Mo Willems

Final class celebrations are in full swing at many schools around the country and while lil ones are counting the minutes until Summer vacation, it's our job to keep their brains growing while they are out on break. Keeping up the routine reading throughout the warm months is one way to ensure that your tot doesn't regress.

The Children's Book Council recently invited children to select their favorite books of the year by age group. Over 220,000 votes were collected and the winners were announced at a ceremony recognizing Whoopi Goldberg for her dedication to the promotion of literacy during the 90th observance of Book Week.

The winners include:

• Kindergarten to Second Grade: The Pigeon Wants a Puppy, by Mo Willems
• Third Grade to Fourth Grade: Spooky Cemeteries, by Dinah Williams
• Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade: Thirteen, by Lauren Myracle
• Teen Choice Book of the Year: Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
• Author of The Year: Stephenie Meyer, for Breaking Dawn
• Illustrator of the Year: Jon J Muth, for Zen Ties

Any mama who has frantically searched for her lil one's lovey will have a good laugh at Mo Willem's Knuffle Bunny ($11). The book tells the tale of a father that takes his tot to the laundromat and can't make out his lil one's hysteria as they make the trek back home. Of course, as soon as they return home, the mother asks where the lovey is and the family retraces their steps in search of the beloved rabbit. Written by a Sesame Street and Cartoon Network veteran, Knuffle Bunny is filled with photos of the author's Brooklyn neighborhood that are adorned with cartoon images of the characters. The book bills itself as a "cautionary tale," but it makes a perfect bedtime story for the toddler and preschool set. Willems is currently at work turning the book into a musical for the Kennedy Center's 2010 season.