Staff Faves 2023: Kids Picture Books
Every year we ask our staff across the library system for their favorite books published in a given year. Enjoy this list of some of our favorite picture books for kids—some with staff annotations and others with annotations from Kirkus and Booklist, unless otherwise noted. (Created November 2023)
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I'm Going to Build A Snowman
"A child decides to build “THE BEST SNOWMAN EVER!” A simple but beautiful story about how little perfection matters." [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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You Go First
"Duck really wants to try out the new playground slide, but Cat keeps creating new ways to stop her. Both extremely funny and spot-on sensitive." [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Sylvester's Letter
"Beautiful and silly book about grief and love and the pieces we hold in our hearts of those who are gone (but subtly. It's subtly about grief)." -- Eliza
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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My Dog Just Speaks Spanish
"After immigrating to the United States, a young Latine girl learns to speak English, but her dog only understands Spanish." [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Ploof
LOCAL AUTHORS "A lonely little cloud named Ploof needs your help..in this interactive picture book..." [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Evergreen
"Evergreen, a young squirrel who lives high in a tree in Buckthorn Forest, is afraid of most things" -- will she be brave enough to take an acorn full of soup to her ill Granny Oak? [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Our Pool
"My favorite picture book in years!" --Jessica "A child and their mother take a trip to the city pool on a hot day. The merriment, beauty, and comforting routines of a pool day are on full display in this celebration of an urban summer tradition." [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Beneath
Finn is having a horrible day, so Grandpa suggests a walk, to consider all the unseen happening around them. "A tender, probing appreciation of what lies just below the surface." [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Night in the City
"From a nurse to an emergency dispatcher, a look at the city dwellers whose work begins when the sun goes down." [Kirkus Reviews]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Remembering
"This picture book follows a Latine family as they grieve the loss of their beloved dog, and remember him on Día de los Muertos. A perfect, age-appropriate window into the intersections of grief, love, and Indigenous resilience -- I appreciated backmatter that shared the author and illustrator's own experiences of losing animal family members, and their invitation to create ofrendas and altars that may help readers honor their loved ones who have died." --Bean
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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