents for a friend, each one starting with a letter of the alphabet. Every letter is illustrated by a figure ingeniously composed of, for instance, apples or wigs or quilts. The notion is original, and the sum total enjoyable and unique." --Horn Book.

With Papa off to sea and Mama despondent, Ida must go outside over there to rescue her baby sister from goblins who steal her to be a goblin's bride.

'Short, original fables with fresh, unexpected morals poke subtle fun at human foibles through the antics of animals. . . . The droll illustrations, with tones blended to luminescent shading, are complete and humorous themselves.' --

Hungering for a plump mouse, Cat invites Miss Mouse to dine. Miss Mouse brings along a friend, Dog, and further invitations lead to even more guests.

Once there lived a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster who had grown too old to be useful to their masters. Because their masters want to get rid of them, they run away. They meet on the road and decide to go to Bremen-Town to be street musicians.
Soon, they discover a cozy cabin occupied by robbers. The four friends have an idea and manage to scare the robbers away by making the loudest music they can. Now they can settle into a new home.

The Grey Lady loves strawberries. But so does the Strawberry Snatcher, and unfortunately for the Grey Lady he is not far away and getting closer all the time.
Past flower shops and bakeries he stalks her, silently, steadily, biding his time. He pursues her by foot along haunting red-brick paths, and then by skateboard into the mysterious depths of a swamp both beautiful and terrifying.

Closer and closer he gets, and yet the Grey Lady escapes him, in fantastic and marvelously improbable ways, until, in the heart of the forest the Strawberry Snatcher discovers instead -- blackberries!

Follow the big red truck on its cross-country journey in Donald Crew's classic wordless book, perfect for sharing with the very young.

"Like a pastoral symphony translated into picture book format, the stunning combination of text and illustrations recreates the mood of 19-century rural New England"

Sometimes that very thin line between illusion and reality is not as clearly defined as we would like it to be. It certainly wasn't the day that Alan Mitz stumbled into the garden of Abdul Gasazi. For in this bizarre and eerie place -- where strange topiary trees loomed -- the evil visage of Gasazi casts its shadow. And even after Alan escaped, the spell of Gasazi still seemed to penetrate into his everyday world.

Three times a voice comes to Isaac in his dreams and tells him to go to the capital city and look for a treasure under the bridge by the royal palace. Feeling a little foolish perhaps, but determined to see for himself if the dream is true, Isaac sets out on his long journey. What he finds makes a surprising and heart-warming ending to this retelling of a well-known folk tale. In a few words, Cadelcott Medal winner Uri Shulevitz draws a man who is innocent enough to have faith in a dream, and wise enough to understand the greatest reward of all.
Isaac's solitary journey, his arrival at hte vast city, and his discovery there are all enriched by Mr. Shulevitz's beautifully detailed illustrations, which masterfully capture the spirit of the original tale while keeping it simple enough for the very youngest reader.

The story of Ben is fiction, but it could be the story of more than one jazz musician who grew up in the twenties. Using the art-deco style of the period, Rachel Isadora not only captures the poignancy and yearning of a youthful talent, but in page after page of striking art seems to convey the very sound of music.