Here are the 2013 Beehive Book Award Nominees, Picture Book category, from the Children’s Literature Association of Utah:

• Art & Max | Written and Illustrated by David Weisner
• Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake | Written by Michael B. Kaplan ; Illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

• When Betty Bunny eats chocolate cake for the first time, she declares, “I am going to marry chocolate cake.” She loves it so much that she takes a piece to school with her in her pocket and refuses to eat anything else. Mommy tells Betty that she has to eat healthy food first, and have patience because cake is for dessert, not pockets. But Betty doesn’t want to have patience; she wants to have chocolate cake!
  In this hilarious and spot-on tribute to the chocolate lover (and picky eater) in all of us, a new kindred spirit to Olivia, Eloise, and Ladybug Girl makes her stand.

• Blackout | Written and Illustrated by John Rocco
• Children Make Terrible Pets | Written and Illustrated by Peter Brown
• Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? | Written by Susan A. Shea ; Illustrated by Tom Slaughter
• Doodleday | Written and Illustrated by Ross Collins
• Earth to Clunk | Written by Pam Smallcomb, Illustrated by Joe Berger
• Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! | Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems

• Published in a picture book size and format with 66 pages, this is a sort of proto-chapter book that features “6½ surprising stories about 2 surprising friends.” The book is indeed full of jokes and surprises that young readers will love. It is almost like reading a week’s run of some good classic comic strip series in one sitting (think Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes). This is not Willems’ greatest work ever, but it is still above average in general, and it is quite generous considering he could have strung this out into two or three separate books, but instead kept it all together.

  Review by Joshua Whiting, Granite Library Media Program

  Rating: ★★★★✩ (4 stars)
  Interest Level: Grades K and Up  www.mowillems.com

Titles link to reviews if we have them.

Art & Max | Written and Illustrated by David Wiesner

Blackout | Written and Illustrated by John Rocco

Children Make Terrible Pets | Written and Illustrated by Peter Brown

Doodleday | Written and Illustrated by Ross Collins

Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? | Written by Susan A. Shea ; Illustrated by Tom Slaughter

Earth to Clunk | Written by Pam Smallcomb ; Illustrated by Joe Berger

Me and My Dragon | Written and Illustrated by David Biedrzycki

Press Here | Written and Illustrated by Herve Tullet