Last year I shared my 2022 Children’s highlights, which I loved putting together. So I thought I’d do it again this year. This list can also be used as a Christmas gift list guide for family, friends, and loved ones!
Enjoy reading through a highlight of some of my favourite diverse Children’s books from 2023. It makes me so happy that each year it gets harder to pick my favourite highlights.
0-3 Year Olds
The Missing Piece by Jordan Stephens & Beth Suzanna
One day, her Gran gives her a ONE-THOUSAND-PIECE puzzle. Piece after piece, all by herself, she puts together the picture, until . . . DISASTER! The final piece is missing.
Buy a copy from Afrori Books, here!
Mama’s Sleeping Scarf by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Joelle Avelino (illustrator)
This beautiful family story follows a young girl called Chino as she plays with her mama's sleeping scarf through the day. Running with the scarf, Chino weaves together little incidentals of home life into a glorious celebration of the power of a mother-daughter relationship, and the gentle joys that build a perfect day.
Buy a copy from Afrori Books, here!
Ballet Kids by Holly Sterling
My toes tingle with excitement. It’s ballet class today! Snowflakes are falling softly outside when Thomas and his friends arrive at Mr Elliot’s dance studio. Prancing and whirling and twirling around the room, the boys and girls perfect their steps – first and second position, pliés, curtsies and more. Then, it’s time for the most exciting moment – picking out costumes for their first ever performance: The Nutcracker!
Buy a copy from Sevenoaks Bookshop, here!
3-5 Years Old
The Masjid Kamal Loves by Ashley Franklin and Aaliya Jaleel (illustrator)
From the author of Not Quite Snow White comes a story about a young Muslim boy celebrating the many reasons he loves going to his local masjid in this jubilant and playful picture book perfect for fans of Mommy’s Khimar and Abdul’s Story.
Buy a copy from LoveReading4Kids, here!
Not Now, Noor! by Farhana Islam & Nabila Adani (illustrator)
Noor loves her mum, and all the other hijabi women in her family, but wonders why do they wear headscarves? Is it so they can hide snacks for later? Or because they're a super spy and hiding their secret identity?
Buy a copy from The Portobello Bookshop, here!
Little Black Lives Matter by Khodi Dill
Little Black Lives Matter empowers all children, but Black children especially, by affirming that their lives, however little they may yet be, matter. Featuring fifteen great Black heroes of the past and the powerful words they spoke and actions they took, Little Black Lives Matter is a rhyming board book that incorporates memorable quotations and a reminder to little ones that each of these great people once lived a little Black life themselves.
Buy a copy from The Feminist Bookshop, here!
5-8 Years Old
Home For Grace by Kathryn White & Rachael Dean (illustrator)
Grace and Luna her cat live in a shop doorway. They have only a few possessions but each one tells a story about their past and is very precious. Stopping to talk on their way to and from school, Jess and her mother make friends with Grace and Luna. They swap gifts and stories and Jess learns of the home that Grace had to leave and the long struggle to find a safe country in which to build a new home.
Buy a copy from LoveReading4Kids, here!
The Mexican Dreidel by Linda Elovitz Marshall & Ilan Stavans & Maria Mola (illustrator)
Danielito loves Janucá, especially playing dreidel. This year, he is old enough to visit Bobe by himself. Piñatas hang from the trees, and the kids in Bobe's neighbourhood play with Mexican tops called trompos. Danielito does not have a trompo, but he has a dreidel. "What is that?" "¿Qué es eso?" the other kids ask, as they invite him to join their game. The trompos follow the dreidel as it spins through the neighborhood. And Danielito invited his new friends, nuevos amigos, to Bobe's house to celebrate Janucá.
Buy a copy from Blackwell’s, here!
A Damsel Not In Distress! by Bethan Stevens
Once upon a time, hidden deep in a valley in a magical land far away, there was a very tall tower. The only problem is, the damsel is not in distress. She keeps telling the narrator that she’s perfectly fine. The “terrifying beasts” in the moat are a family of ducklings. The “prickly brambles” are her rose garden. And the “wicked old witch” is actually her grandma! But the narrator just won’t listen. When a scary, fire-breathing dragon comes to visit, it’s up to the damsel to take charge of her story and save the day for everyone.
Characterful illustrations transport readers to the magical world of the damsel’s kingdom, and easy to read text is perfect for young readers.
Buy a copy from Pages of Hackney, here!
9-12 Years Old
When We Become Ours edited by Shannon Gibney & Nicole Chung
These tales from fifteen bestselling, acclaimed, and emerging adoptee authors genuinely and authentically reflect the complexity, breadth, and depth of adoptee experiences. This ground-breaking collection centres what it’s like growing up as an adoptee. These are stories by adoptees, for adoptees, reclaiming their own narratives.
Buy a copy from Next Page Books, here!
Glitter Boy by Ian Eagleton
An unforgettable story about a boy facing up to bullying - and his own truths. James loves dancing, poetry, and Mariah Carey (not in that order, though, because Mariah would obviously be first!). His teacher, Mr Hamilton, is getting married to his boyfriend and it seems that James will be part of a surprise choir performance at the wedding.
Buy a copy from Queer Lit, here!
Momo Arashima Steal the Sword of the Wind by Misa Sugiura
At home, Momo cares for her mother; while at school, her classmates tease her for mixing up reality with the magical stories her mother used to tell her. But when a terrifying death hag attacks Momo, she realizes the stories are true – Momo’s mum is a Shinto goddess who used to protect the gate to Yomi, the land of the dead. Now that passageway is under attack, and countless evil spirits threaten to escape and destroy humanity. Momo – joined by a talking fox called Niko, and her former best friend, Danny – is the only one who can stop them. Can Momo embrace her identity as half-human, half-goddess to unlock her powers, force the demons back to Yomi – and save the world?
Buy a copy from Pages of Hackney, here!