2021-2022 SC Picture Book Award Nominees

The South Carolina Picture Book Award nominees are chosen to encourage students to read good quality contemporary literature. Each title is appropriate for a 4K-3 grade level. Visit SCASL's SC Picture Book Award page to learn more about past nominees and other materials.

A woman holds a little girl while the girl holds a man's hand.

A Crazy-Much Love

By Joy Jordan-Lake

"How MUCH is the crazy-much love?"

This simple question is answered as two parents recount the journey of adopting their daughter and the many milestone moments that follow. From the child's first bath and first time riding a tricycle, all the way to her boarding that big yellow bus, the crazy-much love grows SO MUCH that it spills out the windows and busts down the doors. A warm, lyrical celebration of the deep love parents hold for their children and a comforting message for kids about how there can be only one special YOU.

A Voice Named Aretha

By Katheryn Russell-Brown

Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, a legend. But before she became a star, she was a shy little girl with a voice so powerful it made people jump up, sway, and hum along.

Raised in a house full of talking and singing, Aretha learned the values that would carry her through life--from her church choir in Detroit to stages across the world. When she moved to New York City to start her career, it took years of hard work before she had a hit song. In the turbulent 1960s, she sang about "Respect" and refused to perform before segregated audiences. The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha always remembered who she was and where she came from.

In this stirring biography of a true artistic and social icon, award-winning creators Katheryn Russell-Brown and Laura Freeman show young readers how Aretha's talent, intelligence, and perseverance made her a star who will shine on for generations to come.

A little girl conducting a symphony on stage.

Because

By Mo Willems

Because sometimes it’s the smallest moments that have the biggest impact.

Mo Willems, a number one New York Times best-selling author and illustrator, composes a powerful symphony of chance, discovery, persistence, and magic in this moving tale of a young girl’s journey to center stage. Illustrator Amber Ren brings Willems’ music to life, conducting a stunning picture-book debut.

A worm in the title under the dirt while a fox, mouse, squirrel, and bunny stand on top of the ground.

Carl and the Meaning of Life

By Deborah Freedman

Carl is an earthworm. He spends his days happily tunneling in the soil until a field mouse asks him a simple question that stops him short: "Why?" Carl's quest takes him on an adventure to meet all the animals of the forest, each of whom seems to know exactly what they were put on this earth to do, unlike the curious Carl. But it's not until the world around him has changed that Carl begins to realize everyone, no matter how small, makes a big difference just by being themselves.

A group of people of different ages, races, and genders holding up voting signs.

Equality's Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America

By Deborah Diesen

A right isn’t right
till it’s granted to all…

The founders of the United States declared that the consent of the governed was a key part of their plan for the new nation. But for many years, only white men of means were allowed to vote. This unflinching and inspiring history of voting rights looks back at the activists who answered equality’s call, working tirelessly to secure the right for all to vote, and it also looks forward to the future and the work that still needs to be done.

A concern woman looks at a boy hanging off a sign.

If I Built a School

By Chris Van Dusen

My school will amaze you. My school will astound.
By far the most fabulous school to be found
Perfectly planned and impeccably clean.
On a scale, 1 to 10, it's more like 15
And learning is fun in a place that's fun, too.

If Jack built a school, there would be hover desks and pop-up textbooks, skydiving wind tunnels and a trampoline basketball court in the gym, a robo-chef to serve lunch in the cafeteria, field trips to Mars, and a whole lot more. The inventive boy who described his ideal car and house in previous books is dreaming even bigger this time.

A young girl with paint and glitter on herself.

Just Like Me

By Vanessa Brantley-Newton

An ode to the girl with scrapes on her knees and flowers in her hair, and every girl in between, this exquisite treasury will appeal to readers of Dear Girl and I Am Enough and have kids poring over it to find a poem that's just for them.

I am a canvas
Being painted on
By the words of my family
Friends
And community

From Vanessa Brantley-Newton, the author of Grandma's Purse, comes a collection of poetry filled with engaging mini-stories about girls of all kinds: girls who feel happy, sad, scared, powerful; girls who love their bodies and girls who don't; country girls, city girls; girls who love their mother and girls who wish they had a father. With bright portraits in Vanessa's signature style of vibrant colors and unique patterns and fabrics, this book invites readers to find themselves and each other within its pages.

A little girl looking at a small black and white dog in a cage while a large white dog with a red bandana sits near the cage.

Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog

By Lisa Papp

Ever since Madeline Finn met Mrs. Dimple’s Bonnie, the library dog, she has asked her mother for a puppy of her own every single day. Finally, Mom says yes, and Madeline Finn chooses Star, one of the puppies born to Bonnie.

Then Mrs. Dimple tells Madeline Finn about animal shelters―a place many other pets come from. After a visit to their local shelter, Madeline Finn has some questions. Does anyone play with the shelter dogs, or snuggle with them, or read to them? Questions lead to answers, and ideas, and soon Madeline Finn and her human and animal community discover there are lots of ways for small people to make a big difference.

Nobody Hugs a Cactus

By Carter Goodrich

Hank is the prickliest cactus in the entire world. He sits in a pot in a window that faces the empty desert, which is just how he likes it. So, when all manner of creatures—from tumbleweed to lizard to owl—come to disturb his peace, Hank is annoyed.

He doesn’t like noise, he doesn’t like rowdiness, and definitely does not like hugs.

But the thing is, no one is offering one. Who would want to hug a plant so mean? Hank is beginning to discover that being alone can be, well, lonely.

So he comes up with a plan to get the one thing he thought he would never need: a hug from a friend.

Green Crocodiles, Blue and White Zebras, Pink Flamingos, White Wolves, and Blue Dolphins on the cover.

Packs: Strength in Numbers

By Hannah Salyer

An exquisitely illustrated celebration of animals who live in packs, herds, pods, and more--including humans. Vivid art and exuberant vocabulary are perfect for emerging readers and parents looking for nonfiction picture books for home learning. Packs shows how togetherness and teamwork are the keys to survival of any species, and the many ways we rely on one another.

"Showing how different animals benefit from living and working in groups, Salyer's debut is a great example of the inventiveness possible in a nonfiction picture book."--New York Times Book Review

Groups, packs, herds of millions, and more--our world teems with animals on land, air, and sea.
Packs is an inspiring celebration of how togetherness helps many creatures thrive, in both nonhuman and human communities.
Hannah Salyer's stunning selection reminds us that teamwork is universal, there is brilliance in biodiversity, and there is strength in numbers. Includes an author's note encouraging community engagement and activism, as well as a fun visual index of the animals featured.

A yellow road crossing sign with a pink snail on front.

Snail Crossing

By Corey R. Tabor

When Snail spies a plump, crisp cabbage across the road, nothing will stop him--not a speeding car or even a hungry crow.

But then kindhearted Snail stops to help a crew of antsy ants in a rainstorm, and he loses his way. It looks like he will never get his treat--until Snail's new friends come up with an ingenious idea. . . .

A large black and white cat with a top knot hairstyle.

SumoKitty

By David Biedrzycki

Watch out, mice! This cat is a sumo champion!

A stray kitty gets a job in a sumo stable, chasing mice in exchange for food. But when eating like a sumo wrestler slows our feline hero down, he realizes he must train like a wrestler, too. Through hard work and perseverance--and with a little help from a big buddy--SumoKitty is born!

A little boy in a forest with an elephant, rhino, tiger, monkey, and bird.

The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng

By Sophia Gholz

As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees. What began as a small thicket of bamboo, grew over the years into a 1,300-acre forest filled with native plants and animals. The Boy Who Grew a Forest tells the inspiring true story of Payeng--and reminds us all of the difference a single person with a big idea can make.

A happy boy dressed in green scout gear and a white circle with a happy face jump in a field of daisies.

The Happy Book

By Andy Rash

Camper is happy as a clam and Clam is a happy camper. When you live in The Happy Book, the world is full of daisies and sunshine and friendship cakes . . . until your best friend eats the whole cake and doesn't save you one bite. Moving from happiness to sadness and everything in between, Camper and Clam have a hard time finding their way back to happy. But maybe happy isn't the goal--being a good friend is about supporting each other and feeling all the feels together.

A little boy sits on top of a stack of books with a golden crown hovering over his head as a man and woman clean in the background.

The Paper Kingdom

By Helena Ku Rhee

When the babysitter is unable to come, Daniel is woken out of bed and joins his parents as they head downtown for their jobs as nighttime office cleaners. But the story is about more than brooms, mops, and brooms. Mama and Papa turn the deserted office building into a magnificent kingdom filled with paper. Then they weave a fantasy of dragons and kings to further engage their reluctant companion--and even encourage him to one day be the king of a paper kingdom.

The Paper Kingdom expresses the joy and spirit of a loving family who turn a routine and ordinary experience into something much grander. Magical art by Pascal Campion shows both the real world and the fantasy through the eyes of the young narrator.

A little girl in a paper boat sailing across a girl's blue hijab.

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family

By Ibtihaj Muhammad

With her new backpack and light-up shoes, Faizah knows the first day of school is going to be special. It's the start of a brand new year and, best of all, it's her older sister Asiya's first day of hijab--a hijab of beautiful blue fabric, like the ocean waving to the sky. But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful, and in the face of hurtful, confusing words, Faizah will find new ways to be strong.

A green caterpillar with orange antennas and purple and orange dots on its back popping out of a cocoon

The Very Impatient Caterpillar

By Ross Burach

HEY! What are you guys doing?

We're going to metamorphasize.

Meta-WHAT-now?

Transform into butterflies.

Right. Right. I knew that...WAIT?!

You're telling me I can become a BUTTERFLY?

Yes.

With wings?

Yes.

Wait for ME!!

Ross Burach's hilarious, tongue-in-cheek exploration of metamorphosis will make you flutter with glee, while also providing real facts about how caterpillars transform into butterflies.

A black bear with a brown snout eating a pastry with sprinkles behind an orange and white cat.

There Are No Bears in This Bakery

By Julia Sarcone-Roach

A tough gumshoe of a cat--the name's Muffin--protects his territory: The Little Bear Bakery. But there are no bears here. Not on Muffin's watch.

One night, Muffin hears a suspicious noise. Mouse? Raccoon? Bat? Nope, not the usual suspects. But Muffin hears . . . growling. Could it be? Yup. A bear. Just a cub. Whose stomach is definitely growling. Muffin's got this case solved--clearly this bear needs some donuts.

In this wonderfully noir-tinged tale, Julia Sarcone-Roach gives us another funny story of a hungry bear in the wrong place at the right time. This tale is sly and sweet, with sprinkles on top.

A gray book with a gray triangle wearing a winter hat

This Book is Gray

By Lindsay Ward

Gray just wants to be included. But the other colors are always leaving him out. So he decides to create his own project: an all-gray book. Once upon a time, there lived a wolf, a kitten, and a hippo...

Gray just knows it's going to be perfect. But as he adds page after page, the Primary and Secondary colors show up...and they aren't quite so complimentary.

A little boy flexes his arm while holding a yellow teddy bear.

When a Kid Like Me Fights Cancer

By Catherine Stier

When Ben finds out he has cancer, he learns a lot right away. He learns that cancer is something you fight, and that cancer isn't anyone's fault--especially not his. He discovers that many things change with cancer, but some of the most important things stay the same, and everyone around him wants to help him fight.

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