Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2009 By THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2009 By THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Every year since 1952, the Book Review has asked a panel of judges to select 10 books from among the several thousand children’s books published that year. The judges this time around were Adam Gopnik, who writes regularly for The New Yorker and is the author of two novels for children, “The King in the Window” and the forthcoming “Steps Across the Water”; Jillian Tamaki, a teacher at the School of Visual Arts and the recipient of a Society of Illustrators gold medal; and Lisa Von Drasek, the children’s librarian of the Bank Street College of Education.
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ONLY A WITCH CAN FLY
By Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo.
Feiwel & Friends. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8)

An illustrated poem about a little girl who dreams of flying on her broomstick on Halloween night

* Review

[ONLY A WITCH CAN FLY]
MOONSHOT: The Flight of Apollo 11
Written and illustrated by Brian Floca.
Richard Jackson/Atheneum. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 7)

In watercolors, ink and acrylics, the story of how the Apollo 11 mission unfolded.

* Review

[MOONSHOT: The Flight of Apollo 11]
THE ODD EGG
Written and illustrated by Emily Gravett.
Simon & Schuster. $15.99. (Ages 4 to 8)

A duck discovers a huge speckled egg — with a baby alligator inside.

* Review

[THE ODD EGG]
A PENGUIN STORY
Written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis.
HarperCollins. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8)

Edna the penguin goes on a quest to discover new colors.

* Review

[A PENGUIN STORY]
THE LION AND THE MOUSE
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
Little, Brown. $16.99. (Ages 3 to 6)

This illustrated retelling of the classic fable has only seven words, all sound effects.

* Review

[THE LION AND THE MOUSE ]
THE SNOW DAY
Written and illustrated by Komako Sakai.
Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $16.99. (Ages 3 to 5)

A bunny child stays home from school when the world is beset by a snowstorm.

* Review

[THE SNOW DAY ]
TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA
Written and illustrated by Shaun Tan.
Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic. $19.99. (Ages 12 and up)

An illustrated collection of surreal tales from the author of “The Arrival.”

* Review

[TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA ]
YUMMY: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales
Written and illustrated by Lucy Cousins.
Candlewick. $18.99. (Ages 3 and up)

Eight popular fairy tales retold in vivid colors.

* Review

[YUMMY: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales]
WHITE NOISE
By David A. Carter.
Little Simon/Simon & Schuster. $22.99. (Ages 3 and up)

A pop-up romp through cubism and futurism, and a lesson in early-­20th-century modernist formalism.

* Review

[WHITE NOISE]
ALL THE WORLD
By Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustrated by Marla Frazee.
Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 7)

A journey in pictures and verse from an unexplored beach to a busy music-filled family room and into a tranquil, moonlit night.

* Review

[ALL THE WORLD]

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