10 best books of 2010

In no particular order, here are my 10 favorite books that were published in 2010:

Franzen, Jonathan. Freedom. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010.

Quindlen, Anna. Every Last One: A Novel. New York: Random House, 2010.

Richards, Keith, and James Fox. Life. New York: Little, Brown and Co, 2010.

Steinberg, Avi. Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian. New York: Nan A. Talese, 2010.

Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2010.

Waters, John. Role Models. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010.

Dickens, Charles, Chuck Fischer, and Bruce Foster. A Christmas Carol: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Little Brown, 2010.

(Yes, I know that the original edition was published back in 1843.)

Schwartz, John. Short: Walking Tall When You're Not Tall at All. New York: Rb Flash Point, 2010.

Wood, Maryrose, and J. Klassen. The Mysterious Howling. New York: Balzer + Bray, 2010.

Thomas, Marlo. Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny. New York: Hyperion, 2010.

Have a very happy and healthy New Year's celebration.

Love,
Rebecca

A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home

A Nest for Celeste is simply the best chapter book I read all year. Wrap it up in a basket along with a pair of binoculars, a drawing pad, pencils, a copy of The Sibley Guide for Birds, a subscription to Audubon magazine, and you have the perfect holiday gift package for a nature lover of any age!

Cole, Henry. A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2010. Print.

ps. Visit HenryCole.net to see a beautiful video preview of A Nest for Celeste.

More city stories

Here are a few more great books about life in the Big City:

Christmas in New York by Chuck Fischer

Fischer, Chuck. Christmas in New York: A Pop-Up Book. New York: Bulfinch Press, 2005.

City Chicken by Arthur Dorros and Henry Cole

Dorros, Arthur, and Henry Cole. City Chicken. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Blume, Judy, and Roy Doty. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. New York: Dutton, 1972.

Chicken and Cat by Sara Varon

Varon, Sara. Chicken and Cat. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006.

Abuela by Arthur Dorros and Elisa Kleven

Dorros, Arthur, Elisa Kleven, and Sandra Marulanda Dorros. Abuela. New York: Puffin Unicorn, 1997.

And speaking of big cities . . .

Bemelmans, Ludwig. Madeline. New York: Viking Press, 1967.

Free Man in Paris is one of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs. Check out this video:

Joni's got Jaco Pastorius*, Pat Metheny, and Lyle Mays up there with her. Talk about an all-star band!

Mitchell, Joni. Shadows and Light. Los Angeles, Calif: Asylum, 2003.

Here's the original, studio version from Court and Spark:

Mitchell, Joni. Court and Spark. [Los Angeles, Calif.]: Asylum, 1980.

*Did you know that Jaco Pastorius was from Broward County? Next time you're in Florida, be sure to visit Jaco Pastorius Memorial Park in Oakland Park.

I love elephants (and penguins, too!)

One of my wonderful blogging friends, Lilly, posted this incredible story about an unlikely friendship between an elephant and a dog:



(Elephants are such sensitive creatures. It breaks my heart that they are often victims of human cruelty: circuses.com.)

On a lighter note, here is another fascinating story about two animals in love: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, with illustrations by Henry Cole.

Richardson, Justin, Peter Parnell, and Henry Cole. And Tango Makes Three. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005.

Sadly, it is one of the most challenged books in America.