Picture Books of 2022

Here's my list of favorite/best picture books published in 2022

 

1. Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall

Farmhouse tells the story of an old farmhouse and the family of fourteen that lived there. It was a home where the children's changing heights were measured, where arguments transpired followed by apologies, where the children slept, and read and whispered secrets, where cows were milked, stalls were mucked, and apples were picked. After long and happy lives were lived within its walls, it was eventually abandoned. And then raccoons and rain and leaves made their way inside. And then the author of the book found this old farmhouse and cleaned it up, finding treasures along the way—remnants of the lives previously lived there and used some of those remnants to write this book. The result is beautiful, heartwarming, and even a bit meta. She explains in the author’s note how she used layers on layers of items found in the house to create collage illustrations, and the book and story seem to have layers themselves. This book feels like family and childhood and growing up. A real work of art. 

2. Knight Owl by Christopher Denise 

Owl has always dreamed of becoming a knight. The only problem is that he’s about the size of a knight’s foot. But when there’s knight shortage, Owl applies to knight school and is accepted. The only question is whether he can perform when a terrifying enemy shows up at the castle? Great storytelling with beautiful, cinematic illustrations and some humor. 

3. A Bear, A Bee, A Honey Tree by Daniel Bernstrom, illustrated by Brandon James Scott 

What happens when a hungry bear sees a drool-inducing, honey-filled beehive in a tree? It’s no picnic. Simple and lots of fun. 

4. Big Truck Little Island by Christ Van Dusen 

A big, oversize load-carrying truck gets stuck while on the way to deliver his load, blocking the only road going from one side of the island to other. The families stuck on either side have appointments to keep and errands to run and homework to do. Only cooperation will solve the predicament. The illustrations give the reader a great sense of the size of this truck by playing with perspective. Based on a true story. 

5. Pizza! A Slice of History by Greg Pizzoli 

A bold and graphic tribute to pizza, that answers questions like: Who made the first pizza? Where does pizza come from? How did it come the US? How much pizza do we eat? What does pizza look like around the world? So much fun. 

6. Parfait, Not Parfait by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Avery Monsen 

A hilarious book of wordplay and rhyming that even includes a sort of visual rhyme hunt. 

7. A Day for Sandcastles by Jonarno Lawson 

A wordless picture book about a trip to the beach, that perfectly captures and spirit and essence of a beach day. The illustrations are wonderful and full of details and happenings for children to examine and discover. 

8. Walter Had a best Friend by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier 

The title says it all. Notice the tense? Walter’s best friend makes a new friend and Walter ends up alone more often than not. After giving himself some time to grieve, he lets go of hurt, anger and resentment, and goes out looking for something new. And that’s exactly what he finds. 

9. Cornbread and Poppy by Matthew Cordell 

Cornbread loves to plan and prepare, getting everything ready for winter, while his friend Poppy prefers adventures and living in the moment, which means she’s procrastinated her own winter preparations so much that it’s too late. For this reason, she decides to go to Holler Mountain, the scary and dangerous mountain that Ms Ruthie never came back from. 

10. Mina by Matthew Forsythe 

Mina’s father is always bringing home surprises (i. e. random stuff). One day he brings home a particularly worrisome surprise, a “squirrel” that looks an awful lot like a cat. Mina is skeptical, but her father assures her, “Everything will be fine.” They notice the the “squirrel” isn’t eating...and then he shows up with some friends, but I won’t spoil the end. I love Matthew Forsythe’s rich gouache, watercolor and colored pencil illustrations. 

Honorable Mention:

Frances in the Country by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Sean Qualls 

A History of Underwear with Professor Chicken by Hannah Holt, illustrated by Korwin Briggs 

Bublebee Grumblebee by David Elliott 

Dragon Bones: The Fantastic Fossil Discoveries of Mary Anning by Sarah Glenn Marsh, illustrated by Maris Wicks 

Books of 2022

Total books read in 2022: 71
Adult: 23
Teen: 19
Childrens: 28
Fiction: 34
Nonfiction: 21
Graphic Novels: 15

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

My mom read these to me as a child, but I have no memory of them, though I knew the basic story of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I absolutely loved them. They were everything I needed this year: edifying, entertaining, comforting, meaningful. I loved that there was religious symbolism and meaning along with lessons about life, and yet it didn't feel didactic. And I loved Aslan and loved how it produced this feeling of wishing he were in every scene. "The value of the myth is that it takes all the things we know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by ‘the veil of familiarity.’"

1. And Away... by Bob Mortimer

I was first introduced to Bob Mortimer through his appearances on Would I Lie to You? (a sort of variation on two truths and a lie) which had me in stitches. Then I moved onto Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse: Gone Fishing, a half hour show where the two British comedians who've both had heart surgery embark on a fishing weekend in the beautiful English countryside and talk about life and act silly and catch fish; it's equal parts funny, silly, relaxing, beautiful and contemplative. I was so thoroughly delighted, I picked up his autobiography and the delight continued. The fascinating thing is he worked as a lawyer for years and stumbled into show business by attending the shows of Vic Reeves. He also revealed that he was very shy. And while he made me laugh plenty, he also got my heart, as demonstrated by this closing remark:

3. Can You Whistle, Johanna? by Ulf Stark

Berra wishes he had a grandfather when he hears about all the fun his friend Ulf had with his. Ulf knows exactly where Berra can find a grandfather for himself: at the old folks' home. This is already a beloved children's book in Sweden. It hasn't been translated into English until now. Everything about it is perfect. It's funny and heartwarming.

4. Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba

This book starts with a boy named Kazu climbing out his bedroom window onto the roof in the middle of the night to pee because he hates going downstairs to the bathroom in the dark. While he's out there, he sees a mysterious girl leaving his house and he realizes she's a ghost. But when he goes to class the next day, she's there and everyone acts as if they've always known her! Kazu starts to investigate and finds history and legends and stories that captivated me the whole way through. This is five-star storytelling.   

5. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

Lucy was struck by lightning. Ever since, she's had savant syndrome, giving her genius-level math skills and a touch of OCD. She's been homeschooler her whole life and now, at the age of 12, she's ready for college. Only grandma insists she attend middle school and make one friend before she can go to the advanced math classes of her dreams. Turns out friendship is a much bigger challenge than calculus. Wonderful. Great for fans of Smile and Real Friends, as it hits on the woes of navigating female friendships in a very real way. 

6. The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman

Excellent

7. A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis

This was the experience of 2022 for me. 

8. Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Another solid middle grade book, with that perfect mix of humor, challenges and realism. A story centered around family that addresses the challenges of life and change with courage and personality.

9. The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen

A great story of young women from different classes and backgrounds realizing coming together as they see what they have in common and their strength.

10. The Heavens are Open by Wendy Nelson

Honorable Mention:

All of Huda Fahmy's graphic novels:
Yes, I'm Hot in This: The Hilarious Truth about Life in a Hijab by Huda Fahmy
That Can Be Arranged
Huda F Are You?

Growing Pangs by Kathryn Ormsbee & Molly Brooks

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

Where is God When it Hurts? by Philip Yancey

Everything read in 2022:

The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth by Sam Quinones • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas • Can You Whistle, Johanna? By Ulf Stark, illustrated by Anna Höglund • Sylvie by Sylvie Kantorovitz • The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley • Crushing by Sophie Burrows • The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera • Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff • How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams • Ambushed! The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield by Gail Jarrow • Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina • They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera • When It Doesn’t Make Sense by John Bytheway • The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox • You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson • The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman • Heartstopper by Alice Oseman • Living with Viola by Rosena Fung • The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty • The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery by Ross Douthat • Where is God When It Hurts? By Phillip Yancey • Gallant by V. E. Schwab* • Fuzz by Mary Roach • The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis • A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis • Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba • The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis • The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey • Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner • Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime by Candace Fleming* • Sheets by Brenna Thummler • Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy • That Can Be Arranged by Huda Fahmy • The Big Break by Mark Tatulli • Real Food/Fake Food: Why You Don’t Know What You’re Eating and What You Can Do About It by Larry Olmstead • Night by Elie Weisel • Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds & Jason Griffin • Yes, I'm Hot in This: The Hilarious Truth about Life in a Hijab by Huda Fahmy • Lost and Found by Orson Scott Card • The School for Whatnots by Margaret Peterson Haddix* • Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee* • The Race of the Century: The Battle to Break the Four-Minute Mile by Neal Bascomb* • Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzales • The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum* • L’Appart by David Lebovitz • The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow & Liz Lawson* • Growing Pangs by Kathryn Ormsbee & Molly Brooks* • The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen* • Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas* • Melissa by Alex Gino (formerly George) • Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett • Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis • Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis • Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos* • The Spirit of Revelation by David A. Bednar • Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis • Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina • Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce • Smaller Sister by Maggie Edkins Willis* • The Heavens are Open by Wendy Nelson • The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis • Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A. F. Steadman* • Everything is an Emergency: An OCD Story in Words and Pictures by Jason Adam Katzenstein • The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis • The Aquanaut by Dan Santat* • Aviva vs. The Dybbuk by Mari Lowe* • And Away... by Bob Mortimer • Only A Monster by Vanessa Len* • Foster by Claire Keegan • The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis • Free Kid to Good Home by Hiroshi Ito*