November 28, 2016On Our Radar

New York Public Library Reveals its List of Best Books for Kids and Teens Just in Time for The Holidays

New York, NY — In the spirit of giving this holiday season, librarians at The New York Public Library (NYPL) are sharing their recommended reads of 2016 for children and teens.

A perfect guide for those looking to give the best books to their favorite young readers, the two lists – 100 Best Books for Kids and 50 Best Books for Teens – feature recommendations from NYPL’s children and teen librarians throughout the Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island.

Spanning multiple genres from picture books to graphic novels – the titles selected represent an inclusive list of books published in 2016 that consist of diverse characters, rich storytelling, and the ability to engage and stimulate a life-long love of reading.

The lists include celebrated authors, such as Kate DiCamillo, Sherman Alexie, Dan Yaccarino, Peter Brown, John Lewis, and Meg Medina – as well as eagerly-awaited debut titles, such as Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings, and Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova. 

An interactive website that sorts and categorizes the selections based on a range of categories, such as genre, format, and age, will launch on December 1.

Events will be held on December 1 at 4pm to celebrate the launch of the 50 Best Books for Teens at the Hamilton Grange Library in Manhattan with Never Missing, Never Found author Amanda Panitch, the Bronx Library Center with Zoraida Cordova, and Stapleton Library in Staten Island.

100 BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS

Picture books (fiction & nonfiction):

• Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlmann
• A Beginner’s Guide to Bear Spotting by Michelle Robinson; Illustrated by David Roberts
• Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda
• Dragon was Terrible by Kelly DiPucchio; Illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
• Emma and Julia Love Ballet by Barbara McClintock
• Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford; Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
• Giant Squid by Candace Fleming; Illustrated by Eric Rohmann
• Have You Seen My Trumpet? by Michaël Escoffier; Illustrated by Kris Di Gia
• Henry and Leo by Pamela Zagarenski
• How Much Does a Ladybug Weigh? by Alison Limentani
• I Am a Story by Dan Yaccarino
• I Am Not a Dinosaur by Will Lach & The American Museum of Natural History; Illustrated by Jonny Lambert
• If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle; Illustrated by Cale Atkinson
• The Journey by Francesca Sanna
• Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell; Illustrated by Rafael López
• The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan
• Olinguito, de la A a la Z!/Olinguito, from A to Z! by Lulu Delacre
• Ooko by Esme Shapiro
• Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 by Julie Gassman; Illustrated by Steve Moors
• School’s First Day of School by Adam Rex and Christian Robinson
• The Secret Subway by Shana Corey; Illustrated by Red Nose Studio
• Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor by Robert Burleigh; Illustrated by Raúl Colón
• They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
• Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie; Illustrated by Yuyi Morales
• Tiny Stitches: the Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas by Gwendolyn Hooks. Illustrated by Colin Bootman
• Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book by Britta Teckentrup
• A Voyage in the Clouds: The (Mostly) True Story of First International Flight by Balloon in 1785 by Matthew Olshan; Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
• The Water Princess by Susan Verde and Georgie Badiel; Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
• The White Cat and the Monk: A Retelling of the Poem “Pangur Bán” by Jo Ellen Bogart; Illustrated by Sydney Smith
• What To Do with a Box by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Chris Sheban
• Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton; Illustrated by Don Tate The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game by Nancy Churnin; Illustrated by Jez Tuya
• Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian; Illustrated by Mike Curato
• Yaks Yak: Animal Word Pairs by Sue Park; Illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt 

Easy readers:

• Duck, Duck, Porcupine! by Salina Yoon
• Haggis and Tank Unleashed: All Paws on Deck by Jessica Young; Illustrated by James Burcks
• Mango & Bambang: The Not-a-Pig by Polly Faber; Illustrated by Clara Vulliamy
• My Life in Pictures by Deborah Zemke
• Pugs of the Frozen North (A Not-So Impossible Tale) by Philip Reeve; Illustrated by Sarah McIntyre
• Timo’s Garden by Victoria Allenby; Illustrated by Dean Griffiths
• Waylon! One Awesome Thing by Sara Pennypacker; Illustrated by Marla Frazee
• Weekends with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban; Illustrated by Katie Kath
• What this Story Needs is a Hush and a Shush by Emma J. Virjan
• Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln? by Kate DiCamillo; Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Fiction for kids:

• All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook by Leslie Connor
• As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds
• Beetle Boy by M.G. Leonard
• The Best Man by Richard Peck
• The Bolds by Julian Clary; Illustrated by David Roberts
• The Door by the Staircase by Katherine Marsh
• Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
• The Island of Beyond by Elizabeth Atkinson
• It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
• Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart
• Midnight War of Mateo Martinez by Robin Yardi
• Moo: A Novel by Sharon Creech
• Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson
• Pax by Sara Pennypacker; Illustrated by Jon Klassen
• Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
• Time Traveling with a Hamster by Ross Welford
• Unbound by Ann E. Burg
• When Mischief Came to Town by Katrina Nannestad
• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
• Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

Fairy tales & folklore:

• The Blue Jackal by Shobha Viswanath; Illustrated by Dileep Joshi
• Hare and Tortoise by Alison Murray
• I Am Pan! by Mordicai Gerstein
• The Princess and the Warrior: The Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh
• Thumbelina by Xanthe Gresham Knight; Illustrated by Charlotte Gastaut
• Snow White by Matt Phelan