The Best Picture Books of 2022
Welcome to the 5th Annual Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards! What an exciting day! Particularly for all of the authors and illustrators out there who have a clause written into their contracts with their publishers about Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards medals.
The bad news is that there will be less medal winners than usual this year. There will only be one single gold medal winner this year for the best picture book of the year, and there will only be a few silver medal winners - and only for the books that were legitimate contenders for that number one spot. But the good news is that picture book agents will undoubtedly be able to leverage this change into a much bigger payday for the artists that win.
Outside of that, we will still rank our top 10 favorite picture books of 2022, and we will still list ALL of the honorable mentions that we shortlisted throughout the year. Making the honorable mentions list suggests that the book is very much one of our favorite books of the year - because we took the time to write it down at some point during the year, and we pulled them all out into one humongous pile to start our careful deliberations this week.
If you’re a regular reader of our recommendations on Dad Suggests, you probably already have a good idea what kind of books we love. There are certainly particular themes that speak to us, and there are certainly different aesthetics that we quickly fall in love with. And, with that in mind, remember that this list is of course our personal opinion. There are undoubtedly dozens more picture books out there deserving of high praise, and I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
I’d like to take a moment to thank all of the artists out there who contributed to the world of picture books in 2022. To all of the authors and illustrators and agents and publishers and everyone else in the industry, thank you for continuing to produce magic for our kids.
I hope you enjoy the 5th Annual Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards - and I hope you find a new book or two to fall in love with. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts with us - and here’s to a very happy and book-filled 2023.
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 Bookshop or Amazon.
Honorable Mentions
These are all of the picture books that were in serious consideration this year, and were a part of our debates. At some point during 2022, they were shortlisted and placed in contention for making this list of the best picture books of 2022. Listed in no particular order, these books are certainly among the best of the year.
Meanwhile Back on Earth… - Written and Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
City Under the City - Written and Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
Night Lunch - Written by Eric Fan and Illustrated by Den Seiferling
Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day - Written by Davina Bell and Illustrated by Allison Colpoys
The Boy with Flowers in His Hair - Written and Illustrated by Jarvis
I Won’t Give Up My Rubber Band - Written and Illustrated by Shinsuke Yoshitake
Leila the Perfect Witch - Written and Illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago
The Mermaid Moon - Written and Illustrated by Briony May Smith
Calling the Wind - Written by Trudy Ludwig and Illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi
Bathe the Cat - Written by Alice B. McGinty and Illustrated by David Roberts
Katerina Cruickshanks - Writtten and Illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett
Pigeon & Cat - Written and Illustrated by Edward Hemingway
What’s the Rush? - Written and Illustrated by Yiting Lee
The Storyteller’s Handbook - Written and Illustrated by Elise Hurst
Telling Stories Wrong - Written by Gianni Rodari and Illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna
Bedtime for Bo - Written by Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold and Illustrated by Mari Kanstad Johnsen
You Can’t Kill Snow White - Written and Illustrated by Beatrice Alemagna
The Top 10 Picture Books of 2022
After careful and long deliberation, the following books made our list of our favorite 10 picture books of the year. These 10 books received the most consideration and fiercest discussion for being a Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards medal winner this year.
10. The Mouse Who Carried a House On His Back
Written by Jonathan Stutzman and Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
It’s generally a pretty good sign for me when we preorder a picture book that it’s going to be in contention for the Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards. If we feel pretty good about a book sight unseen, it’s for a very good reason. Isabelle Arsenault is one of the illustrators on our very short list of absolute favorites, and this is indeed a very beautiful and whimsical book.
The story from Jonathan Stutzman reminds me of a book by Jutta Bauer called Steht im Wald ein Kleines Haus, and it’s a beautiful story about letting others into your home in their time of need. And there’s a bit of magic added to the story as well. The mouse somehow carries this ever-expanding home on his little back, and it even grows wide enough to fit a bear inside.
The die-cut home on the cover and throughout the book is a very nice touch. It’s a very attractive book with a sweet message and very cute characters, and it has just about everything you could want out of a picture book.
9. Shahrzad & the Angry King
Written and Illustrated by Nahid Kazemi
If this website was called Mom Suggests, Shahrzad & the Angry King might have been our 2022 book to the year. My wife is a very big fan of this book, and made certain we kept it stocked in our bookstore and on the display shelves. And for good reason too, because this is indeed a very special book that deserves to be discovered.
Shahrzad is a girl who loves stories, and she collects one of her stories from a little boy who had to flee his country because of an angry king. In a sense the story certainly explores the situation of migrants who have to flee their homes. But the bulk of the story is akin to something like 1001 Arabian Nights. Shahrzad visits the angry king in her dreams, and tells him stories about the angriest king in the world, including the king’s own story about how he lost his wife and son.
This book is a very good combination of whimsical and playful for kids, and very touching on a deeper level for those that want to engage with that. And the art itself is nothing short of spectacular.
8. Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers
Written by Lina AlHathloul & Uma Mishra-Newbery and Illustrated by Rebecca Green
Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers really and truly impressed me quite a bit when I read it this year. I didn’t know anything about the story beforehand so it was all a surprise for me. And what a very pleasant surprise it was! It’s a fantastic collaboration between artist Rebecca Green and authors Lina AlHathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery.
When they wrote the book, AlHathloul’s sister was in prison in Saudia Arabia for speaking out for a woman’s right to drive cars. And the way they decided to write the story was pure genius. It’s not a biography, it’s a beautifully imaginative fantasy world with a big of a dystopian twist to it.
The people in this world actually attach wings to their bodies and go off to fly - but only the men are allowed to fly in this world. And little Loujain dreams of flying one day, but she’s a girl. Her dad says he’ll teach her one day, but does he really mean to follow through when it goes against the laws of society? I think everything about this book is perfectly executed. The world-building and the questions and discussions the story evokes are magnificent.
7. Patchwork
Written by Matt de la Peña and Illustrated by Corinna Luyken
Matt de la Peña is certainly an author we keep an eye on, because he’s already crafted a couple of our favorite picture books of all time. And the great thing about his newest book Patchwork is that it has a truly meaningful message right at its core, and it’s summed up very nicely on the back cover:
You are more than a single note played again and again. You are a symphony.
I choose to interpret this book as a message for all the kids out there who think they’ve been pigeon-holed into a role that completely defines them. It’s terribly depressing that there are kids out there who get in trouble a lot at school and think that’s who they are. Or perhaps they think basketball is their entire life - or math. The point is that there’s an entire world out there full of things to discover, and we’re constantly changing and adding to our lives, and kids need to hear that more than anyone.
The combination of this beautiful message, Corinna Luyken’s gorgeous use of color, and de la Peña’s rhythmic text turned into a masterfully-crafted picture book. Definitely one for us to remember, and certainly a book that needs to get into classrooms.
6. The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Written by Mac Barnett and Illustrated by Jon Klassen
It’s a big deal when these two guys get together. Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen make very high quality picture books - both when they work apart and when they work together. But it’s always something very special indeed when they collaborate. Several of our favorite picture books ever made come from this duo.
It’s also an incredibly good idea to tackle a famous story like The Three Billy Goats Gruff. It’s the type of story you think every child should hear, but there was certainly not any consensus out there on which version was the best. Now I think we can put that debate to rest, because this is the version of The Three Billy Goats Gruff that everyone needs.
It has the dry humor we’ve come to know and love from these two artists and the best line by far comes from the troll when he says:
”I can’t believe I tricked that goat into telling me about his big brother. I’m so smart! And fun and handsome.”
And I’m also quite certain that Jon Klassen has given us the largest 3rd billy goat yet. I think I heard that Barnett plans on a series of classic stories like this - I only wish we knew if Klassen would be teaming up for any more of them too!
5. My Self, Your Self
Written and Illustrated by Esmé Shapiro
My Self, Your Self was a late addition to our shortlist, but it quickly rocketed high up on our list of the best of the year. As you can see, it simply has the perfect amount of quirkiness to the art, and mixes it with the perfect amount of humor and sincerity. The book oozes with charm and cheerfulness, and it serves as the vehicle for a very nice message about relationships - especially with ourselves.
There are two very particular things that make this book stand out so much. Number one is the art, which is the type of art where it’s impossible not to smile while looking at it. The main character is a little creature with a sprout sticking out of its head, and they have a toadstool-headed friend as well. It’s incredibly whimsical and simply a joy to discover.
The second very impressive thing about this book is the creative and humorous wordplay and general playfulness:
My self is the only self I have. Your self is the only self YOU have. Your self is a very lovely self, so take some time to get to know yourself.
I can’t say enough nice things about how this book makes me feel. It’s definitely the type of book I’m very happy to share with others, especially my kids. It’s a very deceptively deep book in a way. As the book asks, what is a self? Is it INSIDE of us? Or OUTSIDE of us?
2022 Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards Medal Winners
Honor Books
The following 3 books made our final cut, and were part of our discussions for winning the 2022 Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards. And they are all awarded with a 2022 Honor Medal.
4. Mina
Written and Illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Mina is one of those books that I was extremely excited about from the moment it was announced. Pokko and the Drum is easily one of my top 5 favorite picture books ever made, and I just couldn’t wait to see what Matthew Forsythe did next. And the answer to that question was Mina - a story about a little mouse whose dad brings home a squirrel, which is actually a cat.
Of course it goes without saying that the art is something special. If you love Forsythe’s work and you enjoyed Pokko and the Drum, you’ll be very happy to discover the same aesthetic in Mina. In fact, you’ll even spy some references to Pokko in this one.
Forsythe continues to display a knack for inserting one hilarious, memorable line into his picture books. In Pokko and the Drum it was “No more eating band mates or you’re out of the band.” And in Mina it is most certainly when the doctor arrives and says:
“Oh, I see the problem,” said the doctor. “The Problem is that these squirrels are definitely cats.”
It’s funny, it’s beautiful, and it’s original. It’s most certainly going to always be the type of book I’ll quickly reach to as a recommendation for just about any child - or adult for that matter.
3. Lizzy and the Cloud
Written and Illustrated by The Fan Brothers
Terry and Eric Fan have been mainstays of the Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards ever since the very beginning. In fact, they’ve won best picture book of the year 2 times already, and this is only our 5th year. The Fan Brothers craft some of the most beautiful and imaginative images in the world of picture books, and they most certainly come up with some of the most creative and endearing worlds.
Lizzy and the Cloud continues their remarkable streak of truly amazing books, and it’s a bit of a tearjerker for all you parents out there too. This extremely original concept of purchasing a pet cloud from the cloud salesman is a bit of an allegory for parenthood - and it’s quite emotional when the cloud is all grown up and needs to be let go.
As is always the case with their work, the details of the images are just wonderful. The two-page spreads of the park or the town make you want to slow down and soak it all in. The Fan Brothers are master world-builders, as evidenced by the fact that they can make us cry about a cloud.
2. Ways to Make Friends
Written by Jairo Buitrago and Illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson
Man oh man, what is there to say about this book - other than the fact that it’s just about as perfect as perfect can be. It’s probably one of the very funniest picture books we’ve ever had. And when you pair that simple fact with the style and aesthetic of these quirky animal characters, you have an absolutely perfect picture book.
This book needs and deserves a humongous new reprinting, because it deserves to be discovered by many, many more children, and to go down in history as one of the funniest picture books of all time. The list of ideas for how to make friends is so incredibly and perfectly random. For instance:
Say hi to the shy kid who never says hi to anyone. After you’ve said hi at least forty times, he might even say hi back, exactly like an old friend.
It puts me in a similar state of mind to reading a book by the great Shinsuke Yoshitake - which is high praise. But it somehow does it in an even more charming and whimsical way, if that’s even possible.
This book is just a perfect storm of charm, humor, and character creation. These animals are really just perfectly crafted. I love this world, and I hope these two team up for many more books and manage to recapture the magic of this one.
2022 Dad Suggests Picture Book Awards Winner
1. The Queen in the Cave
Written and Illustrated by Júlia Sardá
Júlia Sardá has illustrated some of the most beautiful picture books we own, and I think that this year she’s written and illustrated the best picture book of all of 2022. The Queen in the Cave is a very special book, and it has certain haunting qualities about it that make it linger in my brain. It’s above all else, at least on the surface level, an adventure story. And it’s the type of adventure we won’t soon forget.
The story is simply perfectly crafted. The three sisters begin the story lounging around the house - and it truly sets the perfect tone for the adventure, much like a suspense movie that begins with a dark and stormy night and a sleepover. And like the kids who go stumbling into the wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia - this book starts with an adventure to another world that gets more and more remarkable the deeper they go.
There are many glowing things I could say about the incredible imagination on display in Sardá’s whimsical character creation, and, again on the surface level, many kids will enjoy this book for this incredible display alone. I also very much appreciate the fact that it’s a tiny bit spooky, because the girls are on a hunt for a mysterious queen in a cave, who might be a witch, and the woods become increasingly ominous.
But far and away the most amazing thing about this book, the thing that puts it over the top, and the thing that makes it a real masterpiece, is the heartfelt exploration of the relationship between these three sisters. It’s a story about growing up, and growing apart. It’s a story about discovering yourself, and about the different stages of our childhood. And I think kids of every age will have one sister they can relate the most to. A lot of love went into this book, and I think it came out the other side as a perfect work of art.
What was your favorite picture book of the year? Let us know in the comments!
