Picture Books of 2019

1. Field Trip to the Moon by John Hare
A class arrives in a yellow school spaceship to tour the moon, but one child is more interested in drawing than listening to his teacher. When he accidentally gets left behind, he finds there are signs of life his teacher doesn't know about. Funny, wordless, clever, with wonderful art.

1. What is Given From the Heart by Patricia McKissack, illustrated by April Harrison
Beautiful book, through and through. About a family whose response to their own tragedy and hardship is to count their blessings and give to others. "What is given from the heart reaches the heart." I love April Harrison's textured collage illustrations, elongated bodies, and the tender emotions and facial expressions reach the heart just as James's homemade gift does. The world needs more of what's in these pages.

3. Vroom by Barbara McClintock 
Annie hops into her toy car and zooms (or vrooms) off into the diverse destinations of her imagination. Up mountains, through deserts and woods, and even into the big, congested city she goes. Eventually Annie tires, and returns home to go to bed.

4. Gittel’s Journey by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Amy June Bates
Based on the experiences of the author's own family member's, Leslea Newman tells the story of a girl who must travel to America by herself when her mother is prevented from boarding the ship. Beautiful, warm watercolor illustrations capture the story and time period. The story itself is a powerful one, and there's a lovely happy ending.

5. Saturday by Oge Mora
Saturdays are splendid and special because it' the day Ava and her working mother go to the library and the salon and the park. But this particular Saturday just about everything goes wrong, and Ava and her mother realize what Saturday is really about: time spent together. Mora tells the story with just the right amount of repetition in the text and vibrant collage illustrations.

6. Just Because by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
"What is rain?" "Why do the leaves change color?" "Why do birds fly south for winter?" A little girl asks her father all sorts of questions before bed. But instead of brushing it off or saying, "just because," her father invents fanciful and humorous responses, like "the tears of flying fish" and "the trees keep warm by setting quiet little fires in their leaves," etc. The answers just get better and better until it's time for bed. Arsenault’s illustrations are beautiful and whimsical, a perfect match to the fantastical answers. The last question and its answer is another of the beautiful parts of this book, paying tribute to the glorious space of our imagination

7. What is Inside This Box? / That is My Fort by Drew Daywalt, illustred by Olivier Tallec
The first two Monkey and Cake books were released this year, and I think they're primed to take over for now retired Elephant and Piggie as the stars of beginning reading. In the first volume, Daywalt tackles Schrodinger's cat in the form of a box containing a cat which disappears when the box is opened. In the second, Cake builds a fort excluding monkeys, so monkey uses the walls of Cake's fort to create a fort containing everything in the world except what is found inside the walls of Cake's fort. Both funny and very successful with kids, they'll be read over and over.

8. B is for Baby by Atinuke
It reads like an alphabet book just about the letter B, but the sequence of words combined with the illustrations tells the story of a boy who takes a basket of bananas to his baba, unwittingly bringing his baby sister along as she hides in the basket. Adorable and sweet.

9. One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller by Kate Read 
"One famished fox, two sly eyes, three plump chickens..." Rich collage illustrations accompany this counting story that does build suspense before its somewhat unexpected ending.

10. Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Jason Chin
This is a perfect book for that child who wonders what happening in mommy's tummy or wonders how a fertilized egg transforms into a baby. Nine Months takes us through a pregnancy, month by month, showing and telling what is developing in a baby. From week 15-36, the fetus is represented in actual size. The illustrations are wonderful.

Honorable Mention:
Beware of the Crocodile by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
Spencer's New Pet by Jessie Sima
Daniel's Good Day by Micha Archer

Best Beginning Readers
Monkey & Cake books mentioned above
Charlie and Mouse Even Better by Laurel Snyder
Fox and Chick: The Quiet Boat Ride by Sergio Ruzzier
Snail and Worm: All Day by Tina Kugler 
See Me Play by Paul Meisel