Best books of 1945

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.

American Emperor written by Rose Brown, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
Bhimsa the Dancing Bear written by Christine Weston, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (Scribner)
Clear the Track for Michael’s Magic Train written and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin (Macmillan)
Climbing Our Family Tree written by Alex Novikoff, illustrated by John English (International)
Daniel Boone written by Esther Averill, illustrated by F. Rojankovsky (Harper)
Donkey for the King written by Olive Price, decorations by Valenti Angelo (Whittlesey)
Echo of a Cry written and illustrated by Mai-Mai Sze (Harcourt)
First Whisper of “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Grahame (Lippincott)
Gulf Stream written by Ruth Brindze, illustrated by Helene Carter (Vanguard)
Henry’s Lincoln written by Louise A. Neyhart, illustrated by Charles Banks Wilson (Holiday)
Ilenka written by Lee Kingman, illustrated by Arnold Edwin Bare (Houghton)
Koos the Hottentot written by Josef Marais, illustrated by Henry Stahlhut (Knopf)
Little Red Engine Gets a Name written by Diana Ross, illustrated by Lewitt-Him (Transatlantic Arts)
Little Boat Boy written by Jean Bothwell, illustrated by Margaret Ayer (Harcourt)
Little People in a Big Country by Norma Kohn (Oxford)
Melindy’s Medal written by Georgene Faulkner and John Becker, illustrated by Elton C. Fox (Messner)
My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World written by Becky Reyher, illustrated by Ruth Gannett (Howell)
Necessary Nellie written and illustrated by Charlotte Baker (Coward)
New Found World written by Katherine B. Shippen, illustrated by C. B. Falls (Viking)
Plain Princess written by Phyllis McGinley, illustrated by Helen Stone (Lippincott)
Prayer for Little Things written by Eleanor Farjeon, illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones (Houghton)
Reunion in Poland written by Jean Karsavina, illustratead by Lynd Ward (International)
Rock Crystal written by Aldabert Stifter, illustrated by Josef Scharl (Pantheon)
Rooster Crows written and illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham (Macmillan)
Russian Fairy Tales translated by Norbert Guiterman, illustrated by A. Alexeieff (Pantheon)
Sandy by Elizabeth Janet Gray (Viking)
Sibby Botherbox written by Mabel Leigh Hunt, illustrated by Marjory Collison (Lippincott)
Sing Mother Goose edited by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Marjorie Torrey (Dutton)
Strawberry Girl written and illustrated by Lois Lenski (Lippincott)
This Is the Christmas by Ruth Sawyer (Horn Book)
Wildcat Furs to China written by Carl Carmer, illustrated by Elizabeth Black Carmer (Knopf)
Wind Island written and illustrated by Hedwig Collin (Viking)
Within the Circle written by Evelyn Stefansson, maps by Richard Edes Harrison (Scribner)
You Can Write Chinese written and illustrated by Kurt Wiese (Viking)