Arkansas Diamond

Award Nominated

books 2015-2016

The Fort That Jack Built by: Brett Helquist

In this imaginative interpretation of the nursery rhyme “The House That Jack Built,” young Jack builds an amazing fort in the middle of the living room, using the chairs, blankets, and other objects on hand. Unfortunately, those objects belong to his family members, so when they want their things back—there goes the walls and roof! Jack struggles to keep his fortress going as it crumbles piece by piece. Finally, Grandma saves the day with her quilts for a sweet, satisfying ending filled with family fun.

The Day the Crayons Quitby: Drew DaywaltPoor Duncan just wants to

color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: We quit!

Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown. Blue needs a break from coloring all that water, while Pink just wants to be used. Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other.

What is Duncan to do?

No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou

by: Rhonda GreeneAt Seabreezy Library, things were just right. Booklovers were cozy. The sky was blue-bright when--Shiver me timbers!--through Seabreezy's door stormed big Pirate Pete and his parrot, Igor! Argh!! Things are looking--and smelling!!--a little fishy at Seabreezy Library. When the big X on Pirate Pete's treasure map leads him and his parrot-sidekick Igor to believe buried treasure is hidden at the library, the patrons are quaking in their shoes.

Lottie Paris and the Best Place by: Angela Johnson

Lottie Paris has a favorite place. The library! She loves to go there and read about space. She knows there are rules at the library, but sometimes they are not so easy to follow.The library is Carl’s favorite place, too. And he loves to read about dinosaurs. When Lottie and Carl meet, they become fast friends. Now Lottie reads about dinosaurs, and Carl loves space!

My Lucky Birthdayby: Keiko Kasza

Just as Alligator Al is planning the perfect birthday dinner for himself, there is a knock on his door. It's a delicious-looking piglet—how lucky! But as Al prepares his feast, the piglet makes some suggestions. Shouldn’t Al have a big birthday cake? Piglet can tell him how to make one. And wouldn’t the celebration be more fun with fancy decorations and party guests? Piglet would be happy to ask some friends to come over.Al is so lucky that Piglet is there to help...or is he? Could Piglet have a clever party trick up his sleeve? http://www.keikokasza.com/books.php

Otis and the Puppyby: Loren Long

Otis and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek. Otis especially loves to be "It," finding his friends as they hide. Yet when the newest addition to the farm—a bounding puppy who can't sit still and has a habit of licking faces—tries to hide, he finds his attention wandering and is soon lost in the forest. Night falls and Otis, knowing his new friend is afraid of the dark, sets out to find him. There's just one problem: Otis is also afraid of the dark. http://www.lorenlong.com/Books/View/3/Otis-and-the-Puppy

Miss Moore Thought Otherwiseby: Jan Pinborough

Once upon a time, American children couldn’t borrow library books. Reading wasn’t all that important for children, many thought. Luckily Miss Anne Carroll Moore thought otherwise! This is the true story of how Miss Moore created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library, a bright, warm room filled with artwork, window seats, and most important of all, borrowing privileges to the world’s best children’s books in many different languages.www.missmoorethoughtotherwise.com

The Blessing Cupby: Patricia Polacco

A single china cup from a tea set left behind when Jews were forced to leave Russia helps hold a family together through generations of living in America, reminding them of the most important things in life.

The Favorite Daughterby: Allen Say

Yuriko hates her name when the children make fun of it and call her "Eureka!" Though she is half Japanese, the teasing makes her want to hide, to retreat even from the art projects she used to love. Fortunately she has a patient, kind father who finds gentle ways of drawing her out and reminding Yuriko of the traditions they share that have always brought her joy: walks in lovely Golden Gate Park, lunch at their favorite sushi restaurant, watching the fog blow in off the bay.

Becoming Babe Ruthby: Matt Tavares

Before he was known as the Babe, George Herman Ruth was just a boy who lived in Baltimore and got into a lot of trouble. But when he turned seven, his father brought him to the gates of Saint Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, and his life changed forever. At Saint Mary’s, he was expected to study hard and follow a lot of rules. But there was one good thing about Saint Mary’s: almost every day, George got to play baseball.Under the watchful eye of Brother Matthias, George evolved as a player and as a man, and when he set off into the wild world of big-league baseball, the school, the boys, and Brother Matthias were never far from his heart.

The Very Inappropriate Wordby: Jim Tobin

Michael loves interesting words (hard words like ELASTIC, little words like VAST, and big words like SMITHEREENS) and is always on the lookout for words to collect. Then one day, he picks up a new word. A badword. An inappropriate word. At least, that’s what his friend says. But Michael kind of likes the word. He thinks he might try it out.At school.Bad idea.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT85VWbw4yg

Students in grades K-3 will vote on these titles in April of 2016.