2024 Debut Picture Book Authors

It’s my favorite time of the year when my TBR list grows exponentially with all the amazing new books being published this year. For the past few years, I’ve made it a goal of mine to share debut authors’ and illustrators’ works. It is extremely difficult to get published and even more difficult to get your book into the hands of readers without a HUGE marketing push. That marketing push isn’t often an option for debut authors as publishing houses will spend more money on titles they know will do well. So, it’s often up to the authors to promote their work through social media, reach out to local bookstores and libraries, and talk to everyone they know about their book.

Today, I’m going to share a few of the debut picture book authors that are publishing books this year. I’ve tried to provide the most accurate information possible, but publication dates change sporadically, so don’t hold these dates to be firm. Also, it’s hard to track down debut authors, so if you know of any other debut picture book authors for 2024, add their titles to the comments below so we can share the love!

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2024 Debut Picture Book Authors

Addie Ant Goes on an Adventure by Maren Morris and Karina Argow, illustrated by Kelly Anne Dalton

Publication Date: April 9, 2024

Addie Ant travels from one garden bed to another on her first solo adventure. As she forges her own path, she gets lost along the way and finds help from her trusted garden pals, Lewis Ladybug, Beatrix Butterfly, and Cleo Cricket, in finding her way back home.

A celebration of friendship, this sweet book is a collaboration by renowned, musical artist Maren Morris and former schoolteacher and close friend Karina Argow. Artist Kelly Anne Dalton brings the delightfully written characters to life with colorful and charming illustrations.

Join Addie Ant in a vast and magical garden adventure full of insect friends, growing vegetables, blooming flowers, and the inspiring abundance of nature.

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them by Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict, illustrated by Khoa Le

Publication Date: March 19, 2024

Lift your face to the breeze—
let it bathe your cheeks
sift through your hair
tease your fingertips.

In a dynamic collection of poems, Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict explore the world’s winds, from Italy’s swaggering maestro to Libya’s fierce ghibli to Canada’s howling squamish. The poetic styles used reflect the characteristics and sometimes the location of each wind: Japan’s blustery oroshi is celebrated in haiku, for example, while the poem about Britain’s helm uses iambs in a nod toward the iambic pentameter of English sonnets. Sidebars relay the science behind how each wind forms, where it blows, and the weather systems it heralds, and the airy art from award-winning illustrator Khoa Le is overlaid with scientifically accurate wind lines that show the path of each gust. More meteorological details can be found in the back matter, which includes explorations of the origin of wind and how winds are named, a world map pinning the winds’ locations, a glossary, and books for further reading.

I Am a Masterpiece!: An Empowering Story About Inclusivity and Growing Up with Down Syndrome by Mia Armstrong, illustrated by Alexandra Thompson

Publication Date: January 9, 2024

Mia likes many of the things other people like–going to the beach, the color blue, drawing. But she doesn’t like when strangers stare at her because she looks different from them.

Down syndrome allows Mia to see and understand the world in a way that may not make sense to others. She considers it her superpower–and instead of it making her strange, she considers herself a masterpiece. As we all are.

I Am Both: A Vietnamese Refugee Story by Kerisa Greene

Publication Date: April 9, 2024

We zip through the city listening to the music of the street.
I hear the swish swoosh of the baskets and the clink clank of the passing bikes.

For Hương, life in Saigon, Vietnam is mostly normal―at least, as normal as it can be while a war is going on. But when her family decides to take the last flight out of the country to build a new life in America, Hương worries about missing her home. Through new friends and old traditions, Hương learns that no matter where we go, the smell of home and the taste of love can happen anywhere, as long as we have our family.

Lost Stick by Anoosha Syed

Publication Date: March 26, 2024

Milo loves to make his owner Louise happy because she’s his favorite person in the world. While they’re strolling through the park one day, Louise picks a twig up off the ground and says to Milo, “This is Stick”. She throws Stick across the grass and Milo excitedly brings it back to her. Milo doesn’t know why they do this over and over again, but he knows that he can put a smile on her face by running after Stick. So, when Louise throws Stick a little too far, Milo is determined to go the distance too.

Milo starts searching all over the neighborhood for Stick—while Louise simultaneously searches for Milo—but there’s one problem: all the sticks look the same! Which one is Louise’s stick? Milo sets out on a grand adventure for a little pup, and while his quest takes him all over the globe, he learns that home is where he really wants to be. Anoosha Syed stretches her storytelling talents with this hilarious and tender friendship story.

The Memory Quilt by Lori Keating

Publication Date: Januar 9, 2024

Grace grieves for her neighbor, Jason, who was more like a big brother to her. After Jason passes away, Grace hasn’t seen his parents smile. She searches for the perfect honor gift and thinks a memory quilt could be just the thing.

My Block Looks Like by Janelle Harper and Frank Morrison

Publication Date: January 2, 2024

“My block looks like
a collision of cultures
a melting pot of cool
a burst of life
my favorite groove

. . .No matter what happens
I’ve seen it for myself
my block looks like
the coolest place
I’ve ever been.”

My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza

Publication Date: June 11, 2024

Tall. High as the clouds.
Strong as a horse’s back.
Like a cowboy.

In the early hours before dawn, a young girl and her father greet their horses and ride together through the waking city streets. As they trot along, Daddy tells cowboy stories filled with fun and community, friendship, discovery, and pride. Seeing her city from a new vantage point and feeling seen in a new way, the child discovers that she too is a cowboy—strong and confident in who she is.

No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons

Publication Date: March 5, 2024

Clarisse is a clever cat who loves books. She may not understand the dark, squiggly lines, but she can’t get enough of the pictures. One day, she stumbles upon a magical building where people walk in empty-handed and come out with an armload of books. She has to find a way inside!

There’s just one problem: NO CATS are allowed in the library! That’s not going to stop clever Clarisse, though. Once she sneaks in, she stumbles upon exciting new stories and even helps a little girl practice reading aloud. But when the librarian comes looking, will Clarisse be allowed to stay?

Tricky Chopsticks by Sylvia Chen, illustrated by Fanny Liem

Publication Date: March 19, 2024

Jenny Chow struggles with chopsticks—aiya, those slippery, oh-so-tricky chopsticks! But cousin Victor’s birthday party is just around the corner, along with her family’s annual chopsticks challenge. Jenny doesn’t want to be the only Chow who never learns how to use the utensils. She’ll do whatever it takes to prove she can hold her own in her family’s long-held tradition—no matter how many experiments she wobbles and fumbles through.