Women Make Picture Books Too, the 2015 edition!!!
As you may know, this has become a tradition for me. Inspired by the historical gender bias of the Caldecott award, I first compiled my list (with YOUR help) in 2013. Molly Idle was on it (HUZZAH!), but though she took home an honor at ALA, she was the only woman on the 5 name list. Hrm.
Then, last year, my list looked like this, but the Caldecott was a shocker! SO MANY WOMEN! Morales! Castillo! AMAZING.
It really feels like things are shifting in many ways, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to keep thinking about the issue. And that doesn’t mean many wonderful titles won’t still fall through the cracks. Don’t ALL good books deserve “buzz?”
Especially for folks getting ready to mock-Caldecott, a list like this can help us look past the “big” books, and see the whole landscape. This is not to suggest that the men we adore aren’t adoration-worthy! Of COURSE they are. (It’s hard to imagine any unworthy title making it through the grueling process of Caldecotting.) I only mean to say that women are worthy too, and somehow they get overlooked.
So help me out! What are the women-illustrated books you love best this year? I’ll start off with a few of my own favorites. The only limits are that the book must be published in 2015, and it must be illustrated by a woman. (Oh, and no self-nominating, please. If your book is awesome, rest assured someone else will think so too. Spread the love! Okay?)
GO!
(For starters, my son Mose nominates NIMONA.)
NIMONA, by Noelle Stevenson
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As for me, I like so many things. For instance…
MUMMY CAT, by Marcus Ewert, illustrations by Lisa Brown
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HOME, by Carson Ellis
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THE LITTLE GARDENER, by Emily Hughes
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ONE WORD FROM SOPHIA, by Jim Averbeck, illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail
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THE WHISPER, by Pamela Zagarenski
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THE TEA PARTY IN THE WOODS, by Akiko Miyakoshi
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FINDING WINNIE, by Lindsay Mattick, illustrations by Sophie Blackall
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THIS IS SADIE, by Sara O’Leary, illustrations by Julie Morstad
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THE MOON IS GOING TO ADDY’S HOUSE, by Ida Pearle
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BY MOUSE AND FROG, by Deborah Freedman
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YARD SALE, by Eve Bunting, illustrations by Lauren Castillo
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INTERSTELLAR CINDERELLA, by Deborah Underwood, illustrations by Meg Hunt
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TREE OF WONDER, by Kate Messner, illustrations by Simona Mulazzani
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NIGHT ANIMALS, by Gianna Marino
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A FINE DESSERT, by Emily Jenkins, illustrations by Sophie Blackall
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WAIT, by Antoinette Portis
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SHARING THE BREAD, by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrations by Jill McElmurray
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DOUBLE HAPPINESS, by Nancy Tupper Ling, illustrations by Alina Chau
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PENNY AND JELLY, by Maria Gianferrari, illustrations by Thyra Heder
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WHEREVER YOU GO, by Pat Zietlow Miller, illustrations by Eliza Wheeler
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SONG FOR A SUMMER NIGHT, by Robert Heidbreder, illustrations by Qin Leng
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DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR ANNA HIBISCUS, by Atinuke, illustrations by Lauren Tobia
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CHARLOTTE AND THE QUIET PLACE, by Deborah Sosin, illustrations by Sara Wooley
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BRIGHT NIGHT, STARRY CITY, by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrations by Aimee Sicuro
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SWAN, by Laurel Snyder, illustrations by Julie Morstad
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JULIA CHILD, by Erin Hagar, illustrations by Joanna Gorham
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IN THE CANYON, by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrations by Ashley Wolff
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BOO LA LA, WITCH SPA, by Samantha Berger, illustrations by Isabel Roxas
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BEACH HOUSE, by Deanna Caswell, illustrations by Amy JUne Bates
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HANSEL AND GRETEL, by Holly Hobbie
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THE PRINCESS AND THE PONY, by Kate Beaton
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BEASTLY VERSE, by JooHee Yoon
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ASK ME, by Bernard Waber, illustrations by Suzy Lee
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THE GOOD LITTLE BOOK, by Kyo Maclear, illustrations by Marion Arbona
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ORANGUTANKA, by Margarita Engle, illustrations by Renee Kurilla
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ROLLER GIRL, by Victoria Jamieson
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THE BEAR ATE YOUR SANDWICH, by Julia Sarcone-Roach
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ARE WE THERE, YETI? by Ashlyn Anstee
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PIG AND PUG, by Lynne Berry, illustrations by Gemma Correll
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SUCH A LITTLE MOUSE, by Alice Schertle, illustrations by Stephanie Yue
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NINJA BUNNY, by Jennifer Gray Olson
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ALPHA, by Isabelle Arsenault
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THE MARVELOUS FLUFFY SQUISHY ITYY BITTY, by Beatrice Alemagna
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A YEAR WITHOUT MOM, by Dasha Tolstikova
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SNOOZEFEST, by Samantha Berger
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POOL, by JiHyeon Lee
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WHERE ARE MY BOOKS, by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
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THE BLUE WHALE, by Jenni Desmond
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BOATS FOR PAPA, by Jessixa Bagley
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I WILL NEVER GET A STAR ON MRS. BENSON’S BLACKBOARD, by Jennifer K. Mann
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EARLY BIRD, by Toni Yuly
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IF YOU EVER WANT TO BRING AN ALLIGATOR TO FIRST GRADE, DON’T, by Elise Parsley
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THE SPECIFIC OCEAN, by Kyo Maclear, illustrations by Katty Maurey
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HUNGRY COYOTE, by Cheryl Blackford, illustrations by Laurie Caple
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FINDING SPRING, by Carin Berger
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THE WHALE IN MY SWIMMING POOL, by Joyce Wan
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MAPLE AND WILLOW APART, by Lori Nichols
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THE FUN BOOK OF SCARY STUFF, by Emily Jenkins, illustrations by Hyewon Yum
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RODEO RED, by Maripat Perkins, illustrations by Molly Idle
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LENNY AND LUCY, by Philip C. Stead, illustrations by Erin E. Stead
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P. ZONKA LAYS AN EGG, by Julie Paschkis
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THE BEAR REPORT, by Thyra Heder
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BERNICE GETS CARRIED AWAY, by Hannah E. Harrison
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ENORMOUS SMALLNESS, by Matthew Burgess, illustrations by Kris Di Giacomo
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IN A VILLAGE BY THE SEA, by Muon Van, illustrations by April Chu
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ONE BEAR EXTRORDINAIRE, by Jayme McGowan
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PEACE IS AN OFFERING, by Annette LeBox, illustrations by Stephanie Graegin
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SONYA’S CHICKENS, by Phoebe Wahl
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VOICE OF FREEDOM, FANNIE LOU HAMER, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrations by Ekua Holmes
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WANGARI MAATHAI, THE WOMAN WHO PLANTED MILLIONS OF TREES, by Franck Prevot, illustrations by Aurelia Fronty
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WHERE BEAR? by Sophy Henn
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THE WONDERFUL THINGS YOU WILL BE, by Emily Winfield Martin
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IS MOMMY? by Victoria Chang, illustrations by Marla Frazee
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MAGIC TRASH, by J.H.Shapiro, illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
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STRICTLY NO ELEPHANTS, by Lisa Mantchev, illustrations by Taeeun Yoo
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THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, by Amy Parker, illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
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MOM SCHOOL, by Rebecca Van Slyke, illustrations by Priscilla Burris
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A NEST IS NOISY, by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrations by Sylvia Long
September 2nd, 2015 at 6:30 am
This is great, Laurel! I’d add to those fabulous titles you’ve already included: SHARING THE BREAD, illustrated by Jill McElmurry; DOUBLE HAPPINESS, illustrated by Alina Chau; PENNY & JELLY, illustrated by Thyra Heder; and WHEREVER YOU GO, illus by Eliza Wheeler. …Oh, and let’s not forget the glorious SWAN, shall we?
September 2nd, 2015 at 6:39 am
I LOVE this list! Here’s mine (so far!):
SONG FOR A SUMMER NIGHT by Robert Heidbreder, illustrated by Qin Leng
DOUBLE TROUBLE FOR ANNA HIBISCUS by Atinuke, illustrated by Lauren Tobia
CHARLOTTE AND THE QUIET PLACE by Deborah Sosin
BRIGHT NIGHT, STARRY CITY by Uma Krishnaswami, illustrated by Aimée Sicuro
WAIT by Antoinette Portis
SWAN by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Julie Morstad
September 2nd, 2015 at 6:47 am
JULIA CHILD: AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE illustrated by Joanna Gorham.
IN THE CANYON illustrated by Ashley Wolff (linoleum block prints!)
BOO LA-LA WITCH SPA illustrated by Isabel Roxas
BEACH HOUSE illustrated by Amy June Bates
HANSEL & GRETEL by Holly Hobbie
September 2nd, 2015 at 7:08 am
So I love ONE WORD FROM SOPHIA too.
Also THE PRINCESS AND THE PONY by Kate Beaton. I simply adore it.
Was going to include NIMONA, and THE LITTLE GARDENER so I’m glad to see you’ve already got them!
Definitely SWAN.
BEASTLY VERSE illustrated by JooHee Yoon
I also love ASK ME, Suzy Lee illustrator.
September 2nd, 2015 at 7:40 am
Great list, Laurel. Swan bviously needs to be there too! And here’s one more for you: The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear and Marion Arbona.
http://www.tundrabooks.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781770494510
September 2nd, 2015 at 7:47 am
MAPLE AND WILLOW APART by Lori Nichols
September 2nd, 2015 at 7:53 am
Off the top of my head and not including the great titles above:
BOATS FOR PAPA illustrated by Jessixa Bagley
RODEO RED illustrated by Molly Idle
P.ZONKA LAYS AN EGG illustrated by Julie Paschkis
LENNY & LUCY illustrated by Erin Stead
A BEAR ATE MY SANDWICH illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach
September 2nd, 2015 at 8:19 am
Melissa Sweet, Gina Capaldi, Courtney A. Martin, INGA MOORE (!), Genevieve Godbout, Lauren Child, Fiona Robinson, Molly Idle, Helen Oxenbury, Elena Holmes, Lauren Tobia, Silvia Borando, Isabelle Arsenault, Angela Dominguez, Anne Vittur Kennedy, Melanie Cataldo, Trisha Krauss, Sherry Scharschmidt, Clara Vulliamy, Emily Carroll, Viviane Schwartz, Rosemary Wells, Bethanie Deeney Murguia, L. Pinchon, Maggie Thrash, Amy June Bates, Katy MacDonald Denton, LeUyen Pham, Kate Wilkinson, Angela Barrett, Anita Jeram, Emma Dodd, Penny Dale, Victoria Turnbull, (new commer) Faye Hanson. More to come.
September 2nd, 2015 at 8:41 am
And, RIP, Holly Meade. Naamah and the Ark at Night, If I Never Forever Endeavor, In the Sea, On the Farm, In the Wild.
September 2nd, 2015 at 8:49 am
POOL by JiHyeon Lee
THE FUN BOOK OF SCARY STUFF illustrated by Hyewon Yum
Great list!
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:12 am
Such a great list/exercise, Laurel! In addition to the great ones you and others have already mentioned (so much great stuff out there), some of my other favorites are:
-The Bear Report by Thyra Heder (Abrams)
-Bernice Gets Carried Away by Hannah E. Harrison (Penguin)
-The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond (Enchanted Lion)
-Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley (Macmillan)
-Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess, ill. Kris DiGiacomo (Enchanted Lion)
-Finding Spring by Carin Berger (HarperCollins)
-In a Village By the Sea by Muon Van, ill. by April Chu (Creston)
-Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead, ill. Erin E. Stead (Macmillan)
-One Bear Extraordinaire by Jayme McGowan (Abrams)
-Peace is an Offering by Annette Le Box, ill. Stephanie Graegin (Penguin)
-Sonya’s Chickens by Phoebe Wahl (Tundra)
-The Specific Ocean by Kyo Maclear, ill. Katty Maurey (Kids Can Press)
-Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer by Carole Boston Weatherford, ill. Ekua Holmes (Candlewick)
-Wait by Antoinette Portis (Macmillan)
-Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot, ill. Aurélia Fronty (Charlesbridge)
-Where Bear? by Sophy Henn (Penguin)
-The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin (Random House)
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:39 am
I LOVE this list! Mostly because a bunch of the titles I wanted to nominate are already here. haha! Here’s a few more to add:
ORANGUTANKA by Margarita Engle, illus by Renee Kurilla
ROLLER GIRL by Victoria Jamieson
THE BEAR ATE YOUR SANDWICH by Julia Sarcone- Roach
ARE WE THERE YETI by Ashyln Anstee
PIG AND PUG by Lynne Berry, illus by Gemma Cornell
SUCH A LITTLE MOUSE by Alice Schertle, illus Stephanie Yue
NINJA BUNNY by Jennifer Gray Olson
These are books that we’ve read aloud or together as a family and have really enjoyed. We’re big on laughs here.
September 2nd, 2015 at 9:53 am
Oh, I second ROLLER GIRL. So great.
I’d like to add A FINE DESSERT, illus. Sophie Blackall
ALPHA by Isabelle Arsenault (it’s the alpha-bravo-charlie alphabet, very clever visually, too)
September 2nd, 2015 at 10:06 am
Don’t forget SWAN.
I’ve been digging: The Marvelous Fluffy Squishy Itty Bitty by Beatrice Alemagna
Beastly Verse by JooHee Yoon
A Year Without Mom by Dasha Tolstikova
and In the Canyon by Liz Garton Scanlon and Ashley Wolff
also eager to get my hands on:
Snoozefest by Samantha Berger and Kristyna Litten
Pool by JiHyeon Lee
Where Are My Books? by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond
September 2nd, 2015 at 10:10 am
THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT BOOKS THIS YEAR!
September 2nd, 2015 at 11:11 am
BOATS FOR PAPA by Jessixa Bagley
I WILL NEVER GET A STAR ON MRS. BENSON’S BLACKBOARD by Jennifer K. Mann
EARLY BIRD and NIGHT OWL by Toni Yuly
September 2nd, 2015 at 11:52 am
IF YOU WANT TO BRING AN ALLIGATOR TO FIRST GRADE, DON’T! by Elise Parsley
I may be biased, since she’s a dear friend, but lots of other people must agree, because she’s on the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller List. And, note, she’s the only female illustrator represented.
All of the aforementioned illustrators deserve accolades, too! Superb work, female or not.
September 2nd, 2015 at 11:52 am
LOVE this list. And it’s great that you aren’t limiting it to US illustrators (for now). Also, THe Marvelous FLuffy Squishy Itty Bitty by Beatrice Alemagna. And the Specific Ocean by Kyo MacLear and Katty Maurey!
September 2nd, 2015 at 12:02 pm
HUNGRY COYOTE written by Cheryl Blackford and illustrated by Laurie Caple. I think you’ll agree–it’s stunning.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:15 pm
NIGHT OWL by Toni Yuly! For the record, every other book I was going to put out there, IS ALREADY ON THE LIST. THE BEAR AT YOUR SANDWICH (Julia Sarcone-Roach) ROLLER GIRL (Victoria Jamieson) YARD SALE (Lauren Castillo) SWAN! A YEAR WITHOUT MOM, WHEREVER YOU GO, TEA PARTY IN THE WOODS, HOME.
Gads, there are just wonderful wonderful selections. So glad you do this, Laurel!
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:57 pm
Yes, SWAN! So lovely.
Also, POOL, by JiHyeon Lee (she’s Korean).
September 2nd, 2015 at 4:06 pm
Yes, yes, yes! I see so many of my beloved 2015 picture books already mentioned on your list and in the comments. I, too, am so happy to see that we’re not limiting our faves to US illustrators at this point.
Adding Carin Berger’s FINDING SPRING. I’ve spent hours pouring over this beauty.
September 2nd, 2015 at 7:53 pm
Laurel, this is a great idea!
In addition to the wonderful titles above, my nominees:
A FINE DESERT, Sophie Blackall
WAIT, Antoinette Portis
THE WHALE IN MY SWIMMING POOL, Joyce Wan
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:13 am
There’s Rebecca Van Slyke’s MOM SCHOOL, too, illus by Priscilla Burris!
September 3rd, 2015 at 7:09 am
so much great stuff already here!
STRICTLY NO ELEPHANTS, Taeeun Yoo
THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU, and MAGIC TRASH, Vanessa Brantley Newton
EVA AND SADIE AND THE BEST CLASSROOM EVER, Elanna Allen
September 3rd, 2015 at 7:43 am
Amazing list!
So many favorites already mentioned (Swan, Interstellar Cinderella, Are WeThere, Yeti?, Home) plus ones I hadn’t explored before.
Just one more to add. This team is always a favorite: A Nest is Noisy, Dianna Hutts Aston & Sylvia Long
September 3rd, 2015 at 7:43 am
I sure wish that whole pile of books was in front of me right now. I’ve been reading adult books and not enjoying it lately. I need a big stack of great kidlit to perk me up!
September 3rd, 2015 at 8:35 am
Oh! I got to peek at a book that was getting catalogued at our library yesterday. It was non-fiction, and so much fun to look through!
THE STORY OF LIFE: A FIRST BOOK ABOUT EVOLUTION by Catherine Barr & Steve Williams, illustrated by Amy Husband
September 3rd, 2015 at 12:40 pm
Do you know how many of our current favorites are on this list? Allow me to name a few of my 4 year-old daughter’s favorites.
A Fine Dessert
Ask Me
Beach House
Mom School
Peace is an Offering
The Moon Is Going to Addy’s House
Wait
(Some of my personal favorites for the classroom is Yard Sale and One Word for Sophia. My daughter’s too young for these books, but I had to name them. Also, Boats for Papa is a favorite, but my daughter — thankfully — doesn’t need that book.)
I’m saving Swan for her, which I loved and Tweeted about, for once she gets a bit more into ballet this year.
I’m heading to the Bank St. Book Fair next month. Can’t wait to pick up more of these titles when I’m there!
September 9th, 2015 at 5:54 am
My wallet just exploded.
September 9th, 2015 at 9:23 pm
Love this list! So many of my favorites and others that I can’t wait to read. The only addition I’d make is IN MARY’S GARDEN by Tina & Carson Kugler. It may have been left off the list on purpose, as it was a collaboration between a wife and husband. But I love it, so I wanted to share. Thanks for this post—just like the character in GRACE FOR PRESIDENT by Kelly DiPucchio and LeUyen Pham, I’m often wondering, “Where are all the girls?”
October 5th, 2015 at 7:42 am
WOW! What an honor! Laurel- Thanks so much for including Charlotte and the Quiet place in the incredible list of gorgeous books by the lovely ladies of illustration!