The 2024 Best Illustrated Children’s Books Awards
Borrowed by Linda Tripp, collection development librarian
For 72 years, the “New York Times Book Review” and the New York Public Library have selected the best illustrated children’s books of the year. The 2024 Best Illustrated selections are:
“Animal Albums From A to Z” by Cece Bell
This all-ages alphabet book is also a hand-wrought, high-fidelity, hilariously tongue-in-cheek homage to the golden days of album cover art.
“As Edward Imagined: A Story of Edward Gorey in Three Acts” by Matthew Burgess; illustrated by Marc Majewski
A definitive picture book biography about a true original and creative genius: Edward Gorey.
“The Cat Way” by Sara Lundberg; translated by B.J. Woodstein
When you walk at a cat’s pace, you can see the most amazing things.
“Here & There” by Thea Lu
Dan, a café owner who never moved away from his town on the coast, and Aki, a sailor constantly sailing to new places, live contrasting yet interconnected lives
“Little Shrew” by Akiko Miyakoshi
This collection of three interconnected stories follows the life of Little Shrew as he goes about his everyday activities from commuting to work to reflecting on his hopes and dreams to welcoming his friends for a visit.
“The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals” by Deborah Underwood; pictures by LeUyen Pham
There once was a man who loved his tidy home and who didn’t like animals. Then one day, a cat appeared. The man and the cat both liked napping and watching the rain and eating dinner precisely at six. Well, maybe this one animal could stay. Next came a dog.
“Planting Hope: A Portrait of Photographer Sebastião Salgado” by Philip Hoelzel; illustrated by Renato Alarcão
The picture book biography of Brazilian photojournalist, humanitarian, and environmental advocate Sebastião Salgado, who through art and activism attempted to show that everyone was connected to a large ecosystem and responsible for its care, and that all may not be lost if we take action.
“There’s a Ghost in the Garden” by Kyo Maclear; illustrated by Katty Maurey
While spending time with his grandpa in the garden, a young boy gathers treasures left by imaginary ghosts that evoke stories from his grandfather’s past.
“Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains” by Anita Yasuda; illustrated by Yuko Shimizu
This exhilarating picture book biography about the first woman to summit Mount Everest follows Junko Tabei who, despite many obstacles, climbed step by step to reach her goal and then took on a new challenge: protecting the wild spaces she loved for future generations.
“Yaya and the Sea” by Karen Good Marable; illustrated by Tonya Engel
On the first day of spring, a young New Yorker, with her mother and aunts, takes the train to the ocean to make an offering of flowers and fruit to Mama Ocean, thanking her for her magnificence, and welcoming the new year.