Imperfectly Perfect Posey (Spinning Wheel Stories) by Lizzie Brooks, illustrated by Enni Heikura has a starred review from Kirkus.
“Posey is sweet and sympathetic, and Heikura’s soft, swirly pastel illustrations are the perfect complement.”
Congratulations Enni!
The book will be released June 9, 2026
Pre-order it here
No More Gnomes (Lerner) by Beth Mills, and Goats Afloat (Amazon/Two Lions) by Lezlie Evans and illustrated by Julia Patton have made The Children’s Book Council’s Kids Favorites List for 2026.
See the full list here
The Woman Behind the Magic: How Lillian B. Disney Shaped the Disney Legacy (Beach Lane) by Brittany Richman and illustrated by Joanie Stone has been i longlisted for MPIBA’s Reading the West Award under the Picture book category! Congratulations!
Fight for the Right to Read (Creston Books) by Jeff Gottesfeld and Michelle Y. Green, illustrated by Kim Holt was recently featured in ALXnow, an online news source of everything Alexandria.
Fight for the Right to Read tells the story of the Alexandria Library sit-in as Tucker, at age 26, led a group of five young Black men to enter the whites-only Alexandria Library on Aug. 21, 1939.
“I have an affinity for older things, history in particular, and that is from a drawing perspective,” Holt, a graduate of Tucker’s alma mater, Howard University, said. “Even my personal art that I do is like ’40s, ’50s, ’60s. Those times really resonate with me and I love little-known history, because I just feel like it expands what you know, and so many times I’m like, ‘man, I wish I had learned this in school.’”
Get the book here
Leave Me Alone!, illustrated by Joanie Stone and written by Dr. Becky Kennedy (Feiwel & Friends/ Macmillan), hit the New York Times Bestseller list at #3 the week of its release! The book also made the USA Today Bestseller list at #45.
Congratulations Joanie!
Several books by Painted Words illustrators were named National Council for the Social Studies, 2026 Notable Social Studies Trade Books:
Becoming a Ballerina, illustrated by Olivia Duchess (Harper Collins)
Giving Thanks with Halmoni: Celebrating Chuseok, The Korean Harvest Festival, illustrated by Il Sung Na (Red Comet Press)
Kente for Jojo, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Random House)
Through Sand and Salt: A Tale of Discovery Across the Sahara, written and illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon (Bloomsbury)
A Flea for Justice: Marian Wright Edelman Stands Up for Change, illustrated by TeMika Grooms (Charlesbridge)
Lady of the Lines: How Maria Reiche Saved the Nazca Lines by Sweeping the Desert, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri (Astra BFYR)
Fight for the Right to Read: Samuel Wilbert Tucker and the 1939 Sit-Down Strike for Library Reading Equality, illustrated by Kim Holt (Creston Books)
Congrats to Olivia, Il Sung, Elizabeth, TeMika, Elisa, and Kim!
See the full list of NCSS Notable Science Studies Trade Books here.
Three books illustrated by Painted Words illustrators have been nominated for the 2027 Monarch Award, sponsored by the Association of Illinois School Library Educators: Not A Monster, illustrated by Laura Gonzalez (Charlesbridge); Some of Us, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee (Little Brown/Christy Ottaviano Books); and Fix-it Familia, illustrated by Micah Player (Harper Collins). See the full list here.
Congrats to Laura, Huy, and Micah!
Several books by Painted Words illustrators were selected as 2026 CCBC Choices, the best-of-the-year list created by librarians at the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Lady of the Lines, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri (Calkins Creek/Astra) included in the “Historical People, Places, and Events” category
Not Like Everyday, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard (Random House) included in the “Contemporary People, Places, and Issues” category
How Sweet the Sound, illustrated by Charly Palmer (Little Brown) included in “The Arts” category
A Song For Two Homes, illustrated by Charly Palmer (Random House Studio) included in the “Picture Books” category
Congratulations to Elisa, Gabrielle, and Charly!
See the full list here.
Congrats to Frank Morrison and Charly Palmer! Frank’s illustrated book, When Alexander Graced the Table (Denene Millner Books), and Charly’s illustrated book, How Sweet the Sound (Little Brown), have been chosen as an ALA Notable Children’s Books! You can see the full list here.
Congratulations to Frank Morrison and Huy Voun Lee! Frank won the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration for When Alexander Graced the Table (Denene Millner Books), and Huy won the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction for Younger Readers for Some of Us (Christy Ottaviano Books). See the full list of 2026 winners here.