Best Books for Toddlers 2022

A determined Owl builds strength and confidence in this medieval picture book about the real mettle of a hero: wits, humor, and heart. 

Full of wordplay and optimism, this surprising display of bravery proves that cleverness (and friendship) can rule over brawn.

All the animals are nervous and excited about meeting a new friend — what will he be like? Making new friends can be scary at first but being kind and helping others feel welcome is always the right move.

Luckily, Blue knows just the thing to help his friends, old and new, feel at home! Little Blue's "Beep!" was loud and clear: We are very glad you're here!

There's work to do! No time to waste! All year the farm's a busy place!Six hardworking trucks — with help from brand-new farm vehicles — have work to do in each of the seasons: planting in spring, building a barn in the summer, harvesting in fall, and finally tucking the animals in for a cozy winter.

Construction enthusiasts will love this look at a farm through the year, and all the rough, tough work there is to do!

From the incomparable host of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” comes a hilarious new picture book.

Equal parts hilarious and touching, this funny tale of adventure, bravery, and daring rescue will both inspire the adventurous spirit in all of us and make us laugh along the way.

With the unfailingly witty voice of one of America's favorite comedians, Seth Meyers's debut picture book is bound for hilarity history.

Buckle up for twists, turns, and emotional loop-de-loops in the most roller coaster-y Pigeon book ever! The Pigeon WILL be ready. Will YOU!?

Told with pitch perfect timing and pacing, hilarious detail, and Barnett's signature narrator voice, this is Billy Goats Gruff as never before.

High-stakes page turns will have readers on the edge of their seats and giggling along, as they join each goat and anticipate the arrival of the hungry and terrible troll living under the bridge.

With Klassen's brilliantly restrained scenes, arresting characters, and celebrated artistic style, this first of three fairy tales is destined to be a true publishing event!

Here’s an ode to the mysteries of the ocean, the animals who share our planet, and the healing power of nature from the Oscar-winning creator of the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher and his diving partner.

Illustrated with gorgeous underwater photography of the fascinating creatures and places most of us will never witness firsthand, this picture book is a window into another world and all it has to share with us.

A cumulative all-holiday carol packed to the brim with family, food, love, and Black joy, especially perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, graduations, and all family celebrations.

Written to the tune of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” Twelve Dinging Doorbells is exuberant. Author Tameka Fryer Brown’s cumulative rhyme is impossible to resist, and the humorous details in Ebony Glenn’s cut-paper collage will welcome readers to this party again and again.

Bruce's life is what YOU, the reader, make it in this special interactive addition to the award-winning Mother Bruce series.

Rupert, Thistle, and Nibbs, the fun-loving mice in Bruce's begrudgingly expansive family, guide readers on a quest for a fun reading experience, with Bruce the ever-reluctant star. As readers turn the page, flip the book, and follow the mice's increasingly silly instructions, Bruce is sent flying and tumbling ― all as he looks right up the reader's nose!

An inspiring story of identity and self-esteem from celebrated athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick.

When Colin Kaepernick was five years old, he was given a simple school assignment: draw a picture of yourself and your family. What young Colin does next with his brown crayon changes his whole world and worldview, providing a valuable lesson on embracing and celebrating his Black identity through the power of radical self-love and knowing your inherent worth.

An exquisite picture book that celebrates the fall season and encourages children to see the colorful leaves around them in an entirely new way. The artist uses real leaves of vibrant hues to make her oh-so-charming illustrations.

In this story a young artist draws inspiration from the leaves she collects and every leaf sparks a new idea. She imagines turning a Japanese Zelkova leaf into a boat to sail far away, a Honey Locust leaf into a swing to sway in the gentle breeze, and an American Basswood leaf into a hot air balloon to float high above the trees.

Blue baboon is eager to play the bassoon with her new friends. But a monsoon threatens to spoil the fun. Fortunately a big balloon arrives in time to carry them to a dune where they can all play in tune together!

This glorious new picture book from two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall is as lavish and moving a tribute to a storied, beloved place as Hello Lighthouse.

Step inside the dollhouse-like interior of Farmhouse and relish in the daily life of the family that lives there, rendered in impeccable, thrilling detail.

Based on a real family and an actual farmhouse where Sophie salvaged facts and artifacts for the making of this spectacular work, page after page bursts with luminous detail and joy.

A perfect story to demonstrate how pride in where we come from can bring a shining confidence.

When Nigel looks up at the moon, his future is bright. He imagines himself as…an astronaut, a dancer, a superhero, too!

Among the stars, he twirls. With pride, his chest swells. And his eyes, they glow. Nigel is the most brilliant body in the sky.

But it’s Career Week at school, and Nigel can’t find the courage to share his dreams. It’s easy to whisper them to the moon, but not to his classmates—especially when he already feels out of place. 

A lonely pegasus looks for the perfect friend in this sweet and adorable picture book companion to the bestselling Not Quite Narwhal!Nimbus has always lived among the clouds.

She’s a pegasus, after all, and the sky is where she belongs. She is one of a kind. 

Being the only pegasus can be a little... lonely? So she decides to find a fallen star to make a wish on—and wishes for friends who are just like her. Along the way she meets a Unicorn named Kelp, and a host of other creatures...who might just open her eyes to something other than what’s up in the sky.

Dragonboy and his stuffed animal friends love exploring, and what better place to explore than their own backyard... at night. Everything looks different, everything feels different, and everything is just a little more special.

The friends may feel frightened by the things they can't see, like whatever is making noises in the bushes and whoever seems to be following along behind them. But as long as they're together, they know they can do anything. They might even discover something wonderful.

A cast of adorable alphabet characters make this clever bedtime story a standout!

It’s a busy night for the Alphabet Family—after all, there are 26 kiddos to get ready for bed.

When Mom turns off the light, it’s an Alpha pillow fight! Toddlers are sure to get a huge kick out of this lively alpha family — and hopefully following each and every little letter’s antics will tucker them out!

In Llama Rocks the Cradle of Chaos, the latest installment of Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox's hilarious Llama series, our favorite doomsday-prone hero has yet another shot at saving the world (and more delicious desserts)… from himself.

The best-selling Hello, World! board book series expands into picture books, for Hello, World! kids who are ready for the next step.

Kids who love sharks will enjoy this lively, fact-filled, illustrated tour of the world's oceans, with engaging information on every page:

Amazing Machines: Shiny Snow Machines follows Bird, Mouse, and Rabbit as they wrap up warm and explore things that go in the snow!

Each page is filled with details that machine-mad kids will love including zambonis, ice trucks, snow-making machines, snowgliders, and much more.