The Best Picture Books of 2019
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s time for the 2nd Annual Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards. We’ve been scouring the bookshelves, taking notes, and fighting and arguing all year long, and we’re finally ready to present our favorite picture books of 2019.
We put a lot of thought into our picks, and not only into which books make the top 10 - but also which books are runners-up and honorable mentions as well. Simply being considered for the best picture book of the year suggests a book made a significant impact on us and the kids.
As with any top 10 list, it’s impossible to eliminate subjectivity completely. These are our favorite picture books of 2019, but not the only books deserving of recognition by any means. And we’re attracted to them all for different reasons. Some are funny, some are scary, and some are heartbreaking. But they’re all incredible works of art that have endeared themselves to us in one way or another, and simply have a great sense of import about them.
Unlike the prestigious Caldecott Medal - we most certainly don’t restrict our awards to artists that are American residents or citizens. And hopefully that rule changes soon. The only rule we have for practical purposes is restricting our scope to picture books that were published in the U.S. this year. What this means is that you may discover books that were first published in Australia or Japan for example - but were finally brought to the U.S. and into our hands during 2019.
You can bring along our handy checklist to the library with you to keep track of all the runners-up and winners this year as you read them. I certainly don’t think you’ll regret completing the list - and hopefully you’ll discover some new family favorites that you and all the little ones in your life will remember for years to come.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. Clicking on those links will lead you to view the books’ listings on the websites of affiliate partners such as Amazon or IndieBound.
Honorable Mentions
These are all of the picture books that were in serious consideration this year. At any point during 2019, they were shortlisted and placed in contention for making this list of the best picture books of 2019. Listed in no particular order, these books are certainly among the best of the year.
Hello, Friend! Goodbye, Friend! - Written and Illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld
Just Ask! - Written by Sonia Sotomayor and Illustrated by Rafael López
When Charley Met Emma - Written by Amy Webb and Illustrated by Merrilee Liddiard
Remarkably You - Written by Pat Zietlow Miller and Illustrated by Patrice Barton
Alfred’s Book of Monsters - Written and Illustrated by Sam Streed
Sulwe - Written by Lupita Nyong’o and Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Music for Mister Moon - Written by Philip C. Stead and Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family - Written by Ibtihaj Muhammad & S. K. Ali and Illustrated by Hatem Aly
Camp Tiger - Written by Susan Choi and Illustrated by John Rocco
The Boring Book - Written and Illustrated by Shinsuke Yoshitake
Mini Rabbit is Not Lost - Written and Illustrated by John Bond
Hair Love - Written by Matthew A. Cherry and Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
Maybe - Written by Kobi Yamada and Illustrated by Gabriella Barouch
Best Picture Books of 2019 - Runners-Up
After careful and long deliberation, these 5 runners-up made our list of our favorite 15 picture books of the year. Again listed in no particular order, these 5 books received the most consideration and fiercest discussion for cracking into the top 10 list of winners this year.
Imagine That: A Hoot and Olive Story
Written and Illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss
Imagine That is a beautiful and very sweet story about a girl and her stuffed owl friend named Hoot. It’s a celebration of friendship and childhood and imagination - and it reminds us a lot of the relationship between Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.
It features two of the best lines of the year by far: “Maybe my imaginator is broken” and “Why is it, when my imagination is the thing that’s broken, it’s my heart that hurts the most?”. The story is a true champion of the importance of a child’s imagination, and I really look forward to keeping an eye on these two characters as the series hopefully continues for a long time.
For a closer look at Imagine That, make sure to read our featured article.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Written by Fred Rogers and Illustrated by Luke Flowers
It’s been a bit of a renaissance year for Mister Rogers. There was the big documentary, the movie with Tom Hanks, and, of course, this absolutely stunning collection of his poems and songs illustrated by Luke Flowers. And I don’t know about you, but we’ve certainly been revisiting some old episodes with the kids a lot lately.
I can’t stress enough how much I think A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a must-have addition to any child’s library. The words of affirmation and kindness are powerful and invaluable for young ones to hear again and again. Fred Rogers put an enormous amount of thought into his choice of words with children - and they’re an absolute gift to share. And Luke Flowers heartfelt illustrations couldn’t possibly be a better fit for bringing this book to life.
For a closer look at A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, make sure to read our featured article.
Tomorrow Most Likely
Written by Dave Eggers and Illustrated by Lane Smith
Tomorrow Most Likely is very much up our alley. It’s very sweet and very quirky, and the illustrations are stunning. It’s fair to think of it as our first runner-up this year, because it received the longest back-and-forth discussion for 10th place overall this year.
The book is so quirky it’s hard to put it into words, but it certainly feels like it’s about the wonderful, limitless potential there is in this world because of how amazingly unpredictable life can be. It’s a celebration of the imagination and a confidence builder and a zany running joke kind of adventure that you can just enjoy on the surface level. And did I mention how beautiful the whole thing is?
Circle
Written by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Circle wraps up Barnett and Klassen’s Shape Trilogy and it’s our favorite of the three. We are very big fans of the works of Barnett and Klassen - both individually and as a team - and Circle is a very good demonstration of why that is the case.
What really stands out about Circle to me is how scary it is. There’s a brilliant scene where Circle thinks she’s talking to Triangle in a dark cave, but all you can see are the eyes. Then Triangle’s eyes appear behind the other set of eyes and you realize Circle has been talking to someone else entirely in the dark cave the entire time.
To me it’s a standout moment in a children’s book that has the potential to be remembered forever. Plus the book has the remarkable timing, dry humor, and brilliant deadpan expressions that Barnett and Klassen are known for. So if you haven’t been keeping up with the Shape Trilogy, I’d say now is the time to check it out.
Greta and the Giants
Written by Zoë Tucker and Illustrated by Zoe Persico
I personally think that this is a remarkably important book about an especially important subject, and I think that Tucker and Persico handled it quite well. They’ve taken the story of climate activist Greta Thunberg and turned it into the most beautiful book with a true fairy tale feel to it.
In the back of the book, you’ll find biographical information about Thunberg you can share - about how she started her school strike and how she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. But it’s very important to stress that the story itself is absolutely transformed into an endearing fantasy story that’s easy to understand and relate to - and with a great moral about how you’re never too small to make a difference.
The Dad Suggests Best Picture Books of 2019
These are our top 10 picture books of the year - the best of the best of 2019. On this list you’ll find books that inspired an emotional response in us that makes us certain we’ll remember the book for a long time. Several could even become some of our favorites of all time. You’ll find masterful combinations of words and illustrations. And we feel like they’ll leave a lasting impression on our children.
10. Truman
Written by Jean Reidy and Illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Truman is a beautifully illustrated picture book with a seemingly simple story about a pet turtle - but its genius lies in its simplicity. It’s about a kind, pensive little girl and her kind, pensive little turtle. It’s a relaxing book with illustrations that make you feel happy and characters that become so endearing you just might remember them forever.
When I think about what makes Truman so great, I’m reminded of another very famous picture book - Corduroy. At its heart it’s a story about a loving relationship between a girl and her turtle, and a very big portion of the story is about the seemingly impossible adventure the brave turtle goes on. The genius is in the perspective of the importance of the small action taking place - and ultimately the reason we love both books so much is because we love the characters so much. Truman strikes me as someone we’ll always remember.
9. Lubna and Pebble
Written by Wendy Meddour and Illustrated by Daniel Egnéus
Lubna and Pebble is a real tearjerker of a story that takes place in a refugee camp. But the refugee crisis is only tangentially a part of the story and the emotional impact it has. Much of the focus tells a very different tale about imagination, friendship, and beautiful empathy.
Lubna is a little girl in a refugee camp with her father, and her best friend in the world is a pebble that she draws a smiling face on. As readers, using the little information we know, it’s probably fair to think of Pebble as something of a coping mechanism for the hard and lonely situation that Lubna is in.
Then Lubna meets a little boy in the camp too. At first he’s incredibly shy, seemingly so shell-shocked from his situation that he doesn’t want to say anything at all. But when Lubna introduces her best friend Pebble to him, he begins to open up. It’s hard to describe the emotional impact that the rest of the book has - and I highly recommend that you discover it for yourself.
8. The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden
Written by Heather Smith and Illustrated by Rachel Wada
The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota’s Garden is based on the true story about a man who built a phone booth in Japan to talk to the dead. Pilgrims from all over have actually been traveling to the phone booth in Otsuchi, Japan to talk to their dead loved ones for many years.
This is the story of how a tsunami tore through a village in Japan and left a great deal of mourning in its wake. The young boy at the center of the story - Makio - loses his father, and the other main character - Mr. Hirota - loses his son. Mr. Hirota deals with his grief by building a phone booth where he can talk to his son, and soon the whole town is using it. And when Makio finally steps into the booth to talk to his dad, it’s quite obvious that you have an amazingly powerful work of art in your hands.
7. The Fate of Fausto
Written and Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Oliver Jeffers is a standout artist and storyteller and The Fate of Fausto is a true delight. It’s like a good old-fashioned fable with a moral at the end, but the moral is not on the surface by any means - and it allows you to read into it as much as you want.
On the surface what you have is the tale of a very cranky, greedy man who wants to own everything - the trees, the sheep, the mountains, and even the ocean. But he literally wants to boss them around and be their owner. He yells at the mountain and stomps his feet until the mountain finally bends and tells Fausto that he belongs to him. It’s really funny, and young kids will love it just to watch silly Fausto stomp his feet and shake his fist at rocks and trees.
But when Fausto tries to control the ocean, there’s an unpleasant surprise waiting for him. It turns out he doesn’t quite understand everything the way he thought he did, and perhaps he isn’t so important after all. The brilliance of the book of course is that the young and old alike can enjoy it just as much as each other - on entirely different levels of understanding.
6. Just Because
Written by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Just Because is by far one of the funniest books of the year - and simultaneously one of the most stunningly beautiful ones. This is truly a pretty remarkable combination of talent, and it turned into a real gift to readers everywhere.
The story is something of a bedtime book - with a young child asking his father a series of difficult questions like why is the ocean blue and what are black holes. As we all know, curious little minds do their deepest thinking and ask their trickiest questions right when everyone else is ready to go to sleep.
The wonderful part about this book is that the father doesn’t give straight answers, or admit he doesn’t know the answers. Instead, the father comes up with the most hilariously imaginative and wrong answers he can think of for every single question. His hilarious imagination leads to Arsenault’s opportunity to draw spectacular works of art, and we’re certainly left with the idea that a child’s imagination should be encouraged and a child’s dreams are real treasures.
5. I Wonder
Written by Kari Anne Holt and Illustrated by Kenard Pak
I Wonder actually has a lot of similarities to Just Because, and they’re back to back on this list because we love them both so much. Once again what we have here is a string of very funny thoughts - in this case a string of very abstract wonderings from a child.
Do my toys miss me when I’m gone? Do trees have dreams? These are the types of questions on the mind of the kids in this book. The real pleasure is in the combination of the words and Kenard Pak’s unbelievable visual interpretations. Along with artists like Erin E. Stead and Jon Klassen - his art really speaks to me.
And I Wonder wraps up with a truly great ending that’s incredibly sweet and really makes it stand out. It’s definitely a champion of imagination, and dreaming, and childhood wonder, and everything we try to promote so often on Dad Suggests.
4. Small in the City
Written and Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Small in the City is a masterpiece of a picture book by Sydney Smith. I very highly recommend it, and I also recommend going into it knowing as little about it as possible. You’re just going to have to take my word for it.
The story follows a young child walking through a big city - describing the sights and sounds from the point of view of a small person who has become something of an expert, and showing tremendous empathy for others who may find the city big and intimidating.
I absolutely refuse to spoil anything about this book. I had to read it three times in a row the first time I got my hands on it. Partly because of how great it is - and partly to wrap my head around it. It’s a masterclass in perspective and point of view and revelation. And it’s a very, very powerful book.
3. Mary Wears What She Wants
Written and Illustrated by Keith Negley
Mary Wears What She Wants is the true story of Mary Edwards Walker - a real trailblazer for women’s rights who insisted that women should be allowed to wear pants. The combination of the very important and intriguing true story with Negley’s quirky art style and color palette make the final product feel like a very important treasure.
We’re big fans of books that tackle issues like ridiculous gender norms and equality - and encourage kids to be themselves. And Mary Wears What She Wants is executed so flawlessly. In fact, it also made our list of the best picture books that celebrate being yourself. Every single kid I’ve read it too finds it so hilarious and outrageous that girls were only allowed to wear uncomfortable dresses, or that wearing pants used to not only be weird - but against the law.
Kids really get into the injustice of the whole thing when they hear this book. And the pictures are so endearing. And surely that means Negley did his job remarkably well - bringing well-deserved attention to Mary Edwards Walker’s legacy.
2. Pokko and the Drum
Written and Illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Matthew Forsythe used to be the lead designer on the legendary cartoon series Adventure Time. And, while Pokko and the Drum doesn’t visually make me think of Adventure Time, it absolutely makes me happy in many of the same ways. It’s quirky and it’s not afraid to take risks. And now Pokko and the Drum is easily one of our favorite picture books of all time.
This book is about a little frog named Pokko, and how her parents give her a drum. But soon the noise is too much and they want her to practice her drumming outside. And while she’s drumming in the woods other animals begin to follow her playing their own instruments. Soon there’s an entire parade marching through the woods following Pokko.
Highlights of the book are definitely Pokko admonishing the wolf for eating a bandmate, her parents admitting that she’s pretty good at playing the drum, and, last but not least, the incredibly amazing dry humor and masterful use of eyes from Forsythe that’s very reminiscent of Jon Klassen.
For a closer look at Pokko and the Drum, make sure to read our featured article.
1. All the Ways to Be Smart
Written by Davina Bell and Illustrated by Allison Colpoys
I absolutely consider All the Ways to Be Smart to be one of the most important picture books ever written. It was previously published in Australia and the U.K., but it was finally brought to the U.S. in 2019 - and children and parents all over the country are better off for being able to get their hands on it.
I may be slightly biased because of my interest in education, but I find that teaching kids that there is a lot more to life than test scores is one of the most important things that parents and teachers can ever teach them. In this day and age, with so much misplaced importance on standardized testing, it’s vital that kids understand that their talents and interests matter too, and there’s much more to discover about life out there. And All the Ways to Be Smart does all that and so much more.
The story highlights many, many different ways to be smart that go beyond their grades in school - like being kind to others or telling stories. And it does so alongside the bright, colorful, whimsical drawings of Allison Colpoys - which make us all very happy. And the story also happens to include one of my favorite lines in picture book history:
Smart is not just ticks and crosses,
smart is building boats from boxes.
This book speaks to my deep desire to inspire our kids to pursue their passions for their entire life. And it will eternally serve as the ultimate grand champion of reminding us all that imagination, art, and empathy deserve just as much attention and focus in children (if not much more) as math and English scores get. And it must be the best picture book of the year, because it just may be our favorite picture book of all time.
For a closer look at what makes All the Ways to Be Smart the best picture book of the year, make sure to read our featured article.
You can print out a PDF checklist of the award winners this year if you’re a completionist at heart. Take it along with you to the library, and make sure to use the hashtag #DadSuggestsPictureBookAwards if you share the books you find!
You might also enjoy revisiting last year’s list: The Best Picture Books of 2018
How many of these books have you read already? Which one is YOUR favorite of 2019? What about your kids? Let us know in the comments!
