OK, this is the final list of my annual favorites. And it’s a quirky one, perhaps revealing far too much about my odd and distinct tastes! It’s not going to be one that matches anyone else’s, and I hope you find some new treasures to enjoy:

 

Apples and Robins by Lucie Felix

Before I Leave by Jessixa Bagley

 

Before Morning by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes

Best Frints in the Whole Universe by Antoinette Portis

 

The Branch by Mireille Messier

A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

 

Chirri and Chirra by Kaya Doi

Circle by Jeannie Baker

 

Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis

A Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards, illustrated by G. Brian Karas

 

Horrible Bear! by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora

How This Book Was Made by Mac Barnett

 

A Hungry Lion, or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead

 

Into the Snow by Yuki Kaneko, illustrated by Masamitsu Saito

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

 

Leave Me Alone by Vera Brosgol

Lion Lessons by Jon Agee

 

Lucy by Randy Cecil

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael López

 

The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers

One Day in the Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom

 

Pinocchio: The Origin Story by Alessandro Sanna

The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito, illustrated by Julia Kuo

 

Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs, artwork by Nizar Ali Badr

Super Happy Magic Forest by Matty Long

 

The Sword in the Stove by Frank W. Dormer

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel

 

Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Yuyi Morales

Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, illustrated by Lauren Castillo

 

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

The Water Princess by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

 

What Color Is the Wind? by Anne Herbauts

The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart, illustrated by Sydney Smith

Worm Loves Worm by JJ Austrian, illustrated by Mike Curato