Ann Arbor District Library

YOUTH PICKS FOR BEST BOOKS 1997

Nominated and voted on
by the young patrons of the Ann Arbor District Library
during Children's Book Week, November 1997

PICTURE BOOKS

• Winner: The Arthur books, by Marc Brown (c1980-1997)
  Arthur, D.W, Francine, Buster, Muffy and the Brain have many adventures and learn about life.

• Runner-Up: Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak (c1963)
  Max travels to the land of the Wild Thins and comes back home to a supper that is "still hot."

READERS

• Winner: Frog and Toad (series), by Arnold Lobel (c1970-1979)
  Two best friends share cookies, plant a garden, go swimming and sledding, and test their bravery and their friendship.

• Runner-Up: Amelia Bedelia (series), by Peggy Parish (c1963)
  A literal-minded housekeeper makes some silly mistakes while doing housework, babysitting, playing baseball, camping, and more.

FICTION

• Winner: Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne (c1926)
  The original adventures of the "bear of little brain" who belongs to Christopher Robin, a young English boy.

• Runner-Up: Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder (c1935)
  The Ingalls family moves west into "Indian country," builds a home, survives sickness and natural disasters, and then moves on.

NONFICTION

• Winner: The Magic School Bus (series), by Joanna Cole (c1986-1997)
  Ms. Frizzle takes her class on fantastic field trips to learn about the solar system, dinosaurs, hurricanes, the human body, and more.

• Runner-Up: Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein (c1974) Humorous poetry and line drawings include the story of a boy who turns into a TV set, a girl who eats a whale, and the fabulous "Dancing Pants."

BOOKS ON CASSETTE

• Winner: Sideways Stories from Wayside School, by Louis Sachar (c1978) Recorded Books, 1990.
  Strange and funny stories from the classroom on the 30th floor of a school accidentally built sideways.

• Runner-Up: The Indian in the Cupboard, by Lynne Reid Banks (c1980) Recorded Books, 1990.
  A magic cupboard somehow brings Omri's plastic Indian to life, and numerous adventures ensue.

Arrangement and original material copyright © 1997 the Ann Arbor District Library. This list may be copied and distributed without requesting permission, so long as this notice remains attached and appropriate credit to the compilers is given.