Publishers Weekly Best Books - Picture Books (Awarded by Publishers Weekly)

Awards List

2023

An American Story
(*)
Kwame Alexander

Evergreen
(*)
Matthew Cordell

Ancient Night
(*)
David Bowles

Elena Rides
(*)
Juana Medina

The Tree and the River
(*)
Aaron Becker

Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers?
(*)
Junauda Petrus

Big
(*)
Vashti Harrison

Summer Is for Cousins
(*)
Rajani LaRocca

When You Can Swim
(*)
Jack Wong

Before, Now
(*)
Daniel Salmieri

Mr. S
(*)
Monica Arnaldo

Oh, Panda
(*)
Cindy Derby

A Walk in the Woods
(*)
Nikki Grimes

Do You Remember?
(*)
Sydney Smith

2022

Where Is Bina Bear?
(*)
Mike Curato

Love in the Library
(*)
Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Nigel and the Moon
(*)
Antwan Eady

John's Turn
(*)
Mac Barnett

Big Truck Little Island
(*)
Chris Van Dusen

A Day for Sandcastles
(*)
JonArno Lawson

Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt?
(*)
Derick Wilder

Hot Dog
(*)
Doug Salati

The World Belonged to Us
(*)
Jacqueline Woodson

Baby Squeaks
(*)
Anne Hunter

Berry Song
(*)
Michaela Goade

Farmhouse
(*)
Sophie Blackall

NO! Said Custard the Squirrel
(*)
Sergio Ruzzier

Rick the Rock of Room 214
(*)
Julie Falatko

Sal Boat
(*)
Thyra Heder

Walter Had a Best Friend
(*)
Deborah Underwood

2021

Mel Fell
(*)
Corey R. Tabor

Milo Imagines the World
(*)
Matt De La Pena

Keeping the City Going
(*)
Brian Floca

The Night Walk
(*)
Marie Dorleans

The Rock from the Sky
(*)
Jon Klassen

Fish and Sun
(*)
Sergio Ruzzier

Let Me Fix You a Plate
(*)
Elizabeth Lilly

The Longest Storm
(*)
Dan Yaccarino

Chez Bob
(*)
Bob Shea

Have You Seen Gordon?
(*)
Adam Jay Epstein

The Big Bath House
(*)
Kyo Maclear

Born on the Water
(*)
Nikole Hannah-Jones

Dad Bakes
(*)
Katie Yamasaki

Soul Food Sunday
(*)
Winsome Bingham

2020

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures
(*)
Nikki Grimes

The Old Truck
(*)
Jarrett Pumphrey; Jerome Pumphrey

We Are Water Protectors
(*)
Carole Lindstrom

Outside In
(*)
Deborah Underwood

You Matter
(*)
Christian Robinson

The Blue House
(*)
Phoebe Wahl

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away
(*)
Meg Medina

I Am Every Good Thing
(*)
Derrick Barnes

If You Come to Earth
(*)
Sophie Blackall

Our Little Kitchen
(*)
Jillian Tamaki

Every Color of Light
(*)
Hiroshi Osada

In the Half Room
(*)
Carson Ellis

Julian at the Wedding
(*)
Jessica Love

Out the Door
(*)
Christie Hale

2019

Crab Cake: Turning the Tide Together
(*)
Andrea Tsurumi

Another
(*)
Christian Robinson

Daniel's Good Day
(*)
Micha Archer

My Papi Has a Motorcycle
(*)
Isabel Quintero

Vroom!
(*)
Barbara McClintock

Small in the City
(*)
Sydney Smith

A Stone Sat Still
(*)
Brendan Wenzel

Who Wet My Pants?
(*)
Bob Shea

Birdsong
(*)
Julie Flett

Fry Bread
(*)
Kevin Noble Maillard

Pokko and the Drum
(*)
Matthew Forsythe

River
(*)
Elisha Cooper

Roar Like a Dandelion
(*)
Ruth Krauss

Saturday
(*)
Oge Mora

2018

The Crocodile and the Dentist
(*)
Taro Gomi

The Book of Boy
(*)
Catherine Gilbert Murdock

The Rabbit Listened
(*)
Cori Doerrfeld

Hello Lighthouse
(*)
Sophie Blackall

The Party
(*)
Sergio Ruzzier

Julian Is a Mermaid
(*)
Jessica Love

Stumpkin
(*)
Lucy Ruth Cummins

A Big Mooncake for Little Star
(*)
Grace Lin

The Day You Begin
(*)
Jacqueline Woodson

Dreamers
(*)
Yuyi Morales

The Elephant
(*)
Jenni Desmond

Kitten and the Night Watchman
(*)
John Sullivan

Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein
(*)
Linda Bailey

The Patchwork Bike
(*)
Maxine Beneba Clarke

Carmela Full of Wishes
(*)
Matt De La Pena

Thank You, Omu!
(*)
Oge Mora

Up the Mountain Path
(*)
Marianne Dubuc

The Wall in the Middle of the Book
(*)
Jon Agee

Award Categories

Comics

Fiction

Middle Grade

Mystery/Thriller

Picture Books

Romance

SF/Fantasy/Horror

Top 10

Young Adult

Award Years

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018