Picture Book Oscars of 2016

It's award season! The ALSC Book awards were announced last Monday (Congratulations Christian Robinson and Matt de la Pena for creating the first picture book to ever win a Newbery medal!) The Golden Globes were were last weekend, and Oscar nominations come out tomorrow! In the spirit of the season I am hosting my own Picture Book Oscars, and idea inspired by Corey Rosen Schwartz, that is just too fun to resist, especially for a picture book enthusiast such as myself.

First Category...

Best Kid Appeal (Based off my 4 year-old son's favorites)

Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep! - Todd Tarpley and John Rocco

I’m Trying to Love Spiders - Bethany Barton

Samurai Santa - Rubin Pingk

There was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight - Penny Klostermann and Ben Mantle

I Thought this was a Bear Book - Tara Lazar and Benji Davies

And the winner is...

                                                 I Thought this was a Bear Book!!!

Best Illustrators

Joseph Kuefler for “Beyond the Pond”

Brendan Wenzel for “Beastly Babies”

Julie Morstad for “This is Sadie”

Rafael Lopez for “Drum Dream Girl”

Ekua Holmes for “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hammer”

And the winner is...

Rafael Lopez!!!

Best Male Character

Dewey Bob from “Dewey Bob”

Dragon from “There was an Old Dragon who Swallowed a Knight”

Leo the Ghost from “Leo the Ghost"

Boy from “Wait”

The Little Gardener from “The Little Gardener"

And the Winner is...

Leo the Ghost!!!

Best Female Character 

Sadie for “This is Sadie”

Girl in Red Coat for "Sidewalk Flowers"

Mei for “Noodle Magic”

Sonya for “Sonya’s Chickens”

Bernice for “Bernice Gets Carried Away”

And the winner is...

Girl in Red Coat!!!

Best Nonfiction Picture Book

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore - Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and R. Gregory Christie

The Blue Whale - Jenni Desmond

Water is Water - Miranda Paul and Jason Chin

A Nest is Noisy - Dianne Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

I’m Trying to Love Spiders - Bethany Barton

And the Winner is...

The Blue Whale!!!

And finally...

Best Fiction

Noodle Magic - Roseanne Greenfield Thong and Meilo So

Beastly Babies - Ellen Jackson and Brendan Wenzel

Sidewalk Flowers - Jon Arno Lawson and Sydney Smith

There was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight - Penny Klostermann and Ben Mantle

Night World - Mordicai Gerstein 

And the winner is...

Sidewalk Flowers!!!

Congratulations to all the winners! It's been a fantastic year for picture books. Thanks for joining me.