Geisel Guide 2023

It’s time for the 2023 Geisel Guide!

Check out our first Geisel Guide (covering the 2020 winners) for more information on the award.

Today we’re spotlight 2023 winners, that is books that were published in 2022 and awarded the Geisel Medal or Honors in January 2023 at the Youth Media Awards.

Medal Winner

I Did It, written and illustrated by Michael Emberley

This illustrated easy reader follows a sort of clown-like animal-esque person who tries different things and struggles to do them–throwing balls, climbing ropes etc, until eventually he DOES something for a bit and then exclaims “I did it!” It’s repetitive in the good way, the illustrations are simple but effective, and it captures movement across the page well. This is in the “I like to Read Comics” series.

Honor Books

Fish and Wave, written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

I love this one–the color palette is amazing, and the story of a Fish not understanding how a wave rises until it’s too late is cute and enjoyable without being a lesson the kids get a hundred times in books. This is a level 1 reader in the “I Can Read Comics” series.

Gigi and Ojiji, written and illustrated by Melissa Iwai

Gigi is really worried about living with her Japanese grandfather in this easy reader about a new family member and understanding cultural differences. While focused on the American vs Japanese dynamic, this is also very relatable to readers looking at an age gap, etc. It’s a cute easy reader, and I’ve read the rest in this series to great enjoyment. This is a Level 3 Easy Reader.

Owl and Penguin, written and illustrated by Vikram Madan

A penguin and an owl go on three little mini adventures in this transitional reader. In one, they share ice cream. In another, Penguin gets the chance to fly in a hot air balloon. In the third, they play in the rain. This relies on a lot of unspoken humor, incidents like dropping ice cream repeatedly, and animal facial expressions. This is in the “I Like to Read Comics” series.

A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis

This picture book meets informational text follows the life of a seed through simple one phrase pages with clear,page-filling illustrations. “A seed falls” “and the sun shines” and the clear structure and easy cadence makes this re-readable a hundred times, in or out of the classroom. It’s also got a fun fold-out page!

Come back next week of our guide for the 2024 readers!