2024 Geisel Roundup: Fox Has a Problem, Henry, Like Always, and Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends

• Reading Level: Easy Readers, ages 4-8
• Recommended For: Ages 4-8

The 2024 Geisel Award: One Winner and Three Honors

The Geisel Award, which honors Dr. Seuss, is given to books for beginning readers. Here are this year’s honors and the winning title.

Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor. Balzer & Bray, 2023. 32 pages.

This is not the first time one of the Fox books by Tabor has won the Geisel award. In fact, Tabor has also won a Caldecott award, and shows a genuine gift for engaging his audience with both his stories and his pictures.

In 2002, Eric Rohmann won the Caldecott Award for the nearly wordless book My Friend, Rabbit in which a rabbit needs help from all his friends to get his plane down from a tree. Fox Has a Problem has a similar theme and solution, in a story with plenty of humor and ingenuity.

Fox gets yet another kite stuck in a tree, and in an effort to get one (or all) of the kites down, he experiments with numerous strategies that result in unfortunate consequences for his friends. Thankfully Elephant comes to the rescue before Fox has to face the wrath of his offended companions, and all ends well. This is a great book for very beginning readers.

Awards: 2024 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award.

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Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song. Chronicle Books, 2023, 48 pages.

Henry is a boy who doesn’t like changes to the schedule, and musical instruments make him uncomfortable. He doesn’t like the idea of a class parade on Friday, but the plans proceed in spite of his objections. Thanks to friends who care about him and a teacher who understands how to give a student the space he needs without compromising for everyone else, Henry finds a great solution so he can join in with the rest of the class.

This is a great story for readers who are venturing into chapter books. Seeing life through the eyes of a child who is neurodivergent (which is implied, but not specifically mentioned in the story) helps the reader sympathize with Henry and feel the triumph of overcoming challenges we might not otherwise relate to. A well-crafted story with mirrors and windows.

Awards: 2024 Geisel Honor.

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Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends by Kaz Windness. Holiday House, 2021, 32 pages.

Worm and Caterpillar are best friends. They have some things in common, but they’re different too. Worm likes caterpillar just the way he is…but what if caterpillar changes drastically? Yes, Worm is still a loyal friend. This is a good book for beginning readers who feel too old for picture books and are gaining confidence with small amounts of text on the page.

My only complaint is that the letter to parents, caregivers, and educators is essentially a waste of ink, and the opening “How to Read This Book” is unnecessary. Just begin the story, for goodness sake. Kids will figure out what to do if the layout is done well.

Thankfully the story and illustrations are good anyway, so add this title to your library stack.

Awards: 2024 Geisel Honor

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Also at Redeemed Reader:

Easy Readers are an important season in learning to delight in reading. Here are some past years of Geisel winners.

• Review: 2023 winners and honors
• Review: 2022 winners and honors
• Review: 2021 winners and honors and my personal favorite, which won that year: See the Cat, Three Stories About a Dog
• Reflections: Do you know we have an index page of all the posts by Gladys Hunt that her family has invited us to share? You can find The Hive right here. What does the author of Honey for a Child’s Heart say about learning to read?