How to Spend $50,000 on a New Elementary School Library

I've never had the privilege/challenge of spending $50,000 on children's books—no serials or AV—in a single weekend (as happened to a friend of a friend), but going off the top of my head, this is how I'd start putting a dent in the funds. What would you add to this list?

Picture Books

Caldecott Award

I'd probably buy the past 10 years' winners and honor books, the past 50 years' winners, and any older titles that are known to be classics.

Some Popular Authors

Marc Brown, Eric Carle, Doreen Cronin (Diary of a... series), Tomie DePaola, Lois Ehlert, Candace Fleming, Denise Fleming, Valerie Gorbachev, Ezra Jack Keats, Helen Lester, Leo Lionni, Jonathan London (Froggy series), James Marshall, Jane O'Connor (Fancy Nancy series), Daniel Pinkwater, Jon Sciezska, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, William Steig, Chris Van Allsburg, Walter Wick (I Spy and Can You See What I See?), Mo Willems

Classics

Madeline series, Mike Mulligan, Corduroy series, Frances series, Harry the Dirty Dog, The Little Engine That Could, Beatrix Potter books, Curious George

Children's Choice Award

I'd look at my state's kids' choice award list, buying copies of this year's nominees and the past 10 years' winners and runners-up.

Easy Readers

Geisel Award

This is a new award, so I'd buy all the winner and honor books.

Some Favorite Authors

David Adler, Denis Cazet, Kate DiCamillo, Peggy Parish, Cynthia Rylant, Dr. Seuss, Marjorie Sharmat, Jean Van Leeuwen, Mo Willems

Nonfiction Series

DK leveled readers, Rookie Readers

Chapter Books (2nd–3rd grade)

Popular Authors

Judy Blume (Fudge, The Pain and the Great One), Beverly Cleary, Paula Danziger (Amber Brown), Johanna Hurwitz, Susy Kline (Horrible Harry), Megan McDonald (Judy Moody, Stink), Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House), Barbara Park (Junie B. Jones), Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants, Ricky Ricotta)

Popular Paperback Series

Secrets of Droon (Abbott), Cam Jansen (Adler), My Weird School (Gutman), Andrew Lost (Greenberg), Rainbow Magic (Meadows), Jigsaw Jones (Preller), Geronimo Stilton, Magic School Bus chapter books

Middle Grade (4th–6th grade)

Newbery Award

I'd probably by all winners and honor books from the past 10 years, all the winners from the past 50 years, and any older ones proven to be classics.

Perennially Popular Authors

Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Andrew Clements, Christopher Paul Curtis, Dan Gutman, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Popular Paperback Series

Matt Christopher's sport series, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Goosebumps (Stine)

Bestsellers (buy at least two)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Kinney), The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Selznick), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Riordan), Harry Potter (Rowling)

Children's Choice Award

I'd look at my state's kids' choice award list, buying copies of this year's nominees and the past 10 years' winners and runners-up.

Nonfiction

Sibert Award

This is a new award, so I'd probably buy all winners and honor books that looked age-appropriate.

Reference Books

Dictionaries, World Almanac, Guiness World Records

Popular Nonfiction Series

DK Books, Magic Tree House field guides, "You Wouldn’t Want to Be…” history series

Perennially Popular School Assignments

American history (especially colonial times, Civil War, Civil Rights, Great Depression, Presidents, the 50 States), biographies, biomes, countries of the world, folktales from around the world, immigration, the Holocaust, poetry, science fair

Perennial Popular Topics with Kids

Animals and pets, dinosaurs, fairy tales, knights, mythology, pirates, space, sports, Titanic

Books Focusing on “Minority” Populations

Special Needs

For recent titles, see the list of Scheider Family Award winners.

Ethnic Minorities in General

• Lee & Low publishing company focuses on ethnic minorities.
• Paper Tigers links to a number of bibliographies.

African-Americans

• Coretta Scott King Awards - check for age-appropriateness.
• Some good authors who write about black characters: Ann Cameron, Esme Raji Codell, Christopher Paul Curtis, Niki Daly, Nancy Farmer, Nikki Grimes, Adrian Fogelin, Virginia Hamilton, Ezra Jack Keats, Patricia McKissaack, the Pinkney Family, Mildred D. Taylor
• More good authors whose books may be too old for the audience: Angela Johnson, Walter Dean Myers, Jacqueline Woodson

Hispanic-Americans

• Pura Belpre Awards - check for age-appropriateness.
• Some good authors who write about Hispanic characters: Judith Ortiz Cofer, Tony Johnston, Deborah Ellis, Pam Munoz Ryan, Gary Soto

Asian-Americans

• Paper Tigers links to a number of bibliographies.
• Kahani Magazine has a bibliography of South-Asian books for children.
• Some good authors who write about Asian characters: Narinder Dhami, Deborah Ellis, Grace Lin, Lenore Look, Mitali Perkins,
  Suzanne Fisher Staples, Janet Wong, Lisa Yee, Laurence Yep

Native Americans

• American Indian Youth Literature Awards
• Some good authors: Joseph Bruchac, Louise Erdrich, Cynthia Leitich Smith

Jewish Americans

Check out the Sydney Taylor Awards for Jewish children's literature.

Graphic Novels

If there's still money left over, I'd buy some popular comic series--for example, Babymouse (Holm), Owly (Runyon), Calvin & Hobbes, Bone, Amelia Rules, some superhero or Star Wars comics.

Reference Materials

I'd buy some bibliographies like Best Books for Children, maybe some series on the elements and endangered species, World Book and/or the New Book of Knowledge, at least one unabridged dictionary.