Best Books of 2025
Turn the page on a new year of reading. Discover 2025’s best books for kids and the grown-ups who read with them.
Younger Readers
Anything by Rebecca Stead (Chronicle)
After a move to a new apartment, a father reserves judgment, which leads to silly and caring interactions with his daughter.
Before She Was My Grandmother by Giselle Potter (Enchanted Lion)
There are stories inside everyone, and keepsakes, such as a wooden stacking doll or an old pair of binoculars, can hold rich memories.
Black Boy, Rise by Brynne Barnes and Bryan Collier (Chronicle)
Through the lens of James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois and more, the author and illustrator celebrate Black boys past, present and future.
Books on Bikes by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell (Clarion)
It’s a “Little Free Library” on wheels! Lia loves reading, but the public library is too far away. Lia and her friends start a Book Brigade where they carry books on their bikes to lend to others.
The Bookshop on Lemon Tree Lane by Mike Lucas (Little Hare)
The old, comfortable bookshop is gone, and a little boy is not happy about it. What will go in its place?
The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood (Random House)
Mesmerizing illustrations highlight this wordless picture book’s theme of losing and regaining natural spaces.
Built to Last by Minh Lê (Alfred A. Knopf)
Even when everything you build together seems to fall apart, you still have the most important ingredient to every project — friendship.
Down on the Bayou by Glenda Armand (Crown)
Enjoy the beauty of the bayou through the eyes of Troy and his Grandpa as they take a canoe trip with Grandpa’s old friend.
Howdy! Welcome to the Grand Ole Opry by Emily Frans (Abrams)
It’s your first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage. Learn where your dressing room is located, feel the butterflies in your stomach when you take your first step into the circle, and learn about the history of the most famous stage in country music.
George and Lenny Are Always Together by Jon Agee (Rocky Pond)
George and Lenny do everything together, but what happens when Lenny wants time alone?
Golden Gate: Building the Mighty Bridge by Elizabeth Partridge (Chronicle)
People said it was impossible to build a suspension bridge across the Golden Gate Strait in San Francisco. This book gives a detailed account of the grit and ingenuity it took to make the bridge a reality.
In-Between Places by Alex Killian (Chronicle)
It’s OK to be between places. Sometimes you find out you like where you’re at, and other times, you end up somewhere unexpected and full of possibilities.
The Music Inside of Us: Yo-Yo Ma and His Gifts to the World by James Howe (Abrams)
Using the great cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s musical journey as a focal point, this picture book biography inspires us to make meaningful connections with the people around us.
My Quiet Place by Monica Mikai (Chronicle)
Where is your quiet place? This book offers different ways to decompress, from a quiet nook under the stairs to a sunny sofa at the school library.
Over and Under the Coral Reef by Kate Messner (Chronicle)
Southern stingrays, green sea turtles, balloon fish and great barracudas: take a snorkeling adventure to a coral reef to learn about sea life, with a description of each sea animal at the end of the book.
Rap It Up! by Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffrey Boston Weatherford (Henry Holt)
It’s the perfect book for the aspiring young rapper, as it provides an insider’s look at the writing and performing process. The author teaches kids how to make their rap “fresh and fly,” and he sneaks in the figurative language your kids study in Language Arts class.
To Walk the Sky by Patricia Morris Buckley (Heartdrum)
Do you know who built many of the towering bridges and skyscrapers in North America? This book tells the daring and sometimes tragic stories of the past and present Iroquois steelworkers who make our skylines.
Train of Thought by Jess Horn and Hayley Wells (Bright Light)
Andy’s mind floats away on the perfect adventures, but he has trouble staying on track at home and at school. Enter Mom and Dad’s clever plan — take Andy on a real train ride all the way to the city to show the power of imagination and reality.
When You Go to Dragon School by Chelsea M. Campbell (Feiwel and Friends)
There’s no more room at the school. But don’t worry; there are openings at the local dragon school!
While We Wait by Bee Johnson (Henry Holt)
Join two sisters with their mom as they shop at the farmers’ market, stop off at the post office, melt down before lunch at the diner, and just can’t stop whispering and giggling at bedtime.
Older Readers
All About Antarctica: A Fact Book About the Southernmost Continent by Marc Martin (Chronicle)
For kid explorers, this book covers what to pack, how to get there, scientific research, relaxation and recreation, climate change and animals they will see on their trip to Antarctica.
The Callers by Kiah Thomas (Chronicle)
In the second installment of the Callers fantasy series, Quin continues to face the challenges that the objects his world “calls,” or summons into being, are stolen from another land. What should he do about this injustice?
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow)
Set in 1999 during the Y2K panic, this novel for middle schoolers will get kids thinking about the importance of the present over dwelling on the past or future.
Maps of the World Quiz Book edited by Alison Proietto (Hardie Grant Explore)
Kids can test their cartographic skills with questions and brain teasers from easy to difficult. This book will improve kids’ navigation skills and help them learn more about people and places around the world.
A Sea of Lemon Trees by María Dolores Águila (Roaring Brook)
A novel based on true events, 12-year-old Roberto Alvarez becomes the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the local school board when he and other Mexican immigrant children are forced to attend a separate “Americanization” school in San Diego.
Stella & Marigold: Mermaids and Mix-Ups by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall (Chronicle)
Stella and Marigold are worried they don’t have enough friends, so they come up with imaginative plans to add to their friend list. Through their adventures, they find out that numbers really don’t matter.
For Parents
Poems of Parenting by Loryn Brantz (William Morrow)
With drawings in a Shel Silverstein style, these poems for parents are sure to make you laugh so hard you’re in tears — and get you a little teary eyed, too.
– Compiled by Kevin Powell
