To celebrate my debut picturebook, Caught on a Thought, getting released at the end of 2023, here are ten picturebooks set to come out this year that I’m really looking forward to reading!
My Block Looks Like
by Janelle Harper, illustrated by Frank Morrison
As someone whose debut featured a boy exploring his neighborhood, having adventures, and learning lessons, this one spoke to me. My Block Looks Like has already gotten a number of starred reviews, and the Bronx seems like a fantastic place to explore lots of interesting places, cultures, music, and celebrate this vibrant community.
Meet the Wildlings
by Gwen Millward
What a great concept! This imaginative book teaches about dealing with emotions and learning to share by having two siblings who start to argue transform into wild creatures. That’s a feeling that pretty much every parent can relate to, and a nice way to tell kids that our anger sometimes turns us into someone – or something – else.
One Sweet Song
by Jyoti Rajan Gopal, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez
Most people don’t have a lot of good memories from the pandemic – I think I can pretty safely say that. But one that stuck with me was the video of neighbors singing with each other from their individual balconies. One Sweet Song was inspired by that, but imagines a community where people have an impromptu music session. I can think of few things more heartwarming, charming, or reaffirming of our humanity. (Also, it just sounds really cool!)
Baker Makers
by Kim Smith
One of the great battles of parenthood is fighting against your kids developing a fixed mindset. No one is simple “good” or “bad” at something, we improve by working hard and making mistakes and learning. Baker Makers comes up with the perfect recipe (sorry, had to) to convey this idea by showing a boy battling his own perfectionism and overcoming errors in a baking contest.
Sleepy Sheepy and the Sheepover
by Lucy Ruth Cummins, illustrated by Pete Oswald
The first time your kids sleep over at someone else’s house is a huge deal. It’s incredibly exciting… but also potentially terrifying. So much that’s new! So much that’s different! Sleepy Sheepy explore these feelings with adorable art and lines like, “Sleepy Sheepy cannot sleepy!” How could you turn down a book with a ‘sheepover’?
Angela’s Glacier
by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Diana Sudyka
Jordan Scott has been building a portfolio of stories that center nature and the environment, teaching kids to love (and, in the case of Angela, be loved by) the world around them. In Angela’s Glacier, she learns to stay true to herself and respect the natural world – two things every kid (and parent) should take to heart.
Ready to Soar
by Cori Doerrfeld
Everyone has heard the old saying, “You can’t please everyone.” As a writer, this is something I can very much relate to – if I listened to every single person’s notes and did exactly what they said, I would never get any work done! In Ready to Soar, Doerrfeld imagines the main character taking advice from various birds on how to build a paper airplane, resulting in ‘too many cooks’ and the plane crashing.
Buffalo Fluffalo
by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan
I mean, it’s called Buffalo Fluffalo. And that cover – how could you not want to read this? It just looks like a lot of silly fun!
I Do Not Eat Children
by Marcus Cutler
There aren’t a lot of picturebook mysteries out there, but this clever book by Marcus Cutler featuring a playground monster who definitely doesn’t eat children offers just enough hints for little readers to figure out what’s really happening. With similarities to the classic There’s a Monster at the End of This Book, I Do Not Eat Children sounds delightful, and I’m excited to get my hands on it.
MY FRIEND ANDY
by Emma Chinnery
Homelessness is a complex issue, but this book sets out to approach it with warmth and kindness – not by being didactic, but through the story of a lost dog and the homeless man who helps return it to its rightful owner. MY FRIEND ANDY sounds like a great way to open conversations about what it’s like to be unhoused and why we should never make snap judgments about people.
