40 of the Best Picture Books of 2025

40 of the Best Picture Books of 2025 Book List, Curated by The Children’s Book Review

2025 delivers a treasure trove of stories brimming with imagination, heart, and voices from every corner of our world.

What a thrilling year for picture books! Sophie Blackall invites us into playful friendships, while Stephen King and Maurice Sendak cast a spellbinding new light on a beloved fairy tale. Peter Brown and Loren Long return with their signature magic, and fresh storytellers arrive with bold, beautiful visions. Pages are overflowing with adventure—from the pure delight of make-believe and storm-watching to profound journeys through family, culture, and belonging. Each book captures what makes picture books so special: their ability to spark wonder in readers of all ages while opening windows into experiences both familiar and new.

Here are forty of the best picture books of 2025:

When overnight a surprise snowfall blankets the town in fluffy white, Amos McGee’s lovable squad of zoo animals decides to visit him and play in the snow. This delightfully snowy tale is the latest follow-up to the Caldecott Medal winner A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

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Rasheed has the best big brother in the world! Anthony has been his hero from day one, teaching him about worms, mud pies, and how to fly on a swing. And now that Rasheed is getting older, both of them will soon be big brothers.

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A poignant wordless picture book about a homeless boy and his mom. What shines throughout the story is the deep love he and his mom share as they navigate their days together.

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A young boy celebrates a refreshing storm, using all his senses to experience a cloudburst of rain on a hot summer day. From the first raindrops to jumping in puddles, this book features expressive onomatopoeia to sound out and enjoy.

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It’s bedtime for beaches everywhere—and the Moon is ready to tuck them in! But when one shoreline snuggles up under the cozy blanket of the ocean, the other goes without cover. Will the Moon find a way to satisfy everyone?

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Millie Fleur knows there are enchanting things that can only be glimpsed in the dark, but since moving to Garden Glen, her nighttime friends are nowhere to be found. Determined to welcome the dark back to town, Millie Fleur bakes delicious moon pies and plants a sweet-smelling moon garden, but first she must convince the townspeople to be brave and turn out the lights.

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When a curious girl’s hope is crushed, she pieces it back together and drags it along behind her. Looking back, she finds that small trees have begun to sprout in her wake, the beautiful offerings of her now firmly rooted, thriving hope.

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Throughout the course of a beautiful summer day, from sunrise to moonrise, a host of animals find their way through a gap in the hedge, bringing a small woodland farm to life in this cumulative picture book with stunning scratchboard illustrations.

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It’s a little girl’s first trip to her papa’s homeland, and she’s wowed by her enormous family! She only knows a little Spanish, but her relatives help her see that there are other ways they can connect.

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Zoon’s shadow is always in his way—until his grandmother gives him his grandfather’s drum. If only Zoon could listen to the drum’s song, and ultimately to his own heart, he may yet find a way to thrive alongside his shadow.

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The Goldilocks family leaves their campsite to go on a hike while their s’mores cool off—when along comes Bear! This hilarious fractured folktale sees Bear eating all the s’mores, breaking a chair, and causing chaos until the Bear family shows up.

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Little Ah-Fu has a big imagination, but when the day comes to bring the huge family ox home from the woods, he worries he’s not big enough. This empowering story shows how to trust yourself and embrace what you can be.

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From flighty Bambiraptor’s traffic chopper to hardheaded Pachycephalosaurus’s garbage truck to mama Maiasaura’s kid-carting minivan, these dinos on the go have no time to slow down! A riotous, fully illustrated book of poems about dinosaurs and their favorite things-that-go.

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A baby girl is welcomed to the breathing world by generations of her family and set on the magnificent journey of becoming. As she grows, she is reminded of her connections to the natural world, her family, and her ancestors, and of her responsibility to uphold them.

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When a fire broke out at New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary library in 1966, thousands of books were turned to ashes. This powerfully told true story shows how helping hands from every background came together to become keepers of stories.

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The king and queen decide to hold a contest to choose the very best arguer in the land. But what will happen when everyone is so busy arguing that they can’t even hear the queen announce the start of the contest?

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From high atop a telephone pole, cranky Crow turns his friends away with his very cranky “kaw!” But unbeknownst to all, Crow has bigger, world-saving fish to fry—he must protect planet Earth from an asteroid headed our way.

Listen to Corey R. Tabor discuss Cranky, Crabby Crow on The Growing Readers Podcast.

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Why must you NEVER EVER trust fish? They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them, some are as big as a bus, and they are likely plotting our doom in this absurdly laugh-out-loud funny nature-guide-gone-wrong.

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George and Lenny are inseparable best friends—they are never alone! So what happens when one of them decides it’s time to try some alone time? Is there a way for them to be alone together?

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Father and child become buzzing bees, rustling trees, and more in this delightful make-believe romp. With bright, bold crayon illustrations, lilting words, and endless fodder for playing along, this read-aloud is guaranteed to bring on the giggles.

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No matter the season, no matter the reason, the love that surrounds this boy’s family table is palpable and never-ending. This poignant picture book reveals how Gullah Geechee culture contributes to a family’s love and reminds us of the importance of building community.

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Two friends bark and growl, woof and howl—and maybe even quack—in a romp that makes room for everybody’s ideas. This marvelous game of pretend explores the navigation of friendship and celebrates boundless imagination.

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On a sweltering hot day, a little boy mirrors his brother as they walk toward the tall rock, ready to dive into the cool lake waters glistening below—only this time, Father is not here. With a gorgeous, deft touch, this book conveys vulnerability, longing, and connection.

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After an awful day at school, Izzy wants to be left alone, but it’s Friday—tortilla-making day with Lito. As mistakes pile up, Lito surprises her by saying everyone makes mistakes, and if she makes a tortilla out of her mistakes, he will eat it!

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Over millions of years, creatures pass through the cave where Stalactite and Stalagmite live—from trilobites to dinosaurs to ground sloths. When you are an ageless rock formation, it’s nice to have a friend who’s always there.

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Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band, but as they prepare, Rosa begins to worry. With her mamiachi and madrinas by her side, Rosa’s stage fright is soothed away by the sound of trumpets, guitars, and violins.

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As a hot day sizzles into evening, everyone on stoops and sidewalks looks skyward on this special summer night—the Fourth of July! Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky in this sparkling celebration of a spectacular fireworks display.

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Every Monday, Mabel wakes up early, drags her chair down the hallway, out the door, and waits. What is Mabel waiting for? According to Mabel, it’s the best thing in the world—but no one else in her family seems to understand.

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Meet Papilio Polyxenes, the Black Swallowtail Butterfly! She’s an adorable caterpillar ready to join the world and become a butterfly, but growing up is complicated. While avoiding foes and making friends, she transforms and learns to believe in herself.

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Following a blazing trail of sundust, two curious siblings hop the wall into the desert where prickly old nopal trees beg to be climbed and enormous rocks model how to sit still and listen. In the desert, where life revolves around the Sun, they explore, imagine, and wonder.

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When robot Roz washes up on an island, she must learn from the animal inhabitants and adapt to her new, natural surroundings. Before long, the island begins to feel like home in this gorgeously illustrated picture book adaptation of the #1 New York Times bestselling novel.

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This stirring celebration of home in its many forms explores how home is an idea more profound than the walls we build. It’s the family that shows love through small gestures, the community that sees one another through hard times, and the wonder of the natural world.

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Two siblings bear witness to the steady start, thrilling apex, and gentle end of an island storm. With fantastically textured and visually spectacular illustrations paired with eloquent, rhythmic text, this multi-sensory experience will amaze and delight readers.

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When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama’s favorite cup, she’s convinced it’s the end of the world. When innocent cat Mimi gets blamed, the guilt is too much until the truth comes spilling out in this dramatic and tenderhearted picture book about guilt and forgiveness.

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Three Black boys spend one special summer exploring the Mississippi woods and the freeing friendship that is love. Watched over by Grandmama and Mama Lara, they find camaraderie in their contrasts as they play games in the thick garden and sled on cardboard by the underpass.

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Presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman celebrates girls and girlhood in their many forms, creating a rousing rallying cry with vivid illustrations. Girls are strong and powerful on their own, but even stronger when they work to uplift one another.

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Carmela’s walk takes her to a strange tower, and what she finds there will transform her life forever. In this companion to The Queen in the Cave, dreamlike and whimsical, the artist’s kaleidoscopic patterns and elaborately detailed imagery will bewitch young readers.

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Cecilia has two jobs: being a kid and helping her parents translate from Spanish to English. It’s an important job that can even be fun, but it’s also hard work that feels like she’ll split in two. Is it time for Cecilia to call for a time-out?

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A girl connects with heritage, history, and a higher power through the lyrics of twelve beloved spirituals and four seminal events in African American history. This layered picture book weaves together lyrics of timeless Black spirituals with a moving exploration of how music holds memories, emotions, and empowerment.

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Nana begins her transition from life into death, accompanied by her beloved Xolo dog, Popo. Inspired by the 9 levels of Mictlān and the role Xolo dogs play in Indigenous cultural understandings, this beautifully told story helps kids understand how loved ones live on in our memories.

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The haunting tale of two brave children lost in a dark and dangerous forest is reimagined by literary legends Stephen King and Maurice Sendak. With a personal introduction from Stephen King, this stunning storybook has been created in collaboration with The Maurice Sendak Foundation.

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