IndyPL Staff Picks 2025 - Best of Picture BooksLike this list

40 items

• Don't Trust Fish

  Sharpson, Neil,

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  A seemingly straightforward lesson in animal classification goes right off the rails into a hilarious rant against fish, of all creatures. The illustrations support the story and the humor in superb fashion. Trust us, but whatever you do, Don't…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Every Monday Mabel

  Awan, Jashar,

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  What a thrill to be Mabel and to love Mondays so much! People with kiddos who love garbage trucks....this book is for you! Pair this with Kate McMullan's picture book - I Stink! - and what a time will be had! Thanks to Mabel, we now pretty much…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cat Nap

  Lies, Brian,

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  A playful kitten on the trail of a mouse ends up taking a tour of art history, seamlessly leaping between centuries and media. Lies' painstaking recreation of each artwork with the addition of a feline visitor is as impressive as it is adorable.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Little Freddie Two Pants

  (the Dog With Too Many Pants)

  Daywalt, Drew,

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  Freddie and a silly purple monkey get into a lot of hilarious antics when it's time to get dressed in Daywalt's Little Freddie Two Pants. This is a laugh out loud picture book that settles the age-old question: Do a dog's front legs deserve pants,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Day the Books Disappeared

  Ho, Joanna,

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  If you were in charge what might you do? or what might you not do? Arnold really only wanted his classmates to just like his book about airplanes because it was the best book, and he realllllly wanted them to like it. Somehow, he made all the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cranky, Crabby Crow (saves the World)

  Tabor, Corey R.,

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  This is a fun book to read because you think that this story is going to go one way and it takes a completely different turn half way through. Cranky, Crabby, Crow (Saves The World) focuses on a Crow, waiting on a telephone wire at the start of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Broken

  Fang, X.,

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  What a time to be alive while X. Fang is out here creating the cutest picture books! One child + one BROKEN teacup + dramatic feelings and dramatic cat = amazing! The shenanigans, the guilt, the horrible worry about the grown up and how mad (or not…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fireworks

  Burgess, Matthew,

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  Fireworks, from frequent collaborators Burgess and Chien (The Bear and the Moon) follows two children through a hot city Fourth of July. Burgess is able to capture the carefree and expansive nature of a child's summer day as the kids play in water…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Leap Together

  Neal, Christopher Silas,

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  We love how the story about the whales and the story about the humans parallel each other! IndyPL_JaredW, Public Services Librarian and one other staff

• George & Lenny Are Always Together

  Agee, Jon,

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  A wonderful all-dialogue picture book about the importance of solitude, and alone time and how that much-needed me time enhances friendships and relationships. These two friends are always together...until one of them wants to see what it's like to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hansel and Gretel

  King, Stephen, 1947-

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  A new retelling of the classic fairytale, this time by the master of horror, along with vintage illustrations from Maurice Sendak. IndyPL_BethP, Public Services Librarian and one other staff

• The Bear Out There

  Hannigan, Jess,

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  A really fun twist on the story of Goldilocks, featuring witty dialogue from a narrator who invites the reader into the story. Jess Hannigan's retro throwback art style is a treat to behold featuring bold acrylic and paper-collage images. Both the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Interpreter

  Abtahi, Olivia,

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  Ode to the child who spends time helping interpret for parents who don't speak English in very grown up situations - at the doctor's office, at the hairdresser ,etc. The end papers are clever and the opening pages draw you right into the "jobs" of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Book of Maps for You

  Heuer, Lourdes,

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  Super adorable AND cute maps? Yes, please! And as you flip through, you get a closer look at some of the neighbors and community helpers that are in the buildings on these sweet neighborhood streets. Also, there's a tiny little emotional twist as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Aggie and the Ghost

  Forsythe, Matthew, 1976-

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  Just look at that cover....it's a winner. Aggie is having a pretty great life until she realizes her house is haunted by a pretty (hilarious) needy ghost. There is haunting, there are rules, there are tiffs, and just great art and fun. Also. …Read moreRead more of this annotation

• What Color Is the Baby?

  a Celebration of Skin Tones

  Vankineni, Harshini,

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  A perfect "mirrors and windows" book to celebrate all skin tones. Just like the title suggests, we focus on how this baby is wonderfully, beautifully brown! As the older sister says, "...she coos and looks like a koel (a type of bird), sweet and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Place for Us

  Ransome, James,

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  Ransome delivers a beautiful wordless picture book that illustrates the life of a child who is homeless and his parent. We have been in love with Ransome's work since one of his first books in 1990, Do Like Kyla. How lucky we are to see picture…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Old Blue Is My Home

  Judge, Lita,

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  This book is lovely on its own, but the fact that it is based on the author's own experience makes it even more powerful. A sensitive loving look at housing and being differently housed. IndyPL Kid Central Librarians

• Bored Panda

  Bender, Mike, 1975-

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  A funny story about a bored panda (because his screen dies, of course), who discovers there are still a few interesting things in the world around him, if only he's willing to open up his senses and notice. IndyPL Kid Central Librarians

• Island Storm

  Floca, Brian,

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  If you love a storm, this is for you. You can feel the storm build and gain power as this pair of siblings see how long they can stay outside and see how their town looks. And folks, this is not a gentle rain, this is a big storm. IndyPL_TamiE,…Read moreRead more of this annotation