Top Toddler Books of the Year

This book is sure to tickle kids’ funny bones and will elicit appreciative sighs from the adults reading it aloud.

Have you ever considered running away to Antarctica? Of course you have! Because it’s a land free of worries and responsibilities!

All of your problems will surely be blown away by the icy winds of that lawless paradise! . . . Won’t they?

Think again, my friend. This penguin has come to tell you that his life down there is no more a picnic than yours is here. For starters, it is FREEZING.

Also, penguins have a ton of natural predators. Plus, can you imagine trying to find your mom in a big ol’ crowd of identical penguins? No, thank you.

Yes, it seems there is no escaping the drudgery of your daily grind, whatever it might be. Or perhaps we’ve just learned that grumps are everywhere… Jory John and Lane Smith let us decide. 

One day, a bear cub finds something strange and wonderful in the forest.

When he touches the keys, they make a horrible noise. Yet he is drawn back again and again.

Eventually, he learns to play beautiful sounds, delighting his woodland friends.

Then the bear is invited to share his sounds with new friends in the city.

He longs to explore the world beyond his home, and to play bigger and better than before. But he knows that if he leaves, the other bears will be very sad…

In the spirit of Goodnight Moon and The Curious Garden comes a stunning debut picture book filled with whimsy and creativity from brothers Terry and Eric Fan.

One day, William discovers that the tree outside his window has been sculpted into a wise owl.

In the following days, more topiaries appear, and each one is more beautiful than the last.

Soon, William’s gray little town is full of color and life.

And though the mysterious night gardener disappears as suddenly as he appeared, William—and his town—are changed forever.

The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws….

In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see.

When you see a cat, what do you see?

With exquisitely detailed illustrations and tragicomic flair, Carson Ellis invites readers to imagine the dramatic possibilities to be found in even the humblest backyard.

Du iz tak? What is that? As a tiny shoot unfurls, two damselflies peer at it in wonder.

When the plant grows taller and sprouts leaves, some young beetles arrive to gander, and soon — with the help of a pill bug named Icky — they wrangle a ladder and build a tree fort.

But this is the wild world, after all, and something horrible is waiting to swoop down — booby voobeck! — only to be carried off in turn. 

Today is the day Nanette gets to get the baguette! Is she set? YOU BET! Mo Willems‘ hilarious new picture book, Nanette’s Baguette, follows our plucky heroine on her first big solo trip to the bakery.

But . . . will Nanette get the baguette from baker Juliette? Or will Nanette soon be beset with regret?

Hold on to your hats for the conclusion of the celebrated hat trilogy by Caldecott Medalist Jon Klassen, who gives his deadpan finale a surprising new twist.

Two turtles have found a hat. The hat looks good on both of them. But there are two turtles. And there is only one hat….

Evoking hilarity and sympathy, the shifting eyes tell the tale in this brilliantly paced story in three parts, highlighting Jon Klassen’s visual comedy and deceptive simplicity.

The delicious buildup takes an unexpected turn that is sure to please loyal fans and newcomers alike.

National Book Award-winner Sherman Alexie’s lyrical text and Caldecott Honor-winner Yuyi Morales’s striking and beautiful illustrations celebrate the special relationship between father and son.

Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his dad, but he wants a name that’s all his own.

Just because people call his dad Big Thunder doesn’t mean he wants to be Little Thunder.

He wants a name that celebrates something cool he’s done, like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder.

But just when Thunder Boy Jr. thinks all hope is lost, he and his dad pick the perfect name… a name that is sure to light up the sky.

Meet Octicorn, the funny, sweet, and disarming character who is a champion for anyone who has ever felt a little bit different. And isn’t that everyone?

This is a self-published success story from debut authors Justin Lowe and Kevin Diller. Octicorn is half octopus, half unicorn, half confused… which sometimes makes it hard to fit in. But maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Chris loves rockets and planets and pretending he’s a brave astronaut, exploring the universe.

Only one problem–at night, Chris doesn’t feel so brave. He’s afraid of the dark.

But when he watches the groundbreaking moon landing on TV, he realizes that space is the darkest dark there is — and the dark is beautiful and exciting, especially when you have big dreams to keep you company.

The talented creators of I Will Chomp You! brilliantly frame the struggle to buck stereotypes and learn empathy in this monster’s hilarious lament.

Floyd Peterson is so much more than shaggy purple fur and pointy monster teeth — why can’t people just see him for him?

Jory John and Bob Shea have struck gold in creating a knee-slapping, read-it-again story that will start a valuable discussion about how we treat others and how it feels to be seen as “different.”

We all know dragons are terrible, but this one is especially terrible. He scribbles in books. He steals candy from baby unicorns. He even burps in church.

Seriously, who does that? Dragon, that’s who.

The king, the knights, and the villagers are desperate to take down this beast once and for all. But sometimes it’s up to the unlikeliest of heroes to tame a dragon this terrible.