The winners of the 2025 Laugh Out Loud Awards have been announced by Scholastic UK. The awards are given to the funniest children’s books of the year. I posted the shortlist earlier. Here are the winners:

BEST PICTURE BOOK

There’s Nothing Faster Than a Cheetah by Tom Nicoll, illustrated by Ross Collins (Available in US)

BEST BOOK AGES 6-8

Trixie Pickle Art Avenger: Toxic Takedown by Olaf Falafel

BEST BOOK AGES 9-12

Evil Emperor Penguin: The World Will Be Mine! by Laura Ellen Anderson

BEST NON-FICTION

Kay’s Incredible Inventions by Adam Kay, illustrated by Henry Paker

The Guardian has named their picks for the UK’s best children’s books of the year. Here they are:

Deep Dark by Zorah Nabi

Donut Squad: Take Over the World! by Neill Cameron

Dracula & Daughters by Emma Carroll

Feminist History for Every Day of the Year by Kate Mosse

Firefly by Robert Macfarlane, illustrated by Luke Adam Hawker (available in US)

The Great Bear by Annie Booker (available in US)

Letters from the Upside by Katya Balen

No Refuge by Joe Brady and Patrice Aggs

Oh Dear, Look What I Got! by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury (available in US)

Omnibird by Giselle Clarkson (available in US)

The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell (available in US)

This Is Who I Am by Rashmi Sirdeshpande, illustrated by Ruchi Mhasane (available in US)

Torchfire by Moira Buffini (available in US)

We Are Your Children by David Roberts

What Happens Online by Nathanael Lessore

The good folks at NPR have announced their picks for the top books of 2025. They include children’s and YA titles. Below is the list of books for youth included in their lists:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson

A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III

Brave by Weshoyot Alvitre

Broken by X. Fang

Crumble by Meredith McClaren, illustrated by Andrea Bell

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat

Dream On by Shannon Hale, illustrated by Marcla Cespedes

Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan

The Experiment by Rebecca Stead

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia Chien

The Gathering Table by Antwan Eady, illustrated by London Ladd

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

The History of We by Nikkolas Smith

How to Say Goodbye in Cuban by Daniel Miyares

The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi, illustrated by Monica Arnaldo

Island Storm by Brian Flocas, illustrated by Sydney Smith

J vs. K by Jerry Craft and Kwame Alexander

The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell

My Presentation Today Is about the Anaconda by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Annemarie van Haeringen, translated by Nancy Forest-Flier

Oasis by Guojing

On Guard! by Cassidy Wasserman

One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel by Rita Williams-Garcia, illustrated by Sharee Miller

Our Lake by Angie Kang

Pilgrim Codex by Vivian Mansour, illustrated by Emmanuel Valtierra, translated by Carlos Rodríguez Cortez

Scarlet Morning by ND Stevenson

The Summer of the Bone Horses by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Steph Littlebird

Sundust by Zeke Peña

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

Tuck Me In! A Science Bedtime Story by Nathan W. Pyle

The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba, illustrated by Miho Satake, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa

Whale Eyes by James Robinson, illustrated by Brian Rea

A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Yas Imamura

YOUNG ADULT

After Life by Gayle Forman

A Feast for the Eyes by Alex Crespo

Fireblooms by Alexandra Villasante

Kirby’s Lessons for Falling (in Love) by Laura Gao

Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry

The Last Tiger by Julia Riew and Brad Riew

Never Thought I’d End Up Here by Ann Liang

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

Barnes & Noble have announced their Best Books lists for the year. Here are their picks for Best Picture Books:

The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake by Devin Elle Kurtz

Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan

The Day the Crayons Made Friends by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat

Elvis & Romeo by David Soman and Jacky Davis

Firefly by Robert Macfarlane, illustrated by Luke Adam Hawker

Hansel and Gretel by Stephen King, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Hedgehogs Don’t Wear Underwear by Marissa Valdez

The Humble Pie by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald

The Littlest Yak by Lu Fraser

Snow Kid by Jessie Sima

There Are No Silly Questions: More than 200 Weird and Wacky Questions, Expertly Answered! by Mike Rampton, illustrated by Guilherme Karsten

The Trouble with Giraffes by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo

Will the Pigeon Graduate? by Mo Willems

Here are Amazon’s picks for the 20 best children’s books of the year:

The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud

Casey’s Cases: The Mysterious New Girl by Kay Healy

Coach by Jason Reynolds

Dog Man: Big Jim Believes by Dav Pilkey

Dragonborn by Struan Murray

Girls on the Rise by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Loveis Wise

The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo, illustrated by John Picacio

Little Blue Truck and Racer Red by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Millie Fleur Saves the Night by Christy Mandin

Mistaco by Eliza Kinkz

No More Chairs by Dan Gill,, illustrated by Susan Gal

The Pigeon WON’T Count to 10! by Mo Willems

Pocket Bear by Katherine Applegate

The School of Thieves by Peter Burns

Seven Little Ducklings by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Skandar and the Spirit of War by A. F. Steadman

The Snips: A Bad Buzz Day by Raúl The Third

A Snow Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman