Erin Dealey

It’s here!

A Recommended List of picture books published during this very crazy year…2020

You know…that year when there were no in-store events, or story times & book signings, no school visits or in-person conferences…

*Please note that many of the wonderful titles herein fit into multiple categories. Feel free to mix and match, and click the links to learn more!

Animals:

Dinosong –Tim McCanna / Richard Smythe / S&S Paula Wiseman

Five Fuzzy Chicks –Diana Murray / Sydney Hansen / Imprint/ Macmillan

Little Hippo –Julie Abery / Suzi Mason / Amicus

Little Monkey –Julie Abery / Suzi Mason / Amicus

This Old Dog –Martha Brockenbrough / Gabriel Alborozo/  Levine Querido

We Will Live in this Forest Again –Gianna Marino/ Neal Porter Books

Wild About Dads –Diana Murray/ Amber Alvarez/ Imprint/ MacMillan

Wild Style –Jenna Grodzicki –a nonfiction Photo book/ Millbrook

Bedtime and Boats!

Arithmechicks Takeaway –Ann Marie Stephens / Jia Liu / Boyds Mill Press

Boats Will Float –Andria W. Rosenbaum / Brett Curzon / Sleeping Bear

Goodnight, Veggies –Diana Murray/ Zachariah OHora / HMH

Rosie the Dragon and Charlie Say Good Night –Lauren Kerstein / Nate Wragg / Two Lions

Bios & Narrative Nonfiction

A New Green Day –Antoinette Portis / Neal Porter Books

Breaking The Ice: The true story of the first woman to play in the National Hockey League –Angie Bularro / C.F. Payne / Paula Wiseman / Simon & Schuster

Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe –Vivian Kirkfield / Alleana Harris / Little Bee Books

Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey –Lori Mortensen / Chloe Bristol / Versify / HMH

Saving Granddaddy’s Stories: Ray Hicks, the Voice of Appalachia –Shannon Hitchcock / Sophie Page/ Reycraft

The Dragonfly  Aimée Bissonette / Catherine Pearson/  Albert Whitman

The Old Man and the Penguin –Julie Abery / Pierre Pratt / Kids Can Press

The Tinaja Tonight  Aimée Bissonette / Syd Weiler / Albert Whitman

Emotions

God Blesses Me –Della Ross Ferreri / Worthy Kids

Meditation Station –Susan B. Katz / Anait Semirdzhyan / Bala Kids

Mootilda’s Bad Mood –Corey Rosen Schwartz & Kirsti Call / Claudia Ranucci / Little Bee

The Memory Book: a grief journal for Children and Families  –Joanna Rowland / Thea Baker / Beaming Books

 Family

Love by Sophia –Jim Averbeck/ Yasmeen Ismail / Margaret K. McElderry Books

My Maddy –Gayle E. Pitman / Violet Tobacco / Magination

Sadie’s Shabbat Stories –Melissa Stoller / Lisa Goldberg / Spork

When Winter Comes: Discovering Wildlife in our Snowy Woods — Aimée Bissonette / Sasquatch/ Little BigFoot

Friendship

Cow Boy is NOT a Cowboy –Gregory Barrington / Harper Collins

Extraordinary Ordinary Ella –Amber Hendricks / Luciana Navarro Powell / Amicus

NO Party Poopers!  Gretchen McLellan / Lucy Semple / Little Bee

Rosie the Dragon and Charlie Say Good Night –Lauren Kerstein / Nate Wragg / Two Lions

The Old Man and The Penguin –Julie Abery / Pierre Pratt /Kids Can Press

This Old Dog –Martha Brockenbrough / Gabriel Alborozo/  Levine Querido

Two Trucks Get Lost –Corey Rosen Schwartz & Rebecca J Gomez / Hillary Leung / Scholastic

When Pencil Met The Markers –Karen Kilpatrick & Luis O. Ramos Jr. / German Blanco / Imprint

Holidays

Christmas Cheer  –Sue Fliess / Jay Fleck / Scholastic/ Cartwheel

DEAR EARTH…From Your Friends in Room 5 –Erin Dealey / Luisa Uribe / Harper Collins (New Year’s/ Earth Day)

Eenie Meenie Halloweenie –Susan Eaddy / Lucy Fleming / Harper Collins

Felíz New Year, Ava Gabriela! — Alexandra Alessandri / Addy Rivera Sonda / Albert Whitman

Nian, The Chinese New Year Dragon –Virginia Loh-Hagan / Timothy Banks / Sleeping Bear

Wild About Dads –Diana Murray/ Amber Alvarez/ Imprint/ MacMillan (Father’s Day)

Imagination and Whimsy 

Do Not Rake Your Garden in a Party Dress –Aimée Bissonette / Kelly Pousette / Cameron Kids

Gurple and Preen: a Broken Crayon Cosmic Adventure  –-Linda Sue Park / Debbie Ridpath Ohi / S&S

How to Find a Unicorn  –Sue Fliess / Simona Sanfilippo / Sky Pony Press

How to Meet a Mermaid –Sue Fliess / Simona Sanfilippo / Sky Pony Press

Hugsby –Dow Phumiruk / Viking

Travel Guide for Monsters –Lori Degman / Dave Szalay / Sleeping Bear

Math

Arithmechicks Takeaway –Ann Marie Stephens / Jia Liu / Boyds Mill Press

Double the Dinosaurs: a Math Reader  –Diana Murray / Mette Engel / RH Books for Young Readers

Five Fuzzy Chicks –Diana Murray / Sydney Hansen/ Imprint/ Macmillan

Lia & Luís: Who Has More? (Storytelling Math) –Ana Crespo / Giovana Medeiros / Charlesbridge

Poetry

Construction People –edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins / Ellen Shi / Wordsong

Friends and Anemones: Ocean Poems for Children – Authors and Illustrators of The Writer’s Loft / Writer’s Loft

#STEM

DEAR EARTH…From Your Friends in Room 5 –Erin Dealey / Luisa Uribe / Harper Collins

Dream Big, Little Scientists  –Michelle Schaub / Alice Potter / Charlesbridge

Flash and Gleam: Light In Our World  –Sue Fliess / Khoa Le / Lerner/ Millbrook

In a Garden –Tim McCanna / Aimée Sicuro / S&S Paula Wiseman

The Princess and the Petri Dish  –Sue Fliess / Petros Bouloubasis / Albert Whitman

The Farm That Feeds Us  –Nancy Castaldo / Ginny Hsu / Quarto

The Old Man and the Penguin –Julie Abery / Pierre Pratt / Kids Can Press

We encourage you to consider these books for your holiday gifts.

And if possible, #ShopIndie #indiecember.  

Last but not least, this post is a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful author & illustrator #kidlit community, for coming together this year even stronger and more determined to help get each other’s books on the radar of young readers and their families. Special shout-outs to #2020BookLook, bloggers everywhere, @2021derfuls (who started early!) and my amazing @EastWestLit family. It definitely takes a village and I wouldn’t want to “live” anywhere else.

Cheers to 2021–

and Stay safe