'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'
Best for: Baby
By Eric Carle
With Carle’s signature swirl of colors, this classic kids’ book introduces the littlest readers to concepts like counting, color, texture and, of course, transformation. A great introduction to Carle’s stellar work, the original is also available in languages like Spanish and Chinese for your bilingual baby.
To buy: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, $6
'That’s What I’d Do'
Best for: Baby
By Jewel and Amy June Bates
A lullaby of a book, this picture book (illustrated by Amy June Bates) about the unbreakable bond between a mother and her newborn has a soothing cadence when read aloud. And it’s no wonder: The author is singer-songwriter Jewel, who welcomed her first son earlier this year. The book is accompanied by a CD of the lullaby sung aloud by the singer.
To buy: That’s What I’d Do, $14
'If I Could Keep You Little...'
Best for: Baby
By Marianne Richmond
Another sweet reader that will have parents weepy as they read aloud, this rhyming picture book encapsulates that feeling of wanting to pause and savor every moment of your child’s baby years: “If I could keep you little, I’d hold your hand everywhere/ But then I’d miss you knowing, ‘I can go … you stay there.’” A gentle, sing-song rhyme, and big colorful illustrations make rich text for the small set.
To buy: If I Could Keep You Little…, $11
'Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes'
Best for: Baby
By Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury
Baby’s favorite thing to look at—besides mommy, of course—is other babies! And this colorful book offers up plenty of them, along with a sing-song chorus that will keep your little one entertained as she drools over babies—brown, pink, yellow, from near and far—all with one thing in common: 10 little fingers, and 10 little toes.
To buy: Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, $8
'Goodnight Moon'
Best for: Baby
By Margaret Wise Brown
Perhaps every kid’s first bedtime story, the classic Goodnight Moon still holds a soft spot in the hearts of many parents today. With its sing-song refrain and a sleepy-time theme, memorable characters and colorful illustrations, it’s still the perfect read to cozy up with before baby goes down for the night. And check out Brown’s new soft, cloth edition that will give even the youngest readers something to hold onto.
To buy: Goodnight Moon, $12
'Heads'
Best for: Toddler
By Matthew Van Fleet
If your little one is the touchy-feely type—and let’s face it, what kid isn’t?—then Matthew Van Fleet’s sequel to his 2003 classic, Tails, is just the book to introduce your baby to the colorful, textured world of animals. A safari ride of a book, Heads introduces young ones to lions, tigers, bears, elephants and other exotic creatures, with touch-and-feel and pull-and-play interactivity. And if your kid can’t get enough, go old-school and buy the original—the shiny blue of the peacock will keep baby riveted.
To buy: Heads, $17
'That’s Not My Lion'
Best for: Toddler
By Fiona Watt and Rachel Wells
One of the amazing That’s Not My series by Fiona Watts and Rachel Wells, That’s Not My Lion has your little one touching and feeling his way through a diversity of roaring types until he finds the one he'd call his very own. The board book series also offers up princesses, monkeys, frogs, tractors and even monsters, all with the same shout-out-loud refrain that really gets kids into reading.
To buy: That's Not My Lion, $8
'Bear Has a Story to Tell'
Best for: Toddler
By Phillip C. Stead and Erin Stead
The latest picture book by the authors of the 2011 Caldecott winner—A Sick Day for Amos McGee—this story, Bear Has a Story to Tell, centers on a low-key Bear whose friends—Duck, Mouse and Toad—are too busy preparing for winter to pause a moment to listen to their pal’s story. Cozy up with some cocoa, and spend some time sharing Bear’s story. It’s worth a listen.
To buy: Bear Has a Story to Tell, $13
'Blackout'
Best for: Toddler
By John Rocco
Especially timely given the power outages plaguing many on the East Coast this fall due to Hurricane Sandy, this gorgeous picture book reminds kids—and their parents—that there’s more to life than smartphones, DVRs and video games. Based on the infamous blackout of 2003, Rocco’s story, a 2012 Caldecott Honor winner, centers on one (multi-cultural!) family that reconnects with each other when they lose power on a hot summer night in the city.
To buy: Blackout, $11
'Everyone Eats'
Best for: Toddler
By Julia Kuo
A delicious read by author-illustrator Julia Kuo, this picture book focuses on a forest full of critters and the tasty treats they’re craving. And if the book makes your toddler hungry, that’s great, because all of the healthy foods (like berries, seeds and carrots) mentioned are things that humans can eat, too!
To buy: Everyone Eats, $9
'Corduroy'
Best for: Little Kid
By Don Freeman
The children’s classic about a tired little bear—who’s missing a button—on a hunt for a home will resonate with today’s kids as much as it did with their parents (and grandparents). And the gift set comes with a cuddly keepsake your kid will treasure.
To buy: Corduroy, $16
'Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth'
Best for: Little Kid
By Emily Haynes and Sanjay Patel
This eye-popping story, written by Emily Haynes and boldly illustrated by Pixar animator Sanjay Patel, centers on a child version of the Hindi deity Ganesha—the destroyer of obstacles and bringer of success—who, in this rendition, is just your average, elephant-headed kid with a penchant for sugary sweets. Unable to control his candy cravings, he chips his tusk on a jawbreaker of a laddoo, but then runs into a sage who shows him that one needn’t be perfect to make a meaningful contribution. It’s an inviting, beautifully rendered read for parents looking to add a bit of diversity to their kid’s library.
To buy: Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth, $17
'The One and Only Ivan'
Best for: Little Kid
By Katherine Applegate
A startling and refreshing read, The One And Only Ivan centers on Ivan, the Ape at Exit 8, who’s lived his life behind the plexiglass of his cage at the strip mall zoo for as long as he can remember, staring out at the gawking humans, not even thinking about the place he once called home. But then, baby elephant Ruby arrives with memories and a mission. Based on a real gorilla named Ivan, held captive at a shopping mall zoo for more than 27 years, this is a story about courage and friendship.
To buy: The One And Only Ivan, $12
'Remarkable'
Best for: Little Kid
By Lizzie K. Foley
Imagine being the only ordinary thing in a town filled with gifted, talented, astounding, simply remarkable beings. That’s the plight of 10-year-old Jane Doe, the most un-extraordinary girl in a mountain town called Remarkable, which is at the center of this easy reader. A wry, whacky, whimsical read that feels like a 100 stories in one book, this one will keep your kid coming back for more with its adventures and laughs.
To buy: Remarkable, $12
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'Bird in a Box'
Best for: Little Kid
By Andrea Davis Pinkney
Set in the city of New York during the Great Depression, Bird in a Box centers on three 1930s children—Hibernia, Willie and Otis—who unite in the hope that mighty Joe Louis will become the next American heavyweight boxing champ. But they all have big dreams of their own, and Joe’s victory gives them hope that they, too, can achieve. Infused with rich historical detail—like commentary from real period radio—this is an uplifting tale of underdogs who overcome.
To buy: Bird in a Box, $7
'Wonder'
Best for: Tween
By R.J. Palacio
New York Times bestseller Wonder centers on 10-year-old Auggie Pullman, born with a facial deformity that gives him a unique perspective on the world—even though he’d rather be treated just like any other kid. Starting at a mainstream Texas school in 5th grade after being homeschooled his whole life, Auggie deals with the bullies—but what makes this read so interesting is that we get the other kids’ perspectives, too. As Auggie struggles to fit in, we see him grow and change, but we also see his classmates do the same.
To buy: Wonder, $9
'One for the Murphys'
Best for: Tween
By Lynda Mullay Hunt
At 12, Carley’s world of neglect and abuse is shattered as she’s placed into the foster care system. The Murphys, the family that takes her in, are kind and caring—not at all what Carley has been used to. Can she learn to accept love when it’s offered?
To buy: One for the Murphys, $12
'Starry River of the Sky'
Best for: Tween
By Grace Lin
Newbery Honor winner for her debut, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Grace Lin brings another tale of ancient Chinese folklore to life in this beautifully illustrated tale about Rendi, a runaway village boy who seems to be the only one to notice that the mom has gone missing from the sky. With tales of old wise men, wives transformed into toads, and that old Magistrate Tiger from Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Lin’s interwoven tales will have kids reading and rereading as they make astounding connections between the stories—and eventually find out what happened to that missing moon.
To buy: Starry River of the Sky, $12
'See You at Harry’s'
Best for: Tween
By Jo Knowles
Narrated by 12-year-old Fern, the third of four children whose parents run Harry’s, a local ice cream parlor, See You At Harry’s, by author Jo Knowles, tackles a lot: an older sister putting off college, an older brother exploring his sexuality, and a sudden tragedy that leaves the whole family reeling. All this might seem to be too much for a young reader, but Knowles’s effortless tween tone and very relatable protagonist—who’s suffering from that ubiquitous middle child syndrome—makes this a meaningful, yet easily digestible, read.
To buy: See You At Harry’s, $12
'Ask the Passengers'
Best for: Teen
By A.S. King
Struggling with her sexuality in a small, ignorant town, Astrid needs to find someone to confess to—and she does, some 30,000 miles above her: the strangers in the planes that fly over her. But when the secrets she keeps begin to unravel, who will she turn to? Printz honor winner A.S. King for Please Ignore Vera Dietz touches on themes like identity, acceptance and escape, painting a full picture with real, vivid, specific details and emotions.
To buy: Ask the Passengers, $12
'Every Day'
Best for: Teen
By David Levithan
Fans of David Levithan and John Green’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson—an everykid story with a magical twist—will like Levithan’s Every Day, in which the protagonist, A, wakes up every morning in a different body: male, female, old or young. He’s come to terms with this existence—that is, until he ends up in the body of a boy whose girlfriend, Rhiannon, might just be the love of his life. Levithan’s book explores the possibility of love beyond the surface of things.
To buy: Every Day, $12
'Code Name Verity'
Best for: Teen
By Elizabeth Wein
This action-packed historical YA fiction centers on “Verity,” a British secret agent in 1943 whose spy plane comes crashing down into enemy territory in Nazi-occupied France, taking her best friend and pilot, Maddie, along with it. As she tells her story, Verity reveals how she came to be friends with Maddie, why she had to leave her behind in the plane’s wreckage, and the revelations of the secrets she carried with her. Historical fiction at its best, teen or otherwise.
To buy: Code Name Verity, $12
'The Diviners'
Best for: Teen
By Libba Bray
A historical romp through the roar of 1920s New York—filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls and pickpockets. Ohio-raised Evie O’Neill is shipped off to live with her occult-obsessed uncle Will, the curator of “the museum of creepy-crawlies,” and finds herself at the heart of a murder investigation that centers on the very things her uncle finds fascinating. Fast-paced, detailed and delicious, this edge-of-your seat read will have your kid turning pages—and looking for more from Printz winner Bray, whose canon includes Going Bovine, Beauty Queens, and the Gemma Doyle trilogy.
To buy: The Diviners, $14
'Never Fall Down'
Best for: Teen
By Patricia McCormick
Patricia McCormick, known for touching on cultures both foreign and familiar in seminal works like Sold and Cut, earns a second National Book Award acknowledgement for Never Fall Down, a heartbreaking book about a child soldier, Arn, caught in the midst of what would eventually be the Khmer Rouge genocide at the Killing Fields in Cambodia. Based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, Never Fall Down is unflinching in its reality, and uplifting in its protagonist’s tenacity. McCormick’s book is not for the faint of heart—but it is worth reading.
To buy: Never Fall Down, $13
