Staff Favorite Books for Kids 2023

Updated November 20, 2023
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Mother of sharks
Márquez, Melissa Cristina
Paper Book
Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree and globally renowned shark scientist Melissa Cristina Marquez teams up with award-winning illustrator Devin Elle Kurtz to create an informative, powerful picture book. With lyrical writing and gorgeous art, this moving story explores Melissa's personal journey...
Peaceful me
Feder, Sandra V.
Paper Book
A young child tells us about the different times when he feels peaceful, as well as how he copes when he needs to find a peaceful state again. Acclaimed picture-book creators Sandra V. Feder and Rahele Jomepour Bell have teamed up once again to create a thoughtful and beautifully...
The umbrella
Ferry, Beth
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling creators behind Stick and Stone comes an inspiring story of persistence, kindness, and curiosity--a perfect read-aloud, rain or shine. In a dreary town where it always rains, a little girl and her dog discover an unexpected way to spread...
Big
Harrison, Vashti
Paper Book
Winner of the Caldecott Medal! A Coretta Scott King Award Author and Illustrator Honor book, a National Book Award finalist, and a New York Times bestseller! This deeply moving story shares valuable lessons about fitting in, standing out, and the beauty of joyful acceptance,...
Papá's magical water-jug clock
Trejo, Jesús
Paper Book
★Kirkus Reviews★Publishers Weekly★School Library Journal A 2024Pura Belpre Honor Award, American Library Association International Latino Book Award HonorableMention In Mexican American comedian Jesos Trejo's debut picture book, a...
We are going to be pals!
Teague, Mark
Paper Book
An egret and a rhinoceros navigate the ups and downs of their symbiotic relationship--which is more like a friendship!--in this warm and witty book from bestselling author-illustrator Mark Teague. In a not-so-simple symbiotic friendship between two pals, Egret does his best to...
Carina Felina
Deedy, Carmen Agra
Paper Book
Carmen Agra Deedy, New York Times bestselling author and one of Scholastic's most talented and cherished storytellers, retells a hilarious folktale set in Havana, Cuba. Illustrated by the brilliant, award-winning artist, Henry Cole. "This fun folktale will delight readers...
The museum of lost and found
Sales, Leila
Paper Book
Award-winning author Leila Sales's The Museum of Lost and Found is a warm, relatable middle-grade story about a friendship falling apart and the abandoned museum that becomes a shrine to lost connections--featuring black-and-white illustrations by Jacqueline Li.
Wrecker
Hiaasen, Carl
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Wrecker needs to deal with smugglers, grave robbers, and pooping iguanas--just as soon as he finishes Zoom school. Welcome to another wild adventure in Carl Hiaasen's Florida! Valdez Jones VIII calls himself Wrecker because his great...
The Swifts : a dictionary of scoundrels
Lincoln, Beth
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller! "Knives Out feel by way of Lemony Snicket...This archly told, never muddled debut whodunit reveals a roster of distinct characters, a labyrinthine setting and plot, and a mystery that is as clever as its heroine." - Publishers Weekly...
Cat on the run in cat of death!
Blabey, Aaron
Paper Book
From the New York Timesbestselling author of The Bad Guyscomes another hilarious illustrated series starring a pampered cat who is way tougher than anyone realizes. What happens when the world's biggest cat video star gets accused of a crime she...
Frizzy
Ortega, Claribel A.
Paper Book
Winner of the Pura Belpré Award for Children's Text Winner of the Eisner for Best Publication for Kids Indie Bestseller New York Times-bestselling author Claribel A. Ortega and star debut artist Rose Bousamra's Frizzy is about Marlene, a...
Welcome to our table
Mucha, Laura
Paper Book
Find out what children eat all around the world in this beautifully illustrated book, written by bestselling poet and author Laura Mucha, alongside trained chef and food writer Ed Smith.  From biltong to biryani, papaya to passionfruit, and ramen to roti, there are so many different dishes and...
Fox has a problem
Tabor, Corey R.
Paper Book
In his next I Can Read adventure, Fox--the hilarious trickster character featured in Geisel Award winners Fox at Night and Fox the Tiger--learns to solve a problem in an unexpected way. Fox has a problem: His kite is stuck in a tree! But every clever plan creates even more...
All are welcome : give what you can
Penfold, Alexandra
Paper Book
Join the call for a better world with this New York Times bestselling picture book about a school where diversity and inclusion are celebrated. The perfect back-to-school read for every kid, family and classroom! In our classroom safe and sound. Fears are lost and...
Cat vs. vac
Windness, Kaz
Paper Book
The arrival of a mysterious box sets off a battle for control of the house in this hilarious rhyming Level 1 Ready-to-Read from Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor-winning author-illustrator Kaz Windness! When a recently delivered package opens to reveal a vacuum, the house...
How to write a poem
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world...
At the poles
Elliott, David
Paper Book
The author of At the Pond and In the Woods takes readers to the most remote regions of our planet in this beautifully illustrated poetic ode to the creatures that inhabit the North and South poles. The stark, cold landscapes of Earth's poles may seem inhospitable,...
As night falls : creatures that go wild after dark
Napoli, Donna Jo
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES/NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BOOK * This picture book is for the littlest nature aficionado. Bursting with vibrant illustrations, it offers an inviting look into the secret world of how nature goes BERSERK at night! As night falls....
When things aren't going right, go left
Colagiovanni, Marc
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling creator Peter H. Reynolds and talented debut author Marc Colagiovanni comes an inspirational story about optimism, overcoming adversity, and forging your own path. "One day for no particular reason, nothing was going right. Absolutely...
Glitter everywhere! : where it came from, where it's found & where it's going
Barton, Chris
Paper Book
Fans of How It's Made will love this fresh, irreverent look at the science and story behind glitter. If you love glitter, this book is for you. If you hate glitter, this book is also for you. Everyone seems to have an opinion about glitter. But how much...
Born reading : 20 stories of women reading their way into history
Krull, Kathleen
Paper Book
Once books kick-start their brains, girls change history. Discover the foundation of reading that empowered some of the world's most influential women in this informative and inspirational illustrated middle grade collection of twenty biographies. What do Cleopatra, Audre Lorde,...
When moon became the moon
Hodgson, Rob
Paper Book
Meet Moon! Follow along as she guides us through her origin and her purpose in this charming and humorous nonfiction picture book. Following the success of When Cloud Became a Cloud comes Rob Hodgson's next long-form picture book about the moon's origin and phases. This...
Hooray for DNA! : how a bear and a bug are a lot like us
Thompson, Pauline Elizabeth
Paper Book
Bill Nye meets Green Eggs and Ham in this playful and rhythmic nonfiction picture book that introduces readers to the concept of DNA, and celebrates the similarities we share with all life-forms--and each other! DNA is the ABC of what makes you, you
The book of turtles
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
**A SIBERT HONOR BOOK! ** ** A KIRKUS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ** A BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE OF THE YEAR ** From National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Sy Montgomery comes an ode to one of the most diverse, fascinating, and beloved species on the...
Fungi grow
Gianferrari, Maria
Paper Book
Discover when, how, where, and why fungi grow in this poetic and illuminating nonfiction picture book in the vein of When the Sky Glows and Animal Architects. Above ground, below ground, all around, fungi grow. They root and fruit and twist and twine everywhere on...
Nat the cat takes a bath
Lerner, Jarrett
Paper Book
A School Library Journal Best Transitional Book It's bath time for Nat the Cat in this second book in the hilarious, fourth wall-breaking Pre-Level 1 Ready-to-Read series about a grumpy cat and a long-suffering narrator from powerhouse creator Jarrett Lerner! ...
Bluey and Bingo's fancy restaurant cookbook
Paper Book
A deliciously fun cookbook perfect for fans of the wildly successful animated series Bluey, as seen on Disney+ Learn how to make yummy food with Bluey and Bingo! Bake some Shadowland Cupcakes, make BBQ Sausages, Capsicum Salad, or write your very own Fancy Restaurant menu!...

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