Only Picture Books’ 22 Favorites of 2022

Hello, 2023! While we’re really excited about the kidlit world and all that’s about to happen this year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on some truly terrific picture books from the past twelve months.

This is a subjective list, so if we missed a great picture book, our apologies. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments. We’ll try to include those in future lists, if we can.

One last thing–since we’re running this in our regular Picture Book Review slot of the month, we’ll include our own 5‑word reviews along with a link to the Goodreads reviews. Creating these haiku-​like mini-​reviews is as challenging as it is fun. Try it yourself sometime!


Berry Song by Michaela Goade (19 July 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Luminous, dreamy, pro-​earth joy. Berrytastic.

Goodreads Reviews


Chester van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme by Avery Monsen, illustrated by Abby Hanlon (15 March 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Rhyming read-​a-​loud hilarity. Interactive fun.

Goodreads Reviews


A Gift for Nana by Lane Smith (10 May 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Quirky. Cute. Maybe for adults?

Goodreads Reviews


All Star: How Larry Doby Smashed the Color Barrier in Baseball by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Cannaday Chapman (4 January 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Unsung hero. Door-​opener. Fascinating. Timely.

Goodreads Reviews


Bedtime for Bo by Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold and Mari Kanstad Johnsen, translated by Kari Dickson (9 August 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Joyous, snuggly bedtime love. Imaginative.

Goodreads Reviews


The Blanket Where Violet Sits by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Lauren Tobia (30 August 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Lyrical cumulative rhymes. Picnicky fun.

Goodreads Reviews


The Depth of the Lake and the Height of the Sky by Kim Jihyun (19 April 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Evocative wordless storytelling. Enchanting debut.

Goodreads Reviews


Dodos Are Not Extinct by Paddy Donnelly (8 February 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Extinct animals aplenty. Storytime silliness.

Goodreads Reviews


Good Night Little Bookstore by Amy Cherrix, illustrated by E.B. Goodale (29 August 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Cozy, charming Goodnight Moon pastiche.

Goodreads Reviews


I Am Mozart, Too: The Lost Genius of Maria Anna Mozart by Audrey Ades, illustrated by Adelina Lirius (22 February 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Gender injustice–Mozart’s prodigy sister.

Goodreads Reviews


John’s Turn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Kate Berube (24 February 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Embrace your talent. Gloriously so.

Goodreads Reviews


Knight Owl by Christopher Denise (15 March 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Owlish wordplay. Bravery. Radiant art.

Goodreads Reviews


The Legend of Gravity: A Tall Basketball Tale by Charly Palmer (4 January 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Splendrous colors. Fanciful facts. Teamwork!

Goodreads Reviews


Lizzy and the Cloud by The Fan Brothers (3 May 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Pet clouds are awesome. Beautiful.

Goodreads Reviews


Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-​Hall, illustrated by Yas Imamura (8 February 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Detainment camp. History. Heartbreak. Books!

Goodreads Reviews


Monsters in the Fog by Ali Bahrampour, illustrated by Cannaday Chapman (14 June 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Humorous mountain journey. Beware “monsters”!

Goodreads Reviews


Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady, illustrated by Gracey Zhang (19 July 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Childhood dreams. Heart-​melting ending.

Goodreads Reviews


The Rise (and Falls) of Jackie Chan by Kristen Mai Giang, illustrated by Alina Chau (29 March 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Goofball acrobatics. Vibrant art. POW!

Goodreads Reviews


Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison (20 September 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Glorious tribute. Discussion-​starting. Ear-​pleasing. Timely.

Goodreads Reviews


Strong by Rob Kearney and Eric Rosswood, illustrated by Nidhi Chanani (10 May 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Becoming an LGBTQ+ strongman. Empowering.

Goodreads Reviews


Uncle John’s City Garden by Bernette Ford, illustrated by Frank Morrison (3 May 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: City gardens. Family. Recipes. Delicious.

Goodreads Reviews


The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López (4 January 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Lyrical history lifts up readers.

Goodreads Reviews


I got so excited going through my shelf of 2022 picture books for this end-​of-​year list that I completely forgot to go back through the books we reviewed here at OPB (which I keep on a different shelf in a different room). I’m not bumping any of the 22 above books because they all belong here, but so do the following three titles.

I supposed that makes this post more accurately “Only Picture Books’ 22 25 Favorites of 2022.”

 

Mommy’s Hometown by Hope Lim, illustrated by Jaime Kim (12 April 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Hits me just right. Sensitive.

See the original OPB review here.

 

Wally, the World’s Greatest Piano-​Playing Wombat by Ratha Tep, illustrated by Camilla Pintonato (18 October 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Passion. Pride. Participation. Pianos. Potent!

See the original full OPB review here.

 

Wombat Said Come In by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Brian Lies (6 October 2022)

OPB Five-​Word Review: Friendship. Empathy. Safe and secure.

See the original full OPB review here.

Only Picture Books’ 18 Favorites of 2018

What better way to close out 2018 than with a list of OPB’s 18 favorites from this past year?

Some of these titles appeared in the (digital) pages of OPB.

Some didn’t. (Alas, this isn’t a comprehensive PB review site like PW, Kirkus, or others.)

But make no mistake–I’m a fan of these 18 titles. I’ll even offer up a sentence or three for each to give a sense about why I liked them.

 

Note #1: Every book listed below is a total winner via my super-​subjective estimation. By that, I mean:

  • I own a copy. (Yep. Not just the freebie ARCs/​galleys here!)
  • I’d be happy to read any of these with a child.
  • I’d be happy to re-​read any of these, even without a child handy.
  • I’d be happy to have written, illustrated, and/​or edited ANY of these.
  • I’d be pleased as Hawaiian punch for any of the involved authors, illustrators, and editors to hit up OPB for an interview. HINT HINT HINT!

Note #2: They aren’t ranked in any particular way, save alphabetically by title. Want to know the #1 picture book of 2018? Read them yourself and make your own choice. Post your choice as a comment here. Or offer it up on your social media. Or add your glowing recommendation on an Amazon or Goodreads page.

Note #3: I like notes.

Note #4: There should be more picture books about sloths. (Please refer to question #1 of the Speed Round of editor Kait Feldmann’s OPB interview for proof of this profound sloth lack!)

Note #5: Refer to notes 1–4, as needed.


Are You Scared, Darth Vader? by Adam Rex (3 July 2018)

I often bring a picture book to share at my SCBWI PALs meetings, and this one brought the house down. It’s loads of fun, but it’s far more than just a Star Wars nostalgia riff. Well done, Mr. Rex!

 

Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson (9 October 2018)

If you liked Last Stop on Market Street, you’ll love de la Peña’s new book that powerfully spotlights children who are worthy of our attention. Plus Robinson’s acrylic paintings are rich and captivating. Simply terrific.

Enjoy an Oct 2018 interview about Carmela Full of Wishes with Matt and Christian at PW.

 

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo and Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller

To everyone’s surprise, political satire and picture books can go together like chocolate and peanut butter. Plus Jim Parsons really rocks it on the audio version.

 

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López (28 August 2018)

It’s a memorable, inclusive story with lyrical writing and dreamy art. This is a book for every child who feels alone (which is to say “everybody” at one time or another).

Here’s The New York Times article on two of Woodson’s books (including this one).

 

Drawn Together by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat (5 June 2018)

This gorgeous book shows the power of art–and the creative process–in action. It’s a visual WOW.

Here’s a June 2018 NPR interview with Minh Lê about Drawn Together.

 

Giraffe Problems by Jory John, illustrated by Lane Smith (25 September 2018)

About twice a month, I go to my local library and grab two huge bags of whatever picture books catch my eye. Then I read them all at home. That’s the story of how I got introduced to this book, and it was the star of the whole batch by far. Clever. And full of positive messages too.

Here’s a Dec 2018 “speed interview” with Jory John on this cool book.

 

Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang (15 May 2018)

The simplistic yet powerfully expressive illustrations are first-​rate. Plus there’s something wonderful about a grumpy monkey screaming “I’m not grumpy!” This is great for a kindergarten reading session. They’ll all make the faces along with the characters for sure.

 

How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk, illustrated by Sara Palacios (15 Mary 2018)

No rhymes or delicious puns here, but instead you have a kid-​friendly book that shows how to break down a seemingly big problem into small, manageable steps. It’s smart, useful, and just silly enough to keep all the learning fun.

Here’s a “Simply 7” interview (by Jena Benton) with the always-​interesting Josh Funk.

 

I Am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds (2 October 2018)

I’ve been paying attention to this picture book team since I Am Yoga and they continue to deliver. This book is a fine celebration of the beautiful imperfectness of humanity. It’s a book that says it’s okay to make mistakes, and that’s a fine lesson for young readers that counteracts the over-​tested, over-​scheduled, must-have-GPAs-higher-than‑4.0 world in which we live.

 

I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët (24 April 2018)

I’ve been a fan of this husband-​wife team since their graphic novel Beautiful Darkness. This picture book shows just how magical a wordless story can be.

Here’s a fine review of I Walk with Vanessa at Unleashing Readers.

 

Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love (23 April 2018)

This is a book that could’ve gone wrong in a host of ways … but doesn’t. It’s beautiful and empowering without being preachy.

Here’s a May 2018 interview with Jessica about this book at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

 

Mixed: A Colorful Story by Arree Chung (3 July 2018)

This celebratory book feels more relevant by the day. I’m also a fan of the graphic, eye-​catching style.

Read the full review of Mixed at OPB!

 

Night Job by Karen Hesse, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (11 September 2018)

This gentle story has a great big heart and Karas’ mixed media illustrations are spot-​on in every way.

Here’s the starred review of Night Job at Kirkus.

 

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Steven Salerno (10 April 2018)

I know Rob pretty well and despite that (just kidding, Rob!), I think this book is tremendously good and tremendously important. When Rob visited my Writing Picture Books class at Ringling College in spring 2018, he shared this book with them–it became the #1 most talked-​about book of the entire semester for the students, and for that reason alone, it’s got to be on this list. I also really dig the back matter timelines.

 

The Boo-​Boos that Changed the World: A True Story About an Accidental Invention (Really!) by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Chris Hsu (13 February 2018)

The retro look draws me in as much as the well-​told story about a now-​omnipresent first aid item.

Here’s a March 2018 speed interview with Barry at The Children’s Book Review.

 

The Eye that Never Sleeps: How Detective Pinkerton Saved President Lincoln by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes (6 November 2018)

The hip cartoony style works well with the text to present a memorable read about one of America’s greatest detectives.

 

The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee (2 October 2018)

This book proves to be quite the discussion starter on the concepts of perspective and assumptions.

Here’s an October 2018 Q&A with Jon at PW.

Here’s an October 2018 interview with Jon at Let’s Talk Picture Books.

 

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins (19 June 2018)

The character? Hilarious. The ending? Delightful. It’s the type of back-​to-​school book I wish I had when my kids were little.

Here’s a Q&A with Ryan at PW.