1990

Ehlert, Lois

Feathers for Lunch

E

Since he has a bell on his collar, the cat only catches feathers for lunch, but he certainly does try to catch the twelve common birds highlighted in this book for young children.

Seuss, Dr.

Oh, The Places You'll Go

E

Dr. Seuss’ inspirational ode to potential success makes a great gift for anyone who starts a new stage of life, whether it’s the first day of Kindergarten or the first day of retirement.

Spinelli, Jerry

Maniac Magee

JF

In this modern tall tale, the legendary Jeffrey "Maniac" Magee awes and surprises the people of Two Mills with his impressive physical feats and impossible accomplishments.

Howe, James

Pinky and Rex

T

Pinky is a boy named for his favorite color, pink, and Rex is a girl named for her favorite creatures, dinosaurs, and together they amuse and delight readers of this popular series.

1991

Wiesner, David

Tuesday

E

Surreal and luminous illustrations reveal levitating frogs swooping through the night sky in a journey beginning on "Tuesday evening, at around eight."

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds

Shiloh

JF

Marty knows that the young beagle he found belongs to the violent and drunken Judd, but he doesn’t know the right thing to do -- return it to its rightful owner or save it from abuse.

1992

Pfister, Marcus

Rainbow Fish

E

Rainbow Fish is so proud of his glittering scales that he refuses to play with plainer fish, but then learns that friendship is more important than beauty and shares his scales with others.

Scieszca, Jon

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

T

Scieszca mocks the traditional fairy tale in this irreverent, sarcastic and hilarious collection of cracked fairy tales that entertain without a single moral, but with lots of wry humor.

McCully, Emily Arnold

Mirette on the Highwire

E

Bellini is a retired high-wire acrobat staying in a Paris boarding house who refuses to try his act again until young Mirette stubbornly begins to teach herself how to walk the tightrope.

Rylant, Cynthia

Missing May

T

When Summer’s adopted Aunt May dies, Summer and Uncle Ob set off across rural West Virginia on a search for some sign from their beloved May, whom they are missing terribly.

1993

Fleming, Denise

In the Small, Small Pond

E

Fleming rhythmically describes the changing seasons in a small, small pond combining the animals and words that toddlers love into rhymes like "splitter, splatter minnows scatter."

Lowery, Lois

The Giver

YA

The society of the future seems to be a perfect utopia, but Jonas becomes alarmed by the dark secrets he discovers when the aging "Giver" trains him as the "Receiver of Memories".

Wright, Betty Ren

The Ghosts of Mercy Manor

JF

When Gwen is sent to live with the Mercy family she must gain her foster family’s help to solve the frightening, page-turning mystery of the shadowy ghosts who haunt their manor.

Say, Allen

Grandfather's Journey

E

In this loving tribute to the inter-generation immigrant experience, Allen Say shows how he and his grandfather both felt torn between their two homes, the United States and Japan.

1994

McBratney, Sam

Guess How Much I Love You

E

Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare gently compete to show how much they love each other until Little Nutbrown Hare falls asleep assured of his father’s love.

Creech, Susan

Walk Two Moons

YA

As they travel from Ohio to Idaho to find Sal’s mother, Sal entertains her grandparents with a story that mirrors her own, in a moving and complex book about the difficult things in life.

1995

Cushman, Karen

The Midwife's Apprentice

YA

A homeless, nameless girl in Medieval England pulls herself up out of the dung heap, gets a crotchety midwife to make her an apprentice and learns to accept herself, failures and all.

Rathmann, Peggy

Officer Buckle and Gloria

E

Officer Buckle’s safety lectures put kids to sleep until his dog Gloria starts providing comic relief in the background, and soon they discover you should "always stick with your buddy."

1996

Henkes, Kevin

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse

E

Lilly loves school and Mr. Slinger, her teacher, but when he has to punish her by taking away her new purple plastic purse she does something very mean and later regrets it.

Konigsburg, E. L.

The View From Saturday

JF

Mrs. Olinsky chooses four special students for the 6^th grade Academic Bowl team, and they surprise everyone when they beat the 7^th and 8^th grade teams and win the state competition

1997

Hesse, Karen

Out of the Dust

JF

Billie Jo reveals her strength and determination as she relates, in free verse journal entries, all of her painful adolescent experiences in Oklahoma’s panhandle during the Dust Bowl.

Zelinsky, Paul O.

Rapunzel

TNF

Zelinsky presents a version of Rapunzel that is both faithful to the traditional Italian story and accompanied by gorgeous paintings in the Italian Renaissance style.

Levine, Gail Carson

Ella Enchanted

JF

Poor Ella was gifted with obedience by her fairy godmother, but the problematic gift makes it impossible for her to say no to any order or request in this creative retelling of Cinderella.

Pilkey, Dav

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

JF

Two fourth-grade boys hypnotize their principal into believing he’s their comic book hero, Captain Underpants, who fights crime with Wedgie-Power in a red cape and jockey shorts.

1998

Rowling, J. K.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

JF

When Harry is invited to attend Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers that he is famous for surviving the evil wizard Voldemort’s attempt to kill him as an infant.

Shannon, David

No, David!

E

All David hears is "No, David!" as he runs wildly out of control across the pages of this book, but no matter how bad he is, he still gets a hug and an "I love you" from his mother.

Sachar, Louis

Holes

JF

Poisonous lizards, spiced peaches, Texas desert, mistaken identity, and, of course, Holes combine to make Stanley Yelnats’ story an original mix of folktale, mystery and survival.

Peck, Richard

Long Way From Chicago

JF

Joey and his sister spend the summers of 1929 to 1935 with their grandmother, a larger-than-life woman who exposes them to outrageously funny adventures in her small town.

1999

Lum, Kate

What! Cried Granny: An Almost Bedtime Story

E

Patrick puts off bedtime by crying "but Granny!" each time he thinks of something he needs and Granny jumps into action with a rousing "What!" and makes each thing from scratch.

Brown, Margaret Wise

Another Important Book

E

Featuring vivacious illustrations by Chris Raschka, this companion to the 50-year-old classic, The Important Book, highlights some important things about ages one to six.