Top Childrens Books of the Year

Dav Pilkey’s wildly popular Dog Man series appeals to readers of all ages and explores universally positive themes, including empathy, kindness, persistence, and the importance of doing good.

The Supa Buddies have been working hard to help Dog Man overcome his bad habits. But when his obsessions turn to fears, Dog Man finds himself the target of an all-new supervillain!

Meanwhile, Petey the Cat has been released from jail and starts a new life with Li’l Petey. But when Petey’s own father arrives, Petey must face his past and fight for who he loves.

A laugh-out-loud tale packed with science, adventure, and a whole lot of fun!

 AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk, and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we’ve ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet!

Will that planet support human life? Or do Plant Planet’s inhabitants have a more sinister plan?

AstroNuts Mission One is a can’t-put-it-down page-turner for reluctant readers and fans ready to blast past Wimpy Kid.

Every morning, Abuelo walks Sofia to school until one day, when Abuelo hurts his ankle at a local landfill and he can no longer do so.

Sofia (aka Sofi) misses her Abuelo and wonders what she can do about the dangerous Mount Trashmore.

Then she gets an idea — the town can turn the slimy mess into a park!

She brainstorms and plans and finally works up the courage to go to City Hall — only to be told by a clerk that she can’t build a park because she’s just a kid! Sofia is down but not out, and she sets out to prove what one kid can do.

A powerful, vibrantly illustrated story about the first day of school — and two sisters on one’s first day of hijab — by Olympic medalist and social justice activist Ibtihaj Muhammad.

With her new backpack and light-up shoes, Faizah knows the first day of school is going to be special. It’s the start of a brand new year and, best of all, it’s her older sister Asiya’s first day of hijab — a hijab of beautiful blue fabric, like the ocean waving to the sky.

But not everyone sees hijab as beautiful, and in the face of hurtful, confusing words, Faizah will find new ways to be strong.

Paired with Hatem Aly’s beautiful, whimsical art, Olympic medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and Morris Award finalist S.K. Ali bring readers an uplifting, universal story of new experiences, the unbreakable bond between siblings, and of being proud of who you are.

A New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2019 * Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

The Boring Book is a humorous picture book that follows the story of one particularly bored boy.

As the story progresses, our protagonist discovers there’s actually more to boredom than what meets the eye — more questions, more theories, and heaps of humor.

This exploration of boredom from acclaimed author-illustrator Shinsuke Yoshitake playfully — and hilariously — unpacks the ways in which a seemingly stagnant state is actually a portal into a dynamic, life-enriching experience.

Rumple Buttercup has five crooked teeth, three strands of hair, green skin, and his left foot is slightly bigger than his right.

He is weird.

Join him and Candy Corn Carl (his imaginary friend made of trash) as they learn the joy of individuality as well as the magic of belonging.

From Mo Willems, creator of the revolutionary, award-winning, best-selling Elephant & Piggie books, comes this breakout beginning-reader series.

A never-before-published Dr. Seuss non-fiction book about creating and looking at art!

Explore how different artists have seen horses, and maybe even find a new way of looking at them yourself.

Discover full-color photographic art reproductions of pieces by Picasso, George Stubbs, Rosa Bonheur, Alexander Calder, Jacob Lawrence, Deborah Butterfield, Franz Marc, Jackson Pollock, and many others — all of which feature a horse!

Young readers will find themselves delightfully transported by the engaging equines as they learn about the creative process and how to see art in new ways.

Exuberant Narwhal and skeptical Jelly test the waters of adding a new friend to their pod when they meet Otty the super-adventurous otter in the fourth book of this blockbuster early graphic novel series!

Dive into three new stories about the joy of adventure and the power of friendship!

From Instagram sensation Steve Greig and New York Times bestselling author Mary Rand Hess comes this humorous, heartwarming story about Greig’s real-life menagerie of senior rescue animals affirms that, in a family, everyone belongs.

Meet the Wolfgang, a loveable bunch of animals belonging to Steve and each other.

Greig looked for the most “unadoptable” animals and gave them a home… his home!

Strange and unique, The One and Only Wolfgang will remind readers that no matter how old or how odd, everyone has a place where they belong.

Join Carmen Sandiego and decide where in the world to go next in this globe-trotting, daring caper!

Help Carmen save wild animals of all kinds, especially the rare Amur tiger cub kidnapped from you by VILE. 

With twenty possible endings, your adventures can take you all over the world—or out of the game. Which will you choose?

Hilarious and smart, enjoy a modern take on the classic tooth fairy story.

Meet Tallulah. She’s the Tooth Fairy CEO.

Tallulah knows practically everything about being a tooth fairy. How to collect teeth. Dispense money. Train other fairies. And it’s all in the Teeth Titans Incorporated Employee Manual.

But when something happens that’s not covered in the manual, what’s a fairy to do?

Chapter Two is Missing is a hilarious picture book mystery starring a hopelessly lost narrator, an unqualified detective, and a very sneaky janitor, who are all surprised to discover that second chapter of the very book of which they are a part is — gasp — missing!

Not only that, but some of the punctuation has gone topsy-turvy, a bunch of letter Ms are hiding in Chapter 5, and Chapter 45 appears to be from another book entirely!

The narrator is going to need some assistance getting things in order, especially with the unhelpful detective who keeps butting in and that shifty janitor lurking about. 

A Parents Best Children’s Book of 2019

A warm, uplifting story about a boy, his dog, and the healing power of music!

Patrick has been desperate for a dog of his own for as long as he can remember, and this summer, with his father away, he longs for a canine friend more than ever.

Meanwhile, in his short doggy life, Oz has suffered at the hands of bad people.

Somewhere out there, he believes, is an awesome boy — his boy. And maybe, when they find each other, Oz will learn to bark again.

When Ben receives a mysterious invitation to an odd museum, he’s swept into a peculiar world of forgotten secrets and wild magic in this illustrated novel.

Helen Cooper’s first novel brims with mystery and hope, and her lovely illustrations bring the wonders of the Gee Museum to life.

When the introspective Frank meets the gregarious Bean, can they find a way to make beautiful music together? Dry wit and hilarious illustrations introduce a new unlikely pair.

With a laugh-out-loud narrative by Jamie Michalak, author of the Joe and Sparky series, and Bob Kolar’s bright, graphic, comical illustrations, this fresh and funny story will go down easy for beginning readers and young listeners alike.

This hilarious, brightly illustrated chapter book starring Fabio the flamingo detective and his sidekick Gilbert the giraffe is perfect for fans of CatStronauts and The Bad Guys.

In a small town on the banks of Lake Laloozee lives the world’s greatest flamingo detective. His name is Fabio. He’s not tall or strong, but slight and pink. And he’s very, very clever.

When Fabio and his giraffe associate Gilbert drop in to the Hotel Royale for a relaxing glass of lemonade (pink, naturally), Fabio is persuaded to judge the hotel’s talent contest.

But when the most promising contestant — Julia the jazz-singing hippopotamus — goes missing, Fabio must put his thinking cap back on and solve the mystery!

This picture book, first published in Brazil, offers kids a unique look into the lives of children who live along Brazil’s beautiful Tapajós River.

Cauã and Inaê are a brother and sister who live in a small community along the Tapajós River in Brazil. Here, the homes are on stilts and everyone travels around by boat — even to school!

When the rainy season comes, they must leave their village and relocate to higher ground for a while. 

In his follow-up to Lucy, Randy Cecil again tells a visually arresting tale in four acts — this time about a brave movie-theater mouse on a daring adventure.

When Iris Espinosa goes to the cinema, she doesn’t expect to meet a small mouse. And she certainly doesn’t expect that mouse to stow away in her sweater pocket.

Full of high-stakes chases, clever escapes, and valiant rescues, Randy Cecil’s story is a cinematic and meticulously crafted celebration of courage and friendship.

Join Filigree, a five-pound Pomeranian, as he stows away on Paul Revere’s midnight ride in this first book of the At the Heels of History series, inspired by important events and told through the eyes, ears, and noses of dogs.

Filigree may be a small puff of a Pomeranian but he has a big, brave heart. As the Revere family dog, he’s ready to do his part to help the American colonists stand up to the British soldiers. 

When Frances’s father, Paul Revere, leaves home on a secret mission, Filigree and Frances know they have to help, no matter how dangerous it might be.

Will a pint-sized pup just be in the way, or can Filigree prove that even a very small dog can fight for freedom?