On Thursday, November 13, 2025, sixteen librarians and early literacy enthusiasts from around the country came together to share favorite Storytime books from this year. Though not all of them were published in this year, those that came to light have brought joy to children in many a Storytime session!
Please check out the list below to see if there are any good fits for your own Storytime collection.
Some favorite picture books of the year included:
- Tuck Me In! by Nathan W. Pyle
- Oak: the Littlest Leaf Girl by Lucy Fleming
- Blake the Snake Bakes a Cake by Amy Young
- Sick Simon by Dan Krall
- Recess by Lane Smith
- Is it a Book or Is it a Plane? by Mike Henson
- Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
- Odder: An Otter’s Story by Katherine Applegate
- To Activate Space Portal, Lift Here by Antoinette Portis
- We are Definitely Human by X Fang
- Broken by X Fang
- Little Freddie Two Pants by Drew Daywalt
- Take a Breath, Big Red Monster! by Ed Emberley
- If You Want to Write a Story by Jeff Mack
- Two Together by Brendan Wenzel
- Cranky, Crabby Crow Saves the World by Corey R. Tabor
- This is How a Ball Rolls by Heather Tekavec & Suharu Ogawa
- Hike by Pete Oswald
- What Fish Are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean by Kiersten Pendreigh (for older kids but can adjust to fit)
- Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird (best for older kids)
- Skyscraper by Jorey Hurley
- Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend by Bob Shea (best with a partner)
Books recommended for movement/interaction were:
- Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson
- Hen in the Bed by Katrina Charman
- Ploof by Ben Clanton
- Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
- I’m Hungry/Tengo Hambre by Angela Dominguez
- Can Cat and Bird be Friends? by Coll Muir
We also discussed some books that didn’t land as well in Storytime as we had hoped:
- Vampire Jam Sandwich by Casey Lyall
- Chester van Chime who Forgot How to Rhyme by Avery Monson (best for older kids)
- Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo by Bess Kalb
- Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson – best for school visits
And if this isn’t enough, places where folks get more ideas for Storytime books are:
- NetGalley/Edelweiss for e-galleys of picture books
- Kirkus Reviews
- Storytime Solidarity Facebook page
- JBrary’s Annual Picture Book Roundup
Thank you all for your participation in this year’s CLEL Member Meetups! If you have ideas for next year’s topics, please email them to tmeiners@montroselibrary.org.
Have a great holiday season, and we’ll look forward to connecting in 2026!
