Eyeing Illustrations: 30+ Recent Picture Books

Here are 30+ picture books published in the last year or so that have caught my eye. I was presenting a workshop about the use and importance of global multicultural picture books to elementary teachers from Orange-Ulster school districts in New York this past week. In preparation, I compiled this list of books focusing on illustrations.  I thought I would share it more widely. 

from Dragonfly Kites. Illustration by Julie Flett (Cree- Métis)

The Bear and The Piano  by David Litchfield (2015)
Circle by Jeannie Baker (2016)
Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway (Cree), illustrated by Julie Flett (Cree- Métis) (2016)
DRAW!: by Raúl Colón (2014)
Firebird by Misty Copeland, illustrated by Christopher Myers (2014)
Float by Daniel Miyares (2015)
Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (2016)
The Girl of the Wish Garden, A Thumbelina Story by Uma Krishnaswami, Illustrated by Nasrin Khosravi (2013)

from The Grasshopper & The Ant, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. There isn;t anything Pinkney has done that I haven't loved. 

The Grasshopper & the Ants by Jerry Pinkney (2016)
Haiti My County: Poems by Haitian School Children, illustrated by Rogé (2014)
Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead (2016)
Jemmy Button, written by Alix Barzelay, illustrated by Jennifer Uman and Valerio Vidali (2013)
Prairie Dog Song by Susan Roth and Cindy Trumbore, Illustrated by Susan Roth (2016)
Peggy: A Brave Chicken on a Big Adventure by Anna Walker (2014)
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes  by Duncan Tonatiuh (2016)
Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space by Dominic Walliman, Illustrated by Ben Newman (2013)
The Promise by Nicola Davies, Illustrated by Laura Carlin (2014)
The Polar Bear written and illustrated by Jenni Desmond (2016)

from Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (2016)
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe (2016)
Sidewalk Flowers By JonArno Lawson, illustrated by Sydney Smith (2015)

Sitting Bull: Lakota Warrior and Defender of His People by S.D. Nelson (Lakota) (2015) 
Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox by Danielle Daniel (Anishinaabe) (2015)   

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey, artwork by Falah Raheem

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey (Arabic and English Edition) by Margriet Ruurs and artwork by Falah Raheem (2016)
Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend by Donald F. Montileaux (Lakota) (2014)
The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi (2015)

The Tiger Who Would Be King by James Thurber, illustrated by JooHee Yoon (2015)

From Thunder Boy Jr. illustrated by Yuyi Morales 

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales (2016)
Thunderstorm by Arthur Geisert (2013)
Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier (2015)
The Whisperer by Pamela Zagarenski (2015)
The White Cat and the Monk A Retelling of the Poem “Pangur Ban” by Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrated by Sydney Smith (2015)