Ada's Pal, illustrated by Marguerite Casparian, Orchard Books
0-531-09528-2 (hardcover), Grades PreS-2

“A moving tale about dogs' true best friends: other dogs...Young children will relish meeting Ada at storytime and independent readers will cherish her as well.” - School Library Journal

Basket, Illustrated by Mary Szilagyi, Orchard Books
0-531-05886-7 (hardcover), Grades PreS-2

“Warmly appealing, the book has a quiet charm that makes it an effective choice for celebrating intergenerational relationships.” - The Horn Book

WINNER OF THE KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AWARD

Book, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books
0-789-42560-2 (hardcover), Grades PreS-4

“This oversize picture book, really an illustrated free verse poem, pays tribute to books and reading. The full page paintings embrace both the words and the spirit of the text and bibliophiles will find themselves in complete agreement with the author's exalted view of books and reading...” - Judy Katsh, Children's Literature Reviews

BOOKLINKS BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 1999

Cecil's Story, illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books
0-531-07063-8 (paperback), Grades K-2

“The trauma of separation is sensitively explored in a Civil War setting in this evocative picture book...Well worth serious consideration.” - starred review, School Library Journal

Come a Tide, illustrated by Stephen Gammell , Orchard Books
0-531-07036-0 (paperback), Grades PreSch-1

“Four families on a hillside cope with the flood...The story is lyrically told with sly humor, and expanded to hilarity by Gammell's rollicking, wet, full-of-action, full-color cartoons...Children and adults will love this big-hearted book.” - starred review, School Library Journal

A Day at Damp Camp, Illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books
0-531-09504-5 (hardcover), Grades 1-3

“Megan and Sarah begin their camp experience as loners and end it as supportive friends...Extraordinary work is what we have come to expect from these collaborators, and the promise is once again delivered.” - School Library Journal

Dreamplace, Illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books
0-531-05466-7 (hardcover); 0-531-07101-4 (paperback), Grades PreS-2

“Children are treated to a vision of the past, this time among the ruins of an Anasazi village...This book is both art and literature of a quality that is rarely seen and should be cherished.” - starred review, School Library Journal

“The best yet from a uniquely gifted team.” - Kirkus

“An atmospheric, shimmering glance backwards...” - Publishers Weekly

AN AMERICAN BOOKSELLER KIDS' PICK OF THE LISTS

Father Time and the Day Boxes, Illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker, Bradbury Press
0-02-761370-4, Grades PreS-3

“This first book for children by a Kentucky poet is hauntingly illustrated in delicate watercolor washes with pen-and-ink drawings. Kindly Father Time (Nature's grandson) tosses down one of his 365 packets containing a day.” - New York Times Book Review

“A dreamy, whimsical look at the meaning of time. Lovely to look at and something to think about with children.” - Booklist

CCBC CHOICES

Five Live Bongos, Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Scholastic
0-590-46654-2, Grades PresS-3

“In a nonconforming, musical text reflecting various percussive moods, Lyon depicts the creative means [a] painter's children adopt in pursuit of their 'Found Sound Band.' A lively invitation to readers, artists, inventors, and musicians to come join the anarchic fun.” - Kirkus

CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR, BANK STREET COLLEGE

Reprinted in Crayola Kids magazine, December '95-January '96 issue

One Lucky Girl, Illustrated by Irene Trivas, DK Publishing Inc.
0-789-42613-7 (hardcover), Grades PreS-2

“A well-crafted picture book based, apparently, on a true story that in both text and illustration pitches drama and tension at exactly the right level for the audience...Lyon's telling has the spareness, denseness, and vividness of poetry...but never strains for effect...” - The Horn Book

WINNER OF THE KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AWARD

The Outside Inn, Illustrated by Vera Rosenberry, Orchard Books
0-531-07086-7 (paperback), Grades PreS-1

“Kids cooking up a pretend meal are the springboard for Lyon to introduce another idea...An imaginative work that will fit nicely with primary environmental curriculums.” - Booklist

AMERICAN BOOKSELLER KIDS' PICK OF THE LISTS

A Regular Rolling Noah, Illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Bradbury Press
0-02-761330-5 (hardcover), 0-689-71449-1 (paperback), Grades PreS-3

“[T]ext that sings and shimmering paintings that fairly burst with color...This poetic work is a feast for the eyes and ears.” - Publishers Weekly

A Sign, Illustrated by Chris K. Soentpiet, Orchard Books
0-531-30073-0 (hardcover), Grades K-4

“Lyon's lyrical autobiographical poem and Soentpiet's glowing paintings unfold quietly, articulating with deft simplicity the complex relationship between an artist's childhood dreams and adult achievements...” - Publishers Weekly

NCTE/NOTABLE TRADE BOOKS IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS

Together, Illustrated by Vera Rosenberry, Orchard Books
0-531-07047-6 (paperback), Grades PreS-1

“The essence of youthful exuberance is captured perfectly in this celebration of friendship...”
- School Library Journal

A Traveling Cat, Illustrated by Paul Brett Johnson, Orchard Books
0-531-30102-8 (hardcover), Grades PreS-2

“Some cats are born to travel and such a one is Boulevard, who appears at a drive-in one evening, stays with the young narrator and her family for a year and then leaves as the spring floods arrive...It's rare to find such a distinctly drawn animal character...but Boulevard is through and through a cat among cats.” - Kirkus Reviews

Who Came Down that Road?, Illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, Orchard Books
0-531-07073-5 (paperback), Grades PreS-2

“A lovely beautifully crafted book that makes an unusually effective response to a prototypical question.” - pointer, Kirkus Reviews

AMERICAN BOOKSELLER KIDS' PICK OF THE LIST

Gina.Jamie.Father.Bear , Atheneum
0-689-84370-4 (hardcover), Grades 6 & Up

“In this finely drawn tale, Lyon weaves parallel story lines into a novel of uncommon beauty that incorporates the mysterious bonds between parents and children, love and legend....Her subtle theme — that children remain open to the inexplicable wonders of life that adults have given up — may well inspire readers to explore the mysteries in their own lives. Lyon's poet-roots inform her vivid imagery and metaphoric prose. A lyrical, memorable tale.” - Publishers Weekly, starred review

Here and Then, Orchard Books
0-531-06866-8 (hardcover), 0-816-74207-3 (paperback), Grades 6-8

“Lyon's evocative style convinces...readers that extraordinary times lead to extraordinary events. The theme of 'war is hell' is movingly conveyed by a tightly woven plot and a strong sense of place.”
- School Library Journal

“The best time-travel novel in years.” - The Washington Post

The Stranger I Left Behind (originally titled Red Rover, Red Rover), Troll
0-816-74026-7 (paperback), Grades 3-6

When Sumi's brother leaves for boarding school, her best friend moves away, her grandfather dies, and her mother withdraws into grief, Sumi finds herself facing the beginning of adolescence alone and afraid.

MOUNTAIN (a poetry chapbook),Andrew Mountain Press
0-9603840-5-7

“Her poetry, original, delightful, compelling, is the real thing. It creates a shock of recognition. These marvelous poems are universal.” - Ruth Stone

A Gathering at the Forks:
Fifteen Years of the Hindman Settlement School's Appalachian Writers Workshop
Edited by George Ella Lyon, Jim Wayne Miller, and Gurney Norman, Vision Books