The Best Children’s Book of the Year 2025
From the timeless prose of Charles Dickens to the fantastical worlds of C.S. Lewis, children’s literature has immersed readers in transformative worlds.
This past year has continued that legacy proudly; indeed, the sheer volume of high-quality releases has made it more challenging than ever to curate our definitive list of the best children’s books of 2025. From established novelists to compelling celebrity debuts by the likes of Jennifer A. Nielsen and Cynthia Erivo, 2025 proved to be a special year for the evolution of books for young readers.
Whether you are looking for books that ignite children’s imagination, offer a window into diverse new perspectives, or embark on a sprawling adventure, our selection of the best children’s books of 2025 highlights the must-read titles that defined the literary landscape this year. These stories do more than entertain—they challenge stereotypes and encourage children to imagine better futures.
The Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
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Sleepy Guppy Says Bedtime Must Wait by Rayo Adebola
A Faber and Faber FAB Prize 2025 Highly Commended Winner, Sleepy Guppy Says Bedtime Must Wait is a warm picture book about a little fish with a big imagination (and an even bigger list of bedtime excuses). Oh, and Mummy and Daddy Guppy, who are on a mission to tuck her in before they run out of excuses (and patience). With vibrant full-colour illustrations, Sleepy Guppy Says Bedtime Must Wait is a fun read for ages 0 to 6. Each page invites also children to explore and imagine.
About the Author
Adebola Rayo is a writer and editor living in the United Kingdom. She holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco and was a 2021 writer-in-residence at the Mas Palou Art Residency in Spain. Her novel-in-progress was shortlisted for the Cheshire Novel Prize in 2024 and longlisted for Craft Literary’s First Chapters Contest 2025. She spends her days juggling work, raising a toddler, and reading through an ever-growing stack of picture books.
Sleepy Guppy Says Bedtime Must Wait is available in the US and the UK:
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The Vanished Kingdom: The War of the Maps by Jonathan Auxier
The War of the Maps is the third book in Jonathan Auxier’s The Vanished Kingdom series, following Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes and Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard. It’s a middle-grade fantasy adventure in which Peter Nimble and Sophie Quire fight the “League of Maps,” a group seeking to erase magic from the world, culminating in an epic conflict between magic and reason. The book continues the story from earlier installments, features the same characters and world, and reads best in sequence.
About the Author
Jonathan Auxier is a Canadian-American writer of young adult literature. Auxier is a New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed author for his works of The Vanished Kingdom (Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, and The War of the Maps), The Night Gardener, and Sweep. He also co-hosts the A Good Story Well Told Podcast.
Learn more about The War of Maps Here.
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Outside by Jennider L. Holm
Outside is a middle-grade dystopian-leaning novel about Razzi, a twelve-year-old girl who has spent her whole life inside a fortified compound called The Refuge, where adults keep children sheltered from the dangerous world beyond the walls. Razzi has always been told that going outside is unsafe, but her curiosity grows with every moment she and the others are made to stay inside.
About the Author
Jennifer L. Holm is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY-bestselling children’s author with nearly ten million books in print. She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and the Scott O’Dell Award for FULL OF BEANS. Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on several graphic novel series including the Babymouse series which has won the Eisner Award, the Sunny series which is a NY Times-bestseller, and finally, the Squish series which was turned into an animated series by Cottonwood Media and aired on HBO MAX. Her latest novel, OUTSIDE, has received a starred review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. She lives in California with her husband, two children, and three bossy cats named Augustus, Livia, and Calpurnia.
Learn More about Outside Here.
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Ms. Rachel and Bean and the Bedtime Routine by Ms. Rachel and Mr. Aron
Ms. Rachel and Bean and the Bedtime Routine is a gentle picture book where Ms. Rachel guides her friend Bean through a familiar end of day activities of putting away toys and taking baths, to brushing teeth all the way to reading a bedtime story. The book aims to show how each step helps prepare children for restful sleep. It also includes tear-out checklists that can make bedtime fun for young children.
About the Author
Ms. Rachel and Mr. Aron (Rachel and Aron Accurso) are the co-creators of the beloved show Ms. Rachel, which has amassed over 10 billion views on YouTube and is also available on Netflix. Together, they have written several books and numerous songs. Ms. Rachel blends songs, games, and nursery rhymes with expert-backed strategies to help toddlers and their families learn, bond, and thrive.
Learn More about Ms. Rachel and Bean and the Bedtime Routine Here.
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Shy Me by Sandra V. Feder
Illustrated by Ashley Barron
Shy Me is a picture book in the Emotions and Me Series by Sandra V. Fender. It follows a young child who describes moments of shyness in their life, such as meeting new people, being in busy places, or performing in front of others. The story gently explores the meaning of shyness through the eyes of a child and the ways the child tries to cope with such feelings. It is perfect for young readers as it helps contribute to social-emotional learning by normalizing shyness and also promoting empathy.
About the Author
SANDRA V. FEDER is the author of the highly acclaimed books in the Emotions and Me series, including Angry Me and Peaceful Me, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year), and Shy Me and Lonely Me (the latter forthcoming in 2026), illustrated by Ashley Barron. Sandra’s other books include Bitter and Sweet, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker (a PJ Library selection), and The Moon Inside, illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. She lives in California.
Learn More about Shy Me by Sandra V. Feder Here.
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A Summer Without Anna by Kate Jenks Landry
Illustrated by Risa Hugo
A Summer Without Anna is the story of young Junie who must spend summer with her grandparents while her older sister, Anna is ill and receiving treatment. She is given Anna’s beloved camera and encouraged by Anna to document her days with a note that says ‘In case you find Edmund’. Over the course of the summer, Junie plays on the lake, fishes with her grandfather and takes pictures as she awaits her sister’s return.
This picture book explores the theme of homesickness and family love.
About the Author
Kate Jenks Landry is an author of books for young people and an educator. Her debut picture book, Beatrice and Barb, was published with Kids Can Press. She is a graduate of the creative writing program at the University of Toronto. Kate lives with her family in Kitchener, Ontario.
Learn More about A Summer Without Anna Here.
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The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi
Illustrated by Monica Arnaldo
The Interpreter centers on Cecilia, a soccer-loving girl who takes on the role of interpreter for her Spanish-speaking parents. She helps them with appointments and everyday tasks by translating between Spanish and English. The story especially highlights how much of a responsibility it is for immigrant children whose parents’ first language is often not English and captures the real-life experiences that often affect the lives of bilingual children.
About the Author
Olivia Abtahi is a writer and filmmaker born in Washington, DC. When she isn’t drafting novels about awkward teens, you can find her working on documentaries about social justice and climate equity. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband and their daughter.
Learn More about The Interpreter Here.
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And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Daniel Minter
And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories is a beautiful illustrated picture book biography of the life and legacy of the Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. It traces the journey of her life from her childhood in Ohio, her education and career and her rise to being one of America’s important storytellers. This book for young readers aims to inspire them to dream and work towards being storytellers like Toni Morrison too.
About the Author
Andrea Davis Pinkney is the distinguished and bestselling author of many books for children and young adults, including picture books, novels, and non-fiction. Her books have received multiple Coretta Scott King Book Awards, Jane Addams Honor citations, nominations for the NAACP Image Awards, the Boston Globe/Horn book Honor medal, and many other accolades. In recognition of her significant contributions to literature for young people through her body of work, she was selected to deliver the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture.
Ms. Pinkney lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and frequent collaborator, Brian Pinkney, and their two children.
Learn More about And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories Here.
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Broken by X. Fang
Broken is a tender and humorous picture book about Mei Mei, a young girl who accidentally breaks her grandma’s favourite cup while trying to play with the cat. Initially scared of the consequences, she blames the cat but when the guilt is too much, she confesses the truth. Mei Mei learns that mistakes and broken things don’t have to stay broken. Broken teaches children about truthfulness, forgiveness and not running away from taking responsibility.
About the Author
X. FANG is a visual artist and maker of books for young readers, including Dim Sum Palace, winner of the 2023 Society of Illustrators’ Dilys Evans Founder’s Award among other honors, and We Are Definitely Human, an Ezra Jack Keats Illustration Award winner, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, an Indie Next Pick and the recipient of five starred reviews. She also exhibits her art throughout the U.S. and internationally and has worked professionally as a graphic designer and art director for film and television studios. Born in Taichung, Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, she now lives in rural Maine with her husband, son and their dog, Pamela.
Learn More about Broken Here.
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Abner by Simon West
Abner is an adventurous middle-grade novel set on a flooded ocean world where humanity only survives on scattered wooden rigs and ships. The story follows a young captain named Abner after a storm damages the ship he has just inherited. Throughout his journey, he meets characters such as Silas and Jared and learns lessons as they explore the ocean planet.
About the Author
Simon West was born under a Maltese sun and raised, for a little while, under an Ethiopian. However, it is under the rarely-seen Scottish sun that he has spent most of his life, in Edinburgh. Here he met his wife, and here it was that his three children were born. Here, too, he took ownership of a dog and a cat—Arthur and Willow, respectively. Having worked as a teacher for many years in and around schools, he has most recently turned his attention to creative writing and is a doctoral student in the subject at the University of Edinburgh. He is passionate about telling stories, tall ones and short ones, and enjoys Turkish Delight.
Learn More about Abner Here.
Children’s books should do more than entertain your kids; they should also help develop emotional and moral qualities that are part of life. These are the titles in our Best Children’s Book of the Year 2025 exhibit, and we believe they are worthy finds for you and your children.
