In 2012, President Barack Obama said in an ABC interview, “I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” A White House statement added detail: “It’s no secret the President has gone through some soul-searching on this issue. … He’s sat around his kitchen table with Sasha and Malia, who have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. … ‘And frankly,’ [Obama said,] ‘that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective.’”

Baby Wren and the Great Gift

Sally Lloyd-Jones

The Hopefuls 

Jennifer Close

Bill Cunningham, fashion photographer and recorder of New York’s changing fashion scene, died Saturday at age 87. He worked consistently until he suffered a stroke a week ago.

Have you ever been clobbered by a 2-by-4 plank? Our Books of the Year committee has come up with a 4-by-4, a shortlist of 16 books in four categories. Most of them smack readers hard. They challenge the conventional wisdom. They deal with difficult questions of persecution, community-building, cultural craziness, marriage, and more. Most also offer hope.

Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse

Faith Sullivan

Circus Mirandus is WORLD’s 2016 Children’s Novel of the Year. Out of the Woods is our Picture Book of the Year. Those are the picks of two WORLD committees that sifted through dozens of books and engaged in spirited debates.

Later in this special section we display books that made the shortlist in each category, chart some top nonfiction books for ages 10-15, discuss depictions of slavery in children’s books and audio dramas, and profile John R. Erickson, author of the long-running and hugely popular Hank the Cowdog series.