Staff Picks | Favorite Picture Books 2025Unpublished

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Paletero Man meets Besos for Baby in this Spanish-English counting picture book that's bursting with all the love, laughter, and chaos found at a large family gathering. Sundays are the best- that's when a little girl and her mama, abuelitos, tias and primos...

"Incredibly clever illustrations . . . heavy-hitting text . . . A solid introspection and thoughtful metaphor, great for introducing young readers to the concept of immigration or supplementing older readers' interest in the topic." -- Booklist (STARRED REVIEW) A moving...

When Tom visits an art gallery with his grandma, he wanders into a side room and discovers a very special exhibition indeed. One by one, the cats in the paintings come to life and follow him as he views all the pictures, until a large and scary cat makes them all rush back to the safety of...

A tale told in three parts by three friends! Powerhouse creators, Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou Musser, have come together to create a wholly inventive picture book that is perfect for fans of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Introducing Papilio Polyxenes, the...

New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee makes his children's book debut with this laugh-out-loud twist on the classic animal sound book. One of the Wall Street Journal's Best Books of the Year! A New York Times Best Children's Book of the Year ...

A trio of wandering wombats with a passion for words inspire an enthusiastic duckling to transform her town from dull to dazzling in this delectable picture book that shares with children the magic of words. Evergreen Forest is a very nice forest, with very nice trees and very...

Shhh! A big T-Rex is sleeping in YOUR book... but a little T-rex is making lots of noise! Help her keep quiet in this interactive adventure from the bestselling author of There's a Monster in Your Book that's perfect for little ones learning to use their inside voice. ...

A joyful and vibrant celebration of what makes aunties so special, from Indigenous author and illustrator team Laurel Goodluck and Steph Littlebird inviting all kids to connect with the fierce aunties in their lives. Who do you go to for advice and support? Or when you want an...

Join adorable hedgehog Bean in the first picture book of a new series full of tiny stories about big everyday adventures that will warm quills - and tickle funny bones! Meet Bean, a very tiny hedgehog. She loves ghosts, swings and a stuffie called Clem. Meet Bean's grandma. She loves strawberries,...

A delightful way to introduce opposites to young readers from the author and creator who brought you Catside Up, Catside Down: A Book of Prepositions. Short dog, long dog, huge or tiny. Itchy on the head, or scratchy on the...

An Indie Next Pick With lush paintings and intricately constructed 3-D artwork, bestselling and Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Lies introduces a sleepy kitten whose afternoon nap transforms into an epic journey through art, time, and history. Perfect for...

Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book Conversation Starter List (2024) ​The New York Times New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Books Award (2024) "Playful . . . breathtaking." -- The New York Times

In this darling picture book, the cutest, floofiest cat has a very busy, very mischievous day! Floof is floofy. Floof has many hobbies. Floof has very important work to do and Floof also has a lot of friends. Floof is about to...

In the vein of Grumpy Monkey and Unicorns Are the Worst!, this hilarious picture book introduces the adorable quokka, who--despite his ever-present smile--is definitely not as happy as he looks! With its bright eyes, puffy cheeks, and beaming smile, the quokka is...

It's bedtime for beaches everywhere--and the Moon is ready to tuck them in. But when one shoreline snuggles up under the cozy blanket of the ocean...the other goes without cover! This hilarious bedtime story from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Strange Planet is sure to...

From creative team Erin Sandberg and Tom Booth comes Never Give a Baby a Library Card, a rhyming, rollicking picture book read-aloud about the power of books and the perfect introduction to the library for little readers--for fans of If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School,...

An Instant New York Times Bestseller Listen, this book is boring. We're telling you it's boring. It's in the title of the book--in fact, it's THE MOST BORING BOOK EVER! And created by #1 New York Times bestsellers Brandon Sanderson and Kazu Kibuishi! ...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER * An absurdly laugh-out-loud funny picture book about the villainy of fish, illustrated by National Book Award-winning creator Dan Santat "A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on." --Kirkus, starred review ONE OF...

In this gentle and encouraging picture book, an independent Otter learns to ask for help after getting lost at sea. Otter loves floating and collecting pretty, heavy rocks all by themself. When a storm comes, Otter has so many rocks that they can't swim home--and soon, they're...

Oscar the Grouch meets Frog & Toad in this hilarious illustrated early reader series about a cranky wolf on a quest to be left alone. Wolf has just the right amount of friends: NONE. He loves to be alone. Unfortunately, everywhere he goes, other people are there too. At school,...

Fans of Cat Problems and Mother Bruce will not want to miss this hiss-terical picture book! I Quit is an oh-so-relatable story about a misbehaving kitty who's had just about enough... only to find out she's had what she needed all along. When kitty first...

"Don't boop this book away! Embrace this lively, creative look at asserting one's boundaries." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The clever art is an ideal partner to highly readable, percussive text that emphasizes the harmony that can arise from respecting others'...

Get ready to sing and laugh along with this intergalactic twist on the classic children''s song "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" in a rollicking picture book from author Zach von Zonk and beloved illustrator Benjamin Chaud! Old MacDonald had a farm...

Mo Willems, #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author-illustrator creates a hare-larious picture book about bunnies. There are ME bunnies. There are YOU bunnies. There are US bunnies . . . and WE bunnies . . . and THEM...

Don't miss this humorous and heartwarming picture book by debut creator Rachel Michelle Wilson about that embarrassing moment in life when you (gasp) pee your pants. Well, it happened. You peed your pants. You probably regret that second (okay,...