Not all deserving books bring home ALA awards. Our annual Mind the Gap Awards pay tribute to our favorite books that didn’t win. Here’s how we reviewed our 2023 winners.

Let’s Go! [I Like to Read: Comics]
by Michael Emberley; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Holiday    40 pp.
1/23    9780823446520    $14.99
e-book ed.  9780823455096    $8.99

Emberley’s crew of critters (I Did It!, rev. 9/22) returns for another exciting early-reader comic. This fast-paced story begins before its title page with a caped reptile launching a paper airplane. The plane’s circuitous flight crosses two pages and multiple panels and ends at our friendly monster, toy elephant, masked raccoon, shimmery robot, and tiny penguin. It’s a party invitation, inspiring the friends to immediately take off for the bash with a collective “LET’S GO!” A series of setbacks (from fatigue to snow to large bodies of water) impedes the crew’s progress; however, cooperation and creative problem-solving prevail. The creatures use scraps of paper torn from the very pages of the book they are in to create skis, boats, and more and continue their journey. Emberley’s cartooning is complex and compelling, while the dialogue-only text is intentionally repetitive and charismatic. Energetic pencil illustrations convey a strong sense of animation between fluctuating panel configurations and page layouts. The digital coloring is expressive, shifting between modeled realism and completely flat blocks of color—signaling shifts in tone, time, and/or setting. Imaginative, playful, and deceptively unassuming, this comic for early readers serves as a respectful (and exceedingly entertaining) introduction to the comics format. PATRICK GALL

From the January/February 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Elena Rides
by Juana Medina; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Candlewick    32 pp.
3/23    9781536216356    $9.99
Spanish ed.  9781536216417    $9.99
Bilingual ed.  9781536232509    $15.99
e-book ed.  9781536231854    $9.99

Medina (Juana & Lucas, rev. 11/16) gives new readers an inviting, cheerful take on the developmental milestone of learning to ride a bike. Elena, an elephant, straps on her helmet and, with the encouragement of her small bird friend, attempts to ride a ­two-wheeler. “KA-BANG!” ends one ride. “KA-PLUNK!” ends another. The illustrations use thick lines and bold solid colors to focus readers’ attention on Elena, the bird, and the bike. The text is minimal, to the point, and appropriate for a new reader, but it’s also musical, playful, and fun to read aloud. Elena “readies” and “steadies,” and she “wobbles” and “bobbles.” Repetition of words and sound blends serves the needs of children who are building confidence sounding words out, without bogging the story down. The illustrations and sometimes even text placement support decoding. On one page Elena “goes up and down and all around,” and we see the corresponding images and text slope up and down the page. After a few tries and some tears, Elena gets the hang of the bike, an apt metaphor for the challenge of learning to read. There are plenty of books about learning to ride a bike, but this one’s approachability for its intended audience, bright imagery, and good humor place it near the front of the peloton. Concurrently published in Spanish as Elena monta en bici, as well as in a bilingual (English/Spanish) edition. ADRIENNE L. PETTINELLI

From the March/April 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Sunshine
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka; illus. by the author
Middle School, High School    Graphix/Scholastic    240 pp.
4/23    978133856328    $24.99
Paper ed.  9781338356311    $14.99
e-book ed.  9781338747621    $14.99

This follow-up graphic memoir to Hey, Kiddo (rev. 9/18) is aesthetically similar to its predecessor but altogether different in subject and scope. Krosoczka chronicles his time at age sixteen volunteering at Camp Sunshine, a camp for pediatric cancer patients and their families. Jarrett’s assignments are one-on-one time with thirteen-year-old Diego and intermittent check-ins with the Orfao family, who are there with Eric, a lively young camper with leukemia. Diego’s health is in decline, resulting in his use of a wheelchair and his reluctance to attend camp, but through a shared love of superheroes (drawn on command by Jarrett), a connection is made. Similarly, Jarrett grows close to Eric Orfao and his siblings and mother. Joyful camp moments (campfires, fishing, arts and crafts) alternate with earnest conversations regarding mortality, faith, and personal struggles—and the tragic reality that not every camper will reach adulthood. Krosoczka’s illustrations—using a lively holding line colored with orange, yellow, and gray washes, and panel layouts—actively contribute to the heartfelt storytelling, effectively expressing changes in perspective, mood, and significance. Chapter dividers provide artifacts such as letters, photographs, and drawings, etc.; appended with an epilogue and an author’s note. PATRICK GALL

From the May/June 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

When the Stars Came Home
by Brittany Luby; illus. by Natasha Donovan
Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
11/23    9780316592499    $18.99

In this affecting picture book, Ojiig, a young Indigenous boy, moves with his parents from their rural home to the city when his father gets a new job. He misses fishing, picking blueberries, and seeing the stars at night; grocery-store shopping and glow-in-the-dark stick-on stars are poor substitutes. A star blanket quilted with Mama (identified in the appended note as an Anishinaabeg woman) and the accompanying stories of Ojiig’s ancestors bring comfort, and the arrival of his grandparents for a visit also helps the city to feel like home. “Home is where you discover who you are. Home is where you imagine who you might become.” Luby’s lyrical text and Donovan’s vibrant colored-pencil and digital illustrations combine to powerfully convey universal themes about change and the strength of family. An author’s note gives background on Anishinaabeg and Dakota quilting traditions; a pronunciation guide is also appended. NAOMI R. CALDWELL

From the September/October 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

My Baba’s Garden
by Jordan Scott; illus. by Sydney Smith
Preschool    Porter/Holiday    32 pp.
3/23    9780823450831    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780823455157    $11.99

This tender story from the ­author-artist team behind I Talk like a River (rev. 11/20) pays tribute to Scott’s Polish grandmother, whom he visited daily as a child. An opening note explains that she “s­uffered greatly” during World War II and, ­afterward, lived in a renovated ­chicken-coop in a ­Canadian coastal town. Baba, who “didn’t have very much food for a long, long time,” stockpiles items from her garden and closely watches her grandson eat lest he waste a bite. On the rainy walk to school, Baba looks for worms, collecting them in a jar, so that she can add them to the soil in her own garden. Her com­­­munication is limited to gesturing and, by tracing lines on the boy’s hand, she conveys the worms’ tremendous worth to the soil. Later, Baba moves in with the boy and his parents. In two moving, gently paced, wordless spreads, the boy brings Baba, lying in bed, a simple breakfast, and silently they eat together—before he heads out to find worms for some of Baba’s cherry tomato seeds he has planted in a pot. Smith’s observational prowess is a perfect match for this story of quiet, contemplative moments of profound meaning, his nuanced and expressive watercolors capturing years of struggle and sorrow on Baba’s face—but also the abundant love she feels for her grandson, who still now picks up worms in her honor. JULIE DANIELSON

From the March/April 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Big Tree
by Brian Selznick; illus. by the author
Intermediate, Middle School    Scholastic    528 pp.
4/23    9781338180633    $32.99

Selznick elegantly intertwines pictures and words to tell the macro story of the natural world through the micro perspective of two sycamore seeds. Louise and Merwin are siblings who occupy the same seed ball but possess two distinct personalities. Louise is a starry-eyed dreamer, while Merwin is a pragmatist. When a stampede of dinosaurs forces the siblings’ benevolent tree mother to disperse her seeds before they are trampled, a multi-millennial saga begins. Plant and plant-adjacent organisms are personified, often possessing personalities reflective of their roles in nature—for example, mushrooms serve as communicative “Ambassadors” in the book the way actual mycorrhizal fungi connect forest root systems. Louise and Merwin encounter a range of ancient flora and fauna as they themselves work to “put down roots.” A massive time jump to the present day, along with a stunning portrayal of the planet’s formation (from Earth’s perspective), reveals the true ­meaning of Louise and Merwin’s journey: that life is a gift, fragile and in need of care and protection. Selznick’s control of narrative, pacing, and book design is idiosyncratic and masterful. Fluid shifts between prose and double-page spreads of accomplished pencil illustrations are clear and effective, ranging from entire chapters in prose to passages alternating between text and image with every page-turn to sustained sequences of images. The afterword includes annotated notes on the real science found throughout, a selected biography, and backstory on the book’s origin (it was originally conceived as a screenplay for a Spielberg film). Ambitious and poignant while still, ultimately, ­hopeful. PATRICK GALL

From the May/June 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

When You Can Swim
by Jack Wong; illus. by the author
Primary    Orchard/Scholastic    48 pp.
5/23    9781338830965    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781338830989    $18.99

With poetic text and gorgeous, inclusive illustrations, Wong invites readers to learn how to swim—to conquer fear of the water, and also to reclaim aquatic spaces for Brown, Black, and differently abled bodies. We first meet a young Asian girl suited up in a rainbow-striped one-piece with goggles perched atop her head; a female caregiver tells her of all the wonderful things that can happen “when you can swim.” Then the book segues to scenes of such wonderful things: we see varied groups of people of all colors and ages and sizes in ponds, lakes, and oceans, and splashing under waterfalls. The culmination is a four-spread sequence showing a woman and child setting out from shore with bright orange swim buoys, heading to a little island that looks “close enough” but “proves farther at halfway.” Yet: “rising, floating, daring, conquering, we’ll make it.” Pastel and watercolor illustrations play with perspective, showing the world through swimmers’ eyes: looking at the trees while floating on their backs, diving into tea-colored waters. The afterword delves into the author’s journey to discover and reclaim swimming as a welcoming pastime for all. This isn’t just a book about swimming but also “about our ideas of the world”; it’s a manifesto that “this belongs to you, too.” JULIE HAKIM AZZAM

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Maybe a Whale
by Kirsten Pendreigh; illus. by Crystal Smith
Primary    Groundwood    40 pp.
8/23    9781773066646    $21.99
e-book ed.  9781773066653    $16.99

The unnamed narrator’s grandfather has died, and her mother is taking her on a trip he had planned for them, to the ocean to see his beloved whales. The girl doesn’t want to go, but she packs up her stuffed whale and draws whales in the condensation on the car window while the pair drives to the coast. They transfer to a kayak and paddle to the island, where they camp. Illustrations with watery backgrounds blur the line between sea and sky, showing mother and daughter in fog and rain, at twilight and dawn—in liminal moments that echo their grief. There is wonder here too. A stunning spread shows the kayak from below, glowing moon jellies surrounding the boat and the light of the sky filtering down deep. Night falls, and the girl is disappointed that they still haven’t seen any whales, but they build a fire, boil noodles and toast marshmallows, and discover bioluminescence when they rinse their hands in the salt water. “Why are there more stars here? Is grandpa up there?” They’re just getting ready to sleep when they hear the “pushhhhh” of humpbacks surfacing. They can’t see them, but they can hear them, a metaphor for all we can’t see that is still present in our lives. A tender testament to love and loss. ADRIENNE L. PETTINELLI

From the November/December 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Once upon a Book
by Grace Lin and Kate Messner; illus. by Grace Lin
Preschool, Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
2/23    9780316541077    $18.99

Cold sleet is falling, and the protagonist of this home-and-back-again adventure tale, Alice, is stuck inside, bored. Then she spots a book on the floor and starts to read: “Once upon a time, there was a girl…She went to a place alive with colors, where even the morning dew was warm.” “That sounds like our home,” says one of the book’s characters (a flamingo), who invites the child into the book. She climbs in and spends time with the animal characters. When it starts to rain, she wishes to be elsewhere, and the camels in the desert on the next spread of the book (one she’s both inhabiting and holding in her hands) invite her to join them: “Turn the page and come in.” And so it goes, the girl on a thrilling journey of the imagination, swimming through a coral reef, floating in space, and much more. At home, Alice has a plush rabbit and rabbit-shaped slippers, but a real (and vigilant) rabbit accompanies her on her journey; readers can seek-and-find it on every spread. The text builds patterns and a pleasing rhythm with repeating sentence structures; children will delight in anticipating what comes next. Lin’s lush full-bleed spreads invite readers to take the journey with Alice, whose dress changes color in each environment, making her blend into every one of the worlds. That Alice is an Asian girl says much about the authors’ wishes for all children to see themselves in the books they read—in this case, quite literally. JULIE DANIELSON

From the January/February 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Only Only Marisol Rainey
by Erin Entrada Kelly; illus. by the author
Primary, Intermediate    Greenwillow    160 pp.
5/23    9780062970480    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780062970503    $10.99

In her third adventure, Marisol (Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, rev. 5/21, and sequel) helps her friend Felix learn to ride a bicycle, navigates her best friend Jada’s jealousy that Marisol is spending so much time with Felix, and worries about a neighbor’s scary-looking German shepherd, who has gone missing. (At bedtime, after learning that the dog has escaped, Marisol “wonders where he is. She wonders if he will be waiting for her in the morning with all his teeth.”) Marisol is an anxious second grader, and her concerns are emotionally spot-on. The limited omniscient narration means that readers know what the protagonist is feeling and thinking while still viewing the world from outside of her head. The book design is approachable for young readers, featuring wide margins, plenty of white space, and an abundance of line drawings. Give this to fans of Dominguez’s Stella Díaz Has Something to Say (rev. 5/18) or those ready to move on from Faruqi’s Meet Yasmin! MAEVE VISSER KNOTH

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Wishing Season
by Anica Mrose Rissi
Intermediate, Middle School    Quill Tree/HarperCollins    240 pp.
6/23    9780063258907    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780063258921    $10.99

When the school bus drops Lily off after the last day of fifth grade, four months after the death of her twin brother, Anders, her loneliness is so palpable that even the birds express concern. Lily’s single-parent mother is absorbed in her own grief, and Lily’s classmates are keeping their distance. She finds real comfort only in “the overlap,” a place behind a barn where she can still see and talk to her dead twin. Otherwise, Lily soldiers on through summer alone, except for occasional interactions with a sympatico high school girl, a generous neighbor, and a bunch of chickens. The narrative slowly reveals details from the previous year, allowing readers to develop a more intimate connection to the characters and to make sense of Lily’s isolation and feelings of guilt. Told in the third person, this poignant, mostly realistic exploration of processing grief is punctuated by a few observations from anthropomorphized local animals and the supernatural moments between Lily and her brother. Though Anders seems to be losing his connection to the world, he supports Lily as best he can, encouraging her to enjoy what little time they have and to find ways to go on living. This achingly sad but also hopeful story set on a small Maine island poses questions about the power of our connections—to other people, to animals, and to the world around and beyond. JULIE ROACH

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Mine!
by Candace Fleming; illus. by Eric Rohmann
Preschool    Schwartz/Random    40 pp.
8/23    9780593181669    $18.99
Library ed.  9780593181676    $21.99
e-book ed.  9780593181683    $10.99

“In a tall, tall tree, / at the tip-tippy top, / hung a single red apple, / just about to drop.” Crisp, bright illustrations with smooth black outlines, created on stained paper with relief printmaking (and recalling the style of Rohmann’s Caldecott winner My Friend Rabbit), feature a shiny red apple that stands out against green leaves and blue sky. Mouse spots the apple, which, from her position on the ground, looks precarious up high in the tree. “Mine!” she declares and waits for it to fall. Next comes Hare, then Fox, Deer, and Bear, and one by one each lays claim to the irresistible fruit. The final visitor to the tree is the wind, and the apple falls at last. The chanting rhythm of the text bounces toward an inevitable conflict; dramatic visual perspective shifts heighten the tension. Smart compositions using panels to slow time show the animals watching the apple’s descent before they dart off the page after it in a chorus of “Mine!” The ensuing animal brawl is featured on two wordless double-page spreads; story-hour audiences will easily see the apple rolling away from the hubbub and toward the page-turn. Finally, one last animal asks, “Mine?” The clever plot twist is a just-right ending to this spirited, visually pleasing read-aloud. JULIE ROACH

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Tomfoolery!: Randolph Caldecott and the Rambunctious Coming-of-Age of Children’s Books
by Michelle Markel; illus. by Barbara McClintock
Primary    Chronicle    40 pp.
11/23    9780811879231    $18.99

British illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846–1886) transformed illustrated books for children (“stiff, full of pretty poses and cluttered scenery”) into picture books (ones that featured stories that “tumble[d] forth like life”). Markel briefly covers Caldecott’s boyhood, emphasizing his love of drawing and of the outdoors, the latter despite a weak heart. She speaks directly to readers, telling them to move fast (“Quick!”) or they’ll miss the boy McClintock depicts as racing across the page. As an adult, Caldecott works in a bank but keeps drawing and begins illustrating travel books and, eventually, books for children. Markel emphasizes the artist’s ability to capture action on the page and fills this lively text with bustling active verbs (lunging, strutting, pounce), set off in larger letters and a different font color. Likewise, McClintock’s exquisite, energetic illustrations depict Caldecott at the drawing board, creatures bursting forth from his paper. Several instances in the book reproduce the artist’s drawings, and one stunning wordless spread showcases the illustration from The Diverting History of John Gilpin that adorns the Caldecott Medal. (The book’s abundant back matter includes notes on where Caldecott’s art appears in the book.) Children and/or animals appear on nearly every spread of this exuberant tribute to the illustrator who revolutionized children’s books. JULIE DANIELSON

From the September/October 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Cape
by Kevin Johnson; illus. by Kitt Thomas
Primary     Roaring Brook    40 pp.
6/23    9781250840509    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781250336132    $10.99

On the day of a funeral, a young brown-skinned boy wears the cape that the deceased gave him, as a shield against painful memories. After the funeral, the child continues to use the cape to block out the adults as they share memories of his loved one. Finally, he allows himself to remember. He recalls the man’s laugh and his love. In his debut picture book—“a love letter to my dad,” per the appended note—Johnson sensitively portrays a young child grappling with grief. The text is spare, with some wordless pages and many containing only one sentence. Despite the small number of words, the boy’s big emotions are clear. Thomas’s digital illustrations provide beautiful support to the story. In the opening pages, we can clearly see the boy’s sadness through his downturned eyes and tears. Early images are slightly muted to portray his sadness; when he begins to allow his memories in, the images become more vibrant. This book is a very welcome and approachable way to discuss grief and death with young readers. In his author’s note, Johnson provides more details about his own late father, “my own personal Superman.” NICHOLL DENICE MONTGOMERY

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

The Notorious Scarlett and Browne
by Jonathan Stroud
Middle School, High School    Knopf    432 pp.
4/23    9780593430408    $17.99
Library ed.  9780593430415    $20.99
e-book ed.  9780593430422    $10.99

“Scarlett’s senses crackled with anticipation,” Stroud writes in the second book (following The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne, rev. 1/22) in this fantasy series full of action, outlaws, dystopian societies, and post-apocalyptic ghouls. And crackle is the word, too, to describe Stroud’s insouciant humor, energetic and witty invention, and underlay of empathy in this fizzingly paced adventure. Notorious outlaw Scarlett and the telepathically gifted Albert Browne are roped into the dangerous heist of a truckload of religious artifacts when they are blackmailed by Scarlett’s old colleagues in theft, the Brothers of the Hand. The job goes as well as a theft can until it ends with capture and the gallows, thanks to the religious conglomerate that runs this future scorched-earth Britain. To say the stakes are high is an understatement, but that is Stroud at his best: we know the prodigiously skilled Scarlett and Albert—hapless and unworldly though he may be—will win through, but how? Stroud is as playful and inventive in plotting as he is in description (“back was [Scarlett’s] least favorite direction”; a guard has “a face like a disappointed log”), making this novel both hilarious and suspenseful. It has admirable seriousness, to boot, as Scarlett and Albert each begin to face their own interior pain and rage, foreshadowing (one hopes) the next series entry to come. DEIRDRE F. BAKER

From the May/June 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Coretta’s Journey: The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King
by Alice Faye Duncan; illus. by R. Gregory Christie
Intermediate    Calkins/Astra    48 pp.
9/23    9781662680045    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781662680052    $11.99

In a sophisticated, poetic picture-book biography, Duncan alternates double-page spreads featuring prose or poems in a variety of forms that highlight Coretta Scott King’s accomplishments. (“I wanted to capture the musical quality of her voice and bearing.”) Each poem highlights a significant date, such as 1927, which opens the book: “Alabama soil / A fertile plain of black earth / Coretta was born.” Lengthy prose sections expand on the poems’ topics or move the narrative forward. From her childhood in Alabama under Jim Crow to college in Ohio and studying music in Boston, Coretta followed her mother’s encouragement to “get an education and try to be somebody” and her father’s assurance that she could “do anything anyone else can do.” After Coretta’s marriage to Martin Luther King Jr., Duncan describes how the husband-and-wife team became the prominent faces of the civil rights movement and ardent proponents of nonviolent protest. Following MLK’s assassination, Coretta continued the mission and worked to establish a national holiday in honor of her husband. Duncan’s reverent tone gleams thanks to an effective combination of forthright prose and eclectic poetic forms. Christie conveys the highlights of Coretta’s life story in vivid and engaging watercolor renderings. A timeline and bibliography are appended. PAULETTA BROWN BRACY

From the September/October 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

Mind the Gap 2024 is from the July/August 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine: Special Issue: ALA Awards. For more speeches, profiles, and articles click the tag ALA 2024.