Kids Staff Picks
Your very best friends should always make you want to exclaim Yo! Yes! back and forth, arm in arm, forever and ever.
- Bekah
Sometimes, it can be hard to pretend when everything isn't okay. Some days, we all feel like we are dragging around a big block. This book teaches us that, sometimes, we just need a little time and someone to sit beside us in the rain.
- Parrish
This is the most fun I've had reading a picture book in a long time. The form is inventive, the story comical, and it makes for a perfect read out loud story. A lot can be learned from falling!
- Parrish
Toasty is a piece of toast who, like me, loves dogs so much he wants to be one. His attempt at fitting in with the neighborhood dogs has less than stellar results, but he finds acceptance and love by just being himself. My favorite part is Toasty’s doggy door, which happens to be the mail slot.
- Kathryn
The perfect primer for your little abolitionist. A hopeful look to the future we could build together!
- Genay
I too love monkeys, egg tarts, and most of all, my Gong Gong. The only children's book I've seen with Cantonese-speaking characters is also the perfect book to read with someone who loves you, even if you say "love" in different languages.
- Kristen
Once, my grandpa remembered a lot of things. Now, not so much. This book reminds us how to keep our special memories alive by sharing them-- one remember balloon at a time.
- Kristen
"Nothing a child ever does is trash. It is practice." Beautiful, simple, accessible, and full of so many reminders to be our best selves.
- Genay
This is the type picture book I want to hug tightly and show everyone. Burgess tells the life and artistic journey of Keith Haring in NYC, not shying away from him falling in love with a guy. If I read this book as a kid it would make me feel so seen.
- Ryan
This beautifully illustrated and wordless book tells the tale of a girl who explores the water and makes a friend. A gorgeous ode to nature, friendship, and letting go.
- Kathryn
Get beyond the Greek and Norse mythologies. This book contains tales from a variety of cultures of North and South America. Pick a story a night and slowly work your way around through these beautiful worlds.
- Parrish
Amari knows her missing brother is still alive, and when she discovers a ticking briefcase in his closet, she may have found the key to finding Quinton… along with a whole new world full of magic. Full of charm, wit, and #blackgirlmagic to boot, you won’t want to miss this new series!
- Melanie
Move over, Harry Potter, there’s a new magic school in town! Full of magical competitions, hotel rooms that change based on your mood, and giant talking cat companions with just the right amount of sass, what more could you ask for in an enchanting new fantasy series?
- Melanie
I wish I had an Uncle Herbert who would gift me a magical train for my birthday but, alas, I must resign myself to live vicariously through this adventure with all the hallmarks of a modern classic.
— Parrish
Gene Luen Yang is a master of the graphic novel form, and Dragon Hoops is some of his best work to date. Part history of basketball, part memoir, part underdog sports story, and all around fun, this is an absolute treasure of a book. Yang moved me, taught me, made me laugh, and whether you consider yourself a sports fan or not, you will definitely be rooting for the Dragons! Easily one of my favorite graphic novels, and one I know I will return to regularly.
— Julia
Sometimes all we hear is everything that is wrong with New York City. This beautifully illustrated story recounts a true tale of two men who found an abandoned baby in the subway who made them a family, with the assistance of wonder, magic and kindness. It is everything good about this crazy city. I read it today and it filled me with hope.
— Cheryl
A heartwarming tale of how to help people through their feelings. Some people just need someone to listen to them. I recommend this to anyone who’s kids tend to worry.
— Ryan
I didn't realize how important it would be to have a book about feelings until my son turned four and it suddenly became very, very important indeed. This one is extra special, and I wish I could give it to every child in the world, along with a big hug.
— Kate
NYC ABCs is the best New York City board book. This book gets us, gets our culture, sees us for who we are. And we need the babies to get up to speed.
— Parrish
Is it better to explore the world or your own backyard? Yes! Whether you are a cozy homebody or an intrepid traveler, Messrs. Toot and Puddle of Woodcock Pocket will help you elevate your chosen MO to an art.
— Maddie
For an adorable little bear, Kuma-Kuma Chan possesses an interiority that is completely inacessible to us.
— Matt
Empowerment for pint-sized feminists. Plus, ponies!
— Cristin
Fifth-grade Mean Girls memoir. This book was slightly painful to read, but only because it rang so true and close to my heart. A moving and funny exploration of the complications of trying to remain your true, weird, individual self even in the face of elementary schoolgirl groupthink. As always, Shannon Hale nails it.
— Laurel
The Ferrante of kids' lit - really that good. Read them now, read them all.
— Laurel
The most twisted, surreal, hilarious, disturbing book in Roald Dahl's body of work includes no magical powers or strange creatures. Boy, Dahl's nonfictional memoir, leaves the reader as wide-eyed and slack-jawed as his fiction. What this account of Dahl's actual childhood demonstrates is that his great achievement as a writer is the precision of his memory. He remembered vividly what the fear of a spanking or the anticipation of a licorice bootlace was like for a child; it would take fantastical stories of impossible worlds to capture them accurately.
— Shuja