Award category archive

Kirkus Best Books of the Year – Empowering Picture Books Winners

Browse Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books winners and nominees by year. This archive follows one award category across the full Kirkus Best Books of the Year history.

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books Cross-year archive

2025

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books results for the 2025 award year.

View full 2025 awards

Balloon

Handy, Bruce

Standalone · General Fiction

Oct-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Big Enough

Linke, Regina

Standalone · General Fiction

Apr-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

A Book of Maps for You

Heuer, Lourdes

Standalone · General Fiction

Apr-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Broken

Fang, X.

Standalone · General Fiction

Oct-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

City Summer, Country Summer

Laymon, Kiese

Standalone · General Fiction

Apr-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Croco

Lopez, Azul

Standalone · General Fiction

Nov-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

For a Girl Becoming

Harjo, Joy

Standalone · General Fiction

Apr-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Home

De La Pena, Matt

Standalone · General Fiction

Mar-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

The Moving Book

Brown, Lisa

Standalone · General Fiction

Jul-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

The Peanut Man

Deedy, Carmen Agra

Standalone · General Fiction

Mar-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Shibu's Tail

Thomas, Tess

Standalone · General Fiction

Oct-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Together, United

Charles, Tami

Standalone · General Fiction

Sep-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

You and Me, Anenome

Vail, Rachel

Standalone · General Fiction

Jun-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

2024

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books results for the 2024 award year.

View full 2024 awards

Cesaria Feels the Beat

Adusei, Denise Rosario

Standalone · General Fiction

Jun-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

A Flicker of Hope

Harmony, Cynthia

Standalone · General Fiction

Mar-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Harriet's Reflections

Kadi, Marion

Standalone · General Fiction

Feb-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

How to Pee Your Pants (The Right Way)

Wilson, Rachel Michelle

Standalone · General Fiction

Oct-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

That Always Happens Sometimes

Frank, Kiley

Standalone · General Fiction

Jul-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Touch the Sky

Lucianovic, Stephanie V. W.

Standalone · General Fiction

May-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

When I Wrap My Hair

Grant, Shauntay

Standalone · General Fiction

Jan-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

2023

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books results for the 2023 award year.

View full 2023 awards

The Artivist

Smith, Nikkolas

Standalone · General Fiction

Sep-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Big

Harrison, Vashti

Standalone · General Fiction

May-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Everybody Has a Body

Ehlert, Molli Jackson

Standalone · General Fiction

Aug-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Friends Beyond Measure

Fisher, Lalena

Standalone · General Fiction

Mar-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

The Good Hair Day

Trimmer, Christian

Standalone · General Fiction

May-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Greenlight

Carzoo, Breanna

Standalone · General Fiction

Jul-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Mole Is Not Alone

Tatsukawa, Maya

Standalone · General Fiction

Oct-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

My Powerful Hair

Lindstrom, Carole

Standalone · General Fiction

Mar-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Not He or She, I'm Me

Wild, A.M.

Standalone · General Fiction

Oct-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Salat in Secret

Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah

Standalone · General Fiction

Jun-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Sometimes It's Nice to Be Alone

Hest, Amy

Standalone · General Fiction

Feb-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

We Are Here

Charles, Tami

Standalone · General Fiction

Jan-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

What Happened to You?

Catchpole, James

Standalone · General Fiction

Apr-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

When You Can Swim

Wong, Jack

Standalone · General Fiction

May-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

2022

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books results for the 2022 award year.

View full 2022 awards

Beauty Woke

Ramos, Nonieqa

Standalone · General Fiction

Feb-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Black Gold

Obuobi, Laura

Standalone · General Fiction

Oct-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Everything in Its Place

David-Sax, Pauline

Standalone · General Fiction

Jul-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Gibberish

Vo, Young

Standalone · General Fiction

Mar-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

The Great Zapfino

Barnett, Mac

Standalone · General Fiction

Apr-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

I Am Golden

Chen, Eva

Standalone · General Fiction

Feb-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

My Fade Is Fresh

Grant, Shauntay

Standalone · General Fiction

Nov-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Patchwork

De La Pena, Matt

Standalone · General Fiction

Sep-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Samira Surfs

Guidroz, Rukhsanna

Standalone · General Fiction

Jul-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Tomatoes in My Lunchbox

Manoli, Costantia

Standalone · General Fiction

Jun-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

The Year We Learned to Fly

Woodson, Jacqueline

Standalone · General Fiction

Jan-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books *

Browse Award Categories

YA Fiction Archive Middle-Grade Fiction Archive Debut Fiction Archive YA Fantasy and SF Archive Picture Books Celebrating Family Archive Book Club Fiction Archive Short Fiction Archive Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF Archive Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction Archive Mysteries and Thrillers Archive Historical Fiction Archive Romance Archive

Browse Award Years

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