100 Children’s Books to Read in 2016

Last year the kids and I read so many creative, fun, and amazing children’s books.  We read everything from classics, to fiction, to non-fiction, to poetry.

I love exploring new books, discovering old ones and keeping track of which books meant something to us.  Hence, that was the inspiration for me to create this blog post and share it with you.

So here’s our list of 100 books we loved reading in 2015 and think you should read this year. These are in no particular order, and while some were published in 2015, some were published earlier too.  The list contains picture books (including some wordless books), board books, alphabet books, and multicultural books.  I hope you enjoy this children’s book list—I know my kids and I did!

1. Waiting by Kevin Henkes
2. Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson
3. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade by Justin Roberts
4. Cloudette by Tom Lichenheld
5. Bike On, Bear! by Cynthea Liu
6. The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
7. Rosie Goes to Preschool by Karen Katz
8. Ol’ Mama Squirrel by David Ezra Stein
9. Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
10. Little Red Gliding Hood by Tara Lazar
11. The Snow Globe Family by Jane O’Connor
12. Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
13. Christmas Cookies: Bite Size Holiday Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
14. The Terrible Plop by Ursula Dubosarsky
15. B is for Breakdancing by Dr. Tamara Pizzoli
16. The Great Thanksgiving Escape by Mark Fearing
17. The 50 States by Gabrielle Balkan
18. Poems for the Smart, Spunky and Sensational Black Girl by Rachel Garlinghouse
19. Leo: A Ghost Story by Marc Barnett
20. If All the Animals Came Inside by Eric Pinder
21. No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont
22. You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown
23. Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won
24. The Sleepy Little Alphabet by Judy Sierra
25. Where’s My T-R-U-C-K? by Karen Beaumont
26. Sun Bread by Elisa Kleven
27. Emi’s Coily, Curly, Cotton Candy Hair by Tina Olajide
28. Night Time Routine by Sharee Miller
29. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena
30. Wait by Antoinette Portis
31. I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn
32. What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss
33. Water is Water by Miranda Paul
34. Queen Victoria’s Bathing Machine by Gloria Whelan
35. A Bed for Bear by Clive McFarland
36. Get Out of My Bath! by Nosy Crow
37. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean
38. The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt
39. Tuck Me In! by Dean Hacohen
40. The ABC Bunny by Wanda Gag
41. Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa by Anna Dewdney
42. Baking Day at Grandma’s by Anika Denise
43. A B See by Elizabeth Doyle
44. I Can Roar! by Frank Asch
45. LOOK! by Edouard Manceau
46. One by Kathryn Otoshi
47. Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox
48. The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak
49. Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
50. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett
51. Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae
52. The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
53. Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn
54. Goodnight Already! by Jory John & Benji Davies
55. Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley
56. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
57. Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty
58. Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
59. Prayer for a Child by Rachel Field
60. I Am Invited to a Party! by Mo Willems
61. Let’s Go for a Drive by Mo Willems
62. Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
63. Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Anthony
64. You Nest Here With Me by Jane Yolen
65. Animal ABC by Susi Martin
66. ABCs at the Store by Rebecca Rissman
67. The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
68. Where Bear? by Sophy Henn
69. Tails by Matthew Van Fleet
70. Alpha Block by Christopher Franceschelli
71. New York, New York: The Big Apple from A to Z by Laura Krauss Melmed
72. Book-O-Beards by Donald Lemke and Bob Lentz
73. The Spiffiest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson
74. Polar Bear’s Underwear by Tupera Tupera
75. Princess Cupcake Jones and the Missing Tutu by Ylleya Fields
76. Alpha Oops!  The Day Z Went First by Alethea Kontis
77. I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont
78. I Spy Pets by Edward Gibbs
79. Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett
80. Alphabet Mystery by Audrey Wood
81. Alphabet Adventure by Audrey Wood
82. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
83. The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield-Martin
84. Float by Daniel Miyares
85. I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn
86. The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski
87. The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein
88. Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley
89. Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder
90. Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne by Lesa Cline-Ransome
91. A Fine Dessert by Emily Jenkins
92. Home by Carson Ellis
93. Max the Brave by Ed Vere
94. ABC: A Child’s First Alphabet Book by Alison Jay
95. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
96. This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
97. Night Light by Nicholas Blechman
98. Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
99. The Only Child by Guojing
100. Home Alone: The Classic Illustrated Storybook by John Hughes, illustrated by Kim Smith

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.  All of the books listed are ones that my family or I have read personally and have enjoyed.

Your turn:  What other books would you add to the list?  Feel free to share in the comments.