From picture books to board books with finger puppets, children’s literature is always sure to entertain. Throw in a lesson learned, whimsical illustrations and relatable characters, and you’ve got yourself the perfect kids’ book. Parents’ Magazine tasked librarians across the country to nominate the best children’s books published in 2019. Expert kid reviewers then whittled down over 350 titles to their top 30.
Here are the books that are sure to wow your child.
Scratchie: A Touch-and-Feel Cat-Venture (Little Simon) by Maria Putri
Narrated by a mischievous kitty, this story directs kids to feel all the textures in the book, from a rough paper towel to a squishy sponge. At the end, toddler reviewers happily obliged the cat’s request to scratch him. “On a recent car ride, my 13-month-old son occupied himself with the textures and pictures,” says Ashley Weller, of Whitehall, Pa. Ages 1 to 3
Kisses! (Twirl) by Virginie Aracil
Parents adored the sweet story of animals kissing their babies, especially the final two pages that encourage you to give your little one “the biggest kiss of all.” Sturdy graduated die-cut pages—perfect for anticipating what’s coming next—boost the book’s appeal to toddlers. Ages 0 to 2
Fancy Pants (Priddy) by Roger Priddy
Partially costumed animals with silly names like Pirate Winky O’Stinky ask readers to turn the built-in wheel on the side of each page to help find the missing part of their outfit. Toddler reviewers thought it was hilarious to try out all the options, like pairing a superhero shirt with a pink tutu, before landing on the matching piece. Sneaky bonus: “Thanks to the labeled illustrations, my 3-year-old learned a lot of new words,” says Olivia Cockerham, of Bensalem, Pa. Ages 1 to 4
TummyTime: Happy Baby (duopress), illustrated by Violet Lemay
Designed for babies to look at while they’re on their tummy, this book folds out like an accordion. One side adorably depicts babies doing everyday activities; the other shows black-and-white illustrations of familiar objects. “My 8-month-old loved rotating the book and looking at herself in the page that has a mirror,” says Chayanee Ubol, of Jersey City, N.J. Ages 3 months to 1 year
Hello, Dinosaurs! (Templar) by Sam Boughton
Nonfiction board books are now a thing, and they don’t get any better than this one, with fun flaps, word bubbles, and droll illustrations of kids climbing on dinos. Most of the eight spreads focus on a single species and make clever comparisons with other animals or objects. Ages 2 to 5
All Aboard! The Airport Train (Harry N. Abrams) by Nichole Mara, illustrated by Andrew Kolb
The book doubles as a train, and that alone blew the minds of kid reviewers. But then they had fun lifting the flaps to reveal illustrations inside each train car. “The text asks kids to find items of a certain shape or color,” says Betsy Bird, an Evanston, Ill., librarian who blogs about children’s literature. “You can’t help but crack up at a T-Rex ina ball gown holding an Oscar!”Ages 3 to 5
This Little Piggy (Candlewick) by Jarvis
One piggy goes to a market, and then the book becomes a clever rhyming story that helps toddlers learn to count to ten. Parents appreciated the bolded numbers on the bottom-left corners of the spreads and the grid on the last page where kids can count piggies. “This will be my go-to gift for first birthday parties,” says Heather Herriges, a mom of two in Cary, Ill. Ages 1 to 4
Peek-a-Who Too? (minedition) by Elsa Mroziewicz
Flaps on each side of this triangular book pose a question about animal sounds (“Who makes a Whoop Whoop?”) and lift up to reveal a vivid illustration of the corresponding creature. “I like that the flaps don’t open the same way on every spread,” says Katie Keith, a mom from Newfield, N.J. “It gave my almost-2-year-old a good challenge.” Ages 1 to 3
Play Time, Puppy! (Chatterbox), illustrated by Jo Byatt
Kids were mesmerized by the attached finger puppet as they listened to the story of a toddler whose puppy takes a ride in a toy train, wagon and more. Slowly shift the book and the puppet, and watch your baby’s eyes follow him. Ages 0 to 2
Look, There’s a Hellicopter! (Nosy Crow), illustrated by Esther Aarts
In this rhyming story, a female pilot goes on a mission to rescue a broken boat. Librarians pointed out that the repetition of the word look and the die-cut circles for little fingers to poke make the book engaging even for kids who aren’t transportation obsessed. Ages 1 to 3
The Great Indoors (Disney-Hyperion) by Julie Falatko, illustrated by Ruth Chan
Kids fell for the fresh concept: When a family leaves their house to go on a trip, forest animals move in for a vacay of their own. At first they enjoy the technology (Lights! TV! ), but then things go wrong. “It’s perfect for kids who like Mo Willems’s Pigeon books,” says Susannah Richards, associate professor of education at Eastern Connecticut State University. Ages 3 to 8
When Pencil Met Eraser (Imprint) by Karen Kilpatrick and Luis O. Ramos Jr., illustrated by Germán Blanco
The illustrations shine in this tale of how Pencil and Eraser become unlikely BFFs. Our kid reviewers cracked up at the facial expressions of the characters and realized that the drawings looked better when a bit was erased. Parents appreciated the message that even if someone initially rubs you the wrong way, you can still be friends. Ages 3 to 6
Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons (Millbrook Press) by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Mercè López
Each of the book’s 24 haikus is a fun riddle for kids to solve. “The illustrations maintain a fine line between picturing the haiku’s subject and encouraging young readers to ponder the riddle at the heart of it,” says Julie Danielson, of Murfreesboro, Tenn. Ages 5 to 9
Saturday (Little, Brown) by Oge Mora
This one is as much for parents as it is for kids: A working mom tries to make her one day off a week special for her daughter. But when a series of mishaps occur (culminating with forgotten tickets to a one-night-only puppet show), Mom declares she’s “ruined Saturday.” Her daughter sees it in a different way. “I loved watching the girl begin to understand what’s most important to her,” says Parents contributing editor Colby Sharp, a teacher and cofounder of the Nerdy Book Club. Ages 4 to 8
The Ultimate Book of Planet Earth (Twirl) by Anne-Sophie Baumann and Pierrick Graviou, illustrated by Didier Balicevic
Kid reviewers summed up their opinion in a single word: “Whoa!” Topics like the water cycle, weather, and natural resources come to life thanks to pop-ups (the volcano is impressive!), flaps and a mini rotatable wind turbine. Ages 6 to 12
A Kite for Moon (Zonderkidz) by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Matt Phelan
This story stood out among a slew of astronomy books honoring the 50th anniversary of the moon landing because it focuses on imagination. “After I read it, I asked my 3-year-old daughter if she wanted to visit the moon when she grew up. When she said ‘Yes’ in her little voice, it sounded like it was the first time she realized it was a possibility,” says Cheryl Lock, a mom of two in Arvada, Colo. Ages 3 to 7
High Five (Dial Books) by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
The hands-down fave of our kid reviewers, this rhyming story from the team behind Dragons Love Tacos takes readers on five rounds of a high-fiving contest. Lines like “I want to see something brand-new, a high five only you would do. A fresh technique that’s so unique, it leaves me unable to speak” encourage readers to bring it! “My kids are thinking of their high fives for the next time!” says Taylor Breisch, of Bethlehem, Pa. Ages 2 to 8
Tony T-Rex’s Family Album (Thames & Hudson) by Mike Benton, Illustrated by Rob Hodgson
A twist on nonfiction, this book covering 20 dinosaur species is narrated by Tony, a T-Rex. The first-person style (“I’ll have you know that I had the strongest bite of any land animal. EVER.”) made the info easier for our kid reviewers to understand. “It was so entertaining that I had to bargain with my son not to read the entire 60-plus pages at once,” says Francyne Zeltser, of New York City. Ages 5 to 12
Lenny the Lobster Can’t Stay for Dinner (Phaidon Press) by Finn Buckley with Michael Buckley, illustrated by Catherine Meurisse
A dad and his 10-year-old son cowrote this story about a lovable lobster who is invited to a party. He thinks he’s a guest, but he’s supposed to be dinner. Uh-oh. When you get to page 9 in the book, you can choose how you want the story to end; follow the skipahead option for a happier fate. Ages 4 to 8
My Papi Has a Motorcycle (Kokila) by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña
The rich, figurative language made kids feel like they were sharing a dad-and-daughter bike ride through their neighborhood—past Abuelita’s church, her old yellow house with a lemon tree, the panadería, and more. “It vividly captures a time and place,” says Amy Forrester, a children’s librarian at the Denver Public Library. “And the girl’s experience is so culturally specific yet universal.” Ages 5 to 9
Other Words for Home (Balzer + Bray) by Jasmine Warga
Kids praised the novel-in-verse format for being easy to read, comparing it with Newbery Honor winner Brown Girl Dreaming. (They’re a well-read bunch!) But the emotional struggle of Jude, a Syrian immigrant who wants to fit in at school, kept them turning pages. Ages 8 years+
Pie in the Sky (Henry Holt & Co.) by Remy Lai
In the hybrid graphic-novel style of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this book tempers losing a parent and adjusting to a new country with “just the right amount of humor, hope, and sibling high jinks,” says Liv Hanson, a youth content curator at the Chicago Public Library. Ages 8 years+
The Next Great Paulie Fink (Little, Brown) by Ali Benjamin
A mash-up of narrative, text messages and transcribed interviews, the format captivated kids. The story follows a competition to fill the shoes of a legendary classmate. Reviewers also praised the twist ending. “It was different from other books because the main character isn’t a hero,” says Matthew, 11. Ages 8 years+
This Was Our Pact (First Second) by Ryan Andrews
Authentic dialogue, fantastical illustrations and a cool plot about middle-schoolers who follow paper lanterns down a river during an equinox festival won over our reviewers. “I loved that the lanterns actually turn into fish and then stars,” says Asher, 9. Ages 8 years+
Pay Attention, Carter Jones (Clarion Books) by Gary D. Schmidt
On Carter’s first day of middle school, an unflappable English butler shows up at the door to help rein in the household chaos and dispense wise advice. In our reviewer’s words, what ensues is “a hilarious read” and “a great introduction to the sport of cricket.” Ages 10 years+
Caterpillar Summer (Bloomsbury) by Gillian McDunn
Kid reviewers rooted for Caterpillar (“Cat”), a rising sixth-grader who has shouldered responsibility for her younger brother since their father died. When she spends the summer at her grandparents’ house, will she be able to recapture her childhood? “It was interesting to imagine her standing up for her brother while she was going through sad times herself,” says Ava, 12. Ages 8 years+
The Dog Who Lost His Bark (Candlewick) by Eoin Colfer, illustrated by P. J. Lynch
This book gave our kid reviewers all the feels: An abused puppy is adopted by a boy, but he won’t bark because he’s afraid of getting in trouble. He regains his voice just in time to comfort the boy when he learns the boy’s parents are splitting up. “It’s a happy-mixed-with-sad book,” says Noah, 8. Ages 7 to 10
Click (HMH) by Kayla Miller
Fifth-grader Olive usually gets along with everybody, but she doesn’t have a bestie. She’s okay with that until the school variety show, when she finds herself without a group to join. The kid reviewers liked that Olive found a creative solution to her problem of not knowing exactly where she fits in. Ages 8 years+
Magic on the Map (Random House) by Courtney Sheinmel and Bianca Turetsky, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Kids compared this new series to the Magic Tree House books. Twins find a “Planet Earth Transporter” in their driveway and set off on adventures in Colorado (the first book) and New York (the second). Each one in the series will explore a different state. Ages 7 to 10
Unicorn and Yeti: Sparkly New Friends (Scholastic) by Heather Ayris Burnell, illustrated by Hazel Quintanilla
Behold the modern early reader. Kids liked the word balloons, paperback size, and fun story line. “I loved when the unicorn shot snowballs from her horn,” says Ella, 6. Ages 4 to 6
Which of these do you think you’ll pick up for the next storytime? Tell BookTrib below!
