The best children’s books have the power to pull adult readers back toward childhood while helping younger readers (and listeners) expand their view of the world
This is no easy trick, but when a story manages to transport everyone together, it’s pretty close to actual magic. This is both why parents return to the books they loved as children and why the most transportive of those books tend to hold up decades later.
Sponsored by Enfamil Enspire An Award-Winning Formula
Looking for a formula you can trust to support your baby? Enspire is Enfamil’s closest formula to breast milk ever. It has Lactoferrin and MFGM which have been associated with fewer digestive and respiratory issues.
Learn More About Enspire
Still, the tendency to reach for books from one’s own childhood leads many parents to skip over worthy new work. This is why Fatherly wanted to draw attention to 50 of the greatest children’s books of the past decade (from 2009 to 2019). With the help of librarians, teachers, bookstore owners, and children’s book aficionados, we’ve rounded up 50 modern classics that will help parents expand their view of the world, why helping kids to laugh, learn, think, imagine, dream, see, and embrace the world around them in new ways.
The 50 Greatest Children’s Books of the 2010s ‘The Lion & the Mouse’ by Jerry Pinkney
There is no text in this retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. Instead, the classic story of friendship and finding strength in the smallest of creatures is told solely through illustrations. And those illustrations speak volumes. Look at the detail of the Serengeti, the wetness of the lion’s eyes, the fear he expresses when caught in the poacher’s net, and the spirit of the mouse throughout. Words aren’t necessary when the images are this vibrant.
Buy Now $12.69 ‘The Curious Garden’ by Peter Brown
A simple tale that’s a must-read for any budding environmentalist. Wandering through the city, a young boy named Liam stumbles upon a tiny, unloved garden. He decides to tend it, and does so with great care. His hard work pays off, as the tiny plot of green space eventually spreads through the entire city, brightening every block.
Buy Now $14.73 ‘Duck! Rabbit!’ by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
It’s never too soon to present kids with a good dose of ambiguity. This genuinely funny story focuses on a character rendered exactly like the 19th-century drawing-turned-philosophical-debate-turned-internet-meme of a duck that looks like a rabbit … or is it the other way around? That’s where the simple joy of this book comes in, as two off-page narrators spend their times arguing about which creature it has to be. At the end, it doesn’t really matter does it? We’re allowed to see things differently.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘A Sick Day for Amos McGee’ by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
Amos McGee has nearly every kid’s dream job. An elderly zookeeper, his (very exact) routine consists of playing chess with an elephant, reading bedtime stories to an owl, and sprinting against a tortoise. When Amos is stricken with the sniffles and has to stay home, his animal friends decide to visit him and offer the companionship he so often provides them. The pencil and woodblock illustrations make each page feel like a frameable print.
Buy Now $9.79 ‘Julián Is a Mermaid’ by Jessica Love
A vibrant, upbeat tale about individuality and the big job of becoming oneself. Riding the train with his abuela, Julián catches sight of three joyfully confident women decked out in the most spectacular mermaid finery, with sparkling dresses that taper to fish tails. For young Julián, it's a moment of deep recognition — using things from around the house, he creates his own spectacular mermaid costume. But what will his abuela say?
Buy Now $9.99 ‘Little Monkey Calms Down’ by Michael Dahl and Oriol Vidal
Consider this a self-help book for toddlers who have a tendency to go all Godzilla when things don’t go their way. Written by Mike Dahl, the story sees Little Monkey experiencing a bit of a tantrum. Sent to his room to calm down, he goes through a suite of tricks that will arm readers with ways to mitigate their own meltdowns.
Buy Now $7.59 ‘The Heart and the Bottle’ by Oliver Jeffers
In 32 pages, Jeffers weaves a tale of love, loss, grief, and healing that, miraculously, feels complete. A wondrous little girl goes about her day, buoyed by the strength of the old man that watches her. But then one day the old man is gone (we see only an empty chair). To handle the hurt, she places her heart in a glass bottle. What follows is a meditation on life and how to endure its many tribulations. Is the story heavy? Yes. But it has a tender spirit.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘Another’ by Christian Robinson
A wordless picture book that conjures a whole alternate universe of dreamy beauty and possibility. We follow a little girl and her cat through a portal in her bedroom into a world that (mostly) mirrors our own — as they venture deeper into this world, they encounter an identical black cat (but with a blue collar) and an identical girl (whose nightshirt sports a blue planet, rather than a red one). An imagination-boosting parallel realm in which kids of all kinds happily read and draw together, play with hula hoops and bubbles, and jump rope.
Buy Now $8.99 ‘Wabi Sabi’ by Mark Reibstein and Ed Young
Wabi Sabi the cat really wants to know the true meaning of her name, which derives from the Japanese philosophy that seeks to find beauty in imperfection. She leaves her Kyoto home and asks a variety of people for help, finally arriving at a mountain temple where a monkey answers her question beautifully. Reibstein’s haikus are exquisite, as are Young’s incredible collages, which gives the book the feel of a patchwork quilt.
Buy Now $8.89 ‘I Must Have Bobo!’ by Eileen Rosenthal
It’s the classic children’s book trope: boy misplaces stuffed animal. But, in the able hands of Rosenthal, it takes on new life. The boy here is Willy and the stuffed animal here is a sock monkey named Bobo. Willy wakes up and, unable to find his lumpy companion, spends his morning losing his mind before discovering that Bobo has been taken by his cat, Earl. It’s a book that works so well because it’s so embedded in the world of toddlers. Read aloud, it helps them understand that some things that are lost find new homes.
Buy Now $13.99 ‘I Want My Hat Back’ by Jon Klassen
This book’s titular wish comes from a slow-witted bear with small eyes. He’s missing his beloved red conical hat and proceeds to ask a variety of creatures in the forest if they know its whereabouts. The simple journey, bolstered by Klassen’s sparse illustrations and fun details, has few major lessons but is a blast to go on regardless.
Buy Now $13.98 ‘The Invisible Boy’ by Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton
Brian fades into the background figuratively and literally (he’s drawn in black-and-white) until a kind gesture towards the new kid in class illuminates his artistic talents and their value. It’s a struggle to be a lonesome kid silently drawing superheroes with the power to make friends, but as an artist, one day Brian will appreciate not being appreciated in his own time.
Buy Now $10.59 ‘Press Here’ by Herve Tullet
A lone yellow dot sits on the first page of this book; below it, the simple instruction: press here. Turn the page and you’ll find two dots and more instructions and more and more. What follows is an exercise in imagination that will have kids shaking, blowing, twisting, and pressing the pages to see what magic awaits them on the next. And the amazing thing is that the book makes it seem as though the reader really is controlling the action. It’s all exceptionally clever, and proves that a young imagination needs but a bit of urging.
Buy Now $5.15 ‘River’ by Elisha Cooper
Perfect for would-be explorers, this story follows the expedition of a woman who paddles the Hudson solo, pitching her tent on the riverbank and drifting from a serene watercolor wilderness toward the big city and the sea. Encountering wildlife, thunderstorms, and rapids along the way, she manages all with appreciation, skill and calm. Especially cool are the maps and other detailed info at the back of the book — real adventure is all about being prepared and aware.
Buy Now $14.65 ‘Me … Jane’ by Patrick McDonnell
This true story of the primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, charts her progression from animal-obsessed little girl to pioneer of a field notably devoid of women. It’s an ape-filled tale of determination fit for both nature-lovers and anyone who dreams of a life spent with animals.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker
One of the most brilliant wordless picture books ever created, Aaron Becker’s Journey follows a young girl who, ignored by her family, uses a red crayon to draw a door on her bedroom wall and steps through it into a magical world. Becker’s bright, imaginative renderings of everything from a forest strung with lanterns to citadels and flying carpets, as well as the realizations that strike as pages turn, make the titular journey all the more essential. The follow up stories, ‘Quest and Return’ are as magical.
Buy Now $11.65 ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ by Onjali Q. Raúf
This 2019 debut puts the refugee crisis in a context all kids can understand and relate to — how simple acts of friendship can rescue us from feeling like an outsider at school and let us know we're never alone in the world. Ahmet, a 9-year-old Syrian refugee, is quiet and withdrawn when he arrives at his new school in the U.K.; but when his new classmates become his friends, they devise an elaborate plan, involving the queen of England, to reunite him with his family.
Buy Now $9.99 ‘Extra Yarn’ by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Annabelle lives in a drab, colorless world. One day, she happens upon a magic box filled with yarn of every color and, in an act of reflexive generosity, decides to knit sweaters for everyone she knows. And while Annabelle has certain hurdles that come her way, nothing stops her from brightening up their world. The prose here is bright and the way Klassen’s color palette goes from black and white to kaleidoscopic is astonishing.
Buy Now $10.69 ‘The Day You Begin’ by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López
From brilliant storyteller Jacqueline Woodson, a tale about coping with feelings of difference and aloneness — and learning how to share your story with others, so they'll share theirs with you. The beginning of a great friendship! Full of helpful perspective-getting moments for kids who find themselves feeling afraid in new settings, with new people — none of whom are quite like them.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘Z Is for Moose’ by Kelly Bingham
In this twist on the alphabet book, the titular Moose keeps trying to get his time in the spotlight. But Zebra, who’s directing the action, keeps sending him off page. When the letter M finally arrives and Zebra decides to give the spot to Mr. Mouse, Moose is livid — until, he’s given a special place of his own. It’s a clever shakeup of the standard style, one that deserves a place on your bookshelf for the zany ways it illustrates the Moose.
Buy Now $11.39 ‘Dragons Love Tacos’ by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
Listen: sometimes you just want a story with a silly premise and no substantive message that makes children giggle every time they turn a page. This book, which posits that the fabled fire-breathing creatures really can’t resist some mexican food, achieves just that. It’s a blast.
Buy Now $9.50 ‘Rosie Revere, Engineer’ by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
This is a genuinely fun book with a message of female empowerment. The Godmother of maker women was World War II’s Rosie “We Can Do It!” Riveter, whom the title character of this book is lucky enough to have as a great-great aunt. Rosie (the younger) is too shy to talk about her passion for inventing, but is motivated by a timely visit from Rosie (the elder) to pursue her dreams and attempt to build a flying machine. All little girls need is some inspiration.
Buy Now $8.39 ‘Wild’ by Emily Hughes
The heroine in this book is a modern day Mowgli: She grew up in the jungle and was taught everything she knows by animals (“bird taught her how to speak”; “bear taught her how to eat”). Eventually, she’s captured by humans and brought to regular society where she is extremely out of her element. They try to tame her,, but that won’t happen. Consider this a call for kids to be their one true self.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘Little Owl’s Night’ by Divya Srinivasan
A clever twist on the bedtime story, Divya Srinavasan’s tale not only conjures sleep in little kids but also assures them that darkness is nothing to fear. Little Owl wakes up as night begins to see his other nocturnal friends going about their day: a sniffing hedgehog, a family of opossums, a chorus of frogs and crickets. As morning approaches, Little Owl asks his mother to tell him what the daytime is like. She does — but he’s fast asleep before dawn breaks. Graceful prose and cartoonish illustrations buoy the story.
Buy Now $4.99 ‘Mr. Tiger Goes Wild’ by Peter Brown
Mr. Tiger’s society is stuffy: everyone wears top hats and lapelled-coats and no one wants to run or do anything but be serious. He plays along with them for a while, shaking hands and exchanging how-do-you-dos, but eventually the call of the wild — which is the call to loosen up and have some fun — is too strong and he sheds his clothing and embraces his true, four-legged self. It’s a story any child will relate to and the accompanying illustrations of waistcoated wildlife, should earn multiple re-reads.
Buy Now $12.99 ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
This clever tale imagines what would happen if all the colors in a box of crayons stage a walkout. They leave written notes to their owner, a young boy named Duncan, explaining particular gripes they have and where they’ll be headed. Beige is tired of being Brown’s annoying step-cousin; blue is worn down by drawing endless seascapes; pea-green hates the associated vegetable. All ends up well, of course, and the journey to that point is worthwhile for the clever conceit and the crayon-inspired imagery throughout.
Buy Now $16.19 ‘The Lion and the Bird’ by Marianne Dubuc
One day, while tending to his garden, a lion finds a wounded bird and decides to nurse him back to life during the winter. The two become fast friends — and save one another from a season of loneliness — but as the year stomps on, the two realize that, as soon as the bird’s wing is healed, he will rejoin his flock and they will no longer be together. It’s heavy stuff, but the story never feels overwrought and is always buffeted by Dubuc’s immaculate illustrations. It’s a masterpiece.
Buy Now $13.72 ‘Once Upon an Alphabet’ by Oliver Jeffers
In this exploration of the classic alphabet book, Jeffers’ imagines and illustrates 27 simple tales that appear alongside letters A through Z. Coupled with the letter A, for instance, is an astronaut who’s afraid of heights. P is a puzzled parsnip. I is an inventor. Some of the tales are bright, others are bathed in darkness (in one, a little girl rolls out of her literal half house and into the ocean). The stories have subtle nods to one another throughout and the accompanying drawings are spare and exquisite.
Buy Now $18.03 ‘The Baby Tree’ by Sophie Blackall
Where, in fact, do babies come from? That’s what the precocious little dude at the center of this story wants to know. You see, his parents are expecting another child and, well, he’s curious. Mom and dad quickly jet out the door as he asks the question so, instead, he poses it to all the grownups he meets during the day, from his teenage babysitter (who says they grow in a baby tree) to his gym teacher (who says they come from the hospital). Utterly confused about the whole thing, he heads home where his parents offer him the actual reason.
Buy Now $9.89 ‘Hug Me’ by Simona Ciraolo
A story about celebrating your sensitive spirit even when the world doesn't, Hug Me focuses on a young cactus named Felipe. All Felipe wants is a hug — such a simple thing — but he is denied the act at every turn. His immediate family values personal space; others are not welcoming either. He has a chance with a yellow balloon but his hug leads to an unfortunate demise. Eventually, Felipe sets off on his own and learns to love himself before he meets someone searching for the same tenderness he so desires.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress’ by Christine Baldacchino and Isabelle Malenfant
Baldacchino and Malenfant craft a story about modern gender norms that feels neither preachy nor prescribed — only necessary. It centers on Morris, a creative, fun-loving boy, who finds a tangerine dress in his classroom costume bin. He likes the dress because the color reminds him of his mother’s hair and it makes cool noises when he walks, so he wears it. The other kids at school aren’t supportive of Morris’ decision, but, thanks to the support of his mother, however, Morris is able to show the class that he’s more than his choice of dress. A must-read for anyone who needs some urging to stay on their own course.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘Last Stop on Market Street’ by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson
An ode to the vibrancy of city life, de la Pena’s story urges kids to see “beautiful where they never even thought to look.” It centers on CJ, a young boy riding the bus to the soup kitchen after church with his nana. CJ’s not a big fan of public transportation, but Nana knows the trip is an important way of getting her grandson to pay attention to — and realize the hidden beauty in — the everyday. The illustrations, particularly of the colorful characters met along the way, are effervescent. Watch how CJ, urged by his grandmother to listen to the guitarist play, is whisked off into a world of music. It’s a beautiful, necessary book.
Buy Now $10.49 ‘Freedom in Congo Square’ by Carole Boston Weatherford
The story of 19th-century slaves, this nonfiction tale uses painted folk art-style illustrations to “capture a human’s capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances.” It walks readers through a week in the life a 19th-century slave in New Orleans; six days of hard labor in anticipation of Sunday afternoons spent dancing and singing in Congo Square.
Buy Now $6.20 ‘This Day in June’ by Gayle E. Pitman and Kristyna Litten
Told in rhyming couplets and filled with illustrations of a diverse range of characters, this celebration of a, well, celebration, focus on that joyous summer day when the gay pride parade takes place in NYC. It’s a simple, sweet story that highlights all the colorful characters that make the parade such a beloved event.
Buy Now $8.35 ‘Zak’s Safari’ by Christy Tyner and Ciaee
Zak skips the part about lions and gazelles, focusing instead on giving his stuffed animals the low-done on how he was donor-conceived. There are some medically accurate words little ones may not know yet, but at the book’s core is a sweet story about two moms who wanted nothing more than to have a baby.
Buy Now $15.00 ‘The Cat From Hunger Mountain’ by Ed Young
If you want to teach your kids about sharing — and avoid ending up on Hoarders — show them this fable about a wealthy, wasteful Lord Cat who refuses to abandon his possessions until he find himself destitute and starving is a good place to start. Think of it as mixed-media collages meet meaningful life lessons.
Buy Now $13.29 ‘Waiting’ by Kevin Henkes
The act of waiting is such an essential part of being a kid. You must wait for dinner, for bedtime, for dad to get home. In Henkes’ book, a quintet of toys — an owl, a puppy, a bear, a rabbit, and a pig — sit on a window sill, each waiting for something incredible to happen. And while the thing for which they’re waiting for does occur and bring them happiness, they all find joy in the very act. Shouldn’t we all?
Buy Now $12.99 ‘Big Red Lollipop’ by Rukhsana Khan and Sophie Blackall
A story that tackles sibling relationships, forgiveness, and the immigrant experience in just 40 Pages, Rukhsana’s tale about a little girl whose mother, uncertain as to why in American culture parents celebrate their children’s birthdays, forces her to take her little sister to a birthday party. Khan’s writing and Blackall’s imagery, though simple, both contain multitudes.
Buy Now $13.31 ‘Sidewalk Flowers’ by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith
There are no words in JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith’s story, but the literati-style panel illustrations speak volumes. A little girl, clad in a red hood, plucks flowers on a walk home with her distracted father. Each flower, she decides, is a gift to bestow. A dead bird receives some, so does a dog’s collar, so do her siblings. Her journey and good deeds soon prove that simple acts can be splendid things.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘The Bear Ate Your Sandwich’ by Julia Sarcone Roach
That the bear ate a sandwich is inconsequential in Julia Sarcone Roach’s tale. What it truly concerns, and explains in both sharp prose and wonderful acrylics, is how the tuft-eared creature ended up near said sandwich in the first place. And that involves a ride in the back of a truck that brings him to the big city and a string of fire-escape climbing adventures. You can’t blame the bear for his appetite after such a long day, can you? At least that’s what the narrator of the clever tale wants you to believe.
Buy Now $13.82 ‘Du Iz Tak?’ by Carson Ellis
The characters of Du Iz Tak are all bugs, including two damselflies, some beetles, a pill bug (named Icky!), a cricket, and a caterpillar-turned-moth, all of whom coexist in a few square feet of earth. Using exquisitely detailed illustrations and a strange, invented language of bugs, Ellis sees the characters marvel at the world around them, one that’s majestically large and atomically small.
Buy Now $13.48 ‘Thunder Boy Jr.’ by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales
Acclaimed Native American novelist Sherman Alexie spent nearly 10 years trying to find the perfect angle for his first children’s book. He finally arrived on this beautiful tale of a young Native American boy Thunder Boy Smith Jr., who’s upset about being named after his dad, Thunder Boy Smith Sr. “I want my own name. I want a name that sounds like me,” he says. “I want a name that celebrates something cool that I’ve done,” thinks the young child, so he decides to find an identity that he believes suits him better. What follows is a tale of soul searching that leads to not only self-acceptance but a better understanding of the Native American identity.
Buy Now $14.69 ‘Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’ by Javaka Steptoe
A biography of the titular artist and social commentator, Radiant Child ages a bit older than traditional children’s books, but it deserves a place on this list by the way it combines lyrical prose with Basquiat’s particular brand of collage-style artwork to tell a powerful coming-of-age story. Javaka Steptoe’s illustrations were painted on wood scraps found throughout Basquiat’s own New York City, a fitting tribute to a man who turned everything around him into artwork.
Buy Now $10.89 ‘They All Saw A Cat’ by Brendan Wenzel
The premise here is simple enough: a cat goes for a walk. On that walk he encounters a number of creatures, including a child, a fish, a fox, a flea, a worm, and a mouse. How the cat appears on each page, however, changes based on what creature is looking at the cat. To the mouse, the cat appears as a monstrous thing; to the worm, he is but a series of vibrations. The images are exquisite and, coupled with Wenzel’s sparse prose, speak volumes about empathy and how we perceive our world.
Buy Now $9.79 ‘Goodnight Everyone’ by Chris Haughton
In shades of 'Goodnight Moon,' this tale tells the story of Great Big Bear and Little Bear, the latter of whom just wants to stay up a little bit longer. So the two snuggle in and we sweep through the jungle at night time, where everyone is yawning and preparing for bed.. The illustrations showing all the characters in a darkened jungle are wonderful and the prose, while simple, should inspire any little one’s eyelids to become heavy.
Buy Now $10.59 ‘Hey, Boy’ by Benjamin Strouse
This is not a chipper, snappy children’s book. In fact, it’s downright melancholy. But it’s an essential read, a sort of modern update to Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. The story follows a young boy who finds a stray dog. Told by his parents that he is not yet mature enough for the responsibility, he gives the dog to a shelter. He visits him through the years, promising him that he’ll soon be able to adopt him. The boy, we can tell, loves the dog. But he is never ready for the responsibility.
Buy Now $10.99 ‘The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse’ by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
On the first page of Barnett’s book, an unsuspecting mouse is gobbled up by a hungry wolf. Not the most positive beginning. But in the belly of the beast, the mouse finds that a duck has also been eaten and, well, it’s a pretty nice place to be. For a while at least. Barnett’s wry prose pairs well with Klassen’s illustrations for a story that will intrigue and inspire kids.
Buy Now $13.29 ‘Goodnight, Planet’ by Liniers
A little girl spends all day playing with her favorite toy, a stuffed animal named Planet. Once she goes to bed, her loyal companion goes off on his own journey. In this case that means distracting the family dog with a cookie and joining a mouse for a moon-snatching adventure. The story brilliantly imagines a world children already inhabit: one where their stuffed animals are not only alive but bold.
Buy Now $4.77 ‘Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth’ by Oliver Jeffers
Jeffers created this book, a set of instructions on how to see the world, for his young son. In it, he waxes poetic on everything from the stars to terrain to humanity, distilling it down to the bare bones beauty. It’s a beautiful book for children, but more so for parents, as, in its view of the world and everything within it, it encapsulates a father’s hopes and dreams for his child.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘After the Fall’ by Dan Santat
Everyone knows that Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what happened afterward? That’s what Santat explores in this lovely book. Here, Dumpty is a bird watcher who takes his famous tumble while looking for them from atop a wall. He’s patched back together at the King’s hospital (get it?) but from then on is scared of heights. He can’t climb to get his favorite cereal. Or to see the things he wants to see. Luckily, Humpty is able to overcome his fear and Santat is able to explain to children the importance of dusting yourself off and putting yourself back together again after even the most catastrophic falls
Buy Now $9.99
Parenting during a pandemic is hard.
Sign up for our daily newsletter full of tricks, tips, and relevant medical information.
↓ Get the best of Fatherly in your inbox Oops! Please try again. Thanks for subscribing! Related Articles: How I'm Handling Work From Home and Child Care During Coronavirus, According to 12 Dads The 17 L.L. Bean Staples Every Dad Needs Staring at This Week's Pink Supermoon Might Help You Forget About the Coronavirus Here Are All the Shopping Rules for Target, Walmart, Home Depot and More
The post The 50 Best Children’s Books of the Last 10 Years appeared first on Fatherly.
#Play
Sponsored by Enfamil Enspire An Award-Winning Formula
Looking for a formula you can trust to support your baby? Enspire is Enfamil’s closest formula to breast milk ever. It has Lactoferrin and MFGM which have been associated with fewer digestive and respiratory issues.
Learn More About Enspire
Still, the tendency to reach for books from one’s own childhood leads many parents to skip over worthy new work. This is why Fatherly wanted to draw attention to 50 of the greatest children’s books of the past decade (from 2009 to 2019). With the help of librarians, teachers, bookstore owners, and children’s book aficionados, we’ve rounded up 50 modern classics that will help parents expand their view of the world, why helping kids to laugh, learn, think, imagine, dream, see, and embrace the world around them in new ways.
The 50 Greatest Children’s Books of the 2010s ‘The Lion & the Mouse’ by Jerry Pinkney
There is no text in this retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. Instead, the classic story of friendship and finding strength in the smallest of creatures is told solely through illustrations. And those illustrations speak volumes. Look at the detail of the Serengeti, the wetness of the lion’s eyes, the fear he expresses when caught in the poacher’s net, and the spirit of the mouse throughout. Words aren’t necessary when the images are this vibrant.
Buy Now $12.69 ‘The Curious Garden’ by Peter Brown
A simple tale that’s a must-read for any budding environmentalist. Wandering through the city, a young boy named Liam stumbles upon a tiny, unloved garden. He decides to tend it, and does so with great care. His hard work pays off, as the tiny plot of green space eventually spreads through the entire city, brightening every block.
Buy Now $14.73 ‘Duck! Rabbit!’ by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
It’s never too soon to present kids with a good dose of ambiguity. This genuinely funny story focuses on a character rendered exactly like the 19th-century drawing-turned-philosophical-debate-turned-internet-meme of a duck that looks like a rabbit … or is it the other way around? That’s where the simple joy of this book comes in, as two off-page narrators spend their times arguing about which creature it has to be. At the end, it doesn’t really matter does it? We’re allowed to see things differently.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘A Sick Day for Amos McGee’ by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead
Amos McGee has nearly every kid’s dream job. An elderly zookeeper, his (very exact) routine consists of playing chess with an elephant, reading bedtime stories to an owl, and sprinting against a tortoise. When Amos is stricken with the sniffles and has to stay home, his animal friends decide to visit him and offer the companionship he so often provides them. The pencil and woodblock illustrations make each page feel like a frameable print.
Buy Now $9.79 ‘Julián Is a Mermaid’ by Jessica Love
A vibrant, upbeat tale about individuality and the big job of becoming oneself. Riding the train with his abuela, Julián catches sight of three joyfully confident women decked out in the most spectacular mermaid finery, with sparkling dresses that taper to fish tails. For young Julián, it's a moment of deep recognition — using things from around the house, he creates his own spectacular mermaid costume. But what will his abuela say?
Buy Now $9.99 ‘Little Monkey Calms Down’ by Michael Dahl and Oriol Vidal
Consider this a self-help book for toddlers who have a tendency to go all Godzilla when things don’t go their way. Written by Mike Dahl, the story sees Little Monkey experiencing a bit of a tantrum. Sent to his room to calm down, he goes through a suite of tricks that will arm readers with ways to mitigate their own meltdowns.
Buy Now $7.59 ‘The Heart and the Bottle’ by Oliver Jeffers
In 32 pages, Jeffers weaves a tale of love, loss, grief, and healing that, miraculously, feels complete. A wondrous little girl goes about her day, buoyed by the strength of the old man that watches her. But then one day the old man is gone (we see only an empty chair). To handle the hurt, she places her heart in a glass bottle. What follows is a meditation on life and how to endure its many tribulations. Is the story heavy? Yes. But it has a tender spirit.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘Another’ by Christian Robinson
A wordless picture book that conjures a whole alternate universe of dreamy beauty and possibility. We follow a little girl and her cat through a portal in her bedroom into a world that (mostly) mirrors our own — as they venture deeper into this world, they encounter an identical black cat (but with a blue collar) and an identical girl (whose nightshirt sports a blue planet, rather than a red one). An imagination-boosting parallel realm in which kids of all kinds happily read and draw together, play with hula hoops and bubbles, and jump rope.
Buy Now $8.99 ‘Wabi Sabi’ by Mark Reibstein and Ed Young
Wabi Sabi the cat really wants to know the true meaning of her name, which derives from the Japanese philosophy that seeks to find beauty in imperfection. She leaves her Kyoto home and asks a variety of people for help, finally arriving at a mountain temple where a monkey answers her question beautifully. Reibstein’s haikus are exquisite, as are Young’s incredible collages, which gives the book the feel of a patchwork quilt.
Buy Now $8.89 ‘I Must Have Bobo!’ by Eileen Rosenthal
It’s the classic children’s book trope: boy misplaces stuffed animal. But, in the able hands of Rosenthal, it takes on new life. The boy here is Willy and the stuffed animal here is a sock monkey named Bobo. Willy wakes up and, unable to find his lumpy companion, spends his morning losing his mind before discovering that Bobo has been taken by his cat, Earl. It’s a book that works so well because it’s so embedded in the world of toddlers. Read aloud, it helps them understand that some things that are lost find new homes.
Buy Now $13.99 ‘I Want My Hat Back’ by Jon Klassen
This book’s titular wish comes from a slow-witted bear with small eyes. He’s missing his beloved red conical hat and proceeds to ask a variety of creatures in the forest if they know its whereabouts. The simple journey, bolstered by Klassen’s sparse illustrations and fun details, has few major lessons but is a blast to go on regardless.
Buy Now $13.98 ‘The Invisible Boy’ by Trudy Ludwig and Patrice Barton
Brian fades into the background figuratively and literally (he’s drawn in black-and-white) until a kind gesture towards the new kid in class illuminates his artistic talents and their value. It’s a struggle to be a lonesome kid silently drawing superheroes with the power to make friends, but as an artist, one day Brian will appreciate not being appreciated in his own time.
Buy Now $10.59 ‘Press Here’ by Herve Tullet
A lone yellow dot sits on the first page of this book; below it, the simple instruction: press here. Turn the page and you’ll find two dots and more instructions and more and more. What follows is an exercise in imagination that will have kids shaking, blowing, twisting, and pressing the pages to see what magic awaits them on the next. And the amazing thing is that the book makes it seem as though the reader really is controlling the action. It’s all exceptionally clever, and proves that a young imagination needs but a bit of urging.
Buy Now $5.15 ‘River’ by Elisha Cooper
Perfect for would-be explorers, this story follows the expedition of a woman who paddles the Hudson solo, pitching her tent on the riverbank and drifting from a serene watercolor wilderness toward the big city and the sea. Encountering wildlife, thunderstorms, and rapids along the way, she manages all with appreciation, skill and calm. Especially cool are the maps and other detailed info at the back of the book — real adventure is all about being prepared and aware.
Buy Now $14.65 ‘Me … Jane’ by Patrick McDonnell
This true story of the primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, charts her progression from animal-obsessed little girl to pioneer of a field notably devoid of women. It’s an ape-filled tale of determination fit for both nature-lovers and anyone who dreams of a life spent with animals.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘Journey’ by Aaron Becker
One of the most brilliant wordless picture books ever created, Aaron Becker’s Journey follows a young girl who, ignored by her family, uses a red crayon to draw a door on her bedroom wall and steps through it into a magical world. Becker’s bright, imaginative renderings of everything from a forest strung with lanterns to citadels and flying carpets, as well as the realizations that strike as pages turn, make the titular journey all the more essential. The follow up stories, ‘Quest and Return’ are as magical.
Buy Now $11.65 ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ by Onjali Q. Raúf
This 2019 debut puts the refugee crisis in a context all kids can understand and relate to — how simple acts of friendship can rescue us from feeling like an outsider at school and let us know we're never alone in the world. Ahmet, a 9-year-old Syrian refugee, is quiet and withdrawn when he arrives at his new school in the U.K.; but when his new classmates become his friends, they devise an elaborate plan, involving the queen of England, to reunite him with his family.
Buy Now $9.99 ‘Extra Yarn’ by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Annabelle lives in a drab, colorless world. One day, she happens upon a magic box filled with yarn of every color and, in an act of reflexive generosity, decides to knit sweaters for everyone she knows. And while Annabelle has certain hurdles that come her way, nothing stops her from brightening up their world. The prose here is bright and the way Klassen’s color palette goes from black and white to kaleidoscopic is astonishing.
Buy Now $10.69 ‘The Day You Begin’ by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López
From brilliant storyteller Jacqueline Woodson, a tale about coping with feelings of difference and aloneness — and learning how to share your story with others, so they'll share theirs with you. The beginning of a great friendship! Full of helpful perspective-getting moments for kids who find themselves feeling afraid in new settings, with new people — none of whom are quite like them.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘Z Is for Moose’ by Kelly Bingham
In this twist on the alphabet book, the titular Moose keeps trying to get his time in the spotlight. But Zebra, who’s directing the action, keeps sending him off page. When the letter M finally arrives and Zebra decides to give the spot to Mr. Mouse, Moose is livid — until, he’s given a special place of his own. It’s a clever shakeup of the standard style, one that deserves a place on your bookshelf for the zany ways it illustrates the Moose.
Buy Now $11.39 ‘Dragons Love Tacos’ by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri
Listen: sometimes you just want a story with a silly premise and no substantive message that makes children giggle every time they turn a page. This book, which posits that the fabled fire-breathing creatures really can’t resist some mexican food, achieves just that. It’s a blast.
Buy Now $9.50 ‘Rosie Revere, Engineer’ by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts
This is a genuinely fun book with a message of female empowerment. The Godmother of maker women was World War II’s Rosie “We Can Do It!” Riveter, whom the title character of this book is lucky enough to have as a great-great aunt. Rosie (the younger) is too shy to talk about her passion for inventing, but is motivated by a timely visit from Rosie (the elder) to pursue her dreams and attempt to build a flying machine. All little girls need is some inspiration.
Buy Now $8.39 ‘Wild’ by Emily Hughes
The heroine in this book is a modern day Mowgli: She grew up in the jungle and was taught everything she knows by animals (“bird taught her how to speak”; “bear taught her how to eat”). Eventually, she’s captured by humans and brought to regular society where she is extremely out of her element. They try to tame her,, but that won’t happen. Consider this a call for kids to be their one true self.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘Little Owl’s Night’ by Divya Srinivasan
A clever twist on the bedtime story, Divya Srinavasan’s tale not only conjures sleep in little kids but also assures them that darkness is nothing to fear. Little Owl wakes up as night begins to see his other nocturnal friends going about their day: a sniffing hedgehog, a family of opossums, a chorus of frogs and crickets. As morning approaches, Little Owl asks his mother to tell him what the daytime is like. She does — but he’s fast asleep before dawn breaks. Graceful prose and cartoonish illustrations buoy the story.
Buy Now $4.99 ‘Mr. Tiger Goes Wild’ by Peter Brown
Mr. Tiger’s society is stuffy: everyone wears top hats and lapelled-coats and no one wants to run or do anything but be serious. He plays along with them for a while, shaking hands and exchanging how-do-you-dos, but eventually the call of the wild — which is the call to loosen up and have some fun — is too strong and he sheds his clothing and embraces his true, four-legged self. It’s a story any child will relate to and the accompanying illustrations of waistcoated wildlife, should earn multiple re-reads.
Buy Now $12.99 ‘The Day the Crayons Quit’ by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
This clever tale imagines what would happen if all the colors in a box of crayons stage a walkout. They leave written notes to their owner, a young boy named Duncan, explaining particular gripes they have and where they’ll be headed. Beige is tired of being Brown’s annoying step-cousin; blue is worn down by drawing endless seascapes; pea-green hates the associated vegetable. All ends up well, of course, and the journey to that point is worthwhile for the clever conceit and the crayon-inspired imagery throughout.
Buy Now $16.19 ‘The Lion and the Bird’ by Marianne Dubuc
One day, while tending to his garden, a lion finds a wounded bird and decides to nurse him back to life during the winter. The two become fast friends — and save one another from a season of loneliness — but as the year stomps on, the two realize that, as soon as the bird’s wing is healed, he will rejoin his flock and they will no longer be together. It’s heavy stuff, but the story never feels overwrought and is always buffeted by Dubuc’s immaculate illustrations. It’s a masterpiece.
Buy Now $13.72 ‘Once Upon an Alphabet’ by Oliver Jeffers
In this exploration of the classic alphabet book, Jeffers’ imagines and illustrates 27 simple tales that appear alongside letters A through Z. Coupled with the letter A, for instance, is an astronaut who’s afraid of heights. P is a puzzled parsnip. I is an inventor. Some of the tales are bright, others are bathed in darkness (in one, a little girl rolls out of her literal half house and into the ocean). The stories have subtle nods to one another throughout and the accompanying drawings are spare and exquisite.
Buy Now $18.03 ‘The Baby Tree’ by Sophie Blackall
Where, in fact, do babies come from? That’s what the precocious little dude at the center of this story wants to know. You see, his parents are expecting another child and, well, he’s curious. Mom and dad quickly jet out the door as he asks the question so, instead, he poses it to all the grownups he meets during the day, from his teenage babysitter (who says they grow in a baby tree) to his gym teacher (who says they come from the hospital). Utterly confused about the whole thing, he heads home where his parents offer him the actual reason.
Buy Now $9.89 ‘Hug Me’ by Simona Ciraolo
A story about celebrating your sensitive spirit even when the world doesn't, Hug Me focuses on a young cactus named Felipe. All Felipe wants is a hug — such a simple thing — but he is denied the act at every turn. His immediate family values personal space; others are not welcoming either. He has a chance with a yellow balloon but his hug leads to an unfortunate demise. Eventually, Felipe sets off on his own and learns to love himself before he meets someone searching for the same tenderness he so desires.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress’ by Christine Baldacchino and Isabelle Malenfant
Baldacchino and Malenfant craft a story about modern gender norms that feels neither preachy nor prescribed — only necessary. It centers on Morris, a creative, fun-loving boy, who finds a tangerine dress in his classroom costume bin. He likes the dress because the color reminds him of his mother’s hair and it makes cool noises when he walks, so he wears it. The other kids at school aren’t supportive of Morris’ decision, but, thanks to the support of his mother, however, Morris is able to show the class that he’s more than his choice of dress. A must-read for anyone who needs some urging to stay on their own course.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘Last Stop on Market Street’ by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson
An ode to the vibrancy of city life, de la Pena’s story urges kids to see “beautiful where they never even thought to look.” It centers on CJ, a young boy riding the bus to the soup kitchen after church with his nana. CJ’s not a big fan of public transportation, but Nana knows the trip is an important way of getting her grandson to pay attention to — and realize the hidden beauty in — the everyday. The illustrations, particularly of the colorful characters met along the way, are effervescent. Watch how CJ, urged by his grandmother to listen to the guitarist play, is whisked off into a world of music. It’s a beautiful, necessary book.
Buy Now $10.49 ‘Freedom in Congo Square’ by Carole Boston Weatherford
The story of 19th-century slaves, this nonfiction tale uses painted folk art-style illustrations to “capture a human’s capacity to find hope and joy in difficult circumstances.” It walks readers through a week in the life a 19th-century slave in New Orleans; six days of hard labor in anticipation of Sunday afternoons spent dancing and singing in Congo Square.
Buy Now $6.20 ‘This Day in June’ by Gayle E. Pitman and Kristyna Litten
Told in rhyming couplets and filled with illustrations of a diverse range of characters, this celebration of a, well, celebration, focus on that joyous summer day when the gay pride parade takes place in NYC. It’s a simple, sweet story that highlights all the colorful characters that make the parade such a beloved event.
Buy Now $8.35 ‘Zak’s Safari’ by Christy Tyner and Ciaee
Zak skips the part about lions and gazelles, focusing instead on giving his stuffed animals the low-done on how he was donor-conceived. There are some medically accurate words little ones may not know yet, but at the book’s core is a sweet story about two moms who wanted nothing more than to have a baby.
Buy Now $15.00 ‘The Cat From Hunger Mountain’ by Ed Young
If you want to teach your kids about sharing — and avoid ending up on Hoarders — show them this fable about a wealthy, wasteful Lord Cat who refuses to abandon his possessions until he find himself destitute and starving is a good place to start. Think of it as mixed-media collages meet meaningful life lessons.
Buy Now $13.29 ‘Waiting’ by Kevin Henkes
The act of waiting is such an essential part of being a kid. You must wait for dinner, for bedtime, for dad to get home. In Henkes’ book, a quintet of toys — an owl, a puppy, a bear, a rabbit, and a pig — sit on a window sill, each waiting for something incredible to happen. And while the thing for which they’re waiting for does occur and bring them happiness, they all find joy in the very act. Shouldn’t we all?
Buy Now $12.99 ‘Big Red Lollipop’ by Rukhsana Khan and Sophie Blackall
A story that tackles sibling relationships, forgiveness, and the immigrant experience in just 40 Pages, Rukhsana’s tale about a little girl whose mother, uncertain as to why in American culture parents celebrate their children’s birthdays, forces her to take her little sister to a birthday party. Khan’s writing and Blackall’s imagery, though simple, both contain multitudes.
Buy Now $13.31 ‘Sidewalk Flowers’ by JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith
There are no words in JonArno Lawson and Sydney Smith’s story, but the literati-style panel illustrations speak volumes. A little girl, clad in a red hood, plucks flowers on a walk home with her distracted father. Each flower, she decides, is a gift to bestow. A dead bird receives some, so does a dog’s collar, so do her siblings. Her journey and good deeds soon prove that simple acts can be splendid things.
Buy Now $12.89 ‘The Bear Ate Your Sandwich’ by Julia Sarcone Roach
That the bear ate a sandwich is inconsequential in Julia Sarcone Roach’s tale. What it truly concerns, and explains in both sharp prose and wonderful acrylics, is how the tuft-eared creature ended up near said sandwich in the first place. And that involves a ride in the back of a truck that brings him to the big city and a string of fire-escape climbing adventures. You can’t blame the bear for his appetite after such a long day, can you? At least that’s what the narrator of the clever tale wants you to believe.
Buy Now $13.82 ‘Du Iz Tak?’ by Carson Ellis
The characters of Du Iz Tak are all bugs, including two damselflies, some beetles, a pill bug (named Icky!), a cricket, and a caterpillar-turned-moth, all of whom coexist in a few square feet of earth. Using exquisitely detailed illustrations and a strange, invented language of bugs, Ellis sees the characters marvel at the world around them, one that’s majestically large and atomically small.
Buy Now $13.48 ‘Thunder Boy Jr.’ by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales
Acclaimed Native American novelist Sherman Alexie spent nearly 10 years trying to find the perfect angle for his first children’s book. He finally arrived on this beautiful tale of a young Native American boy Thunder Boy Smith Jr., who’s upset about being named after his dad, Thunder Boy Smith Sr. “I want my own name. I want a name that sounds like me,” he says. “I want a name that celebrates something cool that I’ve done,” thinks the young child, so he decides to find an identity that he believes suits him better. What follows is a tale of soul searching that leads to not only self-acceptance but a better understanding of the Native American identity.
Buy Now $14.69 ‘Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat’ by Javaka Steptoe
A biography of the titular artist and social commentator, Radiant Child ages a bit older than traditional children’s books, but it deserves a place on this list by the way it combines lyrical prose with Basquiat’s particular brand of collage-style artwork to tell a powerful coming-of-age story. Javaka Steptoe’s illustrations were painted on wood scraps found throughout Basquiat’s own New York City, a fitting tribute to a man who turned everything around him into artwork.
Buy Now $10.89 ‘They All Saw A Cat’ by Brendan Wenzel
The premise here is simple enough: a cat goes for a walk. On that walk he encounters a number of creatures, including a child, a fish, a fox, a flea, a worm, and a mouse. How the cat appears on each page, however, changes based on what creature is looking at the cat. To the mouse, the cat appears as a monstrous thing; to the worm, he is but a series of vibrations. The images are exquisite and, coupled with Wenzel’s sparse prose, speak volumes about empathy and how we perceive our world.
Buy Now $9.79 ‘Goodnight Everyone’ by Chris Haughton
In shades of 'Goodnight Moon,' this tale tells the story of Great Big Bear and Little Bear, the latter of whom just wants to stay up a little bit longer. So the two snuggle in and we sweep through the jungle at night time, where everyone is yawning and preparing for bed.. The illustrations showing all the characters in a darkened jungle are wonderful and the prose, while simple, should inspire any little one’s eyelids to become heavy.
Buy Now $10.59 ‘Hey, Boy’ by Benjamin Strouse
This is not a chipper, snappy children’s book. In fact, it’s downright melancholy. But it’s an essential read, a sort of modern update to Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. The story follows a young boy who finds a stray dog. Told by his parents that he is not yet mature enough for the responsibility, he gives the dog to a shelter. He visits him through the years, promising him that he’ll soon be able to adopt him. The boy, we can tell, loves the dog. But he is never ready for the responsibility.
Buy Now $10.99 ‘The Wolf, the Duck, and the Mouse’ by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
On the first page of Barnett’s book, an unsuspecting mouse is gobbled up by a hungry wolf. Not the most positive beginning. But in the belly of the beast, the mouse finds that a duck has also been eaten and, well, it’s a pretty nice place to be. For a while at least. Barnett’s wry prose pairs well with Klassen’s illustrations for a story that will intrigue and inspire kids.
Buy Now $13.29 ‘Goodnight, Planet’ by Liniers
A little girl spends all day playing with her favorite toy, a stuffed animal named Planet. Once she goes to bed, her loyal companion goes off on his own journey. In this case that means distracting the family dog with a cookie and joining a mouse for a moon-snatching adventure. The story brilliantly imagines a world children already inhabit: one where their stuffed animals are not only alive but bold.
Buy Now $4.77 ‘Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth’ by Oliver Jeffers
Jeffers created this book, a set of instructions on how to see the world, for his young son. In it, he waxes poetic on everything from the stars to terrain to humanity, distilling it down to the bare bones beauty. It’s a beautiful book for children, but more so for parents, as, in its view of the world and everything within it, it encapsulates a father’s hopes and dreams for his child.
Buy Now $11.99 ‘After the Fall’ by Dan Santat
Everyone knows that Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what happened afterward? That’s what Santat explores in this lovely book. Here, Dumpty is a bird watcher who takes his famous tumble while looking for them from atop a wall. He’s patched back together at the King’s hospital (get it?) but from then on is scared of heights. He can’t climb to get his favorite cereal. Or to see the things he wants to see. Luckily, Humpty is able to overcome his fear and Santat is able to explain to children the importance of dusting yourself off and putting yourself back together again after even the most catastrophic falls
Buy Now $9.99
Parenting during a pandemic is hard.
Sign up for our daily newsletter full of tricks, tips, and relevant medical information.
↓ Get the best of Fatherly in your inbox Oops! Please try again. Thanks for subscribing! Related Articles: How I'm Handling Work From Home and Child Care During Coronavirus, According to 12 Dads The 17 L.L. Bean Staples Every Dad Needs Staring at This Week's Pink Supermoon Might Help You Forget About the Coronavirus Here Are All the Shopping Rules for Target, Walmart, Home Depot and More
The post The 50 Best Children’s Books of the Last 10 Years appeared first on Fatherly.
#Play