Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge discussion

Here is a thread to discuss books you’re considering or suggesting for Task 11: Read a picture book published in the last five years.

My daughter works with young children and we both love picture books. Here is what we came up with off the top of our heads:

Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang - reviewers compared it to In the Night Kitchen, but in the setting of a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

Wombat Said Come In by Carmen Agra Deedy Australian animals surviving the wildfires by welcoming and sharing.

When Spring Comes to the DMZ by Uk-Bae Lee - my favorite of these - beautifully designed with some gatefold pages, tender and meditative story of lost homes and reclaimed habitats.

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell "The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences." I liked this one a lot.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom illustrated by Michaela Goade

Watercress by Andrea Wang

I Eat Poop.: A Dung Beetle Story is a hilarious picture book about acceptance with some neat bug facts! My students loved it.

Karen wrote: "My daughter works with young children and we both love picture books. Here is what we came up with off the top of our heads:

Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang - reviewe..."

Thank you so much Karen!!

Karen wrote: "My daughter works with young children and we both love picture books. Here is what we came up with off the top of our heads:

Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang - reviewe..."
Absolutely second your suggestions! I've read all of them except Wombat Said Come In, and I loved them all. I'll have to see if my library has that one for me to try.

I read a lot of recently released picture books for my own pleasure, there's so many wonderful ones to go through these days. I have a stack checked out of the library right now, but I'm hoping to have them all finished before 2023 is out, so I'll have to see what else is available if I do get through them all. Wombat Said Come In really does seem cute! I also have some picture book eARCs that could wait until January.

'Twas the Night Before Pride
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

Theoretically, could I read an art book? I mean, it has pictures?

Meatballs for Grandpa

This author is a friend of mine, and this is her first book, coming out in March.

I plan on reading Hot Dog

I know there are always people who are a bit salty about picture book categories, so I came back to recommend some picture books that work for this task that are longer and/or more mature. If you're a "I'm an adult without children so it's weird if I read picture books and I don't want to" kind of person, these are my suggestions for you, basically.

-Inconvenient Skin / nayêhtâwan wasakay (IndigLits) by Shane L. Koyczan, published in 2019 (this is an eighty page poem in picture book format that unpacks Canada's colonial legacy with illustrations from Indigenous artists and Cree translations included)

-If I Go Missing by Brianna Jonnie, published in 2019 (Brianna Jonnie wrote a letter to the police and government in Winnipeg essentially asking to be treated humanely if she went missing because of the awful ways MMIWG2S are treated compared to white missing people, and this 64 page book is an adaptation of that letter with full illustrations)

-I Will See You Again by Lisa Boivin, published in 2020 (56 page picture book for adults that explores the death of the author's brother, her grief, and the strength she found in memories, dreams, and Dene tradition)

-The Skull by Jon Klassen, published in 2023 (this is a spooky Tyrolean folktale that clocks in at over a hundred pages. It's fully illustrated and is sort of between a picture book and a chapter book and definitely works as either)

Little Golden Books has an entire biography collection, profiling historical and pop culture figures, if that interests anyone

I read to my kids a lot, so I finished this one almost without even noticing :)

The most recent one I read to them that I enjoyed was This Book Is Not for You! - it's by Shannon Hale, the author of (among other things) the wonderful Princess in Black series, and I've read that she's had a lot of boys saying that series is just for girls or wondering if they're allowed to read it, so this book felt like a response to that

This excellent Cinderella retelling was published last year. She has a fairy dogmother, and while the MC is white, the prince, princess, king, and queen are all darker skinned. Cinderella--with Dogs!

I've been meaning to pick up The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It first pubbed in October 2019, so I think it should work!

I have a copy of Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, published in 2020, that I picked up last fall but haven't read yet. Looks like 2024 is the year for it.

This is a great opportunity to read some of the best children's books from the Goodreads Choice Awards of the past few years: https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...
Here's hoping they bring that category back for 2024!

I read Knight Owl and it was absolutely delightful!

Nancy wrote: "I read to my kids a lot, so I finished this one almost without even noticing :)

The most recent one I read to them that I enjoyed was This Book Is Not for You! - it's by Shannon H..."

This books seems so fitting given the nature of this challenge and what it wants to achieve!

Nancy wrote: "I read to my kids a lot, so I finished this one almost without even noticing :)

The most recent one I read to them that I enjoyed was This Book Is Not for You! - it's by Shannon H..."

I just requested that my library buy that book! Thanks for the suggestion!

I stopped at the local library and asked my favorite children's librarian for recommendations, and then sat down and read the following books, all of which were delightful!
Gustavo, the Shy Ghost
The World Belonged to Us
Rainbow: A First Book of Pride
Kimchi, Kimchi Every Day
Cape
When Aidan Became A Brother

LdyGray wrote: "I stopped at the local library and asked my favorite children's librarian for recommendations, and then sat down and read the following books, all of which were delightful!
[book:Gustavo, the Shy G..."

When Aidan Became A Brother is such a good book for this prompt! I know it's being challenged at a lot of libraries (including the one in my Parish).

Kate wrote: "I've been meaning to pick up The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It first pubbed in October 2019, so I think it should work!"

I chose The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy and I'm glad to see someone else mention it! I just got it earlier this month (and the movie version as well) and it's so gorgeous; I've only cracked it open so far but it is so stunning and touching. (I sobbed all through the movie.)

Elizabeth wrote: "I know there are always people who are a bit salty about picture book categories, so I came back to recommend some picture books that work for this task that are longer and/or more mature. If you'r..."

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It seemed silly to buy a book that I would definitely only read once just because it's hard cover. I found one I could buy on the Kindle, perfect!! Going to try "I Will See You Again"

Elizabeth wrote: "I know there are always people who are a bit salty about picture book categories, so I came back to recommend some picture books that work for this task that are longer and/or more mature. If you'r..."

Also may have to read "The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale" just for fun. THANKS AGAIN!! :)

Crystal wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I know there are always people who are a bit salty about picture book categories, so I came back to recommend some picture books that work for this task that are longer and/or mor..."

I'm so glad I could help with some suggestions for you! Both books are fantastic, and I hope you enjoy them!

I read Dim Sum Palace for this task. Absolutely love the illustrations. Beautiful work.

I read Good Books for Bad Children: The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom by Beth Kephart, illustrated by Chloe Bristol. This is an excellent picture book biography about one of the icons of twentieth century children's literature. Very enjoyable, art is super cute, would recommend!

I don't have a child or grandchild to share picture books with, but I found a beauty at the public library last week: Books Make Good Friends. It's a feast for a reader! Each page has at least dozens of books, some have hundreds, all real books.

by Jane Mount.

Prompts like these are so fun, because I don't tend to read picture books, now that a) I'm not a child and b) my one child is all grown up now.

Still, I don't mind reading one that I can polish off in about 10 minutes. I chose María Manrique's The Caiman. Caiman is Spanish for alligator.

When the Red Bird Flies by Courtney Reames Haydell was recently released and is a sweet and comforting story to read to children about losing a family member or someone special in their lives.

I read Snow Birds: A Picture Book for this one as it went with my winter-themed readathon in January.

Bathe the Cat is one of the funniest picture books I've ever read, and every adult I've handed it to has also found it delightful.
Oona is an extremely cute mermaid book that I think Little mermaid enjoyers would really like.
There's also a whole lot of kids books that also come with recipes that adults could get something a little different out of. A couple that come to mind are Bilal Cooks Daal or Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story

I feel like the fact that I flip through many of our new picture books when I'm checking them in at the library is serving me really well for this task! (On that note, I would definitely recommend the library for anyone without kids doing this task. They have lots of choices and you don't have to pay for a book you'll use for 10 minutes.)

I read Love in the Library

I read Three Little Monkeys and the Grand Hotel, which I bought for a friend's grandson and sneakily read first. Lovely illustrations of a Paris hotel.

I've made the recipe from Bilal Cooks Daal!

Mr Howard the Rescued Cat by Erin Hayburn is a new release with adorable pictures!

Tser wrote: "Kate wrote: "I've been meaning to pick up The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. It first pubbed in October 2019, so I think it should work!"
..."

OK, this looks good and my library has it. But I guess we're counting a graphic novel because technically it's full of pictures?

I'm not bothered by having a picture book task, and I've chosen picture books in the past that found their way onto banned books lists. Makes me shake my head at how adults can be idiots about children's books.

So . . . thank you so much for those that suggested The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.

Got it from the library this afternoon. Just sat down and opened it. I didn't plan on reading it cover to cover, but I was drawn in by the pictures. Not sure why, but I loved it - the art, the message, all of it.

Just bought my own copy. I wish that I'd had it to read to my son when he was little. I wonder if he'll sit on my lap and let me read it to him this weekend.

He'll be 16 in a few weeks.

I bought granddaughter No Cats In the Library for her birthday and read it to her (view spoiler)[ the cat gets to stay in the library (hide spoiler)]