To help bookstores and libraries share titles for our youngest readers, we’ve put together this roundup of 11 picture books to spotlight year-round.
Good Morning, Space by Linda Bondestam
Translated from the Swedish by A. A. Prime
Restless Books/Yonder | April 15, 2025
Distributor: Publishers Group West
ISBN: 9781632063830
This children’s book features “abundant humor, interactive cutouts, and plenty of Easter eggs for those with a curious eye.”
Arte Público Press/Piñata Books | May 31, 2024
Distributor: Arte Público Press
ISBN: 9781558859890
With illustrations by Carmen Lop, this bilingual picture book depicts “a loving intergenerational relationship playing out against the backdrop of nature.”
I Want You to Know by Mona Damluji
Seven Stories Press/Triangle Square | March 18, 2025
Distributor: Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9781644214411
According to Aya Ghanameh, this poem with illustrations by Ishtar Bäcklund Dakhil “offers young readers a meaningful way to explore the complexities of family heritage, displacement, and the lasting effects of war.”
Watch Out for Falling Iguanas : A Children’s Picture Book by Edwidge Danticat
Akashic Books/Black Sheep | July 1, 2025
Distributor: W. W. Norton
ISBN: 9781636142326
Illustrated by Rachel Moss, this picture book “teaches children about iguanas’ unique behaviors while celebrating the bonds between generations and the wonders of the natural world.”
Translated from the Spanish by Martin J. Perazzo and Paul David Martin
Seven Stories Press/Triangle Square Books | February 25, 2025
Distributor: Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9781644214008
This book, illustrated by Luis Demano, is “an essential, definitive visual guide and history to the variety of human rights and protections—great for activists, rights defenders, and young readers who love visual learning.”
¿Qué es un poema? / What Is a Poem? by Jovi de la Jara
Arte Público Press/Piñata Books | May 31, 2025
Distributor: Arte Público Press
ISBN: 9798893750164
De la Jara’s bilingual children’s book “describes the endless possibilities available in writing poetry; words can rhyme, run off the page or even be invented!”
Wanjikũ, Child of Mine by Ciiku Ndung’u-Case
Catalyst Press | August 6, 2024
Distributor: Consortium Book Sales and Distribution
ISBN: 9781960803016
In this picture book illustrated by Karen Vermeulen and set in the Kenyan countryside, “a young Gikũyũ girl helps her grandmother with daily tasks.”
Giant on the Shore by Alfonso Ochoa
Translated from the Spanish by Shook
Transit Books/Transit Children’s Editions | May 14, 2024
Distributor: Consortium Book Sales and Distribution
ISBN: 9781945492877
Illustrated by Azul López, this children’s book is “a tale of vulnerability and belonging that explores the enormity of self-doubt and the tremendous potential in taking risks.”
Translated from the French by Alyson Waters and Margot Kerlidou
Archipelago Books/Elsewhere Editions | April 2, 2024
Distributor: Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9781953861764
In this illustrated children’s book, “confident, bristly-haired Meeselphe tumbles headfirst into a whimsical world of riddles, monsters, and magical landscapes.”
The Everywhere Atom: A Journey Through the Carbon Cycle and Climate Change by Christine Shearer
Haymarket Books | March 5, 2024
Distributor: Consortium Book Sales and Distribution
ISBN: 9781642599695
Illustrated by Kaz Clarke, this children’s book is “a wild ride with the carbon atom through a history of Earth’s climate, from dinosaurs to wooly mammoths to today’s climate crisis.”
Daniel and Ismail by Juan Pablo Iglesias Yacher
Translated by Ilan Stavans, Eliezer Nowodworski, Frieda Press-Danieli, and Randa Sayegh
Restless Books/Yonder | April 23, 2024
Distributor: Publishers Group West
ISBN: 9781632063793
This trilingual book—presented in English, Hebrew, and Arabic—is “about a Jewish boy and a Palestinian boy who bond on the soccer field.”
