Children's Book Columns

What’s the most popular picture book of all time? If you, like me, guessed “Goodnight Moon” or “The Cat in the Hat,” you’d be close, but wrong. The children’s picture book that has sold more than either of those classics is Eric Carle’s “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” with more than 29 million copies in print.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here’s to shamrocks, shillelaghs, and most of all to shanachies!

For a thousand years in Ireland, storytellers known as shanachies were ranked second only to kings. Even into the twentieth century, they could be found telling stories in villages, where they kept alive the myths, history, folk and fairy tales of the Irish people. The shanachies may be gone, but their stories live on in the bounty of picture books and story collections for children.

The American Library Association announced its prestigious children's book awards yesterday, including the Caldecott Medal for most distinguished picture book and the Newbery Medal for most distinguished contribution to American children's literature. 

This morning's column takes a look at a few of the best books of the year that did not win either prize - not because they're not worthy, but because, being British, they're not eligible. 

Which book will win the prestigious Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book of the year? Join librarians and other interested folks at the Headquarters Library downtown to discuss five of the contenders. Our library’s Mock Awards program, a discussion of books eligible for the American Library Association’s Caldecott and Newbery Awards, runs from 3:00-5:00 in the library theater, and all are welcome.