30 Best Kids' Books of 2019

Written and illustrated 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, Pennsylvania. Ages 1 to 3

Written and illustrated 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

Written and illustrated 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, Pennsylvania. Ages 1 to 4

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, New Jersey. Ages 3 months to 1 year

Written and illustrated 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

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, Illinois, 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

Written and illustrated 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, Illinois. Ages 1 to 4

Written and illustrated 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, New Jersey. “It gave my almost-2-year-old a good challenge.” Ages 1 to 3

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

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

Written 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

Written 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

Written 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, Tennessee, who blogs at Blaine.org/SevenImpossibleThings. Ages 5 to 9

Written and illustrated 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

Written 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

Written 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, Colorado. Ages 3 to 7

Written 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, Pennsylvania. Ages 2 to 8

Written 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

Written by Finn Buckley with Michael Buckley, illustrated by Catherine Meurisse

A dad and his 7-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

Written 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

Written 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+

Written and illustrated 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+

Written 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+

Written and illustrated 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+

Written 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+

Written 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+

Written 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