Death relates the story of Liesel Meminger, a little girl living in Nazi Germany. She loves books. Though WWII keeps Death very busy, Liesel's life is a distraction to him.

Nonfiction picture books:

ACROSS A DARK AND WILD SEA: Don Brown. Calligraphy by Deborah Nadel. Grades 4-6.

The value of medieval manuscripts is brought to life in this biography of an Irish Prince, Columcille, who fought a war for a book of Bible psalms.

THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS: Modicai Gerstein. Grades 2-6.

Philippe Petit's unauthorized 1974 walk between the World Trade Center towers is the subject of this lyrical (and dizzying) picture book.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS? Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Preschool.

This book isn't about only tails, but noses, ears, eyes, feet, and mouths. The striking watercolor cut-paper illustrations are emphasized by surrounding white space.

THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINS: AN ILLUMINATING HISTORY OF MR. WATERHOUSE HAWKINS, ARTIST AND LECTURER: Barbara Kerley. Illustrated by Brian Selnick. Grades 3-6.

Hawkins was the first person to make life-sized models of dinosaurs. Selznick's art captures the spirit of the time in this Caldecott Honor book.

WHAT PRESIDENTS ARE MADE OF: Hanoch Piven. All ages.

Quirky facts/illustrations feature U.S. presidents portrayed with collages: peanuts for Jimmy Carter, recording paraphernalia for Richard Nixon.

MICHAEL ROSEN'S SAD BOOK: Michael Rosen. Pictures by Quentin Blake. All ages.

Michael Rosen shares his sadness at the unexpected death of his 18-year-old son Eddie in a powerful and poetic book that follows Rosen through his grief.

SEQUOYAH: THE CHEROKEE MAN WHO GAVE HIS PEOPLE WRITING: James Rumford. Translated into Cherokee by Anna Sixkiller Huckaby. Grades 2-4.

A bilingual text with beautiful art, this brief biography pays tribute to Sequoyah, the man who helped save his cultural heritage by inventing a written language.

Nonfiction:

SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND THE QUEST FOR EL DORADO; JOHN WINTHROP, OLIVER CROMWELL, AND THE LAND OF PROMISE; THE REAL REVOLUTION: THE GLOBAL STORY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE: Marc Aronson. Grades 8 and up.

A trilogy of American history from a global perspective, these books show how there are many ways to look at the past.

GROWING UP IN HITLER'S SHADOW: Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Grades 6 and up.