Lane Smith’s picks
Evergreen, by Matthew Cordell
One of the best books of the year. This tale of a fearful squirrel, Evergreen, on a perilous errand to deliver soup to sick Granny Oak is brilliantly, perfectly told and brilliantly, perfectly illustrated in elegant fall tones. The end reveal of Granny is both sweet and hilarious and caught me fully by surprise.
The Skull, by Jon Klassen
The unrivaled Jon Klassen has made his best book yet. Which is saying a lot. The guy is a genius—skull and shoulders above everyone else in kids’ books. His tale of a little girl who befriends a bodiless skull is haunting yet heartwarming.
Troublemakers in Trousers (Women and What They Wore to Get Things Done), by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Kaja Kajfež
I thought I knew my history. But reading Albee’s book I found myself pausing more times than I’d like to admit, whispering ashamedly, I did not know that. Twenty-one women, all fascinating “troublemakers.” You will spend hours with these tales and another hour poring over Kajfež’s top-notch illustrations.
Joana Avillez’s picks
Little Fur Family, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Garth Williams
My favorite children’s book of all time. It’s palm size—or, I should say, the size of a child’s hand. Originally bound in sinister, sensory rabbit fur, Little Fur Family now wears a synthetic coat. Larger-board book reprints don’t do the story justice. You need to peer in, to feel just small enough to realize the vastness of that scale—because that is the world of the person listening so raptly in your lap.
Moon Man, by Tomi Ungerer
When you are ordered to read a book aloud 3 to 26 times in a row, make it Moon Man. The drawings in this book are so rich, so lustrous, done with such deceptive ease, it could only be by the G.O.A.T., Tomi Ungerer. While you’re at it, get the Phaidon treasury: eight of Ungerer’s children’s books printed together—4.5 lbs’ worth.
Little Nino’s Pizzeria, by Karen Barbour
I love this book, and not just because my son is named Nino. It was recommended to me by my friend Melia Marden, whose family seemingly walked out of the pages of Little Nino’s wearing all the colorful clothes (and eating the pizza). I buy this book in bulk, as it’s my No. 1 gift.
Bruce Handy’s picks
This was a great year for picture books—I could wholeheartedly recommend a couple dozen 2023 titles. How to narrow it down to a trio? Well, three wonderful books about kids and fathers, or in one case a father figure, happened to catch my eye:
Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock, written by Jésus Trejo, illustrated by Eliza Kinkz
This is Trejo’s first picture book, an autobiographical story about the comedian’s Los Angeles boyhood. Young Jesús is excited to spend a sunny Saturday making the rounds with his dad, a gardener, so he can help out with the mowing, trimming, and watering. When Papá’s water jug is empty, that means the long hot day will be done, but some thirsty animals—and a thirsty Jesús—confuse the timekeeping. Trejo’s story is alive with wit and specificity, its spirit well matched by Kinkz’s energetic, cartoonish illustrations.
Papa’s Home, by David Soman
Another story about work, but this time Papa, who is single, is going away on business for a few days, so he has to prepare his anxious son for his coming absence. The characters are bears, which is relevant only to the extent that it is relevant that Russell Hoban’s Frances and her family are badgers—i.e., not really, but it makes for fun, furry art. In fact, Soman’s dryly amusing (and totally believable) dialogue brought to mind Bedtime for Frances, the absolute gold standard for parent-child repartee.
Cape, by Kevin Johnson, illustrated by Kitt Thomas
Most children’s books that deal with grief are weighed down by therapeutic intent—understandable and necessary, but not often conducive to artistry. Cape is an exception: a beautiful, subtle story in which a boy’s make-believe superhero cape protects him from his welling emotions over the loss of an important adult male in his life. (The exact relationship is not specified.) This theme emerges gradually, and while I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Cape to just any kid, I think even some without traumatic loss in their lives will be drawn to the hero’s struggle with big feelings. Remarkably, Johnson, like Trejo, is a debut author. Kitt Thomas’s art is effective throughout, and her cover is one of the year’s most striking and graphic.
Lane Smith is a Caldecott Award–winning illustrator and author of many books, including It’s a Book and Stickler Loves the World
Joana Avillez is an illustrator based in New York. You can read her Substack here
Bruce Handy is a journalist and the author of Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult. What If One Day…, his third book for kids, is out now
