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.

Haiku, Ew!, illustrated by Julia Patton and written by Lynn Brunelle (Lerner Books), is the winner of the Animal Behavior Society’s Outstanding Children’s Book Award for 2025! The award was established in 2001 by the Animal Behavior Society’s Education Committee “in order to encourage and reward accurate and compelling authorship of children’s books about animal behavior.” Another book by a Painted Words illustrator, Rats to the Rescue, illustrated by Huy Voun Lee (Lerner Books), was a finalist for the 2025 award, as well! 

Congratulations to Julia and Huy!

See the full list here. 

Congratulations to Elisa Chavarri! Her illustrated picture book, La Quinceañera De Mi Hermana, the Spanish edition of My Sister’s Quinceañera, is a Junior Library Guild Selection! The book will be published by Crown Books for Young Readers/Random House in August 2026.

Congratulations to Michael Slack! His illustrated book, Exca-Gator (Penguin), is an Amazon Best Book of the Month for February, Ages 3-5! See the full list here.

Miles of Style, illustrated by Lynn Gaines, and A Flea for Justice, illustrated by TeMika Grooms, were mentioned in a recent Miami Times Online article entitled “In picture book biographies, Black kids can see themselves, and what they can be,” written by Nosakhere A. Griffin-EL,Ph.D.

The author writes, “picture book biographies can be powerful tools for helping Black children imagine their future selves, overcome personal barriers, navigate big emotions, even use their talents to make the world a better place. ”

He goes on to highlight Flea for Justice and Miles of Style: “In the book A Flea for Justice, author Valerie Bolling shows how Marian Wright Edelman used her frustration and disappointment over racial injustice to make the world a better place by founding the Children’s Defense Fund and the Freedom Schools initiative. For kids struggling with big emotions, this book can be a tool to help them convert those feelings into positive change…In her book Miles of Style, Lisa Brathwaite writes about how fashion icon and entrepreneur Eunice Johnson used her exceptional fashion sense to found Ebony Magazine, which serves as an inspiration for Black women and continues to spark the imagination of Black people across the country. In addition to creating the magazine, Johnson founded the Ebony Fashion Show, which traveled to 66 cities across the United States from 1958 to 2009 to raise money for philanthropic causes. It’s an enduring lesson for children about how to use their talents to impact their community in big and small ways.”

You can read the full article here.

The Gathering Table, illustrated by London Ladd and written by Antwan Eady, was included on ALA’s Rainbow Book List for 2026, as a Top Ten Title for Young Readers. The list is a “a curated selection of books that celebrate the lives, experiences, and families of LGBTQIA+ youth, spanning from birth through age 18.”

Congratulations London! You can view the full list here.

Michael Slack‘s Tate Tuber: Space Spud (Holiday House) was included on ALA’s Best Graphic Novels for Children list in the Younger Readers (0-7) category.  Congratulations Michael! See the full list here.

Our World is a Family, illustrated by Nomar Perez, and written by Miry Whitehill and Jennifer Jackson, hit the New York Times Bestseller list this week! The book, published by Sourcebooks in 2022, was recently featured on the instagram channel, MaiStoryBook (@maistorybooklibrary). She called it “one of the BEST picture books for teaching about HUMAN MIGRATION and ways to WELCOME REFUGEES and IMMIGRANTS into our communities.”

Congratulations Nomar!