Top 30+ Best Picture Books of 2025 (So Far)

Don’t Trust Fish written by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat

Mammals, reptiles, and birds are straightforward but NOT FISH. Fish don’t follow the rules. Some have gills. Others have lungs. Some live in fresh water. Some in salt water. The author continues with all sorts of fish weirdness and keeps warning readers: DON’T TRUST FISH. Cheeky humor shows the possible leader of the fish named Jeff and fish spies who report back to King Jeff. Readers, be warned — you will be tested! You have been warned multiple times. Hilarious with emotive illustrations!

The Interpreter written by Olivia Abtahi, illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

BILINGUALISM / TRANSLATION

Cecelia has two jobs…and her second job is special but it’s a lot of work. What is it? She gets to translate English to Spanish for her parents! But her second job doesn’t leave much time for her to play with friends. So finally she blurts out ALL of her feelings at once to her parents who listen with understanding. I love this beautiful story about a helpful daughter who finds her own words and boundaries.

Nearly Exactly Almost Like Me written by Jennifer Bradbury, illustrated by Pearl Auyeung

ADOPTION

When standing in line at the ice cream truck, and someone asks if the brothers are related. One brother elaborates on everything they have in common. And it’s beyond sweet. Things like their parents met them in a photograph, both of them hated baths at first, they both love trampolines and breakfast for dinner. But there’s more, and you will melt your heart when you read it. This story is a sweet way to introduce and discuss adoption and family.

Who Ate Steve? written by Susannah Lloyd, illustrated by Kate Hindley

An exuberant (voicey) narrator welcomes us to an “extremely interesting” book about SIZE with helpers Marcel, the bird, and Steve, the worm. Marcel is BIG. But Steve is — ut-oh! Where’s Steve? Marcel just ate Steve! The narrator demands Marcel spit out poor Steve. But it seems that Marcel just can’t resist eating Steve, no matter how many times the narrator tells him not to. Can you guess what will happen in this silly book that is not really about size? Adults will guess and kids will possibly be very surprised and delighted with the turn of events and the scolding these animals get.

Mistaco! A Tale of Tragedy Y Tortillas written and illustrated by Eliza Kinkz

Izzy is the queen of mistakes — and her mistakes are nonstop and frustrating. When she’s making tortillas with her abuelo Lito, she shares all her mistakes. That’s when Lito has a great idea — to tell the tortilla and then he will eat her mistakes in a “mistaco”! Written in intentional Spanglish with themes of family, mistakes and solutions, this is a sweet and silly story about a way to navigate failures with humor and love. Bright, scribbly illustrations capture the character’s emotions perfectly.

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Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend written and illustrated by Bob Shea

I adore the quirky, weird humor in this friendship story — and so will kids! One turtle meets another turtle in a bearsuit who boasts that he is a “for-real bear” and he has the evidence to prove it. Where is the honey? He ate it! Plus, he can hibernate like five times a day. And can forage for ice cream and ride bikes. Hilarious from start to finish with a heart-tugging, satisfying ending.

Every Monday Mabel written and illustrated by Jashar Awan

Brightly colored illustrations and masterful writing build suspense as we watch Mabel get prepared for Monday. What could be so special about Monday? Whatever it is, her dad thinks it’s funny, her sister thinks it’s boring, and her mom thinks it’s cute. Finally, Mable plunks down her chair and waits for THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD! The garbage truck’s arrival! Mabel watches the garbage truck lift the garbage can and pour the trash into the back. The truck continues on its route where other kids and adults also wait to watch…A perfect read aloud celebrating the wonder of a child’s favorite thing.

Kittybunkport written by Scott Rothman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora

HUMOR

Kids will crack up through this adventure about two reluctant scardy cats, Chowder and Crackers, who are elected by Kittybunkport’s harbormaster to visit the lighthouse to discover why the light is off. The humor is sublime, as is the witty dialogue in which we get false bravado from Chowder and complete terrified honesty from Crackers. Delightfully illustrated with pizazz and personality, matching the playful humor of the story.

Mouse by the Sea: A Vacation in Nature written by William Snow and illustrated by Alice Melvin

ADVENTURE

Mouse explores the seaside and invites readers along in beautifully illustrated watercolor experiences. Page cutouts, lift the flaps, detailed illustrations show what he does at the beach, on a boat, at a tidepool, and at a lighthouse. This will be a popular choice for reader who love day-in-the life stories with beautiful pictures.

You’re a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems written by Sean Taylor, illustrated by Sam Usher

I love this book. First, read one of the five fictional stories about a poetry writing piglet, then read how to write a poem inspired by the story. Use this book in your homeschool and classrooms to help children see the poems all around them and writing those poems.

It Started With a P written by Brittany Pomales, illustrated by Andrew Joyner

Get ready to laugh hysterically! This entertaining story starts with a king with a dream. A bad dream. He dreams that something starting with the letter P will ruin his birthday party. But he forgets what the word is. So, he goes to extreme lengths to get rid of all P words, including people and parties, pepperoni pizza and presents… He even leaves his castle for a tiny island with no p-words anywhere and that’s when he suddenly remembers what the word was! Will you guess?

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Old Blue Is My Home written and illustrated by Lita Judge

A young girl loves her family’s blue bus home. But sometimes, she feels like she is from everywhere and belongs nowhere which is hard when school friends don’t want to come over to play. For now, Old Blue gives her family everything they need, shelter and safety, a bedroom and a library, …a home. Heartfelt writing and impactful illustrations show a loving family experiencing housing insecurity inspired by Lita Judge’s childhood experiences.

A Book of Maps for You written by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III

MAPS

Every child needs this book– because map reading is a skill, but also it’s SO fun, and kids love maps! Start with the map of a town and continue to maps of the neighborhood, stores, your house, and the sky, plus a pirate map and maze, this book gives readers so much to pour over. Some maps are three-dimensional rom a front perspective, and some are 2D from an overhead perspective.

The Wombats Go Wild for Words written by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Lori Nichols

WORDS / VOCABULARY

Evergreen Forest is very boring until the wombats arrive with their splendid words. The words zing through the air; words like splendiferous and refreshing, and hullaballoo, revitalizing all the animals. The woodland animals taste and embrace new words. Soon, the littlest duckling declares she will be a verbivore and the wombats know their work is done! Don’t miss Little Duckling’s Duck-tionary in the back with all the wonderful words used in the story.

Ready, Steady, Sloth! written by Justin Anderson, illustrated by Manu Montoya

The slow build of tension mounts as the sloth leaves her tree on a special mission. Where is the sloth going? Along the journey, she grabs leaves to share with her baby. She uses her claws as hooks to cling to the tree. It’s a long way down. Informational facts also accompany the story of this sloth’s trip, expanding on the situation whether it’s facts about claws or the species of moths that live on sloths. But where is she going? If you know anything about sloths, you might be able to guess! BRILLIANT and highly recommended.

We Are the Wibbly! A Tadpole’s Tail written by Sarah Tagholm, illustrated by Jane McGuinness

A delightful read aloud about the tadpole-to-frog journey and the scariness and excitement of change! A tadpole in the wibbly (a group of eggs) narrates the panic of growing and changing in hilarious kid language as it becomes longish, grows things out the side, and does air-swimming. “Oh my crikeys!”

Worm Makes a Sandwich written and illustrated by Brianne Farley

Worm wants to make the little girl a sandwich. All Worm needs is GARBAGE. First to eat and then to poop out! No, the poop is not for the sandwich, it’s for the compost for the garden. The Worm continues sharing the process: making dirt for growing plants, and waiting for the tomato to grow big enough, and then slicing, adding bread and mayo, and a fancy toothpick. Written conversationally with charming illustrations, your readers will love the fun style and narration about the process of growing things. Back matter shares more about composting.

Are You a Hungry Monster? written and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten

META / PRESCHOOL / FUNNY

Just as hilarious as the first book in the series, this funny book is narrated by a monster who wants to share his sandwich with you. (How nice, right?!) The monster is surprised you don’t want a bite. After all, it’s got yummy old socks, earwax, snot, and an old shoe in it. (Too bad you don’t want it…) But then something surprising happens to the monster– a rumbly tummy with some SERIOUS gas problems. Which will make you laugh even harder than before! (Because potty humor is always funny.)

Pencil created by Hye-Eun Kim

Incredible sequential storytelling and illustrations about the creation and use of a pencil, beginning as a tree. In a factory, it becomes pencils which are sold in stores. In the hands of a child, the pencils become tools of the artist who draws illustrations of the forest.

Duckie & Snaps We Cannot Be Friends written by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Tim Miller

With adorable art and a cute-as-can-be story, this is sure to be a new read aloud favorite. When Dukie and Snaps’ (the crocodile) eggs crack open at the same time, Duckie suggests that they can play and be friends. But they can’t according to the grown-up alligator. Want to know why? Because crocodiles EAT duckies! The back and forth of the characters from this point on is hilarious as they argue one way or the other. Will the grown-up convince Snaps to eat Duckie or will something else happen?

In the World of Whales written by Michelle Cusolito, illustrated by Jessica Lanan

A masterclass in writing with vivid verbs and description, this is the story of a man’s free dive when he watches a sperm whale having a baby. “A ribbon of umbilical cord flutters from the baby’s abdomen, marking the site of its future belly button. Whales encircle mother and baby in an embrace. The man marvels at the sight.” Underwater illustrations in shades of blues include a fold out spread that shows more of the perspective — a small man next to the hulking whale bodies.

Ramon Fellini the Dog Detective written and illustrated by Guilherme Karsten

MYSTERY

If you like subversive picture books, you will love this story about a sneaky cat who tricks a little boy. When the boy is investigating who tipped over the fishbowl, a “dog” detective named Ramon, who looks like a cat, appears at the front door to help him solve the crime. Besides asking questions, Ramon’s methods are strange. But the boy is impressed. So impressed, he lets Ramon take the fish to look for suspects. Maybe you’ll guess what happens next, but I’m not going to tell you. Read the story and find out!

Pencil’s Best Story Ever written and illustrated by Carly Gledhill

STORYTELLING

Funny and fun, this will be a read aloud that cracks up your readers…and inspires them to invent their own stories. Pencil invents a story about Peanut’s adventure. After a bird and sock mishap, Peanut enters the scary forest where he finds…Jelly? And Bear. Pencil must do a bit of rewriting because Bear doesn’t want to eat Peanut because they’re friends…and also, Bear has a nut allergy. But there’s even more to Peanut’s silly adventure including a crocodile-infested river, a gigantic octopus, and a giant snowball.

Lighthouse Ladies: Shining a Spotlight on Hardy Heroines written by Kris Coronado, illustrated by Islenia Mil

There is so much to love about this magnificent book that shares short stories of four women who lived and worked in lighthouses. The artwork is stunning and the rich language is masterful. The stories capture hard lives and heroic moments of these four women and are written like thrilling narratives, not boring nonfiction biographies. Highly recommended.

His Fairytale Life A Book About Hans Christian Anderson written by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Brooke Boynton-Hughes

Written in one sentence (yes, the whole book is one sentence) this poetic tribute shares the highs and lows of the famous fairy tale author, Hans Christian Anderson, an awkward boy who became an awkward man who loved sharing poems and stories that became beloved around the world. Lovely, muted illustrations.