In no particular order, our selection of Best Books of 2012 for young readers ages 0-8….
Dragons Love Tacos
By Adam Rubin, Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Dragons love tacos. Seriously, they LOVE them. They also love parties. Any kind of parties really. But especially TACO PARTIES! Oh, you’re throwing a taco party? How fun! Just one little bitty guideline to remember: Dragons can’t tolerate spicy salsa. Seriously, NO spicy salsa. Wait, what’s in that red jar? Uh oh…. DO NOT LET THOSE DRAGONS EAT THOSE TACOS!
Little Elephants
by Graeme Base
Sweeping landscapes, an aura of classic Americana, and an improbably herd of tiny elephants infuse this new book from the wonderfully weird Graeme Base with an allure that’s classically appealing and delightfully odd in just the right measure.
Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer
In what just might be the best Olivia book to date, that precocious and irrepressible piglet takes on the limitations of the pink princess phenomenon with spirit, wit and stylish aplomb.
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
“I like hats. I make hats; I wear hats… I have baseball caps, cowboy hats… 5 foot long stoacking cap? Got that, too! Heck, I’m wearing a hat right now. But my new hat, my favorite hat, is not my hat. I mean it’s Jon Klassens’s This Is Not My Hat. It stars a fish who has, shall we say…liberated…someone else’s chapeau. This is one of those “Oh my god this book is so great!!!” books. It’s also one of those books I read over and over. So if you’re in the children’s section and you see a woman (in a hat) clutching a picture book and heading your way, you’re about to be the victim of an impromptu storytime and you should, pardon the pun, hold on to your hat.” – Merrilee
Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole
A young girl’s courage is tested in this haunting, wordless story. When a farm girl discovers a runaway slave hiding in the barn, she is at once startled and frightened. But the stranger’s fearful eyes weigh upon her conscience, and she must make a difficult choice. Beautiful illustrations accompany this important story.
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