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

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 

Best Picture Books of 2021

1. Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin

This was one of the first 2021 books I read, and I wondered if it was too soon to declare it the best of the year. Every word and brushstroke is chosen with care to tell the story of a girl learning to connect with her past through watercress found by the side of the road. A beautiful story, beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. (It deals with her mother's life in China during the Great Famine when her brother died, so be aware.)

2. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess by Tom Gauld

A childless king and queen go to an inventor and a witch to try to get the children they always dreamed of. They get a wooden robot and a log princess. The princess transforms into a log when she falls asleep and back into a princess when the magic words are spoken. But one of the maids doesn't know this, and she throws the princess in log form out the window. A grand adventure begins for the little wooden robot as he tries to find and rescue his sister. At two points the narrator sums up the many challenges and adventures faced along the way with titles and illustrations but no more detail than that. So readers will be left to wonder about "The Old Lady in a Bottle" and "The Mischievous Pixies," or they could make up the stories themselves. Spoiler alert, they all live happily ever after with some help from friends. This is a new fairy tale that children will love. The illustrations are excellent as is the story.

3. Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer

"Is fog the river's blanket?" "Are trees the sky's legs?" "Is the moon the world's night light?" These are the imaginative questions of two small "wonder walkers." It's amazing what Archer can do with collage. Each page is a feast for the eyes.

4. Off-Limits by Helen Yoon

"I'm just looking," a little girl says when going into her father's "off-limits" office. "...and I don't think anyone would miss one piece of tape." I think you can tell where this is going. The girl's facial expressions are priceless. Exuberant celebration of office supplies might be one way to describe this book.

5. The Lost Package by Richard Ho, illustrated by Jessica Lanan

A little girl in NYC carefully puts a package together and drops it off at the post office. But on the road the package falls out of the truck and lands in a gutter. Fortunately, a conscientious little boy whose family happens to be moving to the package's destination finds it and hand delivers it once they pack and drive all their stuff across country. I think more than one thing can be gathered from this story. The package arrives at its destination despite obstacles and detours. It's also a story of kindness and friendship--the girl who sent the package in the first place, the boy who rescued the package, the family who decided to make sure it reached its destination, the new friendships that formed as a result. Also, I loved seeing the workings of the post office. The illustrations have a cinematic feel. 

6. Mel Fell by Corey Tabor

Mel decides that today is the day she will learn to fly, so she jumps off her high branch and falls and falls, page after page, passing all sorts of animal onlookers. This journey downwards is pretty funny as the animals attempt to save her (of course no one is better than snail who speaks as slowly as he moves). Mel hits the water, catches a fish, flips back up and flies all the way back up, passing all the animals who are now cheering her on. She is a kingfisher, after all. The orientation of the book changes with the direction Mel is going. Funny and charming.

7. Norman Didn't Do It (Yes, He Did.) by Ryan T. Higgins

Norman the porcupine's best friend is a tree named Mildred. They play catch (you can imagine how that goes) and "tree" and chess. But Norman becomes jealous when another tree starts to sprout, and he thinks that the new tree threatens his friendship with Mildred. So Norman digs up the tree under cover of night and takes it away to an island, hopefully never to be seen or heard from ever again. Problem solved, right? Funny, funny stuff.

8. Moon Pops by Heena Baek

When the moon begins to melt in the oppressive heat, Granny catches the drips and makes the perfect cooling treat with them: moon pops. Everyone in her apartment building experiences relief from the heat thanks to her moon pops. But then two discombobulated rabbits show up at the door worried about their home which has melted away. Granny will figure out something. A note at the beginning explains the Korean folklore than suggests there are rabbits on the moon. Baek has illustrated the story with dioramas and charcoal drawn cutouts. LED lights illuminate the moon and its pops.

9. We Wait for the Sun by Dovey Johnson and Katie McCabe, illustrated by Raissa Figueroa

Before dawn, Dovey and her Grandmother leave the warmth of their home and venture into the darkness of the forest to pick berries and watch the sunrise together. It's a sensory experience filled with descriptive language and illustrations that are all about light. It's also more than a fond remembrance of a beloved experience, though. It's a story about patience, perseverance, and courage in the darkness. It's a story about the sun rising literally and figuratively. It's a story about a grandmother loving her granddaughter, spending time with her, and teaching her to be strong and have hope. 

10. The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

Any book that has the phrase "poop pollution problem" in its title bound to be good, right? It's a book that combines humor, colorful language (including almost every word for poop imaginable) and good storytelling with the factual story of the development of sewers which saved London from stinkiness and cholera.

Honorable Mention:

The Night Walk by Marie Dorleans

The Longest Storm by Dan Yaccarino

The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen

Chez Bob by Bob Shea

Boo Stew by Donna L. Washington, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

Magic Candies by Heena Baek

Best Picture Books of 2020

I finally caught up with 2020 books. Here is my rather indecisive list of the best of 2020.

1. In the Half Room by Carson Ellis

A half house next to a half tree, filled with half objects, a half cat and even a half person. Reminiscent of Goodnight Moon except whimsical, absurd, and surreal. The more times I read it, the more I loved it! 

1. Sugar in Milk by Thrity Umrigar, illustrated by Khoa Le

A young immigrant girl feels homesick, and her aunt tells her a story. A group of refugees landed in a kingdom where they don't speak the language. The king and the refugees speak through symbols. The king shows them a full glass of milk with "no room for more." The refugees show the king a spoonful of sugar which they drop into the milk. The sugar both dissolves and sweetens without it overflowing. The king allows them in, and they promise to add sweetness to life wherever they are. The girl, upon hearing this story, reenters the world with new eyes. "Nothing had changed. And yet, everything had." She goes about her life offering smiles and kindness--sugar--to all around her. She sweetens both her own life and the lives others, and in the process finds a warm home. 

Could there be a better book for the year we all just went through? I love how the story is not just one story with one thesis/moral/message. There are many stories and many inspirations to be found in its pages. The illustrations are intricate and beautiful. Elaborate patterns are incorporated into clothing and backgrounds and borders. The legend is framed, reminiscent of old parchment, making it easy to distinguish from the modern story. The illustrator communicates well the feelings in the book--the bleakness of solitude, followed by the literal flowering of kindness. 

1. Bunnies on the Bus by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Ben Mantle

"Bunnies on the Bus! Bunnies on the bus! No wonder there's a fuss about bunnies on the bus!" Every page of this book is jam-packed with bunny havoc. Newspapers, cakes, mail, packages all go flying as they whizz past. The trouble-making bunnies themselves are a bit nuts, hanging out of windows, stuffing carrots into their mouths, chasing after balloons, and the list goes on. And then there are all the stories happening in the background--the front-page escaped convicts conducting another heist, a bear getting ready for a date with his sweetheart, the celebrity hair model lion whose haircut goes terribly wrong (thanks to the bunnies, of course), and this list goes on, too. It rhymes and there's repetition. It's tons of fun all around. 

4. My Best Friend by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

The joys of childhood and friendship captured in one book. It only takes moments for two girls who meet in the park to be best friends. Silliness and imagination abound as the girls quack like ducks, pretend to be a pickle, and turn a leaf into a skeleton hand. But it's not just fun and games. They care for one another, try to make things better for each other, and are still best friends, even when they disagree on ice cream flavors. You can see pure, unadulterated joy shining out of the girls faces as they laugh and play. It's hard not to share in it. 

5. The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita L. Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora

 Mary Walker was born into slavery, forbidden to read. At the age of 15, slavery ended in the US, and while technically she was free to learn, the hardships of life prevented her from pursuing her desire. It wasn't until she was 116, after her entire family had died, that she stepped into a reading class and became the oldest student. It's an amazing story, and this picture book tells it beautifully. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Oge Mora, and her illustrations shine as they always do here. Rita Lorraine Hubbard's text is excellent also. It was when I read it aloud that I really noticed the beauty of the text: instances of alliteration, the flow of language, the imagery, the little details that make you stop and think. And there was a lovely circularity to the story. Mary sees birds and dreams of freedom and reading as a child at the beginning, and at the end she has learned to read and flies through the air on an airplane, like one of those birds. Beautiful! 

6. Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Pete Oswald

Rita and Ralph are best friends, but when their play gets a little out of hand and one of them gets hurt, they part ways. Ralph feels bad and Rita is mad. The thing is, in order to get to Rita's house to apologize, there are a number of hills Ralph must climb up and down (4 to be precise), and by the time he goes all that way he's tired and grumpy and doesn't sound particularly sorry. They go back and forth (down the hill and up the hill and down the hill and up the hill and down the hill...) a number of times before finally meeting in the middle in their usual place, both apologizing. Humor is found in the repetitive trips over all those hills, but also in their individual grumpiness. It's a great story about what goes into maintaining friendships when harm, sometimes unintentional and sometimes not, is done. The author's note says, "Nothing feels worse than hurting a friend. Breaking things takes little effort; mending them takes time, humility, and a heap of trips up and down the hills of reconciliation." 

7. Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris

The title says it all. This is a book about a polar bear in the snow. The almost all white paper cut illustrations are all about texture, lighting, and the occasional black accents that define faces. The effects he's able to create are stunning. 

8. Lift by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat

Iris loves to press elevator buttons. She always presses them--that is until her little brother swoops in and starts pushing them instead. Frustrated, she grabs an old elevator button she sees in the trash and so she can press the button in the privacy of her own bedroom, even if it doesn't do anything. Except that when she presses the button, something does happen. Her bedroom door opens to reveal another world. Humor, imagination, and sibling relationships are all in display in this lushly illustrated picture book. 

9. The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Aesop's life was fabled in many ways. Fabled because his name became so well known, fabled because of the fables he told, and fabled because his life itself was a fable. Born a slave, Aesop learned to communicate with his masters through fables. His wisdom was so great that he helped his master become successful both in business and in character. When his master asked if he could reward him, Aesop told another fable, indicating his desire for freedom, which he was granted. It's an incredible story. We don't know if it's really true, but it's inspiring nonetheless. Lendler tells this story well, incorporating Aesop's fables in real-life situations where they might have been used as well as including a collection of fables, some of which are very familiar and others less so. The illustrations are lovely—especially those on glossy pages for the fables themselves. An afterword shares a little historical context and detail.

10. Friday Night Wrestlefest by J. F. Fox, illustrated by Micah Player

"Ladies and gentleman, it's Friday night! That's right. School is out. Dinner was pizza. Annnnd best of all...it's time for...FRIDAY NIGHT WRESTLEFEST Main Event: Battle the Bedtime" Funny, dynamic, saturated with color, this is a ton of fun. And yes, it is a bedtime book. 

10. Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Micah Archer

Big sky and endless prairies are the hallmarks of a childhood in Wyoming, lovingly remembered in Prairie Days. The collage illustrations are vibrant and stunning. 

Honorable Mention:

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall

On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex

Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Josh Cochran

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