A greedy little cat keeps coming to Ginger and the kitten's house and eating up their food—Goldilocks style. Eventually, the girl who takes care of Ginger and the kitten puts a note on the uninvited cat. Soon a message arrives that says "Tiddles" gets two meals a day and please do not feed him any more…he is getting fat. It’s a cute little mystery solved in 32 pages. 3 & up.

Age: Preschool. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Kids of a certain age love being grossed out and this is one of the best of that genre because it isn't merely yucky, it is full of fascinating information about old and gross sounding cures that have been used through the ages. It is set up in a true false format asking readers to speculate on the effectiveness of rubbing moldy bread on your leg, putting mustard on your head or tying earthworms around your neck. The art is as gross out as the ideas of using mummy powder or a dead man’s skull or maggots to cure what ails you. A thought provoking book that combines science and history in a picturebook for older readers. 7 & up.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

In this wordless book readers follow the lives of two boys who look different and live in very different parts of the world. The illustrations face each other, one each side of the book and as you turn the pages you begin to discover things that are different and things that are the same. One boy lives in Morocco and the other in a city in Australia. In many ways the life experiences of both of these boys are quite different than that of children in our own culture. A thought provoking book to share with young people to follow-up with discussion.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Detective Dinosaur is something of a dumbbell, but one who will tickle beginning readers who love dinosaurs. It's bit cartoonish, but that probably makes it all the more appealing to readers who know that genre and can relate to the silliness of a dinosaur who puts on layers of clothes when he is given an "undercover" assignment. These are a step beyond the super easy beginner books and right on the mark for 2nd graders.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Introducing children to other cultures is best done in terms of experiences that are familiar. Going to school is one of the life experiences that children share, but in Chad the school house is washed away each year in the rainy season and before traditional classes can begin, the children learn how to make mud bricks, desks, and a thatched roof. This simple story with a minimum of words and handsome illustrations transports the reader to another world where schooling begins with learning more basic than the A,B, C's.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

"Piggy Pi Po likes to dance when he wears his party pants"--when he wears his fins--he swims--and so it goes. Three little stories about a loveable Piggy told in rhyme. Don Wood's lively illustrations provide just the right momentum to match the humor of these bouncy rhymes. The first little story is about what Piggy wears depending on what he's doing and ends in the tub with Piggy wearing nothing but bubbles from head to toes. The second rhyme tells how smart Piggy is except for one little problem with his shoes that most kids will surely relate to. A third and final rhyme captures Piggy being his piggish self and what happens when he does that. This will be a fun read aloud that kids will soon chime in on as they anticipate the turn pages and use the cues of the rhymes. 2 ˝ & up.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

When Benjamin mouse finds that his mother is missing, he enlists the help of a small elephant named Bumper. Together the duo are off to the rescue in a totally charming miniature world created with great attention to detail. Both the characters and their setting are artistic feats and the story has the feel of an old fashioned folktale without a grizzly ending. There's suspense and action as the duo face Sir Pouncelot, a fairly large and hungry cat. But courage and cleverness win the day.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Another adventure for Library Mouse in which the less than brave mouse meets as an adventurous mouse named Sarah. He teaches her a thing or two about researching and seeing the world through books. She manages to help him overcome some of his fear of climbing and shows him the delights of exploring the high shelves of the library. Kirk's illustrations provide grist for a world of pretend and the rewards of friendship. 4-7.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

A loving introduction to the concept of seasons told in verse. Kay Choao's illustrations show Mama Cat and her kitten doing what we all typically do as the days turn from autumn to winter and beyond. The verse is something of a Valentine/Hallmark card from Mama promising to love her kitten in every season. Still, it's a pretty book for the very young.

Age: Toddlers. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

One by one, the baby animals go to sleep. There are barely any words here other than the name of the baby animal and the repeated refrains, "Sleepy, oh so sleepy." From time to time the question is asked—"Where's my sleepy baby?" Maybe the rhythm and repetition will lull some little ones to sleep. Maybe. The pulp papermaking technique gives impressionistic images of the animals. Some are harder to identify than others, but for the very young this will hardly matter. 2-5.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2010. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.