Favorite Winter Picture Books!

Winter is such a magical time. Here are 11 of my favorite picture books with winter themes. I hope you'll enjoy! 

Favorite Picture Books of 2017

Out of the hundreds of 2017 picture books my son and I read these ones stood out the most. They are the books that made us laugh so hard Sam snorted milk out his nose. They are the books that spontaneously inspired profound discussions. They are the books with illustrations that took our breath away. So without further ado...here are the best of 2017.

Sam’s Top 5 Favorite

Tyranosaurus Rex vs. Edna – Douglas Rees and Jed Henry

Read the Book Lemmings! – Amy Dykman and Zachariah O-Hora

What the Dinosaurs Did at School –  Refe & Susan Tuma

Through the Window – Taro

The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse – Mac Barnett, and Jon Klassen

My Top 5 Favorite

Out of Wonder – Ekua Holmes – Kwame Alexander

Mighty Moby – Ed Young, Barbara Dacosta

The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet – Carmen Agra Deedy and Eugene Yelchin

Letters to a Prisoner – Jacques Goldstyn

The World is Not a Rectangle – Jeanette Winter

An Anniversary Illustration

When Mae Suramek, entrepreneur and founder of Noodle Nirvana, approached me requesting an illustration for her parent's anniversary I responded with a very enthusiastic"YES"even though the deadline was only two weeks away which can to be tricky as a mother working a full time day job.

The day Mae sent me the photograph of her parents from the 1970's I knew instantly that this was going to be a fantastic illustration. The colors, the motion, the classic white suit and gorgeous flowered dress, and most of all their body language, a clear expression of love, tenderness, and joy, these factors combined provided the best subject material an artist could ask for. I couldn't wait to get started.

I began that very afternoon, bringing loose scraps of paper and a mechanical pencil to the park. As my 6 year old son played on the playground I drew. A young girl looked over my shoulder as I sketched and said, "That's good. Your good. Let me know when you're done so I can see how good it is." And then scampered off to join the others on the playground.

My favorite part of an illustration is when I get to decide on what colors I'm going to use. I spread pieces of scrapbook paper across the floor looking for the ones that jump out at me and beg to be included. I usually tend to go with more earthy and neutral tones, but this piece called for bolder and brighter colors. 

Thank you Mae, for trusting me with this project. They were a gorgeous couple 46 years ago and they are a gorgeous couple now. It has been an honor. 

Valentine's Day Literary Bracket

Happy Valentine's Day! It's been a long time since I created one of these brackets, so I decided to do one in honor of today. Since there are many different forms of love out there I focused on 4 different categories: siblings, guardians, friends, and colleagues/partners in crime. I left romantic relationships out of it seeing as they get enough attention already.

Friends
Frog &Toad - Frog & Toad
Wilbur & Charlotte - Charlotte's Web
Offred & Moira - The Handmaid's Tale
Leisel & Rudy - The Book Theif
Pooh & Piglet - Winnie the Pooh
Diana Barry and Anne - Anne of Green Gables
Ruth & Idgie - Fried Green  Tomatoes
Amir & Hassan - Kite Runner

Guardians

Jean Valjean & Cossette - Les Miserables

Mrs. Frisbee & Timothy - Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH

Dodola & Zam - Habibi

Atticus Finch & Scout - To Kill a Mockingbird

Alana & Hazel - Saga

Myrtle & Zeek - The Pinkish, Purplish, Bluish Egg

Serious Black & Harry - Harry Potter

Man & Boy - The Road

Siblings

Hazel & Fiver - Watership Down

Arthur & DW - Arthur

Jane & Elizabeth - Pride & Prejudice

Baudelaires - Series of Unfortunate Events

Jamie & Tyrion - Game of Thrones

Meg & Charles Wallace - A Wrinkle in Time

Josh & Jordan - The Crossover

Fred & George - Harry Potter

Partners in Crime

 Sherlock & Watson - Sherlock Holmes

George Milton & Lennie Small - Of Mice & Men

Frodo & Sam - Lord of the Rings

Rorschach & Nite Owl - Watchmen

Hamlet & Horatio - Hamlet

Don Quixote & Sancho - Don Quixote

Caveman & Zero - Holes

Calvin & Hobbes - Calvin & Hobbes

Favorite Reads from 2017

The time has come to recap! This was a great year for poetry and graphic novels for me, but I failed to read as much fiction so instead of splitting my favorites into genres as I usually do, I have chosen to feature the top 9 books that made a significant impact.

They are listed below in no particular order:

Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline: 7 Basic Skills for Turning Conflict into Cooperation - Becky Bailey

Saga - Brian Vaughn
           Fiona Staples

Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt

When I Grow Up I Want to be a List of Further Possibilities - Chen Chen

Mother May I - Tina Parker

Out of Wonder - Ekua Holms
                      Kwame Alexander

Where's Halmoni - Julie Kim

Maus - Art Spiegelman

Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur


What were your favorites of 2017?

Picture Book Oscars of 2017

What an excellent and wonderfully diverse year it's been for picture books! After reading hundreds of picture books from 2016 I am eager to celebrate my favorites and the favorites of my 5 year old son.

First category...

Best Child Appeal (Based off my 5 year old's favorites)

The Not So Quiet Library – Zacharia O'Hora

Dragon Was Terrible – Kelly DiPucchio and Greg Pizzoli

Super Happy Magic Forest – Matty Long

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea – Ben Clanton

Ninja: Attack of the Clan – Arree Chung

And the winner is....

Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea

Best Illustrators

There is a Tribe of Kids – Lane Smith

The Singing Bones – Shaun Tan

Return – Aaron Becker

When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons –  Julie Morstad

The Nutcracker – Niroot Puttapipat

And the Winner is...

When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons – Julie Morstad

Best Humor

A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling Assortment of Animals – Lucy Ruth Cummins

Best Frints – Atoinette Portis

My Favorite Pets: by Gus W. for Ms. Smolinksi’s Class – Jeanne Birdsall and Harry Bliss

We Found a Hat – Jon Klassen

The Thank You Book – Mo Willems

And the winner is...

We Found a Hat - Jon Klassen

Best Male Protagonist

Thunder Boy Jr. (Lightning) from "Thunder Boy Jr.

Inspector Flytrap from "Inspetor Flytrap"

Oskar from "The Not So Quiet Library"

Dogman from "Dogman"

Dennis from "Be a Friend"

And the Winner is...

Thunder Boy Jr. also known as Lightning!!!

Best Female Protagonist

Little Red from "Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion"

Flora from "Flora and the Peacocks"

Roz from "The Wild Robot" 

Little Dee from "Little Dee and the Penguin"

Blanche from"Blanche Hates the Night"

And the winner is...

Little Red!!!

Best Nonfiction

The Secret Subway – Shana Corey and Red Nose Studio

Beetle is Shy – Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long

Animals by the Numbers – Steve Jenkins

Are You an Echo? – The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko

Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-soaking Stream of Inventions – Chris Barton and Don Tate

And the winner is...

Animals by the Numbers – Steve Jenkins

Best Fiction

School’s First Day of School – Adam Rex and Christian Robinson

The Not So Quiet Library – Zacharia OHora

They all Saw a Cat - Brendan Wenzel

We Found a Hat – Jon Klassen

Return – Aaron Becker

And the winner is...

The NOT so Quiet Library!!!

And finally here is the list of honorable mentions...

The Hueys: What’s the Opposite – Oliver Jeffers

A Family is a Family is a Family – Sara O’Leary and Qin Leng

The Cookie Fiasco – Dan Santat

The Airport Book – Lisa Brown

Playground – Mies Van Hout

Swap – Steve Light

A Beginner’s Guide to Bear Spotting - Michelle Robinson

Silly Wonderful You – Sherri Duskey Rinker and Patrick McDonnel

Coyote – Maria Gianferrari and Bagram Ibatoulline

So many fantastic books. If you have any other recommendations for me of books I might have missed please let me know! I would love to read them. 

Graphic Novels 
Total: 31

 Favorites
1. 100 Bullet Series - Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
2. Blue is the Warmest Color - Julie Maroh
3. Anya's Ghost - Vera Brosgol

Fiction
Total: 9

Favorites
1. Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
2. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
3. Birds of Opulence - Crystal Wilkinson

Nonfiction/Poetry
Total: 7

Favorites
1. Singing Bones - Shaun Tan
2. Nearly Perfect Photograph - Chris McCurry
3. When Green Becomes Tomatoes - Julie Fogliano and Julie Morstad

Juvenile Fiction
Total: 7

Favorites
1. Winnie the Pooh - A. A. Milne
2. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Louis Sachar
3. Coraline - Neil Gaiman