Sandy's Favorites 2011 - Picture Books

With 2011 quickly drawing to a close, it's time once again for this librarian to share her favorite reads of the year!

According to my Goodreads.com account, I have read a grand total of 130 books this year. I also currently have two more in progress and reserve the right to finish them before the clock strikes midnight on December 31. Almost all of these books were written for children or teens, and most were written in 2011 (though several were published in late 2010, and a few were even older). But which of these books were my favorites?

In today's post we're going to take a look at books generally written for our youngest readers: Picture Books!

Though I did a better job of tracking the picture books I had read than in years past, only a fraction of the picture books that I read (generally the ones I loved) made it onto my Goodreads account. C'est la vie. But still, I'm confident enough to share what I think were the best of the best this year.

The Princess and the Pig by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Poly Bernatene
Such a clever story, and one that I'd give to my princess-loving preschoolers without any hesitation at all. Emmett does such a good job of incorporating little details from well-known fairy tales into the story, and the illustrations are just a lot of fun to look at.

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Raschka's style is always fun to look at, and this wordless picture book about a dog and her favorite toy tugs at your heartstrings just enough. This is my hopeful pick for a Caldecott Medal next month.

Blackout by John Rocco
The stylized artwork found in this book really cool. Rocco does a pretty good job of playing with light in his illustrations and the book's message about making time for your family is sweet.

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin
I have a complicated relationship with haiku. Sometimes it's amazing, and other times I just think it's silly. Fortunately, the poetry in this particular book is just perfect. It seems to be the perfect way to give voice to a cat - brief, just a little snobby, but also regal and lovely.

Horray for Amanda and her Alligator by Mo Willems
I don't know how Mo Willems manages to be so brilliant, but he really did an amazing job with his latest picture book. One part picture book and one part easy reader, this book will be accessable to a lot of different kinds of readers. And we just haven't been able to keep it on the shelf here at the library!

What were your favorite picture books this year? Discuss in the comments.

Edit 1/23/12: I was right - congratulations to Chris Raschka for winning the 2012 Caldecott Medal for A Ball for Daisy! Further congratulations to John Rocco for winning a 2012 Caldecott Honor Medal for Blackout.