​Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
 
As reviewers, we read extensively in all genres of children’s and young adult fiction during the year and have done a lot of rereading during the last few months to select 20 of our favorite books published in 2023. 

​Bear Is Never Alone. Marc Veerkamp. Trans. by Laura Watkinson. Illus. by Jeska Verstegen. (2023). Eerdmans.
The music of piano virtuoso Bear is so beautiful that all the forest animals, even the birds, are silent as he plays. When Bear stops, he hears “More, more, Piano Bear!” Seeking solitude, he runs away pursued by his audience and their cries for more songs. Finally, his “BIG ROOOOAAAAR” frightens them away. Bear is alone—until a lone zebra shows him that it is sometimes good to be alone together. Verstegen’s exquisite black-and-white illustrations include just a few touches of red. (PreK Up) 

​Big. Vashti Harrison. (2023). Little, Brown.
Big begins with a Black baby girl with “a big laugh and a big heart and very big dreams.” As she grows older, the word “big” takes on a different meaning as she hears unkind remarks about her size in the classroom, on the playground, and at her dance studio. Harrison’s spare text and expressive pink-hued digital artwork tell the story of how the girl begins advocating for herself, letting people know that their words are hurtful and surrounding herself with words of self-acceptance and self-love. (author’s note) (PreK-Gr 2) 

Big Tree. Brian Selznick. (2023). Scholastic.
In his signature style of intertwining brief sections of text and expansive sections of exquisite graphite pencil artwork, Selznick creates an intriguing survival saga that begins late in the Cretaceous Period with the early release of two Sycamore seeds, Louise and Merwin, from their seedball during a forest fire, and they must use their wings to find a safe place to put down roots and grow. The final chapter, “Sixty-Six Million Years Later,” concludes with a seedling nurtured by a young child and father in a city. (afterword, selected bibliography, author’s note, index) (Gr 3 Up) 

The Blood Years. Elana K. Arnold. (2023). Balzer + Bray.
Based upon Arnold’s grandmother’s experiences during the Holocaust, The Blood Years is the compelling story of Jewish teen Frederieke (Reike) Teitler, whose life with her family (older sister Astra, mother, and grandfather Opa) changes drastically as their hometown Cernowitz, Romania, is occupied by the Soviets, then the Nazis, and then reoccupied by the Soviet between 1939 and 1945. Reike’s survival amid hatred, violence, and hunger is complicated by sexual abuse and life-threatening tuberculosis. (foreword, brief history of Cernowitz, author’s note, photographs, reading list) (Gr 9-12) 

The Demon Sword Asperides. Sara Jean Horwitz. (2023). Algonquin.
Thirteen-year-old Nack Furnival, a banished knight-in-training, seeks a quest but lacks a sword until he encounters Asperides, a powerful 2,000-year-old demon sword, in the burial cave of its former master, evil sorcerer Amyral Venir. After Amyral is resurrected, he recovers Asperides, planning to carve a doorway into the underworld to retrieve a missing piece of his soul and let demons loose on the world. Under the Missing Moon Prophecy, it becomes inevitable that the demon sword, the sorcerer, and the young teen will do battle upon the return of the missing third moon. (Gr 6-8) 

Elena Rides. Juana Medina. (2023). Candlewick.
Elena, a purple elephant, wants to ride her bicycle. “She readies, / she steadies… // she pushes, / she pedals! // She wobbles / and bobbles . . .  // KA-BANG!” After trying again and again with more spills and tears, Elena almost quits but with encouragement from her sidekick, a small red bird, she tries again. “Elena rides!” With its spare, rhythmic text and expressive cartoonlike illustrations, Elena Rides is both a good choice for beginning readers and a delightful read-aloud. Elena monta en bici was published simultaneously. (PreK-Gr 2) 

The Eyes and the Impossible. Dave Eggers. Illus. by Shawn Harris. (2023). Knopf.
Johannes, a free dog, is the Eyes of the park near the sea where he lives. With the aid of his Assistant Eyes (a gull, pelican, squirrel, and racoon), he surveys the park and makes daily reports to the three ancient Bison living in a fenced-in enclosure who need to know about anything that might upset the park’s Equilibrium. When Johannes gets leashed while staring at a display of paintings and needs to be rescued from human Trouble Travelers by his friends, “the glory of liberation” makes him determined to free the Bison. (Gr 3 Up) 

For Lamb. Lesa Cline-Ransome. (2023). Holiday House.
In 1940 Jackson, Mississippi, Lamb, a Black teenage girl, secretly develops a friendship with Marny, a White girl, over a shared love of books in spite of the dangers of such a relationship in the Jim Crow South. Short chapters from the points of view of Lamb, her mother, her brother, Marny, and others tell of the terrorism, violence, and lynching that ensue. Cline-Ransome’s author’s note provides background on writing a novel about a female lynching victim as well as the history of lynching in the U.S. (Gr 9-12) 

Henry, Like Always (Henry #1). Jenn Bailey. Illus. by Mika Song. (2023). Chronicle.
When the class schedule changes because there will be a parade on Friday, Henry, who needs routine and order, is upset. Although his teacher and classmates try to make him feel comfortable, it is Henry who comes up with a plan that helps both himself and another upset classmate participate in the parade. Song’s expressive illustrations complement this warm and gently humorous first book in this early chapter book series about a young child who appears to be on the autism spectrum. (PreK-Gr 2) 

Hornbeam All In (Hornbeam #1). Cynthia Rylant. Illus. by Arthur Howard. (2023). Beach Lane.
Rylant and Howard’s new early reader series introduces Hornbeam, a moose, in three humorous mini adventures. In “Eureka and the Picnic,” Hornbeam accepts goose Eureka’s invitation to a picnic that turns out to be a family reunion. In “Sleeping at Cuddy’s House,” Hornbeam’s snoring leaves Cuddy, a bull, ready for a cozy nap after a sleepless night. In “At the Pool with Adorable,” Hornbeam reluctantly takes swimming lessons from Adorabelle, a skunk, and earns his swimming certificate but still likes solid ground best. (PreK Up) 

​The Plot to Kill a Queen. Deborah Hopkinson. (2023). Scholastic.
Thirteen-year-old lutist and aspiring playwright Emilia Bassano overhears two men plotting to kill “the imposter” and reports this to her guardian, Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth’s spymaster. He dispatches her as a court musician to Sheffield Castle—where Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned—on a secret mission to foil the plot to kill Queen Elizabeth. Asides about theatrical productions, photographs, maps, and diagrams are interspersed throughout this spy story presented as a three-act play. (historical notes, timeline, Emilia’s one-act play “The Princess Saves the Cakes”—with production permission) (Gr 6-8) 

The Puppets of Spelhorst (Norendy Tales #1). Kate DiCamillo. Illus. by Julie Morstad. (2023). Candlewick.
Retired sea captain Spelhorst buys five puppets—a girl (whose violet eyes remind him of Annalise, his long-lost love), king, wolf, boy, and owl—that must be purchased together. After Spelhorst’s death, his trunk with the puppets sold to the rag-and-bone man is purchased by a man for his young nieces, Emma and Martha, who involve the individual puppets in some perilous adventures before they are reunited in a play written by Emma and performed with the assistance of Martha and Jane Twiddum, the maid, that eerily mirrors the story of the Spelhorst and Annalise. (PreK Up) 

The Real Story. Sergio Ruzzier. (2023). Abrams Appleseed.
Seeing a broken cookie jar and no cookies, Cat confronts Mouse. “How did it happen? And where are the cookies?” Mouse tells a silly story about the cookies jumping around until the jar fell off the table and then running away. After three more outrageous stories in response to Cat’s insistence on the real story, Mouse’s “I stole and ate all the cookies, and then the jar fell and broke” is so boring that Cat requests another original cookie story, which Mouse agrees to tell—for a cookie. (PreK-Gr 2)

The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow. Elaine Dimopoulos. Illus. by Doug Salati. (2023). Charlesbridge. 
Butternut is a young rabbit whose family uses storytelling to teach the truths that guide their lives: stories matter, rabbits have dignity, and stay alive. A rather anxious rabbit, she stays close to their burrow until she meets Piper, a fledgling robin who involves her in scary activities that have her breaking the family’s strict rules. As Butternut sneaks out at night, meeting and helping other Milkweed Meadow animals including an injured deer, she discovers that the world is not so terrifying. (Gr 3-5) 

​See the Ghost: Three Stories About Things You Cannot See (See the Cat #3).  David LaRochelle. Illus. by Mike Wohnoutka. (2023). Candlewick.
A simple text and cartoon illustrations with speech balloons offer a lesson on the concept of seeing versus not seeing something in three short stories: “See the Ghost,” “See the Wind,” and “See the Fairy.” Cat and dog from See the Cat (2020) and See the Dog (2021)—and the book itself—interact with invisible things in this clever primer that ends with “See the dog, / the cat, / the ghost, / the wind, / and the fairy / spend the afternoon / together.” (PreK-Gr 2)

​The Story of Gumluck the Wizard (Gumluck the Wizard #1). Adam Rex. (2023). Chronicle.
In this humorous illustrated chapter book, narrator Helvetica (“Old Lady Crow” to Gumluck) tells how the “Little Wizard Who Lives in the Big Hill” tries to grant everyone’s wishes and yearns to be voted Harvest Hero at the Harvest Dance. Even after the Truth Fairy reveals that the ungrateful townsfolk mock him as the “Shrinking Wizard Who Lives Next to a Big Hole” whose spells usually go awry, Gumluck, with everyone believing in him, saves them all when the greedy King’s gold-laden castle topples from its mountain top. (PreK Up) 

​The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels. Beth Lincoln. Illus. by Claire Powell. (2023). Dutton.
Thirteen-year-old Shenanigan Swift is excited to be attending the Swift Family Reunion, a gathering of relatives every ten years during which everyone hunts for Grand-Uncle Vile’s lost treasure hidden somewhere in Swift House. Her focus shifts from discovering the treasure to solving a mystery when the family matriarch Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude is shoved down the stairs. Shenanigan is determined to track down the killer—and prove herself more than the troublemaker that her name picked from the family dictionary suggests. (Gr 3 Up) 

Unraveller. Frances Hardinge. (2023). Amulet.
In this dark fantasy set in the country of Raddith where cursers abound, 15-year-olds Nettle (newly released from a curse as a heron) and Kellen (an unraveller of curses) are hired to hunt Jendy Pin, a curser who disappeared from a Chancery prison. As their quest takes them from Mizzleport to the Wilds to the Moonlit Market, they uncover the secret plot of Salvationists to overtake Chancery, the government of master merchants who rule Raddith. When a curse on Kellen intensifies his unraveling power, making him a danger to himself and everyone around him, he and Nettle must find a way to remove the curse if they are to save Raddith. (Gr 9-12) ​

​Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends (Ready-to-Read Graphics). Kaz Windness. (2023). Simon Spotlight.
Worm believes he and Caterpillar are best friends because they are the same, but Caterpillar points out various ways in which they are different. Caterpillar also knows a change is coming and worries about what will happen to their friendship when he is no longer a caterpillar. In this Level 1 Ready-to-Read Graphics book, Windness’s expressive cartoon illustrations accompany the dialogue between Worm and Caterpillar to create an engaging story of a friendship that endures despite differences and change. (PreK-Gr 2) 

Nancy Brashear and Carolyn Angus
 
In looking back at the bounty of nonfiction and poetry published in 2023, we have considered the identification of outstanding trade books with curriculum connections and the reading interests of children and young adults in deciding on our best-of-the-year picks.

​Afterward, Everything Was Different: A Tale of the Pleistocene. Jairo Buitrago. Trans. by Elisa Amado. Illus. by Rafael Yockteng. (2023). Aldana Libros. 
Wordless panoramic double-page spreads show a clan’s travels to find a place to shelter over winter. Left alone while others go hunting, a young girl uses a charred stick to draw pictures depicting events in their journey on the cave walls. Upon the clan’s return, she has a story to tell. A final page of text begins with “The cave was different afterward.” (information on cave art) (Gr 3 Up) 

​America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History. Ariel Aberg-Riger. (2023). Balzer + Bray.
America Redux offers a new way of seeing American history through visual storytelling. In 21 nonlinear chapters filled with mixed-media collages created with archival photographs, maps, graphic images, and excerpts from documents and a lively text presented in a handwritten typeface, Ariel Aberg-Riger immerses readers in an exploration of thematic stories that have shaped our sense of the history of America, including what is not in our text books. (image sources, selected bibliography, index) (Gr 9-12)

​An American Story. Kwame Alexander. Illus. by Dare Coulter. (2023). Little, Brown.
“How do you tell a story / that starts in Africa / and ends in horror?” Kwame Alexander’s poetic text and Dare Coulter’s exquisite mixed-media artwork address the question “How do you tell a story about slavery?” in this powerful picture book in which a teacher’s telling of the history of slavery to a group of children ends with a classroom discussion in which the students’ responses affirm that this difficult American story is one that must be told.  (author’s note, illustrator’s note) (PreK Up) 

Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art. Hannah Salyer. (2023). Clarion.
Hannah Salyer introduces young readers to cave art—the rock paintings, drawings, and etchings that are time capsules telling the stories of our ancient past. A spare text and stunning artwork tell the story of how our ancient ancestors produced cave art with pigments made from minerals and handmade tools. Today, archaeologists continue to study the details of the stories being told by cave art found all over the world and are working with Indigenous people from communities with connections to these ancient sites. (world map of rock art sites, information on the Lascaux Caves, author’s note, glossary, timeline, resources) (Gr 3 Up) 

Ancient Night. David Álvarez (with David Bowles). Illus. by David Álvarez. (2023). Levine Querido.
“At the start of things, the elders say, / the universe was hushed and still. / The moon alone shone bright and round / in the star-speckled dark of the sky.” Exquisite full-color illustrations and a lyrical text weave together ancient Mesoamerican tales featuring the traditional characters Rabbit and Opossum to tell how it came to be that now, as the moon dims, the dawning sun lights the sky. Noche Antigua published simultaneously. (creators’ note) (PreK Up) 

​The Book of Turtles. Sy Montgomery. Illus. by Matt Patterson. (2023). Clarion. Naturalist and writer Sy Montgomery’s engaging text and wildlife artist Matt Patterson’s realistic illustrations, done with acrylic paint, introduce young readers to these shelled reptiles. The thought-provoking opening statement that around 240 million years ago “the shell invented the turtle” is followed by interesting facts about the structure of the shell; the characteristics, diversity, and conservation status of the more than 330 species of turtles; and a “You Can Help Turtles!” section. (resources, glossary, bibliography) (PreK Up) 

Facing the Mountain (Adapted for Young Readers): A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II. Daniel James Brown. (2023). Viking.
Daniel James Brown’s compelling World War II narrative focuses on four first-generation Japanese Americans (nisei): three soldiers in the heroic 442nd Regimental Combat Team and a conscientious objector who spent the war years embroiled in legal battles and imprisonment for protesting the U.S. governments racial policies under Executive Order 9066 that violated the rights of citizens and incarcerated families of Japanese descent in concentration camps in the U.S. (resources, source notes, bibliography, index) (Gr 6 Up) ​

The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of. Kirsten W. Larson. Illus. by Katherine Roy. (2023). Chronicle.
Kirsten W. Larson’s lyrical narrative and Katherine Roy’s exquisite artwork depict the birth of a star and the life story of Cecilia Payne (1900-1979). Payne’s solving of the mystery of what stars are made of led to other discoveries about stars and recognition for her lifetime of excellence in astronomy research. (additional information on Payne and the birth of a star, timeline, bibliography) (Gr 3 Up) 

​Fungi Grow. Maria Gianferrari. Illus. by Diana Sudyka. (2023). Beach Lane.
In this inviting introduction to the spore-producing organisms classified in the Fungi kingdom that live all over the world, Diana Sudyka’s vibrant illustrations complement Maria Gianferrari’s lyrical narrative that considers the wide variety of fungi, their characteristics, life cycle, and importance in the natural world. (WARNING! about never eating mushrooms found outside without verification by a mycologist, glossary, examples of how fungi heal and help, fun fungi facts, a fungi life cycle infographic, sources, further reading, resources) (PreK Up) 

How Birds Sleep. David Obuchowski. Illus. by Sarah Pedry. (2023). mineditionsUS. 
This beautifully crafted picture book about the sleep behavior of 20 bird species from around the world opens at dusk in the U.S. with a barn owl wide awake while thousands of tree swallows perform an elaborate routine in the sky before funneling down to earth to slumber and ends at dawn with the owl asleep in his tree while swallows fly out of the reeds. Sarah Pedry’s lush artwork augments the text with realistic portraits of the birds (identified by common scientific name, common name, and location) sleeping in their natural habitats. (information about bird sleep, climate change, the backstory, resources) (PreK-Gr 2)

How to Write a Poem. Kwame Alexander & Deanna Nikaido. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. (2023). Quill Tree.
Opening with “Begin / with a question, / like an acorn / waiting for spring,” Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido’s spare free verse text takes readers through the steps of the writing process until the words of a poem are there “to slide down your pencil” onto the blank page. Melissa Sweet’s creative collage artwork extends the playful, metaphoric imagery of the poetry. The final double spread pictures children balancing bicycle-like interconnected circles and the prompt “Now, show us what you’ve found.”  (authors’ note, illustrator’s note) (PreK Up) 

In Between. April Pulley Sayre (with Jeff Sayre). (2023). Beach Lane.
“Every creature / on Earth / at times / finds / itself / in / between.” With a poetic text and beautiful close-up photographs of animals in their natural habitats, photo-illustrator and writer April Pulley Sayre explores the concept of “in between.” Animals (mammals, birds, reptiles. amphibians, spiders, and insects) find themselves between life stages, movements, transformations, and almost-but-not yet situations. “Almost landed, / but not yet. // Almost asleep, but not yet. // Almost ready, / but not yet / living on one’s own.” (PreS Up)

The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic. Jennifer Thermes. (2023). Viking.
Jennifer Thermes details the adventures of Irish-born Tom Crean (1877-1938) as a crewmember on three expeditions during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration: the Discovery (1901-1904), the Terra Nova (1910-1913), and the Endurance (1914-1917). Double-spread illustrations featuring panoramic views of the icy landscape, maps, and panels depicting the explorers’ activities enhance the story of how Crean motivated others with his courage and perseverance as they faced hardships and tragedies. (afterword, timeline, sources) (Gr 3-5) 

A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from One Judge to Barack Obama. Ray Anthony Shepard. Illus. by R. Gregory Christie. (2023). Calkins Creek.
In this biography in verse, organized in three parts: 1773-1913 Enslavement and Emancipation, 1862-1968 Freedom and Justice, and 1961-2008 The Promise of America, Ray Anthony Shepard’s story-poems focus on significant events in the lives of six Black Americans who heroically faced the challenges of their times to fight for freedom and justice: Ona Judge, Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama. (timeline, further reading, bibliography, source notes, and index) (Gr 6 Up) 

​The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity. Nicholas Day. Illus. by Brett Helquist. (2023). Random House Studio.
Nicholas Day’s lively narrative alternates between the story of Leonardo de Vinci (1452-1519) and his creation of the Mona Lisa in Florence, Italy, in the early 1500s and the theft of the painting from the Louvre in Paris in 1911 and how the portrait became the most famous work of art in the world. Brett Helquist’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations add humor to the true-crime story. (sources, index) (Gr 6 Up) 

​Nearer My Freedom: The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano by Himself. Monica Edinger & Lesley Younge. (2023). Zest.
Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge used words, phrases, and quotes from Equiano’s autobiography, published in 1789, to create this found poetry version of the life story of Olaudah Equiano (1745-1797) in which Equiano, who was born in Benin (now Nigeria), explains the horrors of abductions and being sold into slavery. Edinger and Young add informative notes and archival images that provide historical context. (“Creating a Verse Version” section, timeline, glossary, source notes, bibliography, further reading, index) (Gr 9-12)   

Remember. Joy Harjo. Illus. by Michaela Goade. (2023). Random House Studio.
Joy Harjo, a member of the Mvskoke Nation, adapted her poem “Remember,” written in 1983, in a creative partnership with Tlingit illustrator Michaela Goade to produce this thought-provoking picture book for all ages. Harjo’s meditative verse, which prompts readers to reflect upon who they are and how they are connected to the earth and all living things, ends with “Remember you are this universe. // And this universe is you. // Remember.” (author’s note, illustrator’s note) (All Ages) 

Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport. Caren Stelson. Illus. by Selina Alko. (2023). Carolrhoda.
In March 1939, as German soldiers march into Prague, Jewish children board a train to begin their long journey to safety in England. Fifty years pass before survivors learn that Nicholas Winton was the man who had arranged for the rescue of 669 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia: Nicholas Winton. (the Kindertransport Movement, timeline, “Winton’s Children,”, “Stars in Another Night: the Yad Vashem’s Children’s Memorial” in Jerusalem, refugee children in the world today, author’s and illustrator’s notes, source notes, bibliography, further reading) (Gr 3 Up) ​

There Was a Party for Langston: King o’ Letters. Jason Reynolds. Illus. by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey. (2023). Caitlyn Dlouhy.
In 1991, there was a dance party at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. It was “a fancy-foot, get-down, all-out bash” to celebrate Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes (1901-1967). Jerome and Jarrett Pumphrey’s bold, colorful illustrations, created with handmade stamps and edited digitally, are as rhythmic as Jason Reynold’s tribute to “the word-making king.” (author’s note) (PreK Up)