Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award

2009 Winner

Chester by Melanie Watt
As the author/illustrator attempts to create a picture book about a mouse in a house, her rotund feline Chester sends the mouse packing and attempts to rewrite the story with his handy red marker.

2010 Nominees

The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg
A lonely pencil timidly draws a boy, a dog, and other items but soon faces a problem as his creations begin demanding changes, and when he draws an eraser to make them happy, the real trouble begins.

A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
Bear's efforts to keep out visitors to his house are undermined by a very persistent mouse.

Bedtime at the Swamp by Kristyn Crow
Upon hearing a swamp monster's splashing, rumbling approach, a boy hides in a tree, where he is soon joined by his sister, brother, two cousins, and even the monster itself, until Ma arrives to bring them all home to bed.

One is a Feast for Mouse by Judy Cox
On Thanksgiving Day while everyone naps, Mouse spots one pea, a perfect feast, but he cannot help adding all of the fixings--until Cat spots him.

The Pink Refrigerator by Time Egan
Dodsworth does as little work as he can, collecting items from a junkyard and placing them in his thrift store for sale, until he happens upon a pink refrigerator that spurs him to do much more with his life.

Bone Soup by Cambria Evans
Retells the classic tale about a traveller, a ghost, who tricks a town's witches, ghouls, and zombies into helping him make soup.

Snoring Beauty by Bruce Hale
An adaptation of the traditional tale, featuring a sleeping, snoring princess who is rescued by a prince after being cursed by a bad fairy.

Dirty Joe, the Pirate: A True Story by Bill Harley
Dirty Joe and his pirate crew terrorize the seven seas in their quest for dirty socks, but they meet their match in Stinky Annie, whose favorite loot is pilfered underwear.

Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski
Woolbur, a sheep with a mind of his own, never seems to follow the flock, despite his parents' reminders about how he should behave.

Peter Spit a Seed at Sue by Jackie French Koller
One hot summer day, four bored children start a watermelon seed-spitting battle that soon spreads throughout their town.

2009 Nominees

 

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina by Kirby Larson and Marcy Nethery
Bobbi and Bob Cat are the best of friends. When their hometown of New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina, many lost everything. But not Bobbi and Bob Cat--they still had each other. Only by staying together could they survive. This is the story of their remarkable friendship.

Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
Bored with another normal, inky evening, bats discover an open library window and fly in to enjoy the photocopier, water fountain, and especially the books and stories found there.

Astronaut Handbook by Mehgan McCarthy
Discusses the requirements for becoming an astronaut.

Wolf's Coming! by Joe Kulka
All of the animals in the forest go into hiding because the wolf is coming, but why they are hiding is the big surprise.

Mrs. Muddle's Holidays by Laura Nielsen
Although accustomed to celebrating nearly all the holidays on the calendar, the Maple Street neighbors are surprised by the newly-moved-in Mrs. Muddle's definition of a holiday.

Critter Sitter by Chuck Richards
When the Mahoney family hires Henry the Critter Sitter to watch their dog, cat, bird, fish, frog, and snake, he thinks he is up for the challenge since creature control is his game, but the pets have a different idea.

Timothy and the Strong Pajamas by Viviane Schwarz
After his mother mends his favorite pajamas, Timothy finds that he has super strength and decides to use it to help others, but when the pajamas rip again, he loses his strength just when he needs it most.

Too Many Toys by David Shannon
Although he finally agrees that he has too many toys and needs to give them away, there is one toy that Spencer absolutely cannot part with.

Help Me, Mr. Mutt!: Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems by Janet Stevens
Dogs across the United States write to Mr. Mutt, a people expert, for help with their humans.

Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter
This true story of Wangari Maathai, environmentalist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is a shining example of how one woman's passion, vision, and determination inspired great change.

Ms. McCaw Learns to Draw by Kaethe Zemach
Dudley Ellington struggles to learn anything at school, but when his very patient teacher, Mrs. McGraw, is unable to draw a face on the board, he helps her figure out how to do it.