2016 NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts

THE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE ASSEMBLY OF NCTE 

PRESENTS 

THE 2016 

NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS 

IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS

28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World Written by Charles R. Smith,
Illustrated by Shane W. Evans, Published by Roaring Brook Press.

An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns Written by Betsy R. Rosenthal,
Illustrated by Jago, Published by Millbrook Press.

A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters Written by Betsy Franco, Illustrated by Michael Wertz,
Published by Millbrook Press.

Bigfoot is Missing! Written by J. Patrick Lewis and Karen Nesbitt, Illustrated by MinaLima,
Published by Chronicle.

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore Written by Vaunda Micheaux
Nelson, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, Published by Carolrhoda.

The Book Scavenger Written by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, Published by Henry Holt and
Company.

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Written and illustrated by Don Brown,
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Echo Written by Pam Munoz Ryan, Published by Scholastic.

Enchanted Air Written by Margarita Engle, Illustrated by Edel Rodriguez, Published by
Atheneum.

Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings Written by Matthew Burgess, Illustrated by
Kris Di Giacomo, Published by Enchanted Lion.

Flutter and Hum: Animal Poems Written and illustrated by Julie Paschkis, Published by Henry
Holt and Company.

How to Read a Story Written by Kate Messner, Illustrated by Mark Siegel, Published by
Chronicle.

Jumping Off Library Shelves Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, Illustrated by Jane Manning,
Published by Wordsong.

The Marvels Written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, Published by Scholastic.

My Seneca Village Written by Marilyn Nelson, Published by Namelos.

My Two Blankets Written by Irena Kobald, Illustrated by Freya Blackwood, Published by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The Plan Written by Alison Paul, Illustrated by Barbara Lehman, Published by Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt.

Poems in the Attic Written by Nikki Grimes, Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, Published by Lee &
Low.

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton Written and illustrated by Don Tate,
Published by Peachtree.

Red: A Crayon’s Story Written and illustrated by Michael Hall, Published by Greenwillow.

Stella by Starlight Written by Sharon M. Draper, Published by Atheneum.

The Thing About Jellyfish Written by Ali Benjamin, Published by Little, Brown Books.

Use Your Imagination (But be careful what you wish for!) Written and illustrated by Nicola
O’Byrne, Published by Nosy Crow.

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hammer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement Written by
Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Ekua Holmes, Published by Candlewick.

W is for Webster Written by Tracey Fern, Illustrated by Boris Kulikov, Published by Farrar,
Straus and Giroux.

Where’s the Baboon? Written by Michaël Escoffier, Illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo, Published by
Enchanted Lion.

The Whisper Written and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, Published by Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt.

Willy’s Stories Written and illustrated by Anthony Browne, Published by Candlewick.

The Wonder Written and illustrated by Faye Hanson, Published by Templar.

A Year in the Life of a Complete and Total Genius Written by Stacey Matson, Published by
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.


2016 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Selection Committee Members: 
Chair -- Christine Draper-Georgia Southern University
Committee members -- Evelyn Freeman-The Ohio State University, Dick Koblitz-Webster University in St. Louis and University of Missouri, Pamela Jewett-Professor Emerita at the University of South Carolina, Diana Porter-Eastern Kentucky University, Jennifer Sanders-Oklahoma State University, and Holly Sims-Independence Elementary School, Oregon.