Although there is much to be said about the charm of individual books that small hands can handle alone, this collection is an exceptional value! For about a dollar more than a single hard covered picture book, this oversized anthology includes full size, original art and text of such all time favorite picture books as: Sheep in a Jeep, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Martha Speaks, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Tack the Penguin, Curious George and the Firefighters, and so many more stories and poems! But, as they say on those info commercials--that's not all. Included in the book is a CD that children can listen to and follow as the book is read to them. All in all, a real buy! It's a tad on the heavy side for young kids to handle on their own, but it's a great book for sharing or set them up at a table with a player they can start and stop. A safe bet this will be a book they return to many times.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Some of the best folk singers ever appear on this compilation of noteworthy music. Pete Seeger doing I Had a Rooster; Woody Guthrie singing Riding in My Car; Buckwheat Zydeco singing Crawfish Song; Sweet Honey in the Rock singing Little Red Caboose.  There’s music from Taj Mahal, Raffi, Doc Watson, Bonnie Raitt. All ages.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years. Award Year: 2011.

If you know a family with a new baby or one on the way, give them this book and CD! Designed to inspire moms and dads to sing, dance and play with their baby, the colorful hard covered book is illustrated by James Nocito with verve and a happy blend of playfulness to match the songs. As always, Cathy and Marcy have created music that has a variety of styles and rhythms to make the sound interesting and they've kept the lyrics easy enough for parents who are musical or not. These songs have a Pete Seeger kind of sound to them that make you want to tap your foot, dance around and sing along. Although the cover says there are 22 songs, in fact, there are eleven original songs, each one is sung by a female and then a male voice with banjo and other stringed accompaniment. This is pure Cathy-and-Marcy-wonderful!

Age: Infants, Toddlers. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

It's hard to believe that 30 years have passed since the story of Jumanji originally appeared. Chis Van Allsburg's Caldecott Award winning fantasy with its black and white drawings and remarkable tale invites young readers on a strange and mysterious adventure, when Peter and his sister Judy discover a board game that comes to life. This is not a CD version of the movie Jamanji, which also stars Robin Williams. It is completely faithful to the words on the printed page, but as you can imagine, Williams brings many voices and his own pace in his telling. With the original hard cover edition and the CD this makes a splendid gift.

Age: Early School Years. Award Year: 2011.

This unabridged version of the beloved Little Women has 15 discs and runs for 18 hours. That said, Kate Reading makes every character come alive with distinctive voice, so this is an engaging classic. Choose this for an after dinner treat of listening pleasure or for drives to and from wherever. IT's a great way to make a memorable trip or summer nights all the more memorable with a shared story you can look forward to for a week or more. While you are at it, rent the film and compare the written version to the film. Or even better--go to Netflix and do a Little Women marathon to compare the 1994 film with the earlier 1949 and 1933 versions. Doing a bit of multi-media Comparative Lit.

Age: Later School Years, Tweens, Teens, Adult. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.