In 2019, Denmon illustrated the picture book A Place Inside of Me, written by Zetta Elliott and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in July 2020.[1][4] She received a Caldecott Honor on January 25, 2021, for her illustrations for the book, which depict a Black child's reaction to the police killing a girl in his community.[5] Denmon initially created a young female protagonist for the first-person narrator; after further deliberations with Elliott, the protagonist was modified to be an older boy.[6] Her artwork, which was in shades of blue, pale yellow, and mauve, was received positively by critics.[7] A reviewer for Publishers Weekly praised Denmon's "textured, dynamic illustrations" of a diverse Black community and her depictions of influential Black figures throughout history.[5]
She was invited by Google to illustrate the Google Doodle for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2021. The finished doodle, which was featured on Google's homepage on January 18, 2021, was a juxtaposition of two scenes: one in black and white featuring people from the 1960s listening to Martin Luther King Jr. speak, and the other in color showing people in modern times who are creating a mural of events from King's life while socially distanced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] It was inspired by the George Floyd protests in 2020 and Denmon's experiences as a Black woman.[2]