2022 Award Nominee Books

Here are the award nominee books for NEXT school year.

Towner Award

The video on the left has a brief introduction to the 10 Washington State Towner Nonfiction Award Nominee books.

Gross As A Snot Otter: Discovering the World's Most Disgusting Animals

By Jess Keating, illustrated by David DeGrand

This Towner nonfiction award nominee has page after page of information on the most gross animals in nature. Side bars of statistical information are included on the page for each gross animal. Other text features include: additional information, and a glossary. The illustrations were created using ink and digital coloring.

Towner Award

The video on the left has a brief introduction to the 10 Washington State Towner Nonfiction Award Nominee books.

Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Posada

This Towner nonfiction award nominee is beautifully illustrated and explains why leaves change colors in the fall in a way that is easy understandable. Text features include: various types of additional information, a glossary, and a bibliography with websites with experiments. The illustrations were made with cut paper collage and watercolor.

Nubs; the true story of a mutt, a marine and a miracle

By Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery

This wonderful nonfiction story will warm your heart.

K-3rd voting for Washington Children's Choice

SSV K-3rd grade students get to vote one time for their favorite picture book. The vote will be sent into the state and we will take part in the selection of the 2021 award nominee.

Magic Ramen; the story of Momofuku Ando

This nonfiction story is told in 3rd person point of view (it has a narrator and uses names). You will hear some repetition in the story. This true story has an author's note and an interesting dedication.

The Very Impatient Caterpillar

By Ross Burach

This humorous story is told completely in dialogue bubbles (1st person point of view). Personification is beautifully demonstrated as this quirky caterpillar impatiently talks through-out the story. You will notice repetition and movement marks through-out the whole story. This story is a circular story because it makes you think that the whole story is going to happen over again only in a slightly different way. You will also notice many onomatopoeia (words that are a sound) in the story.

The Boy Who Invented the Popsicle; The Cool Science Behind Frank Epperson's Famous Frozen Treat

By Anne Renaud

This nonfiction (true) story is told in 3rd person point of view. The story has dialogue bubbles and alliteration (the same beginning sound repeated). The author's note has photographs and interesting information to add to the story.

Tiny Feet Between the Mountains

By Hanna Cha

This story is a new folk tale that is set in Korea. The story has an author's note that explains the motivation for the story. Personification is shown as the tiger talks to the girl. This 3rd person point of view story (3rd person stories have a narrator and are told from outside the story) is illustrated with pen, ink, watercolor, and digitally.

This Is Not That Kind of Book

By Christopher Healy

This story told in 3rd person point of view (has a narrator/uses names) demonstrates personification (when animals/things behave like a person). The story shows dialogue with dialogue bubbles and has alliteration (the same beginning sound is repeated).

My Papi Has a Motorcycle

By Isabel Quintero

This story (told in 1st person point of view) is based upon the author's life. It has alliteration, dialogue bubbles, onomatopoeia, repetition, and several similes and metaphors.

Love, Z

By Jessie Sima

This sweet fantasy story is illustrated using the computer (digitally) and told in 3rd person point of view (told by a narrator--uses names). It has onomatopoeia (words that are a sound), dialogue (both quotation marks and dialogue bubbles), and alliteration (the same beginning sound is repeated--rusty robots). Personification is demonstrated because the robots and animals behave like people.

Borrowing Bunnies;

A Surprising True Tale of Fostering Rabbits

By Cynthia Lord

This nonfiction book is told in 1st person point of view (uses "I"). Some of the illustrations are photographs. It has alliteration (the same beginning sound repeated). There are also onomatopoeia (words that are a sound).

Skulls!

By Blair Thornburgh

This nonfiction book is told in 2nd person point of view (it uses "you"). There are simplistic diagrams. You will notice a few onomatopoeia (words that are a sound) and repetition. It has a simile: "your skull is like a car seat". It has a page of additional information, a sheet with skull facts.

Rescue and Jessica

By Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes

This heart-warming story (told in 3rd person point of view) is based upon the life of the author. It has a primary sources (photograph) in the author's note at the end of the story. The illustrations were made digitally.

A Royal Ride; Catherine the Great's Great Invention

By Kristen Fulton

This historical fiction story is told in 3rd person point of view (by a narrator). It has lots of additional information at the end of the story (bibliography, timeline, a primary source drawing, and a pronunciation guide). The story has alliteration (the same beginning sound is repeated), The illustrations were created in Adobe Photoshop (on the computer).

Ogilvy

By Deborah Underwood

This rhyming story about being yourself has personification (when animals/things act like a person). Alliteration (the same beginning sound) is used several times. The illustrations are done with computer, pencil, and sweaters. The story is told in 3rd person point of view (by a narrator and uses names).

Once Upon a Goat

By Dan Richards

This humorous story is told in 3rd person point of view (uses names and is told from outside the story). Dialogue and onomatopoeia (words that make a sound) are found throughout the story. The illustrations were made with pencil, watercolor, acrylic paint, and digitally.

Llama Destroys the World

By Jonathan Stutzman

Sequencing is shown in this humorous book as events that happen on each day of the week are shared by the narrator (3rd person point of view). Personification is shown as Llama eats cake, puts on pants, and behaves like a human. There are several onomatopoeia (sounds that are a word). Can you hear them?

Sweety

By Andrea Zuill

This story was illustrated using pen & ink, then digitally illustrated. This heart-warming lesson in being yourself demonstrates personification (when animals or things act like people) as Sweety, a naked mole rat, tries to make friends and fit in. The story uses dialogue bubbles and metaphors (Sweety is a square peg) and is told in 3rd person point of view (uses names).

Take Your Pet to School Day

By Linda Ashman, illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman

This rhyming story has personification (when animals or things act like humans) , which is shown when you discover who wrote the letter allowing pets to come to school. There is a repetitive refrain that is said in each class that the pets attend. You will notice alliteration (when you hear the same beginning sound) and it is told from outside the story, using names (3rd person point of view).

Don't Call Me Bear!

By Aaron Blabey

This story is told by Warren, a koala, so the story is told in 1st person point of view (uses "me" and "I"). Since the koala is telling the story personification is shown (when animals and things act like a person). The whole story is told through dialogue bubbles, however there is a chart of marsupials and an excerpt of a book on Captain Cook. The whole story rhymes.

Cyril and Pat

By Emily Gravett

The story is told from the outside. It is 3rd person point of view (uses names). Personification is evident as the animals all talk to each other. There are onomatopoeia (words that are a sound) and the whole story rhymes. There is a map with a key/legend. You will also notice that there are a few alliterations in the story (where the same beginning sound is repeated).

Ruby Finds a Worry

By Tom Percival

This story shows personification as Ruby's worry takes on a form. It is told in 3rd person Point of View (uses names).

Be Kind

By Pat Zietlow Miller, Illustrated by Jen Hill

This story is told in 1st person Point of View. One of the characters in the story is telling the story and refers to themselves as "I".

There is alliteration (the same beginning sound--Susie Sells Seashells) quite a few times in the story. What alliteration did you hear?

There are dialogue bubbles that show when people are talking.

Synonyms (words with the same meaning) of Being Kind are in purple text.

***Make a list of ways that you can help the world be a better place by being kind.