Last January our committee of seven started on a hunt to find a picture book worthy of being WORLD’s Picture Book of the Year for 2018. Our mission: to find a book beautiful to look at, appealing to children, and full of wisdom.

This year when our committee voted, we found ourselves torn between two excellent choices: Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse by Marcy Campbell, with illustrations by Corinna Luyken (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2018, ages 3-5), and Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018, ages 5-8).

Chloe is the elementary-aged narrator of Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse. She’s indignant because poor, red-headed Adrian insists he has a horse. She knows that’s not true and wants everyone else to know it.

The inside jacket flap reads, “Sometimes we have to learn to see with kindness.” That’s the message of this pitch-perfect picture book, but as in the best books, it shows rather than tells. 

Through pictures that perfectly complement the text, the book depicts children going about daily life, picking weeds at the playground, clumping together at the lunch table, messing with bike repairs—and gossiping about whether Adrian Simcox really has a horse. Chloe puts it plainly, “He can’t take care of a horse. Adrian Simcox can’t even take care of his own desk.”

We love Chloe’s authentic voice and feel her frustration as she insists on what she knows must be true. She complains to everyone, including her mother, who devises a clever way to deepen Chloe’s understanding.

Just as Chloe is about to let Adrian have it—“You. Do. Not. Have. A. Horse.”—she sees a sad expression cross his face, and she swallows the words. The book ends with Chloe enjoying hearing one of Adrian’s tall horse tales. She realizes that despite his poverty, the boy is pretty special: “I thought Adrian Simcox had just about the best imagination of any kid in our whole school. I also thought he had the most beautiful horse of anyone, anywhere.”

The illustrations have a hand-drawn quality that captures the children’s gestures, postures, and expressions. The pictures also hide secrets. Notice how the horses hidden in the grass become more visible as Chloe’s empathy deepens. This book should delight children and satisfy their parents.

Our second winner is Hello Lighthouse. It portrays the daily life of a lighthouse keeper as he faithfully tends the light that keeps passing ships from crashing onto rocks.

The book offers colorful, rich-in-detail illustrations that repeat motifs: the round rooms, views through round windows, spiral stairs, views through a round telescope lens. That visual repetition reinforces the repeated choruses: hello, hello, hello and clang, clang, clang. And then we see the daily chores required to keep the lighthouse working. The faithful lighthouse keeper records each day in his logbook.

The book contrasts the lighthouse, built to last forever, and the always-changing wind and weather. Inside the lighthouse, a growing family shelters within sturdy walls. Blackall offers a sweet view of family life—the wife cares for the keeper (and the light) when he is ill, and he cares for her when she gives birth.

One of our reviewers loved this book’s portrayal of a noble man living a simple and good life without accolade. It may be a life that our culture undervalues, but it is an example for our children. At the back of the book, Blackall includes many facts about lighthouses for those who want more.

Short List