Book List

Best Picture Books of 2015 About Family

CHILDREN'S

THE NEW SMALL PERSON

by Lauren Child ; illustrated by Lauren Child

How nice to see a familiar story made new with a family of color and a little brother as hero. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

MAMA'S NIGHTINGALE

by Edwidge Danticat ; illustrated by Leslie Staub

A must-read both for children who live this life of forced separation and those who don’t. (Picture book. 5-8) Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET

by Matt de la Peña ; illustrated by Christian Robinson

This celebration of cross-generational bonding is a textual and artistic tour de force. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

TWO WHITE RABBITS

by Jairo Buitrago ; illustrated by Rafael Yockteng ; translated by Elisa Amado

In leaving readers with much to wonder about, the book packs the most powerful of punches. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

BOATS FOR PAPA

by Jessixa Bagley ; illustrated by Jessixa Bagley

Heartbreaking and hopeful, innocent and wise, a gentle story about healing and finding connection—both in the past and... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

THE CASE FOR LOVING

by Selina Alko ; illustrated by Sean Qualls ; Selina Alko

Despite the gentle way this book unfolds, the language and images deal a blow to racist thinking and just might inspire the... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

ONE WORD FROM SOPHIA

by Jim Averbeck ; illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail

A must-read—for pet lovers and even for those not yet convinced. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

SIDEWALK FLOWERS

by JonArno Lawson ; illustrated by Sydney Smith

Bracketed by beautiful endpapers, this ode to everyday beauty sings sweetly. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

DOUBLE HAPPINESS

by Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Alina Chau

A thoughtful and moving story of memory and change. (Picture book/poetry. 5-8) Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

RED SPIDER HERO

by John Miller ; illustrated by Giuliano Cucco

Just so, a story that celebrates the dreams of even the smallest of us—the really, really smallest. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

THE BOOK ITCH

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson ; illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

From the author’s heart to America’s readers: a tribute to a man who believed in and lived black pride. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

CHILDREN'S

WAIT

by Antoinette Portis ; illustrated by Antoinette Portis

Beautifully controlled pacing and an immensely satisfying rainbow resolution make this book an effective refutation of... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

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