December 22, 2022

Favorite Picture Books of 2022


By Ellen Heck

This brilliantly unique alphabet book runs readers through the alphabet by examining animals from around the world, but instead of presenting each animal in English, this book takes a global approach to language by highlighting animals in other languages that start with the same letter! The illustrations were created on scratchboard and then colored digitally.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Laura Gehl and Patricia Metola

A little girl named Britta believes that the magnolia and apple trees in her yard are best friends. When the magnolia tree's branches start to droop one day, the girl sets out to help the apple tree support its sick friend however she can, with scarves, lights, and lots of love. The illustrations are mixed media, focusing primarily on deeply colored shades of purple, blue, and red, often mixed together.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.



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By Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares

Separated into three (but secretly four!) sections, readers experience big things like the donut your brother got before you could get it, small things like half birthdays and old droopy balloons, and in-between things like the goldfish who really and truly listens to our stories. The illustrations are graphite and gouache, and there are a lot of fun gatefolds and interactive flaps to toggle around.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Pablo Neruda and Paloma Valdivia and translated by Sara Lissa Paulson

In this bilingual English-Spanish book, Valdivia illustrates seventy of Pablo Neruda's questions from his poem of the same name. Neruda's childlike questions are curious and compassionate, and Valdivia's illustrations beautifully capture his whimsical thoughts. The mixed media illustrations are made from watercolor, pencil, colored pencil, and ink, with a heavy focus on primary colors, and the book features multiple gatefolds and a clear, plastic dust jacket with a fifth color on it (neon green).



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By Ekaterina Trukhan

A little child leads readers on a journey of the five senses, encouraging them to explore surrounding nature from the smallest details to the largest ones. After working their way through all of the senses, the kid pays nature back by recycling and watering plants, all the while ruminating on the healing powers of nature to cure sadness and restore happiness. The illustrations generally consist of pink, turquoise, and canary yellow, with dark gray accents, but Trukhan often overlaps the colors so the entire book feels like a jigsaw puzzle of color combinations. 

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Jihyun Kim

The wordless story of a small child visiting family in the countryside, swimming in the lake and eating with his loved ones. Every spread is a single, full-bleed scene, and the illustrations were created using writing ink and slow-dry blending medium, and they're all done in grayed-out shades of blue, with orange undertones that bring warmth to every image.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Doug Salati 

A city-dwelling dog and their human set out on a steamy summer day to run errands, and after almost being hit by a skateboard in a crosswalk, the overworked, hot dog stops walking entirely. Luckily its human knows exactly what the dog needs: a getaway to the beach, to refresh and clear their mind. The illustrations were created using a mixture of pencil and gouache with Photoshop and prominently feature complementary colors blue and orange.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Kari Percival

Through alternating spreads readers learn how to interact with nature, as well as how to give back to nature by planting seeds and growing food locally. At the back of the book are tips for kids and grown-ups on gardening. Percival created the illustration with silk screening and woodblock printing, collaged digitally. Percival focuses on complementary colors green and red, with lots of brown mud (i.e. the color you get when you combine two complementary colors), and the book was printed with a fifth color, neon green.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Clotilde Perrin

Follow a child who is being chased through three different fairy tale homes: the Three Little Pigs' brick house, Sleeping Beauty's palace, and Hansel and Gretel's gingerbread house (post witch-roasting). Eventually, though, the child realizes that the monsters are only scary because no one has stood up to them before, so they stand their ground and save the day. The lift-the-flap illustrations are mixed media and fully interactive.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Kailin Duan and translated by Jeremy Tiang

A deer whose fur has nine colors rescues a drowning man, who promises never to reveal the deer's location. But when the King and Queen put up a bounty to capture the deer, the man has to decide if he will keep his word or profit off the deer who saved his life. The illustrations were created from acrylic paint manipulated by things like sponges and steel wool, and mineral pigments.

To read my interview with Kailin click here.


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By Matt Goodfellow and Yu Rong

Shu Lin has started at a new school. She doesn't speak English very well and the other students are having a hard time connecting with her; some them even say mean things. One day, though, Shu Lin brings her grandpa to school with her and wordlessly shares his paintings with all of Shu Lin's classmates. This creates an opportunity for the entire class to bond over something that surpasses language, and Shu Lin finds herself with some new friends y the end of the day. The illustrations were created from cut paper and pencil.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Tanya Landman and Laura Carlin

This is the story of how nightingales got their beautiful voices. A painter creates a world full of brightly colored landscapes and animals, saving the nightingale for last. But the painter has completely run out of paint, save for a drop of gold, so she places the drop in the back of the bird's throat, giving the bird its golden voice. The illustrations were created with watercolor, acrylic, and pencil.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Buffy Sainte-Marie and Julie Flett

Sainte-Marie's lyrics are the basis of the text, and they recount the beauty of the changing seasons, the love we feel for those we've lost, the celebration of Indigenous traditions, and the support that comes from being part of a community. The illustrations were created with pastel and pencil and finished digitally.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Mike Curato

Tiny is throwing a party, and though it seems everyone has arrived Tiny can't find Bina Bear. But after searching for Bina, who the reader can see hiding in variety of silly spots, Tiny realizes the question to ask isn't "Where is Bina Bear" but rather "Are you okay?" because it's clear Bina isn't feeling very social. Curato primarily uses my personal favorite complementary colors, purple and yellow.

To read my full review and see more interiors click here.


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By Alice Faye Duncan and Chris Raschka

One morning Bo Willie finds the doghouse empty: Yellow Dog has run away. Bo Willie and Aunt Jessie jump in her pink Cadillac and drive around looking for Yellow Dog, taking in the sights, scenes, and music around them. Raschka's unique illustrations were made with canvas, fabric, fabric paint, and embroidery floss

To read my interview with Chris click here.


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