The Best Books of 2001

This year, the Los Angeles Times considered more than 1,200 books. As we revisited those reviews, we concluded that our contributors reserved their highest praise for 82 novels and short story collections, 23 children’s books, 25 mysteries and thrillers, 10 poetry titles, 13 books on the West and 85 works of nonfiction. Their original reviews have been edited and condensed. In addition, we have selected some of the year’s best art books to illustrate the issue.

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A GIFT FROM ZEUS

Sixteen Favorite Myths

By Jeanne Steig

Illustrated by William Steig

HarperCollins/Cotler:

176 pp., $17.95

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Kudos to the Steigs, who employ colloquial prose, agile rhymes and Art Brut imagery to retell Greco-Roman myths. This zesty volume is a Pandora’s box of hubris, lust and homicide. Jeanne Steig admirably distills the famous stories; William Steig provides an antidote to mundane neoclassical art. These racy myths will raise eyebrows, along with a curiosity for the originals. (Ages 9 and up)

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DINOSAUR BONES

By Bob Barner

Chronicle: 32 pp., $15.95

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A simple rhyme (“Dinosaurs are gone for good./Maybe dinosaurs once lived in your neighborhood!”) serves as an umbrella framework for a lesson on prehistoric favorites. Snappy, vigorous rhymes propel the production forward, while the artwork, a jazzy blend of pen-and-ink, watercolor, cut-and-torn paper and computer graphics creates a tantalizing blend of streamlined form and saturated colors. A splendid introduction to a perennially popular subject. (Ages 2 to 8)

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CHILDREN OF THE DRAGON

Selected Tales from Vietnam

By Sherry Garland

Illustrated by

Trina Schart Hyman

Harcourt: 64 pp., $18

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If the setting--with its banyan trees and lotus blossoms, water buffalo and tigers--is exotic, the classic themes of “Children of the Dragon” are universal. Sherry Garland places each story within its historical, geographical and cultural context. Trina Schart Hyman complements the richly embroidered retellings with jewel-like India ink and acrylic illustrations, capturing all the romance and beauty of the stories and their setting. (Ages 8 to 12)

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THE BLUES SINGERS

Ten Who Rocked the World

By Julius Lester

Illustrated by Lisa Cohen

Hyperion/Jump at the Sun:

48 pp., $15.99

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Julius Lester’s picture-book tribute to the blues and some of its greatest performers hits all the right notes. Lester profiles 10 blues or blues-inspired legends; each mini-biography contains information about the artist’s singing and playing style as well as the author’s personal connection to the singer-musician. Lisa Cohen’s chunky, stylized portraits of each singer capture some of their signature looks. (Ages 5 and up)

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LOVE THAT DOG

By Sharon Creech

HarperCollins/Cotler:

112 pp., $14.95

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Sharon Creech examines the bond between a boy and his dog to create an ideal homage to the power of poetry and those who write it. The volume itself builds like a poem and is told through Jack’s dated entries in a school journal. For Jack and for readers, the memory of that dog lives on in his poetry. ( Ages 8 to 12)

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MILO’S HAT TRICK

By Jon Agee

Hyperion/di Capua: 32 pp., $15.95

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With marvelously economical narration and line drawings, Jon Agee conjures a formidable tale of a struggling magician. He doesn’t even have a rabbit for his act, and in trying to catch one, he attracts a brown bear. Agee sets off the delectably farfetched story line with pared-down charcoal-and-watercolor illustrations. His plot twists are as surprising as, well, pulling a bear out of a hat. (Ages 3 and up)

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OLIVIA SAVES THE CIRCUS

By Ian Falconer

Atheneum/Schwartz: 32 pp., $16

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Could there be a more ideal place for Olivia than in the center ring under the Big Top? Ian Falconer outdoes himself with theatrical scenes of the diminutive leading lady teetering on top of an elephant’s head, walking on stilts and flying off the trapeze and somersaulting in the air. (Ages 3 to 7)

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BALONEY (HENRY P.)

By Jon Scieszka

Illustrated by Lane Smith

Viking: 32 pp., $15.99

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This tale of an alien truant is also a language game. Lime-colored, freckled Henry P. Baloney is late for class and faces detention. He concocts an excuse that spools across the pages. “‘I would have been exactly on time,’ said Henry. ‘But ... I misplaced my trusty zimulis. Then I ... um ... found it on my deski. “‘ A “Decoder” at the back of the book reveals that unfamiliar terms are either non-English or wordplay. Amateur linguists will have a field day exploring this non-nonsense. (All ages)

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WAFFLE

By Chris Raschka

Atheneum/Jackson: 40 pp., $16

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Chris Raschka captures the essence of a mood with the merest hint of text and the briefest of brush strokes. Waffle, a likable fellow who resembles a vaudevillian character draped in what looks like checked plus fours and high-laced boots, seems capable only of worrying. With characteristic impressionistic artistic vision, the author-artist plumbs Waffle’s emotional depths until the hero comes up on top. (Ages 4 to 7)

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ALBERT

By Donna Jo Napoli

Illustrated by Jim LaMarche

Harcourt/Silver Whistle:

32 pp., $16

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Donna Jo Napoli’s first picture book spins a beguiling tale of a recluse forced out of his shell through unlikely circumstances. Jim LaMarche’s luminescent colored pencil illustrations in turn reflect the tale’s quiet charm. A magical marriage of art and text. (Ages 5 to 8)

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ROCKS IN HIS HEAD

By Carol Otis Hurst

Illustrated by James Stevenson

HarperCollins/Greenwillow:

32 pp., $15.95

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With great affection and an appealing nostalgia, Carol Otis Hurst recounts the story of her father, an avid rock since he was a boy. Dominated by earth tones, James Stevenson’s artwork convincingly evokes both the personality of this endearing protagonist and the period in which he lived. An emphatic endorsement for youngsters to follow their passions. (Ages 5 and up)

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MONKEY KING

By Ed Young

HarperCollins: 40 pp. $16.95

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Caldecott medalist Ed Young opts for elegance in this deceptively simple adaptation of Chinese myth. In piquant phrases and minimalist collages, he summarizes the antics of the Monkey King, a trickster hero. Young’s dynamic artwork and his mercurial transitions between spreads mimic Monkey’s own shape-shifting, making for deliciously unpredictable reading. (All ages)

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JALANI AND THE LOCK

By Lorenzo Pace

Rosen/PowerKids: 48 pp., $17.95

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Disarming in its simplicity, sculptor Lorenzo Pace’s narrative conveys complex themes in a fairy-tale structure. “A long time ago in Africa,” reads the first page, opposite a childlike outline of the continent in orange, “a little boy named Jalani/loved to play in the forest.” As in other classic fairy tales, the forest, once a child’s magical kingdom, becomes a source of terror; this is the scene in which “a strange man came and took [Jalani] away.” In his choice to adhere to a child’s vocabulary and view of the world, Pace conveys the childlike hope that kept Jalani and his past alive. (Ages 8 and up)

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NIM’S ISLAND

By Wendy Orr

Illustrated by Kerry Millard

Alfred A. Knopf: 144 pp., $14.95

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Wendy Orr tweaks coincidence to create a refreshing fantasy tale. Ever since her mother died when Nim was a baby, the girl and Jack, her scientist father, have lived on a remote island. When Jack sails off on a three-day trip to collect plankton, Nim stays behind with her three best friends: a sea lion, a marine iguana and a green sea turtle. But a storm disables Jack’s boat, and Nim remains alone for a full two weeks. With ample doses of suspense and comedy and a pleasingly sappy happily-ever-after ending, the tale portrays the improbable so cleverly that readers will want to believe everything about the likable Nim and her idyllic isle. (Ages 9 to 12)

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ACKAMARACKUS

Julius Lester’s Sumptuously Silly Fantastically Funny Fables

By Julius Lester

Illustrated by Emilie Chollat

Scholastic: 48 pp., $17.95

*

Puns and alliteration abound in Julius Lester’s roundup of six zany, zippy tales about some cockeyed characters, among them a bee who learns to play the bongos after he loses his buzz and a lion whose wives find a way to cash in on his laziness. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “ackamarackus” as “a ‘tall’ story ... nonsense, malarkey.” Which proves two things: 1. This book is appropriately titled; and 2. This is Lester at his most preposterous and playful. (Ages 4 and up)

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I AM NOT SLEEPY

AND I WILL NOT GO TO BED

By Lauren Child

Candlewick: 32 pp., $16.99

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In this equally spirited follow-up to “I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato,” big brother Charlie faces a new challenge: to cajole his sister, Lola, into bed. Lauren Child’s collages juxtapose photographs of flannel pajamas, bubble gum-pink toothpaste tube and bath bubbles with childlike drawings framed in exotic wallpaper patterns. Once again, Child tackles a common childhood conundrum with imagination and zip. (Ages 4 to 8)

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ORANGES ON GOLDEN MOUNTAIN

By Elizabeth Partridge

Illustrated by Aki Sogabe

Dutton: 40 pp., $16.99

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Exquisitely complemented by Aki Sogabe’s subtly colored cut-paper illustrations, this unusual tale finds a Chinese boy adjusting to a new life in 19th century California. Elizabeth Partridge’s perceptive details enrich the story of Jo Lee’s sojourn as he learns to fish in the San Francisco Bay and to “dance” on the shrimp in wooden shoes until they snap out of their shells. An afterword provides additional information about the Chinese immigrant experience. (Ages 5 to 9)

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THE STRAY DOG

By Marc Simont

HarperCollins: 32 pp., $15.95

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In this slender but engaging volume, Caldecott medalist Marc Simont retells and illustrates a true story told to him by a friend. Picnicking in the country, a family spies a friendly dog. The brother and sister play with him and even name him, but their parents will not let them take Willy back to their city home. The final scenes are simple gems of understatement and wit. ( Ages 4 to 8)

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CLEVER BEATRICE

By Margaret Willey

Illustrated by Heather Solomon

Simon and Schuster: 40 pp., $16

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Illustrator Heather Solomon makes an impressive debut with this winning tale of a spunky girl who matches her wits against a giant’s brawn to save her family from destitution. Combining detailed watercolor and collage, the artist creates a world in which realism blends with fantasy to magical effect. Margaret Willey’s engaging tale of her sharp-witted heroine’s courage, enhanced by Solomon’s inspired illustrations, is clever indeed. (Ages 4 to 8)

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JUDY MOODY GETS FAMOUS!

By Megan McDonald

Illustrated by Peter Reynolds

Candlewick: 144 pp., $15.99

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This sequel to “Judy Moody” handily matches the original in zip and wit, portraying the spunky Judy in her quest for wide recognition. Famous for her changeable moods, the third-grader wants to become just plain famous after her archrival, Jessica, wins a spelling contest to earn the title of Queen Bee. Megan McDonald provides an inventive conclusion to her tangy tale. (Ages 6 to 10)

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YOU READ TO ME AND I’LL READ TO YOU

Stories to Share

From the 20th Century

Selected by Janet Schulman

Alfred A. Knopf: 256 pp., $34.95

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This hefty anthology has ample treasures to share. It collects 26 of the last century’s most memorable picture books and early chapter books (or parts thereof), representing the works of a sterling cast of authors and artists. The stories span the century, from 1936 to 2000, with a healthy portion of them hailing from the 1970s. It’s easy to imagine entire families losing themselves in these pages for hours. (Ages 5 and up)

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CIRCUS GIRL

By Tomek Bogacki

Farrar, Straus & Giroux:

32 pp., $17

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This book wows readers with a knockout cover image, a blurry, life-size portrait of an auburn-haired girl. The anticipation builds from there, as an old-fashioned wooden caravan chugs into town. “The next day, our teacher brought a new girl to our classroom,” says the boy narrator. “I am sure the teacher told us her name, but we just called her Circus Girl.” This quiet story of friendship may not emphasize thrilling three-ring excitement, but the pictorial sequences capture the ethereal magic of a carnival, personified in an intriguing stranger. (Ages 4 and up)

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THE RACE OF THE BIRKEBEINERS

By Lise Lunge-Larsen

Illustrated by Mary Azarian

Houghton Mifflin: 32 pp., $16

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This engaging narrative opens during a 1206 Christmas Eve gathering at the home of one of the Birkebeiners, a group of brave warriors. A priest has in his protection a baby, Prince Hakon; a rival band aspires to kill the child, who is heir to the throne. A handful of Birkebeiners escorts the child and his protectors, escaping on skis across tall, stormy mountains. Caldecott winner Mary Azarian’s finely detailed woodcut illustrations capture the serene snow-covered landscape. Hakon became Norway’s most powerful king during the Middle Ages, making this rescue tale all the more gratifying. (Ages 5 to 9)