2025 Round Up: Favourite Picture Books

Snuggle up and read! Here are our top picks from 2025 for reading aloud.

Updated January 9, 2026
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Bear
Shaloshvili, Natalia
Paper Book
A story about sharing and how important it is to say what you mean.Bear is all set for a perfect day. The sky is blue, there's not a cloud in the sky, and he has all of his most favourite things in the world by his side--a cookie to nibble on, a book to get lost in, a bright balloon to...
Bright lights and summer nights
Grant, Shauntay
Paper Book
THREE STARRED REVIEWS! . Take a luminous bedtime journey through the summery dreamworld of a restless baby in this enchanting picture book lullaby. In the tradition of bedtime classics like Goodnight Moon, this gorgeous book with a cloth-like spine is the perfect gift for new parents....
Bunny made tea
Baehr Fuller, Amanda
Paper Book
A cozy story about sharing, showing gratitude, and a fondness for tea One soggy spring morning, Bunny decides to make a cup of tea. Before they can take a sip, Opossum arrives for an impromptu visit. Like a good host, Bunny kindly offers the unexpected guest their tea and gathers...
Don't trust fish
Sharpson, Neil
Paper Book
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...
Everybelly
Lam, Thao
Paper Book
Winner of the 2025 Kirkus Prize! A joyful celebration of an oft-maligned body part -- the belly! Maddie and her mom spend a sunny day at the local public pool where she meets and greets friends and neighbors. Maddie is waist-high on most of them, and she knows there's an interesting person...
A fall day for Bear
Becker, Bonny
Paper Book
Can gruff and grumpy Bear cheer up his usually upbeat friend Mouse? With signature with and whimsy, this delightfully mismatched duo is back in a much-anticipated seventh story! One fall day Bear is getting ready to have a picnic with Mouse. But when it's time to leave together,...
Frank's red hat
Avery, Sean E.
Paper Book
Frank is a penguin with ideas. Mostly terrible ones. That's why his fellow penguins are nervous when he shows them his strange new creation. It was something they'd never seen or expected to see in their cold and colorless Antarctic world--a red hat.
I am connected
Kung Jaadee
Paper Book
We are all connected. Whether it is with your family, the mossy earth beneath your feet, the warm guidance of your ancestors, you belong in connection with all around you. Along the backdrop of Haida Gwaii's breathtaking landscapes, Indigenous storyteller, Ḵung Jaadee, invites you to...
No huddles for Heloise
Kerbel, Deborah
Paper Book
Heloise likes a lot of things: sledding, giving rocks to her friends, and eating fish popsicles. She does NOT like certain things, like crowds, close-talkers and huddles. The problem is, huddles are a big part of being a penguin. Everyone gathers together to keep warm and stay safe from...
Our pebbles
Jarvis
In a tenderly told story, the creator of Thank You and The Boy with Flowers in His Hair explores small moments that were once shared by a child and grandad on a pebble beach. Grandad always knows the best way to go to Pebble Beach. As they climb the dunes, he and...
Scarecited on the first day of school
Agostini, Alliah L.
For fans of School's First Day of School, this is a picture book about a young girl who is feeling mixed emotions about her first day of school. Some feelings are so big, one word just doesn't cut it.     It's the first day of...
A snow day for Amos McGee
Stead, Philip Christian
A perfect holiday gift! A cozy tale of winter hope and joy, from award-winning and New York Times-bestselling duo Philip and Erin Stead, perfect for fans of The Snowy Nap and The Mitten. Amos McGee, the friendly zookeeper, loves...
Stalactite & Stalagmite : a big tale from a little cave
Beckmeyer, Drew
Paper Book
Four starred reviews! "Both gloriously expansive and goofy--in short, everything young readers could ask for." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A hilarious and thought-provoking picture book about two little cave rock formations who witness the entire...

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