Best books of 1939

Chosen annually by our editors, Fanfare is The Horn Book Magazine’s selection of the best children’s and young adult books of the year.

Picture Story Books
Madeline written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans (Simon and Schuster)
Animals of American History illustrated by Paul Bransom, written by Helen Dean Fish (Stokes)
Lucio and His Nuong, A Tale Of The Philippine Islands written and illustrated by Lucy Herndon Crocket (Holt)
I Am a Pueblo Indian Girl written by E-Yeh-Shure (Blue Corn), illustrated by native Indian artists (Morrow)
The Ageless Story written by St. Luke, illustrated by Lauren Ford (Dodd)
Little Toot written and illustrated by Hardie Gramatky (Putnam)
Where Did Your Garden Grow written by Jannette May Lucas, illustrated by Helene Carter (Lippincott)
The Story of Kattor written by Georgia Travers, illustrated by Flavia Gág (Coward)

Stories for Younger Children
An Ear for Uncle Emil written by E. R. Gaggin, illustrated by Kate Seredy (Viking)
Five Bushel Farm written by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Helen Sewell (Macmillan)
Francie On The Run by Hilda van Stockum (Viking)
Kobi written by Mary Buff and Conrad Buff, illustrated by Conrad Buff (Viking)
Skippack School written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday)

Folk And Fairy Tales
The Little Mermaid written by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Macmillan)
The Seven Voyages of Sindbad The Sailor from the Arabian Nights entertainments, illustrated by Philip Reed (Holiday)
Terrence O'Hara written by Thomas Burns, illustrated by Reginald Birch (Harcourt)
Padre Porko written by Robert Davis, illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg (Holiday)
Cinders written by Katharine Gibson, illustrated by Vera Bock (Longmans)
The Happy Flute written by Sant Ram MandaI, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop (Stokes)

History and Biography
Enchanting Jenny Lind written by Laura Benét, illustrated by George G. Whitney (Dodd)
Daniel Boone written and illustrated by James Daugherty (Viking)
Drina, England’s Young Victoria by Marion W. Flexner (Coward)
Columbus Sails written and illustrated by C. Walter Hodges (Coward)
Runner of the Mountain Tops written by Mabel L. Robinson, illustrated by Lynd Ward (Random)

Stories
Other People’s Houses by Margery Bianco (Viking)
Jo-Yo’s Idea written by Kathleen Morrow Elliot, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Knopf)
Saranga the Pygmy written by Attilio Gatti, illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Scribner)
Ben and Me. A New and Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin as Written by His Good Mouse Amos lately discovered, edited and illustrated by Robert Lawson (Little)
Wooden Saddles written by Marion Lay, illustrated by Addison Burbank (Morrow)
Ocean-Born Mary written and illustrated by Lois Lenski (Stokes)
Boy with a Pack written by Stephen W. Meader, illustrated by Edward Shenton (Harcourt)
Runaway Prentice written by Ethel Parton, illustrated by Margaret Platt (Viking)
The Singing Tree written and illustrated by Kate Seredy (Viking)
Circus Shoes written by Noel Streatfeild, illustrated by Richard Floethe (Random)
The Silver Fawn written by Ann Weil, illustrated by E. Leon (Bobbs)
By the Shores of Silver Lake written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Helen Sewell and Mildred Boyle (Harper)