CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

To print a CCBC booklist, click on a list below and then use your browser’s “Print” command.

< Back to booklist

Clever Beatrice: An Upper Peninsula Conte

by Margaret Willey

CCBC Review:

A lively retelling of a French-Canadian conte tale from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan offers a twist on tradition, casting a young girl as its hero. When Beatrice and her mother run out of food and money, Beatrice sets off to challenge the rich giant on the other side of the woods, "who loves to gamble on his own strength." Three times Beatrice bets the giant that she can beat him in contests of physical strength, and three times Beatrice beats the gullible giant using her own strongest assets--a quick tongue and a nimble mind. In fact, Beatrice never has to lift a finger but leaves the giant convinced he's lucky to have gotten off so cheaply with the gold she's won. Beatrice's straight-faced besting of the giant in Margaret Willey's richly textured story is truly a delight. Heather Solomon's distinctive, graceful illustrations capture the physical contrast between Beatrice and the giant, and the interplay of giants with the human world, with understated humor that extends the spirit of this wonderful tale for reading alone or reading aloud. Winner, 2002 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2002 Cooperative Children's Book Center ©2002 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Illustrated by Heather Solomon

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Competitions and Contests Folk and Fairy Tales Girls and Women Humor Patterned text/Repetition

On CCBC Booklist: Charlotte Zolotow Award (for Outstanding Writing in Picture Books)

Publisher: Atheneum
Publish Year: 2001
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0689832540
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 398 Willey

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.

Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.