For the Body of Work:
The Washington Post/Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award, 2000
The Mazza Medallion of Excellence for Artistic Diversity, The Mazza Museum, 2008
Biography & History:
Alice Waters Cooks up a Food Revolution
Apple’s Winter List of Most Anticipated Books; Starred Review, Booklist.
Ada Lovelace: Poet of Science
An American Library Association Notable Book; a NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children; Children’s Book Council Best STEM Books for 2017; a 2017 National Science Teachers Association/Children’s Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12; Bank Street College of Education, Best Children’s Books of the Year; Top 10 Science and Health Books for Youth, Booklist; Best STEM Books Winning Title, National Science Teachers Association; American Scientist, STEM Books for Young Children; 2017 Amelia Bloomer Top Ten; A Junior Library Guild Selection; Coolmompicks: Ten New Favorite Empowering Books for Girls; featured in “Stem Girls – Ten Books Featuring Girls Rocking Science by Nancy Castaldo,” the Nerdy Book Club website; Starred Review, Booklist.
Leonardo Da Vinci
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, NCTE; Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Honor Book for Non-Fiction; American Library Association Notable Book; Publisher’s Weekly, Best Books; School Library Journal, Best Books; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Blue Ribbon Title; Parenting Magazine, Best Books; Boston Globe, Best Books; The Hungry Mind Review, Books of Distinction; Not Just for Children Anymore, Children’s Book Council; Society of School Librarians International Honor book, Social Studies category; Society of School Librarians International Honor book, Science category; New York Book Show, Second Place, Picture Book Nonfiction; New York Book Show, Second Place, Picture book Nonfiction Jacket; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Child Study Children’s Book Committee, Children’s Books of the Year, starred; For Outstanding Merit, ABA/CBC Children’s Books Mean Business List; Children’s Literature, Children’s Literature Choice; IRA/Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles’ 100 Best Books; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award; Nominee for the Maine Student Book Award; Nominee for the Kansas William Allen White Children’s Book Award; Nominee for the New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award; Starred Review, School Library Journal; Starred Review, Booklist; Pointer Review, Kirkus; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly; Starred Review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.
Michelangelo
Orbis Pictus Honor Book, National Council of Teachers of English; School Library Journal, Best Books
Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Booklist, Top Ten Youth Art Books; Booklinks, Lasting Connections; Association of Booksellers for Children, Booksellers’ Choices; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; Not Just For Children Anymore, Children’s Book Council; Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children; Voice of Youth Advocates, Nonfiction Honor Book; Featured on the CBS Early Show; Nominee, Utah State Book Award; Starred Review, Kirkus; Starred Review, Booklist; Starred Review, School Library Journal.
Joan of Arc
American Library Association Notable Book; Publisher’s Weekly, Best Books; Booklist, Top of the List
Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Blue Ribbon Titles; Parenting Magazine, Best Books; International Reading Association, Teachers’ Choice; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; Association of Booksellers for Children, Children’s Booksellers’ Choice; Nominee for Golden Kite Award, Nonfiction, SCBWI; Finalist, Riverbank Review Children’s Books of Distinction Award; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Nominee for the Maine Student Book Award; Nominee for the South Carolina Book Award; Starred Review, Horn Book; Starred Review, School Library Journal; Starred Review, Booklist; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.
Cleopatra
An American Library Association Notable Book; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Publisher’s Weekly, Best Books; American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; Parenting Magazine, Best Books; People Magazine, recommended Books for Young Readers; USA Today, Recommended Books for Christmas; Chicago Tribune, The Year’s Best Books for Young Readers; Library of Congress Children’s Literature center, Recommended Books; ABA/CBC, Children’s Books Mean Business List; Nominee for the Pennsylvania Young Reader Award; Nominee for the Garden State Children’s Book Award; Starred Review, Booklist; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England
American Library Association Notable Book; Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, Honor Book for Non-Fiction; International Reading Association, Teacher’s Choices; Parenting Magazine, Reading Magic Award, Ten Best Books; Parents’ Magazine, Best Kids Books; American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Upper Midwest Booksellers’ Association, Booksellers’ Choice; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Books in the Field of Social Studies; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; The Library of Congress, Recommended Books For Children; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the Alabama Emphasis on Reading Award; Nominee for the Kentucky Bluegrass Award; Nominee for the Kansas William Allen White Children’s Book Award; Starred Review, Booklist; Starred Review, Horn Book.
Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare
Booklist, Top of The List, Youth Non-Fiction; American Library Association Notable Book; Horn Book, Fanfare Books; Parenting Magazine, Reading Magic Award, Ten Best Books; School Library Journal, Best Books; New York Times, The Best of the Children’s Picture Books; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Publisher’s Weekly, 50 Best Books; Horn Book, 25 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year; Nominee for the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction, NCTE; Notable Children’s Books in The Language Arts; Publisher’s Weekly’s “Cuffies,” Honorable Mention, Nonfiction Book of the Year; Library of Congress, One Hundred Noteworthy Children’s Books; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; American Booksellers Association, Kid’s Pick of the Lists; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the Maine Student Book Award; Nominee for the Kansas William Allen White Children’s Book Award; Starred review, Horn Book; Starred review, School Library Journal; Starred review, Publisher’s Weekly.
Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectations
Time Magazine, Recommended Children’s Books for Christmas; American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; Parenting Magazine, Best Books; ABA/CBC, Children’s Books Mean Business List; Association of Booksellers for Children, Best Books; Southern California Children’s Booksellers Association Choices; National Christian Schools Association, Children’s Crown Award nominee; Pointer Review, Kirkus; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.
The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka’iulani of Hawai’i
American Library Association Notable Book; National Council for the Social Studies, Carter G. Woodson Award; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; IRA/CBC, Children’s Choices; Parents’ Magazine, Best Kids Books; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Featured in Newsweek Magazine article on multi-cultural books; Featured in Honolulu Advertiser article on multicultural books; Hawaii State Library, Top Choice in the Picture Book Category; Nominee for the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award; Nominee for the Virginia Young Readers Program; Nominee for Oklahoma’s Sequoyah Children’s Book Award; Starred Review, School Library Journal; Starred Review, Booklist.
Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam
American Library Association Notable Book; International Reading Association, Notable Books for a Global Society; Publishers Weekly, Best Children’s Books; Booklist, Best Books; Book Links, Best Books of the Year; Parents’ Choice, Recommended Award; Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children; Nominee for the Maine Student Book Award; Starred Review, Booklist; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.
Shaka: King of the Zulus
A New York Times Best Illustrated Book; A New York Times Notable Book; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; New York Book Show, Third Place, Juvenile Books; Featured in a Smithsonian Museum Film Display; Featured in the PBS series Long Ago and Far Away; The Library of Congress, Recommended Books For Children; American Library Association, World Book Partners in Excellence Reading Program; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award.
Peter the Great
American Library Association Notable Book; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; Bookselling This Week, Pick of the List; Golden Kite Award Honor Book for nonfiction, SCBWI; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the William Allen White Children’s Book Award; Nominee for the South Carolina Children’s Book Award; Featured in the PBS series Long Ago and Far Away.
The True Adventures of Daniel Hall
Parenting Magazine, Best Books; International Reading Association, Teachers’ Choice; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade books in the Field of Social Studies; Nominee for Vermont’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.
The Time Traveling Twins: Joining the Boston Tea Party
IRA/CBC, Children’s Choices.
NOVELS
Second Sleep
Booklist Editor’s Choice for 2021; Starred review, Kirkus; Starred review Booklist.
Joplin, Wishing
A Junior Library Guild selection; a 2019 Oklahoma Sequoyah Award nominee; a 2019-2020 Missouri State Readers Award Final Nominee; Starred review, Kirkus; Starred review, Booklist; Starred review, Publisher’s Weekly.
The Silver Bowl
Booklist, Editors’ Choice; Kirkus, Best of Children’s Books, a Best Book of the Year; Booklist, Top Ten SF/Fantasy for Youth; Book Links, Lasting Connections of 2011; Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices 2012; 2012-2013 Maine Book Award nominee; New Hampshire’s 2012-2013 Great Stone Face Book Award nominee; Tennessee’s Volunteer State Award nominee; Kansas’ William Allen White Book Award nominee; 2014 Nevada Young Readers’ Award nominee; Vermont’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award nominee; Starred Review, School Library Journal; Starred Review, Kirkus; Starred Review, Booklist.
The Cup and the Crown
Children’s Book Committee/Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year, 2013.
The Princess of Cortova
Starred Review, Booklist.
Bella at Midnight
School Library Journal, Best Books of 2006; Booklist, Editors’ Choice 2006; Book Links, Lasting Connections of 2006; Book Links, Best New Books for the Classroom; Book Sense 2006 Summer Children’s Picks List; Anderson’s Bookshop Mock Newbery List, 2006; New York Public Library, Books for the Teen Age for 2007; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the Georgia Book Award; Nominee for the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award; Starred Review, Booklist; Starred Review, School Library Journal; Starred Review, Kirkus.
The Chosen Prince
Bookspan/Children’s Book of the Month Club Main Selection for Tweens; a Junior Library Guild selection; Starred Review, School Library Journal.
Saving Sky
The Arab American Award; New England Children’s Booksellers Advisory Council, Top Ten Books for Fall; Bank Street College of Education, Best Books of the Year; 2011 Arab American Book Award; Oklahoma’s Sequoyah Book Award nominee; New Mexico Battle of the Books selection; South Carolina Book Award nominee; New Hampshire’s Great Stone Face Award nominee; Toledo Blade Holiday Roundup; Starred Review, Booklist.
The Mysterious Matter of I.M. Fine
Parent’s Guide to Children’s Media Award; Publisher’s Weekly’s “Cuffies,” Cleverest Sounding Spoof; winner of the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award; Nominee for the Nebraska’s Golden Sower Award; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children’s Book Award; Nominee for the Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award; Nominee for the South Carolina Children’s Book Award; Nominee for the Minnesota Youth Reading Award; Nominee for the Connecticut Book Award; Nominee for the Iowa Children’s Choice Award; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.
The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy
Missouri’s Mark Twain Reader Award Honor Book; Oklahoma’s Sequoyah Children’s Book Award Honor Book.
A Time Apart
American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults; Booklist, Top Ten First Novels; International Reading Association, Young Adults’ Choices; International Reading Association, Teachers’ Choice; Parents’ Magazine, Parents’ Choice Silver Award; New York Public Library, Books for the Teen Age; Starred Review, Booklist.
Elena
National Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs, Commended Book for the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature.
Picture Books
Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter
An American Library Association Notable Book; School Library Journal, Best Books; Booklist, Editor’s Choice; Children’s Choices, Association of Booksellers for Children; Family Fun Magazine, Best Books;
New York Family, Best Books; Children’s Literature, Top Choice; Bank Street College of Education, Best Children’s Books; Nominee for Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, SCBWI; Storytelling World Magazine, Honor Book Award; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Winner, Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Award; Winner, South Carolina Children’s Book Award;
Winner, New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award; Second Place, Alabama Children’s Choice Award;
Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the Georgia Picture Storybook Award; Nominee for the Delaware Blue Hen Award; Nominee for the North Dakota Library Association Flicker Tale Award; Nominee for the Nebraska Golden Sower Award; Starred Review, School Library Journal; Starred Review, Booklist; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly; Starred Review, Bureau for the Center of Children’s Books.
Goldie and the Three Bears
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Medal Book Award; Book Sense, Children’s Winter List; Miami Herald, Best Books of the Year; Parents’ Choice, Recommended Book; Nominee, Arkansas Armadillo Readers’ Choice Award; Starred Review, School Library Journal.
The Giant and the Beanstalk
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Medal Book Award; International Reading Association, Teachers’ Choice; Parent’s Choice Silver Honor Award; Texas Institute of Letters Award for Best Children’s Book; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly.
Saving Sweetness
School Library Journal, Best Books; American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; Newsweek Magazine, The Best Kids’ Stuff; Copley News Service, Best Books of the Year; Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, SCBWI; Featured in U. S. News and World Report; Children’s Book Council, Not Just for Children Anymore; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; ABA/CBC, Children’s Books Mean Business List; Nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award; Nominee for the California Young Reader Medal; Nominee for the Vermont Red Clover Award; Nominee for the Arizona Young Readers’ Award; starred Review, Horn Book; Starred Review, Booklist.
Raising Sweetness
An American Library Association Notable Book; Horn Book, Fanfare Books; School Library Journal, Best Books; Smithsonian Magazine, Notable Books for Children; Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year; Miami Herald, Top Ten Books; Winner, Utah Book Award; Nominee for Indiana’s Young Hoosier Book Award; Starred Review, Horn Book; Starred Review, School Library Journal; Starred Review, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.
Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise
Publisher’s Weekly‘s “Cuffies,” Honorable Mention, Most Memorable Character in a Leading Role; Featured as an animated segment of Shelly Duvall’s Bedtime Stories on the Showtime Network; Nominee for the Nevada Young Readers’ Award; Starred review, Publisher’s Weekly.
Fortune
American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; Nominee for the Georgia Children’s Picture Storybook Award; Starred Review, Booklist.
The Gentleman and the Kitchen Maid
American Bookseller, Pick of the Lists; Nominee for Indiana’s Young Hoosier Book Award; Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly; Child Study Children’s Book Committee, Starred Children’s Books of the Year; A Junior Library Guild Selection.
Captain Whiz-Bang
Parents’ Magazine, Best Books For Children Under Five; A Book-of-the-Month-Club selection.
A Country Tale
New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies.
The Conversation Club
Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies.
The Month Brothers
School Library Journal, Best Books; Children’s Book Council, Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies; Featured in the PBS series Long Ago and Far Away.
Siegfried
IRA/CBC, Children’s Choices.
All Wet! All Wet!
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children.
Sleeping Ugly
Featured in the PBS series Long Ago and Far Away; Recommended in Jim Trelese’s Read Aloud Handbook.
The Farmer in the Dell
American Reading Association, Children’s Choice; New York Public Library, One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing.
