The choices:

2008
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

2007
Flotsam by David Wiesner

2006
The Hello, Goodbye Window Illustrated by Chris Raschka, written by Norton Juster

2005
Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

2004
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

2003
My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann

A Day in the Salt Marsh
by Kevin Kurtz

Rhyming verse introduces readers to hourly changes in the salt marsh as the tide
comes and goes.

An Egg is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston

Describes many different kinds of eggs and how they support the lives growing
inside of them. 

The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming  
by Laurie David

A collection of facts and information about global warming and its consequences, with suggestions on maintaining a healthy environment in the home, at school, and in the community. 

Wired
by Anastasia Suen

Describes how electricity is conducted and follows its route from a power plant to the home. 

Close to the Wind: The Beaufort Scale
by Peter Malone

Describes Francis Beaufort’s creation of the Beaufort wind force scale in 1810, includes fictional diary entries by a twelve-year-old nineteenth-century midshipman that describe conditions aboard ship at each of the scale’s twelve levels.

Rick Riordan was a middle school English teacher and adult mystery author who said that he originally made up The Lightning Thief as a bedtime tale for his son whose story interest was limited to mythology. Neal Shusterman also started out by telling a story to children–he was a camp counselor and his story (about magic sunglasses) was told only if the children behaved. Jeanne DuPrau, The City of Ember, said that her book was a result of the combination of having many emergency drills as a girl and her concern for the future of our environment. Gail Carson Levine could never understand why Cinderella hung around and did all those chores so sweetly so Ella Enchanted is her explanation. Andrea Pinkney Davis is a book editior as well as an author and she said that she actually passes a lot of ideas to other authors who she feels are better suited for the idea.

How do you decide what to write about?