Rhode Island Children's Book Award

And the 2011 RICBA winner is....

2011-03-14T18:26:00.004-04:00

....drum roll please....

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

Congratulations, Steve Jenkins!

Author	Title	Votes
Jenkins, Steve	Never Smile at a Monkey	1,322
Sturm, James	Adventures in Cartooning	1,130
Mass, Wendy	11 Birthdays	792
Klise, Kate	Dying to Meet You	714
Prineas, Sarah	The Magic Thief	411
Graff, Lisa	Umbrella Summer	408
Lin, Grace	Where the Mountain Meets the Moon	320
DiTerlizzi, Tony	Kenny and the Dragon	278
Chin, Jason	Redwoods	252
Mills, Claudia	How Oliver Olson Changed the World	241
Davies, Jacqueline	Tricking the Tallyman	232
Giff, Patricia Reilly	Wild Girl	225
Tolan, Stephanie S.	Wishworks, Inc.	194
Philbrick, Rodman	The Mostly true adventures of Homer P. Figg	187
Gaiman, Neil	Odd and the Frost Giants	144
Harley, Avis	African Acrostics	142
Yep, Laurence	The Dragon's Child	119
Russell, Ching Yeung	Tofu Quilt	45
McGinty, Alice B.	Darwin: with glimpses into his private journals and letters	44
DeGross, Monalisa	Donavan's Double Trouble	41
TOTAL VOTES: 7,241 from 75 schools and 1 public library

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

2010-03-14T17:17:00.001-04:00

Grades: 4-6

Committee Annotation: Amanda's eleventh birthday should have been a happy occasion but this year everything goes wrong. She can't wait for the day to be over. But on the next day Amanda wakes up to find it's STILL her 11th birthday!

Subject: Birthdays, Time, Friendship, Interpersonal Relationships, Family Feuds, Fantasy

Author Web Site: http://www.wendymass.com/

Adventures in Cartooning by James Sturm

2010-03-14T17:13:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-6

Committee Annotation: An impatient knight, a cowardly horse, and a magical elf set off to rescue a princess and slay a dragon- and along the way learn to make comics- in this rip-roaring adventure.

Subjects: Cartoons and Comics, Comic Books, Strips, etc.-Technique, Drawing-Technique, Graphic Novels, Princesses, Elves, Knights, Dragons, Fairy Tales, Adventure, Humor

Author Web Site: none.

African Acrostics by Avis Harley

2010-03-14T17:11:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-6

Committee Annotation: Look carefully! Take a safari through Africa and spot the wild animals as they leap to life in stunning photographs and clever acrostic poems. Inside every acrostic lurks a secret message.

Subjects: Poetry, Acrostic Poems, Animals, Africa

Author Web Site: none.

Darwin: with glimpses into his private journals and letters by Alice B. McGlinty

2010-03-14T17:08:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-6

Committee Annotation: What do you do when you've flunked out of school? Go to medical school of course! And then head off on the adventures of a lifetime. Follow Charles Darwin from unsuccessful student to fame after his around the world trip on the HMS Beagle.

Subjects: Charles Darwin, Biography, Natural History, Evolution, Voyages, Career Choice, HMS Beagle

Author Web Site: http://www.alicebmcginty.com/

Donavan's Double Trouble by Monalisa DeGross

2010-03-14T17:05:00.000-04:00

Grades: 4-6

Committee Annotation: Donavan had hoped fourth grade would be his best year yet. When his Uncle Vic comes home from war in a wheelchair and Donavan struggle s with math, he feels sad and confused. Will he be able to turn fourth grade around?

Subjects: People with Disabilities, Math Anxiety, School, African Americans, Friendship, Paraplegics, Heritage

Author Web Site: none.

The Dragon's Child by Laurence Yep

2010-03-14T17:02:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-6

Committee Annotation: In 1922, 10-year-old Gim Lew reluctantly leaves his village in China to go with his father to America, but before they leave he must prepare for a grueling test that he must pass, without stuttering, at California's Angel Island.

Subjects: Emigration and Immigration, Fathers and Sons, Chinese Americans, Stuttering, China 1912-1928, Angel Island, San Francisco, California 1850-1950

Author Web Site: none.

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise

2010-03-14T17:00:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-6

Committee Annotation: A writer moves into an old mansion expecting to find some peace and quiet to break his writer's block. Instead he finds that he is sharing living quarters with an 11-year-old boy and a ghost. The ghost does not plan to share anything with the writer, especially her home. The story is told through newspaper accounts and letters.

Subjects: Authors, Letters, Haunted Mansions, Ghosts, Humor, Friendships, Writer’s Block

Author Web Site: http://kateandsarahklise.com/

How Oliver Olson Changed the World by Claudia Mills

2010-03-14T16:57:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-4

Committee Annotation: What if your parents did your homework for you? Sound fantastic? Meet Oliver Olson, a boy who doesn't think it's so great, in this very funny story. With inspiration from the Planet Pluto, a classmate named Crystal, and his own creativity, Oliver finally finds some of the independence he so desperately wants.

Subjects: Solar System, Science Projects, School, Homework Assignments, Parent/Child Relationships, Friendship, Humor

Author Web Site: http://www.claudiamillsauthor.com/

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi

2010-03-14T16:49:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-5

Committee Annotation: Kenny Rabbit has two best friends, George the Badger and Grahame the Dragon. When George is sent to slay the dragon Kenny must create a plan to save his friends and satisfy the dragon-crazed townspeople.

Subjects: Dragons, Knights/Knighthood, Farm Life, Theater, Rabbits, Family, Friendship, Loyalty, Fairy Tales

Author Web Site: http://www.diterlizzi.com/

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas

2010-03-14T16:47:00.000-04:00

Grades: 4-6

Committee Annotation: A young thief is drawn into the life of danger and adventure after picking the pocket of a very powerful wizard. Evil is afoot in the city of Wellmet, an evil that is not human. Will the thief who becomes the wizard's apprentice be able to save the city?

Subject: Magic, Wizards, Apprentices, Fantasy, Mystery, Thievery, Runes, Danger

Author Web Site: http://www.sarah-prineas.com/

The Mostly true adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

2010-03-14T16:44:00.000-04:00

Grades: 5-6

Committee Annotation: What is a boy to do when his guardian illegally sells his only brothers to the Union Army? The only thing a couragous boy can do is use all his wits and his ability to tell tall tales to find his brother. In a madcap adventure of a lifetime, Homer meets many rascals and guardian angels along his journey. During his ordeal, he finds what friendship and family really means.

Subjects: Civil War, Brothers, Humor, Friendships, Tricksters, Evil Stepfathers, Adventure, Underground Railroad, Medicine Shows

Author Web Site: http://www.rodmanphilbrick.com/

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

2010-03-14T16:42:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-5

Committee Annotation: Discover how dangerous unusual animals can be. They protect themselves in surprising ways that can be unexpectedly hazardous to your health. Their teeth, claws, and venom can be deadly.

Subjects: Dangerous Animals, Science, Animal Behavior, Survival, Nature

Author Web Site: http://www.stevejenkinsbooks.com/

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

2010-03-14T16:41:00.001-04:00

Grades: 3-5

Committee Annotation: Odd, a 12-year-old boy of ancient Norway, with a string of bad luck, sets out on a quest. Along the way, he befriends a fox, an eagle and a bear (transformed Norse gods) who in their current predicament must rely upon Odd to outwit the Frost Giants.

Subjects: Norse Mythology, Vikings, Giants, Fantasy, Folklore, Coming of Age, Adventure

Author Web Site: http://www.neilgaiman.com/

Redwoods by Jason Chin

2010-03-14T16:38:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-4

Committee Annotation: An abandoned book about redwood trees transports a boy from a subway car to a giant redwood forest. Journey with him from the forest floor to the towering top of one of these fascinating trees, meeting birds, animals and even other trees growing and living along the way.

Subjects: Redwoods, Coast Redwoods, Giant Sequoias, Trees, Pacific Northwest, Science, Ecology, Botany, Nature, Fantasy

Author Web Site: http://jasonchin.net/

Tofu Quilt by Ching Yeung Russell

2010-03-14T16:36:00.000-04:00

Grades: 4-6

Committee Annotation: Written in free verse poems, this tender tale tells of a young girl growing up in 1960's China. Yeung Ying overcomes the limits placed on her by society and family when she is granted the opportunity to go to school and become a writer.

Subjects: China 1960’s, Family Life, Growing Up, Novels in Verse, Determination, Memoirs, Poetry

Author Web Site: http://chingyeung.homestead.com/

Tricking the Tallyman by Jacqueline Davies

2010-03-14T16:34:00.000-04:00

Grades: 3-6

Committee Annotation: Gathering the first census in 1790 could not be more dangerous... or funny? Enjoy the antics this town provides a weary tallyman.

Subjects: Census, History, 1790, Humor, Vermont, Schemes

Author Web Site: http://www.jacquelinedavies.net/

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

2010-03-14T16:32:00.000-04:00

Grades: 4-6

Committee Annotation: Ten-year-old Annie worries about everything since the unexpected death of her brother Jared, but with the help of a new neighbor she is learning how to close her umbrella and enjoy living again.

Subjects: Death, Friendship, Grief, Siblings, Worry, Safety

Author Web Site: http://www.lisagraff.com/

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

2010-03-14T16:30:00.000-04:00

Grades: 4-6

Committee Annotation: With the help of a magical goldfish and a flightless dragon, Minli embarks on an adventure to find the Old Man of the Moon who she hopes will help to change her family's fortune.

Subjects: Fairy Tales, Dragons, Moon, Family, Adventure, Magic

Author Web Site: http://www.gracelin.com/

Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff

2010-03-14T16:27:00.000-04:00

Grades: 4-6

Committee Annotation: Lidie is finally joining her father and brother in New York after five years apart. The reunion isn't what she expected. Can their new horse, Wild Girl, help this human wild girl settle into her new life?

Subjects: Horses, Immigration, English Language Learners, Brazilians, New York, Father-Daughter Relationships, Brothers, Family Dynamics, Coming of Age

Author Web Site: none.