picturebooks rec list (round 1)

In the 6+ months since my brother and sister-in-law announced they were expecting a baby, I've read approximately 150 picturebooks -- ranging from board books to books for elementary schoolers.

I remain a very text-oriented person, but I'm trying to be more more attentive to the art and the ways the art and text interact.

Things I have learned:

1. Most picture books don't indicate reading level. (1a) The books I've been reading I think have tended toward older kids, but without explicit indicators on the book itself it's really hard for me (who doesn't have very much experience with kids) to guess at what age a kid would probably be reading this book.
2. I like books that are not About The [X] Experience -- I prefer books that are clearly rooted in a particular culture/experience but are not About being X (this has made it difficult to find picturebooks with disabled protagonists that I even want to read).
3. I want books to be written by people for whom that culture is native to them/they share that experience. (This is not so much a thing I have learned as a stance I already had and have been really reaffirmed in. Not only am I very much on a break from books by/about white dudes, but I don't want books by white people about chromatic culture/experience -- yes, I want fewer stories about white people, but I want to lift up the voices of actual people of color ... if I'm going to read a book about PoCs, I want to be reading a PoC's voice. Yes, there are some really excellent books by white people, but I would rather be spending my time hearing the stories of actual PoCs.)

Partly for my own reference, and partly because other people have expressed interest, here's my rec list so far. These are listed in approximately the order in which I read them.

Favorites:

• Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book by Yuyi Morales
• The Zero Dads Club written by Angel Adeyoha & illustrated by Aubrey Williams (from S. Bear Bergman's micro-press Flamingo Rampant) [most if not all characters are PoC, and one is a wheelchair user]

I have quibbles with just about everything, but other books that would probably make my rec list are:

• All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka [characters of various ethnicities]
• The Longest Night: A Passover Story written by Laurel Snyder & illustrated by Catia Chien
• Global Babies by Global Fund for Children (board book)
• Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole [white characters]
• Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors written by Hena Khan & illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini
• The Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story written by Hena Khan & illustrated by Julie Paschkis [Pakistani-American protagonist]
• Tough Chicks written by Cece Meng & illustrated by Melissa Suber
• Pirate Girl written by Cornelia Funke & illustrated by Kerstin Meyer [white characters]
• Crazy Horse's Vision written by Joseph Bruchac & illustrated by S.D. Nelson [Lakota characters]
• God's Dream written by Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams & illustrated by LeUyen Pham [characters of various ethnicities]

Second tier:

• I Look Like a Girl by Sheila Hamanaka [pictures girls of various ethnicities]
• Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara (board book) [characters of various ethnicities]
• Deep in the Sahara written by Kelly Cunnane & illustrated by Hoda Hadadi [Mauritania, Muslim]
• Everywhere Babies written by Susan Meyers & illustrated by Marla Frazee (board book) [characters of various ethnicities]
• Here Is the World: A Year of Jewish Holidays written by Lesléa Newman & illustrated by Susan Gal
• Here Come the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette 'Daisy' Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure written by Shana Corey & illustrated by Hadley Hooper [white characters]
• Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher written by Laurel Snyder & illustrated by David Goldin
• Cradle Me by Debby Slier (board book) [Native American babies]
• Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns by Richard Van Camp (board book) [Dene author]
• SkySisters written by Jan Bourdeau Waboose & illustrated by Brian Deines [Ojibway characters]
• Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom written by Tim Tingle & illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges [characters are Choctaw and enslaved African-Americans]
• Jingle Dancer written by Cynthia Leitich Smith & illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu [Muscogee/Ojibway protagonist]
• Muskrat Will Be Swimming written by Cheryl Savageau & illustrated by Robert Hynes [Native American, includes retelling of a Seneca tale]
• Chik Chak Shabbat written by Mara Rockliff & illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker [Jewish woman protagonist, characters of various religions and ethnicities]

I also did specific dives into particular topics --

Diwali:

• Diwali: Khushiyon Ka Tyohaar/Diwali: A Festival of Lights and Fun written by Manisha Kumar & Monica Kumar and illustrated by Sona & Jacob
• Let's Celebrate Diwali written by Anjali Joshi & illustrated by Tim Palin
• The Diwali Gift written by Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta & illustrated by Anna Koan

slavery:

• Love Twelve Miles Long written by Glenda Armand & illustrated by Colin Bootman
• In the Time of the Drums written by Kim L. Siegelson & illustrated by Brian Pinkney
• Light in the Darkness: A Story about How Slaves Learned in Secret written by Lesa Cline-Ransome & illustrated by James E. Ransome
• Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation written by Pat Sherman & illustrated by Floyd Cooper (NB: written by a white woman)
• [as mentioned above] Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom written by Tim Tingle & illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges [characters are Choctaw and enslaved African-Americans]