Twenty by Jenny Top Picks of 2016

2016 was a great year for children’s literature, so it was hard to narrow down the books from this year to just 10 titles! 

Here are the top 10 books published for children in each age category, in no particular order.

Ages 0-3

AGES 4-7

AGES 8-12

TEEN

Kenny Loggins talks about FOOTLOOSE!

Have you heard of Kenny Loggins’ newest project, a picture book adaptation of Footloose illustrated by Tim Bowers, published this fall from MoonDance Press, a division of Quarto Publishing? While you may remember the original lyrics, this new picture book is a hilarious hoof stomping, jaw dropping, monkey moving take on Footloose where the animals in the zoo are cutting loose!  

Here, Kenny Loggins answers a few questions about Footloose’s journey, from song to picture book.  

 How did you become affiliated with the original “Footloose” film? At the time, did you think your title song was going to be Oscar® nominated and go on to win the 1985 Grammy for “Song of the Year”?

I was already collaborating on music with the screenplay's writer, Dean Pitchford. He brought it to me in the hopes I would collaborate with him on the music and help Paramount see him as a songwriter as well. We wrote two songs based on the screenplay. There were no rushes to see yet. It's the only time I've written music to the screenplay. I think it's one of the reasons the movie was so believable. They were dancing to the real music Dean and I had written.

Interior Illustration of FOOTLOOSE: Art by Tim Bowers

You’re now releasing a children’s book based on your Grammy® Award-Winning song “Footloose.” How did the idea of basing the new version of the song to reflect animals come about?

I have to say, when Charles Nurnberg of Quarto approached me with this idea, he had the most important piece already: "Just fill it full of animals. My grandson loves animals!"

The book is beautifully illustrated by NY Times best-selling illustrator Tim Bowers and its package includes a brand-new CD recording of the title song, along with other family-friendly tunes. We all understand how musicians collaborate; how do you work with an artist for a project like this?

As the lyric ideas came to me, Tim assured me that "the more the merrier," so I pulled out all the stops and put in every animal in the zoo including a few who probably aren't. I especially enjoyed sneaking in the tiger cub named Luke, who is a thinly disguised version of my son. I think my favorite line is, "Jack, jump back. Here come the ducks quack, quack."

What’s the takeaway that grandparents and parents can teach their little ones after reading Footloose? Where can people buy the new book?

"Mothers, don't let your babies grow up to be rock stars." The take away from footloose is simply fun. Hopefully, people can buy this book anywhere they look.

You can find the book here on Quarto's Website! 

Musician and picture book author, Kenny Loggins

First Snow by Bomi Park

Bomi Park’s little picture book, First Snow, captures the magic of the first snow fall. Illustrated in gorgeous black and white charcoal. The only hint of color is the little girl’s red scarf.

On the first page, the snow begins to fall, and the narrator says, “Shhhh, listen…do you hear something?” The little girl crawls to the window to see snow falling against the window pane.

“Quick! Boots, coat, scarf, hat.”

And while the world is sleeping, the child steps outside, marveling at her footprints in the snow. She is joined by a small dog, and other animals along the way. She rolls a small snowball until it becomes a big one. And when she makes it on the other side of the woods filled with snow covered evergreen trees, there is a field full of children who also have rolled their snowballs silently through the night. One by one they join together to create snowmen! There are a couple pages that have no text on them, and those illustrations evoke the silent fall of snow. In particular, there is a great full-page illustration of the children and their accompanying snowmen floating into the sky. A child’s first snow is truly magical, and Bomi Park has captured a slice of that magic in her picture book.

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid

Diabolics are bred to be ruthless killing machines, fiercely loyal and bonded to the person they serve to protect. In the Living Cosmos, they are not considered human. Nemesis is a Diabolic bought by the Impyrean family to protect their only daughter, Sidonia. Nemesis’ sole purpose in life is to protect Sidonia, no matter the cost. When Diabolics are banned, the Impyreans fake Nemesis’ death so she can continue to protect Sidonia.

When Senator von Impyrean angers the Emperor for his scientific thought, the Senator is not punished directly. Rather, his only daughter is summoned to the Imperial Court of Chrysanthemum as a political hostage. In order to protect Sidonia, Nemesis goes in her place, undergoing physical alterations to hide her true nature. But can a Diabolic, unfeeling, cold and calculating, and devoid of human emotion, fit in at the Emperor’s court? Sidonia’s very life depends on it.

The Diabolic is full of intrigue, murder plots, and a cast of great characters crafted by S.J. Kincaid. Among these are a brutal Emperor who is trying to quell a scientific rebellion among the Excess, Tyrus, heir to the throne and a lunatic, and of course, Nemesis herself, who must fool the Imperial Court into thinking that she is Sidonia. Who can Nemesis trust in a world where every man is out for himself? A very original retelling of The Prince and the Pauper, The Diabolic is set in a post-earth world, where space reigns supreme and power-games abound at the Imperial Court. Fans of Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins will enjoy this fast-paced story that will have readers holding their breath.