The best books of the year, as selected by Los Angeles Public Library staff. More books for children are at LAPL Kids Path.
A companion to the bestselling picture book Buffalo Fluffalo, this story of finding friendship in unknown places is complemented by beautiful illustrations.
This charming and inspirational picture book biography introduces Claudia Sheinbaum, the first woman, Jewish person, and scientist to lead the country of Mexico.
This cutely illustrated picture book is about a fish named Eustace who washes up on an island and begs Bear, the lighthouse keeper, not to eat him. Fortunately, there are plenty of distractions from other animals that keep Eustace from becoming dinner! A quirky and delightful read.
The less-than-well-known history of the massacre in early Chinatown in Los Angeles, meticulously researched.
According to Mabel, Monday is the best day of the week. Why? It's trash day and the garbage truck is coming!
Kids love a good monster story—and Iniguez and Kwan, the author-illustrator team behind The Fib, deliver one with heart and meaning. This engaging picture book introduces a different kind of monster: a clever metaphor for how even the smallest untruths can grow... and spiral out of control. Ultimately, The Fib offers young readers a fun, imaginative, and visually rich way to explore an age-old lesson: telling the truth helps to keep our monsters small.
As forest animals prepare for winter, a family gathers to share a meal, stories, and songs around a backyard fire. Beautiful and aspirational.
Story of hope through a baseball boy from Ejutla de Crespo, Oaxaca.
A thoughtful and (dare we say it) stylish look at Mars in general, what it would take for humans to get there, and what it might be like to live there. Fascinating stuff, beautifully presented.
A mayfly lives its very best life in the course of a day. The text is elevated and positive, but it’s Michael Speechley’s powerful, dizzying, and funny illustrations that make this one really special.
A young Korean-American boy observes that his mother is very confident and loud at home, but outside, she's very shy. He wants everyone to know how cool his mom is. At the same time, he knows he's different at school and at home as well. They encourage each other to be comfortable as their true selves in this sweet picture book.
Join Phoebe and her unicorn friend Marigold as they form a book club, and get into all sorts of strange and fun adventures!
Multilayer, mythical, with a healthy dose of magical realism, migrant story of the Vargas Ramírez family’s travel from Mexico into the United States, using modern-day reinterpretations of the iconography of the Aztec codices. Extremely timely and beautiful.
Kindred spirits, appreciation of art, and madcap antics collide in this lovely wordless book. A member of the Harlem Children’s Ballet and a polar bear meet during a photo shoot and share an instant connection that culminates in a bunch of disgruntled audience members glaring at the thoroughly enraptured bear as he watches his friend pirouette across the stage.
Nana’s beloved xoloitzcuintle Popo (the national dog of Mexico) accompanies her on her final journey to Mictlān in this sweet and comforting story.
A gentle, affirming poem for Indigenous peoples across the Americas from the past to the present and into the future.
Sometimes, fulfilling a dream takes a really long time. Barbara Hillary, a 75-year-old cancer survivor, proved that when your world is made up of "you can" and not "you can’t," you can achieve extraordinary things.
It starts as a riff on Goodnight Moon for a child not excited about bedtime, then expands into a comforting celebration of the interconnectedness of all things.