Children/Young Adult Book Awards: 1950-1959

King of the barnyard, Chanticleer struts about all day. When a fox bursts into his domain, dupes him into crowing, and then grabs him in a viselike grip, Chanticleer must do some quick thinking to save himself and his barnyard kingdom.

This is the funniest book of manners you'll ever read!

Momo eagerly waits for a rainy day so she can use the red boots and umbrella she received on her third birthday.

Bilingual English/French picture book illustrated in woodcuts.

The spell of rain, gulls, a foggy morning, the excitement of sailing, the quiet of the night, the sudden terror of a hurricane, and the peace of a Maine island as a family packs up to leave are shown in poetic language and vibrant, evocative pictures.

Anatole is the happiest, most contented mouse in all of Paris. He is Vice-President in charge of Cheese Tasting at Duvall's cheese factory. He works in secret at night--the people at Duvall have no idea their mysterious taster is really a mouse! So M'sieu Duvall thinks nothing of bringing his pet cat to the factory...

Clever Anatole must act to protect his job, and his life! He must do what no mouse has done before--find a way to bell the cat. Bonne chance, Anatole!

Sid the pigeon is very choosy about finding just the right home in the magnificent city of san Francisco. And find it he does, in the loop of a huge b in an electric sign high up on a skyscraper. Sid's view of San Francisco is without equal. So Sid asks the lovely dove Midge to share his home. But one morning, while Midge is taking her turn sitting on two eggs, disaster strikes. A truck comes and workers take down the letters on the skyscraper one by one.

"Trees are very nice," says Janice May Udry in her first book for children. She goes on to explain that even one tree is nice, if it is the only one you happen to have.Some of the reasons why trees are so good to have around are funny. Some are indisputable facts. But in all of them there is a sense of poetic simplicity and beauty which will be sure to entrance any young child. Whether he knows on tree or many, he will relish the descriptions of the delights to be had in, with, or under a tree.

"There will, of course, always be children who must learn to count. Teach them also to enjoy the process and to count those things that are most important to them. Eighteen stars twinkling in the sky and twelve baby birds learning how to sing are an excellent start."

Anatole is a most honorable mouse. When he realizes that humans are upset by mice sampling their leftovers, he is shocked! He must provide for his beloved family--but he is determined to find a way to earn his supper. And so he heads for the tasting room at the Duvall Cheese Factory. On each cheese, he leaves a small note--"good," "not so good," "needs orange peel"--and signs his name. When workers at the Duvall factory find his notes in the morning, they are perplexed--but they realize that this mysterious Anatole has an exceptional palate and take his advice. Soon Duvall is making the best cheese in all of Paris! They would like to give Anatole a reward--if only they could find him...

Mister Penny promises his animals a ride on the Ferris wheel if they win enough prize money at the fair, but some of the animals cause mischief at the fair, and Mister Penny is asked to leave. Limpy the horse and the troublemakers manage to save the day, and they all get their ride on the Ferris wheel after all.

It is about an angel that used to create animals for earth but forgot how to do it. He gets an idea for a lion and then gets help from other angels to perfect it.

Gillespie is a small boy who is determined to fool the king's guards in order to win a terrific prize. It's not easy to fool the king's guards. They have incredible eyesight, so you can't sneak a thing by them. But guess what - don't bet against our little hero.

A favorite old nursery ballad now appears in resplendent new dress. . . . Illustrator Feodor Rojankovsky somehow manages to combine quaintness with sophistication and his doughty frog, the coy mouse . . . and others make charming company.

A little girl goes to the meadow to play, but each animal she tries to catch runs away from her--until she sits still by the pond, and they all come back.

A shy mountain boy in Japan leaves his home at dawn and returns at sunset to go to the village school.

There is perhaps no better loved, no more universal story than Cinderella. Marcia Brown's illustrations are full of magic and enchantment from the little cupids putting back the hands of the clock to the last scene at the palace. They are pictures that will stay in a child's mind.

"A well written, easy-to-read, interesting picture-story of the voyage of the Mayflower to the New World, the settlement at Plymouth, and the celebration of the first Thanksgiving Day".--Library Journal.

First there is one stork, then there are two. They build their nest on a wheel that a Hungarian farmer has tied to his chimney. The farmer is glad. Storks bring great honor and good luck to the house where they choose to build their nest.

All summer long the storks raise their family of two small white silent storks in the nest on the wheel on the chimney. Then autumn comes and joined by thousands of other storks they silently fly south, always south, heading for the deep warm wilderness of Africa, their winter home. And when springtime returns, the storks fly north, build new nests on wheels on chimneys, and their story begins all over again.

One of the finest nursery rhyme books ever. Several beautiful color illustrations and many, many pencil illustrations: 192 pages of rhymes.

The lively adventures of the twelve famous little girls and Genevieve, the dog, take us once more to Bemelmans' unique and delightful Paris.

A retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen story, with new illustrations.The story of a one-legged tin soldier who loves a paper ballerina from afar is beautifully set in a wintry [Copenhagen] of a hundred years ago. A handsomely designed book that respects the integrity of a favorite tale while giving it a fresh new interpretation.

Readers will meet Green Eyes, a little white kitten who is experiencing the world for the very first time. Baby/Preschool.

Johnny is leaving the farm because of hard times when his Journey Cake leads him on a merry chase that results in a farm yard full of animals and the family all together again.

This story is based off of a house that the boy made up in his head and he goes on this great adventure with all these different animals.

The story of a snowshoe rabbit growing up.

Johnny Orchard brings home a playful bear cub that soon becomes huge and a nuisance to the neighbors.

Today is a specidal day for Sal because she gets to go to Buck's Harbour with her dad. But when she wakes up to brush her teeth with her baby sister, she discovers something shocking.... Her tooth is loose!

“The richness of coloring; the strength, action and humor in the drawing; and the original rhyme for each letter make this an alphabet book to treasure.”--The Horn Book

It is a day in the country, and everthing is hot and still.
Then the hazy sky begins to shift. Something is astir, something soundless.

Five trouble-making monkeys go too far in with their playful antics and are taught a lesson by the other creatures of the forest. Once they learn that they must respect their fellow animals, they not only befriend the others, they save the day when Terrible begins to wreak havoc on their herd.

Two dogs each claim a bone they have found and ask passersby for help in deciding ownership.

When the tranquil lifestyle of the bears who reside in Bear Park becomes quarrelsome, a wise old koala holds a masquerade party to restore peace & calm.

Charming Children's story of a cobbler with a cat, a dog, and a little mouse named Mr. T. T. Anthony Woo. There is no peace in the house with the cat and dog always chasing after the mouse and vice-versa, until the cobbler's sister moves in with her parrot and upsets things ever more.

A boy becomes cook aboard a fishing boat.

Flower petals, leaves, apples, snow and rain all fall down, but Jimmy does not fall because Daddy catches him.

Tells the story of how birds got their feathers.

One Easter morning, Katy and Carl went on an egg hunt through Grandmom's house. Katy couldn't find anything until she went up to the attic. And there she discovered a very special set of eggs...

Grandmom had painted them when she was a little girl. And now, she hung them from the branches of a tiny tree -- an Egg Tree! So began a very special Easter tradition.

The well-loved tale of the London waif whose cat's prowess as a ratter results in Dick's becoming a successful merchant and Lord Mayor of London.

Young Gerald McGrew thinks of all sorts of unusual animals he'd have in a zoo.

This book follows Dulcy as she describes to her father why her missing doll, Angela, was the most wonderful doll in the world.

Red the boy and Red the cat share the same street, with the cat looking for fish, including the boy's pet fish. The cat's grab from a fishmonger's stand and the boy's sneak peek of a neighborhood's secret club leads to both being chased, a massive pileup, and both finding their way home safely with a truce over the fish.

Fanciful account of T-Bone the cat, who not only attends to the baby but establishes a mutual bond of attachment.

Every summer, the swallows leave San Juan Capistrano and fly far away, to a peaceful green island -- but they always come back in the spring, on St. Joseph's Day. Juan loves las golondrinas, and so does his friend, Julian, the gardener at the mission.This year, Juan plants a garden in his own yard. There's nothing he wants more than for the swallows to nest there. And on St. Joseph's Day, his dream comes true.

An ooey-gooey, green oobleck was not exactly what the king had in mind when he ordered something extra-special from his royal magicians.

Holbrook presents the life and legends of Colonel Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain boys of the American Revolution in a highly informative and entertaining manner.

Snow is falling. All the animals are fast asleep in their animal homes. They awake. They open their eyes. They sniff. They run. What will they find?

While worrying about what to take to an elderly friend's birthday party, Johnny discovers a beautiful, injured, wild duck.

The young boy in the Virgin Islands who wants to become a fisherman, like his father, grows through a major milestone in the course of the narrative.