This slideshow features each nominee for the Bill Martin Jr. Picture Book Award for the 2014 - 2015 year.

1. Bill Martin Jr.
Picture Book
Award Nominees
2014 - 2015

2. The Day the Crayons Quit
by Drew Daywalt
Poor Duncan just wants to color.
But when he opens his box of
crayons, he finds only letters, all
saying the same thing: His
crayons have had enough! They
quit! Beige Crayon is tired of
playing second fiddle to Brown
Crayon. Black wants to be used
for more than just outlining. Blue
needs a break from coloring all
those bodies of water. And
Orange and Yellow are no longer
speaking—each believes he is the
true color of the sun.
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Publication Date: June 27, 2013

3. The First Drawing
by Mordicai Gerstein
Imagine you were born before
the invention of drawing, more
than thirty thousand years ago.
You would live with your whole
family in a cave and see woolly
mammoths walk by! You might
even see images of animals
hidden in the shapes of clouds
and rocks. You would want to
share these pictures with your
family, but wouldn't know how.
Who would have made the
world's first drawing? Would it
have been you?
Illustrator: Mordicai Gerstein
Publication Date: September 10,
2013

4. The King of Little Things
by Bil Lepp
Long ago in a faraway realm, the
King of Little Things ruled happily
over all things small, from
buttons to beetles, from marbles
to macaroni. When King
Normous thinks he has finally
become the ruler of all the
world, he is enraged to learn that
the King of Little Things still
reigns happily in his tiny
kingdom. Normous sends his
army to defeat this upstart, but
he finds he cannot outfight or
outwit a king who holds sway
over the little things of the
world. After all, it is the little
things that keep the big things
going.
Illustrator: Daniel T. Wenzel
Publication Date: September 1,
2013

5. Lost and Found
by Bill Harley
When Justin loses the special hat his
grandmother made for him, he looks
everywhere he can think of to find it.
Everywhere, that is, except the lost and
found. Mr. Rumkowsky, the old school
custodian, is the keeper of all the lost
and found items, and everyone is afraid
of him, including Justin.
With his grandmother coming to visit
soon, his mom upset, and the hat
nowhere in sight, Justin finally musters
the courage to enter Mr. Rumkowsky's
domain. There he discovers a whole
world of treasures - lost items Justin's
friends (and generations of children
before them) have been too afraid to
claim. Things keep getting weirder and
weirder, until way down at the bottom
of Rumkowsky's giant box Justin
unearths something completely
unexpected...
Illustrator: Adam Gustavson
Publication Date: October 1, 2012

6. On a Beam of Light: A Story
of Albert Einstein
by Jennifer Berne
A boy rides a bicycle down a dusty
road. But in his mind, he envisions
himself traveling at a speed beyond
imagining, on a beam of light. This
brilliant mind will one day offer up
some of the most revolutionary ideas
ever conceived. From a boy endlessly
fascinated by the wonders around
him, Albert Einstein ultimately grows
into a man of genius recognized the
world over for profoundly
illuminating our understanding of the
universe. Jennifer Berne and Vladimir
Radunsky invite the reader to travel
along with Einstein on a journey full
of curiosity, laughter, and scientific
discovery. Parents and children alike
will appreciate this moving story of
the powerful difference imagination
can make in any life.
Illustrator: Vladimir Radunsky
Publication Date: April 23, 2013

7. Red Kite, Blue Kite
by Ji-li Jiang
When Tai Shan and his father, Baba, fly
kites from their roof and look down at
the crowded city streets below, they feel
free, like the kites. Baba loves telling Tai
Shan stories while the kites--one red,
and one blue--rise, dip, and soar
together. Then, a bad time comes.
People wearing red armbands shut down
the schools, smash store signs, and
search houses. Baba is sent away, and Tai
Shan goes to live with Granny Wang.
Though father and son are far apart, they
have a secret way of staying close. Every
day they greet each other by flying their
kites-one red, and one blue-until Baba
can be free again, like the kites.
Inspired by the dark time of the Cultural
Revolution in China, this is a soaring tale
of hope that will resonate with anyone
who has ever had to love from a
distance.
Illustrator: Ruth Greg
Publication Date: January 29, 2013

8. Rosie Revere, Engineer
by Andrea Beaty
Rosie may seem quiet during the day,
but at night she's a brilliant inventor
of gizmos and gadgets who dreams of
becoming a great engineer. When her
great-great-aunt Rose (Rosie the
Riveter) comes for a visit and
mentions her one unfinished goal--to
fly--Rosie sets to work building a
contraption to make her aunt's dream
come true. But when her contraption
doesn't fl y but rather hovers for a
moment and then crashes, Rosie
deems the invention a failure. On the
contrary, Aunt Rose insists that
Rosie's contraption was a raging
success. You can only truly fail, she
explains, if you quit.
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publication Date: September 3, 2013

9. Rufus Goes to School
by Kim Griswell
All Rufus Leroy Williams III wants
is to go to school so he can learn
to read his favorite book. But
there's one problem: he's a pig
and Principal Lipid says: “NO
PIGS IN SCHOOL!” Rufus even
gets a backpack, a lunchbox, and
a blanket to prove he's ready. But
Mr. Lipid won't budge. Is there
ANYTHING Rufus can do to
change his mind? Kim Griswell
and illustrator Valeri Gorbachev
have created a love letter to
reading that's also a charming,
original, and child-friendly first-
day-of-school story.
Illustrator: Gorbachev Valeri
Publication Date: August 6, 2013

10. Seed by Seed: The Legend
and Legacy of John
“Appleseed” Chapman
by Esme Raji Codell
His real name was John Chapman.
He grew apples.
But wait. So what?
Why should we remember him
and read about him
and think about him
and talk about him today,
more than two hundred years after he
was born?
Why should we call him a hero?
Esme Raji Codell and Lynne Rae
Perkins show us, in eloquent words
and exhilarating pictures, why Johnny
Appleseed matters now, perhaps
more than ever, in our loud and wired
and fast-paced world.
Illustrator: Lynne Rae Perkins
Publication Date: August 21, 2012

11. Steam Train, Dream Train
by Sherri Duskey Rinker
The team behind the #1 New
York Times bestseller Goodnight,
Goodnight, Construction Site
returns with another fabulous
book for bedtime! The dream
train pulls into the station, and
one by one the train cars are
loaded: polar bears pack the
reefer car with ice cream,
elephants fill the tanker cars with
paints, tortoises stock the auto
rack with race cars, bouncy
kangaroos stuff the hopper car
with balls. Sweet and silly
dreams are guaranteed for any
budding train enthusiasts!
Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld
Publication Date: April 16, 2013

12. Step Gently Out
by Helen Frost
What would happen if you
walked very, very quietly and
looked ever so carefully at the
natural world outside? You might
see a cricket leap, a moth spread
her wings, or a spider step across
a silken web. In simple, evocative
language, Helen Frost offers a
hint at the many tiny creatures
around us. And in astonishing
close-up photographs, Rick
Lieder captures the glint of a
katydid's eye, the glow of a
firefly, and many more living
wonders just awaiting discovery.
Fascinating facts about all the
creatures pictured may be found
at the end.
Photographer: Rick Lieder
Publication Date: March 13, 2012

13. Whale Shines: An Artistic Tale
by Fiona Robinson
All day, Whale swims through the ocean,
wearing a poster advertising the big
upcoming art exhibition. He visits the eel
who wriggles abstract patterns in the
sand, the squid who paints with ink, and
the hammerhead shark who builds
sculptures from salvage. Whale sees his
friends’ confidence and creativity and
wishes he could be an artist too, but he
doesn’t know what to make and insists
he’s too ungainly to create art. Then one
day, with the unexpected help of some
bioluminescent plankton, he discovers
his own distinct point of view and talent.
From the award-winning author-
illustrator of What Animals Really Like,
hailed by School Library Journal as
“sublime silliness,” comes another
inspiring tale about defying expectation
and finding the artist within.
Publication Date: November 5, 2013

14. World on a String
by Larry Phifer
When his best friend, a big red
balloon, comes untied in a
thunderstorm, Charlie is
overcome with sadness.
However, inspired by the happy
memories of his best friend,
Charlie is able to shift his
perspective and, ultimately, he
imagines his balloon on an
amazing journey into the starry
night.
Publication Date: June 4, 2013