The Best Children’s Book of 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.

• 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 children to explore and imagine. Colouring pages included.

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:

• 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 where Peter Nimble and Sophie Quire fight against the “League of Maps,” a group trying to erase magic from the world, leading to an epic conflict between magic and reason. The book continues the story from the previous installments, featuring the same characters and world, and is recommended to be read 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.

• The Shape of Roti by Jennifer MahalIn

The Shape of Roti talks about geometry and baking, colliding to create a beautiful learning experience where children take an individualized approach to learning math through teamwork and with the guidance of elderly wisdom. As a bonus, children also get to learn about Roti, a round flatbread common in South Asian cuisine.

About the Author

Jennifer Mahal is a certified teacher based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When she was growing up, she noticed something missing: not enough books were like her. Now, as she works in the neighbourhoods where she grew up, she still sees that kids who share her background don’t have enough stories that represent them. She created The Shape of Roti, a fun and interactive book that teaches kids about shapes and different cultures in a meaningful way. It’s also a book that ensures kids can see themselves in their classrooms and at the library. Jennifer invites audiences to learn together and celebrate differences through The Shape of Roti.

• 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 in preparing children for a 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.

• Shy Me by Sandra V. Feder

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 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 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.

• A Summer Without Anna by Kate Jenks Landry

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, 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.

• The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi

The Interpreter is a picture book about a young girl named Cecilia who loves soccer and also does interpreting for her Spanish parents. She helps them with appointments and everyday tasks by translating between Spanish and English. The story highlights how much of a responsibility it is for immigrant children whose parents’ first language are often not English and captures the real life experiences that often affects 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.

• And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories by Andrea Davis Pinkney

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.

 

• 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 both mistakes and broken things can be repaired. 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 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.

• 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. It follows the story of a young captain named Abner, whose newly inherited ship is damaged in a storm. Through the his journey he meets characters like 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.