New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2013

Since 1952, the The New York Times Book Review has convened an independent panel of judges to select picture books on the basis of artistic merit. Each year, judges choose from among thousands of picture books for what is the only annual award of its kind. This year's judges were Brian Selznick, Caldecott winner and 2 time winner of the Time Best Illustrated Award, Betsy Bird, a children's book specialist at the NY Public Library and picture book author, and Stephen Heller, longtime art director at The Times and Visuals columnist for the Book Review.

While creating this post, I took this opportunity to go back and clean up previous posts featuring the winning books of this annual award and create a new label, The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books. I also noticed some trends over the last five years. Usually, I have never even heard of 4 out of the ten books chosen but I have always reviewed at least two of them. Also, the winner of the Caldecott Medal and Honor, announced roughly two months after this list debuts, almost always appears on this list. Also, there is almost always a book on the list published by Enchanted Lion Books, an independent, family owned publisher with unique, wonderful taste in out of the ordinary picture books.

I have reviewed the first two winners on this list and hope to review more soon. 

Click the title for a link to my review.

Journey by Aaron Becker

Jemmy Button by Jennifer Uman and Valerio Vidali

My Brother's Book by Maurice Sendak

Ballad by Blexbolex, translated by Claudia Z. Bedrick

The Dark, written by Lemony Snicket, 

illustrated by Jon Klassen

Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson

Fog Island by Tomi Ungerer

Holland by Charlotte Dematons

Jane, the Fox & Me, written by Fanny Britt, 

illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, 

translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou

Locomotive by Brian Floca