When I read The Horn Book Fanfare List of the best books of 2003, I was taken aback by how many I wasn't familiar with. Since I am constantly reading, and reading about, children's books, I was surprised to find a number of recommended books that were new to me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised when more than 4,000 children's books are published every year, and everyone seems to have a different list of "best books."

Several of the books sound particularly interesting, so tomorrow, I'm going to the library to see if I can borrow The Shape Game, a picture book written and illustrated by Anthony Browne about a transforming family trip to an art museum (Publisher: Farrar); Hi, Harry, The moving story of how one slow turtle slowly made a friend, a picture book by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Barbara Firth (Publisher: Candlewick Press); and The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, humorous fiction for intermediate and middle school readers that is described as an "essentially mythic tale of a girl’s quest to retrieve her baby brother from the fairies" (Publisher: HarperCollins). I also want to read Jacqueline Woodson's Locomotion for intermediate readers, which is described as a "moving novel in verse [in which] eleven-year-old foster child Lonnie discovers that writing poetry can ease the pain of and amplify the joy in his life" (Publisher: Putnam) and Cynthia Rylant's book of poetry, God Went to Beauty School.

I frequently find myself in the "so many books, so little time" mode, so I particularly appreciate it when you share information on the About Children's Books Forum about children's books you'd recommend. We have several discussions going on now, including one about books for 9-12 year olds and one about "best books" for 2003. I hope you'll join in. recall recall