"2011 Notable Children's Books"

2011 Notable Children's BooksEach year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children's books. According to the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways.

According to ALSC policy, the current year's Newbery, Caldecott, Belpré, Sibert, Geisel, and Batchelder Award and Honor books automatically are added to the Notable Children's Books list.The notable books include:Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light. By Tim Tingle. Illus. by Karen Clarkson. Cinco Puntos, $17.95. (9781933693675).

This picture book autobiographical vignette shows a modern Choctaw family enduring and supporting each other with love, courage and fortitude.

Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection. Edited by Matt Dembicki. Fulcrum Books, $22.95 (9781555917241).

This collaborative effort by more than 40 writers and artists presents 21 Native American trickster tales in graphic novel format.

Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story. By S.D. Nelson. Abrams, $19.95 (9780810983991).

This handsome, large-format volume combines archival photographs, original acrylic paintings and powerful first-person narrative to present the devastating story of the painful changes in life forced upon the Lakota people.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Dembicki Explains Trickster's Origin and The Best Indian Books.