Best Picture Books of 2023

 Here's my list of favorite/best picture books published in 2023

The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage

Dr Morley goes to the arctic with a skilled crew to find the legendary giant Arctic jellyfish, which no one has ever seen. As they search, they see beluga whales, orcas, narwhals, and polar bears; they see the aurora and icebergs; they dive into the depths of the sea and travel to new places. They work very hard, but still no jellyfish. Eventually the failure of their trip starts to sink in and they prepare to return home, when Dr Morley catches a glimpse of something--"could that be?" What the illustrations reveal that my description does not is that the jellyfish is there the whole time, hiding. Children will undoubtedly see this as they read. The ink and watercolor illustrations are beautiful and transporting. On some pages, we see intricate cross-sections of the boat, revealing every room and every person at work. Other pages display explorations and magnificent scenery both above and below the water. What made this a favorite of mine is the meaning, which I think could be summed up as: Have faith. Don't lose hope. 

How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison

In 1936, eight grader Macnolia Cox won the Akron, Ohio spelling bee. She was the first African American to win, and she and another girl were the first African American students to advance and compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC. This book tells the story of her academic excellence and the discrimination she faced on her way to prove that African American students were just as smart as everyone else. Macnolia excelled at the National Spelling Bee and only made a mistake when asked to spell a word that was not in the dictionaries provided by the spelling bee to study. "Can you spell U-N-F-A-I-R?" the narrator asks. Frank Morrison really takes this book to the next level with his illustrations. The colors are saturated and vibrant. The emotions are palpable. I love looking at Macnolia. She looks small on stage with her nerves, serene when studying, fierce when facing racism, and proud, knowing who she is. Wonderful.

Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang

Liddy is so excited to go to Dim Sum Palace, she can hardly sleep. But before she knows it, she's following an irresistible smell to the kitchens of Dim Sum Palace. There are treats of every size and shape, but before she can eat, she tumbles into a bowl of dumpling filling and gets folded into a dumpling to be served to a very hungry empress. This was a delight. I love the style of the illustrations--particularly all those round cheeked-faces. Now I need to go get some dim sum...

Afikomen by Tziporah Cohen and Yaara Eshet

In this wordless picture book, loved ones gather round the table to celebrate Passover. The children steal the afikomen and climb under the table with it, only something strange happens. When they pass under the tablecloth, they find themselves in Egypt. They watch a woman place her baby in a basket and put it in the river. They follow the basket, trying to keep it safe until it's found by Pharaoh's daughter. My favorite part of this book is the page where the children open the basket themselves to see Moses. Yaara Eshet captures the most wonderful moment of awe on the children's faces. I love how this book combines reverence and childlike play.

Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur? by Helen Yoon

The little narrator in this picture book is looking for her invisible dinosaur. It's a challenge because once she cleans him, he's...invisible. Many of her schemes to find him (like putting up Lost Dinosaur flyers which contain an empty square for a picture, because the dinosaur is invisible, after all) fail, until suddenly, she does find him. Funny, silly, and whimsical.

Roll, Roll Little Pea by Cécile Bergame, illustrated by Magali Attiogbé

In this picture book for younger readers, a pea rolls away across the floor, under the stairs, past the mouse and the cat, and you get the idea. There's some nice repetition and eye catching bold and bright illustrations.

You Go First by Ariel Bernstein, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal

There's a new slide in town, and Cat and Duck are excited to try it. Or at least Duck is. Cat is not so sure. Cat finds lots of ways to procrastinate trying the slide and eventually warns Duck of all that could go wrong. When Cat sees that Duck doesn't want to go anymore because of the worries he introduced, he sees the only solution is to show her how fun the slide is. A funny and sweet story about overcoming fears and being a good friend.

Simon and the Better Bone by Corey Tabor

Simon the dog sees another dog with a bone better than his. Only it's not another dog, it's his own reflection and he doesn't realize it. He tries various tactics to get the bone, but they mostly don't work (for obvious reasons). When he thinks his new friend has lost his bone, he offers him a new one. Based of Aesop's "The Dog and his Reflection," this one is sweet and funny. Tabor illustrated it so that you hold the book horizontally instead of vertically, so that the reflection is on the bottom and Simon is on the top. Fun.

The Biggest Mistake by Camilla Pintonato

Lion thinks catching gazelles will be easy, but each time he tries, he learns that maybe it's not so easy. Bright, bold and fun.

A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

A boy finds an envelope with a map from his father who recently passed away. He goes into the woods and finds a box his dad made when he was his son's age. It's filled with drawings of and poetry about the woods. One of the things that makes this book really special is the story behind those that made it. Celebrated illustrator Jerry Pinkney died before this books could be finished. But he had made the sketches for the book, and they were used for the illustrations. Then Jerry's son Brian finished the sketches by adding color in his own style. They're pretty fantastic. So this is book about a boy grieving the loss of his father and walking in the woods as his father loved to do, illustrated by a son grieving the loss of his father who loved to take walks in the woods. Beautifully written by Nikki Grimes, and beautifully illustrated by the Pinkneys. 

Honorable mention:

The Real Story by Sergio Ruzzier

The Red Fruit by Lee Gee Eun

Problem Solved! by Jan Thomas

See the Ghost by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

Mine! A Story of Not Sharing by Klara Persson, illustrated by Charlotte Ramel

How to Count to 1 by Caspar Salmon, illustrated by Matt Hunt