Parents Magazine has announced their picks for the Best Books for Children & Teens 2021. 30 books for children and 10 books for teens were selected. For librarians, it’s great to see a list of books selected by others and get us out of our bubbles. There are many titles here you won’t see on other lists. Here are the winning titles:
BOARD BOOKS

Comparrotives by Janik Coat

Count to Love! by Andrea Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

Drive the Fire Truck by Dave Mottram

Peekaboo: Bear by Camilla Reid, illustrated by Ingela P. Arrhenius

Snap! Chomp Your Jaws! by Bob Barner

Turn Seek Find: Habitats by Ben Newman

Washer and Dryer’s Big Job by Steven Weinberg

Who Needs a Hug? by Dean Hacohen, illustrated by Sherry Scharschmidt
PICTURE BOOKS

Bear Is a Bear by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Dan Santat

Bicycle Bash by Alison Farrell

Chez Bob by Bob Shea

Maybe… by Chris Haughton

Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

The Olphabet: “O” No! An Alphabet Revolt by Jess M. Brallier, illustrated by Nichola Cowdery

Our Skin: A First Conversation about Race by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli, illustrated by Isabel Roxas

Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham

Stella’s Stellar Hair by Yesenia Moises

Stick and Stone: Best Friends Forever! by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Uma Wimple Charts Her House by Reif Larsen, illustrated by Ben Gibson
CHAPTER BOOKS

The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz

The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

I’m On It by Andrea Tsurumi

Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey by Erin Entrada Kelly

Pawcasso by Remy Lai

Simon and Chester: Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson

Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Stamped (for Kids) Adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul from the book by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, illustrated by Rachelle Baker

That Thing about Bollywood by Supriya Kelkar

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu
TEENS

Beasts and Beauty: Dangerous Tales by Soman Chainani, illustrated by Julia Iredale

Between Perfect and Real by Ray Stoeve

Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon

Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Minalima Edition by J.K. Rowling

Just Like That by Gary D. Schmidt

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

Love Is a Revolution by Renee Watson

Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach