Yes, picture books! This genre has been SO strong this year- whether the form of debuts, or published works from established authors and illustrators, I have been continuously surprised and delighted by my reading in this epic field. The titles on this list are ones that have either excelled as read alouds for my storytimes, ones that I have personally adored, or ones that I have feel have contributed something superb to the genre. Or perhaps all of the three factors combined!

You can check out Part 1 of my picks here.

In no particular order, here are my picks for Part 2:

You Belong Here by M.H. Clark, illus. Isabelle Arsenault
Everyone Is Yawning by Anita Bijsterbosch
This Is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter
I’ll Wait, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony
My Dad Used to Be So Cool by Keith Negley

Penguin Problems by Jory John, illus. Lane Smith
Pug Meets Pig by Sue Lowell Gallion, illus. Joyce Wan
I Will Not Eat You by Adam Lehrhaupt, illus. Scott Magoon
There’s A Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
Cat Knit by Jacob Grant

The Moon Inside by Sandra V. Feder, illus. Aimée Sicuro
First Snow by Bomi Park
Who What Where? by Oliver Tallec
Bunny Slopes by Claudia Rueda
If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle, illus. Cale Atkinson

This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne
Wild by Emily Hughes
Dylan the Villain by K.G. Campbell
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
One Day, the End.: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illus. Fred Koehler

Lost. Found. by Marsha Diane Arnold, illus. Matthew Cordell
Quackers by Liz Wong
Secret Tree Fort by Brianne Farley
Ideas Are All Around by Philip C. Stead
Have You Seen Elephant? by David Barrow

And last, but definitely not least, the best of the rest. This includes board books, children’s non-fiction and others:

We Sang You Home by Richard Van Camp, illus. Julie Flett
Hamsters on the Go by Kass Reich
This Is Not a Book by Jean Jullien
We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers by Julie Flett

Gryphons Aren’t So Great by James Sturm, Alexis Frederick-Frost & Andrew Arnold
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A BabyLit Fairies Primer by Jennifer Adams, illus. Alison Oliver
Miss Moon: Wise Words from a Dog Governess by Janet Hill
Out of the Woods by Rebecca Bond

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox by Danielle Daniel
Sing a Season Song by Jane Yolen, illus. Lisel Jane Ashlock
Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau, Deborah Hopkinson, illus. Meilo So
The Blobfish Book by Jessica Olien

Note: Some titles appearing on this list may have been published in previous years; titles on this list are ones that I read in 2016. Some titles appearing on this list may also have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest reviews; this has no bearing on making this list. These are my personal selections.

Yes, picture books! This genre has been SO strong this year- whether the form of debuts, or published works from established authors and illustrators, I have been continuously surprised and delighted by my reading in this epic field. The titles on this list are ones that have either excelled as read alouds for my storytimes, ones that I have personally adored, or ones that I have feel have contributed something superb to the genre. Or perhaps all of the three factors combined!

In no particular order, here are my picks:

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis
The Liszts by Kyo Maclear, illus. Júlia Sardà
A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers & Sam Winston
Wolf Camp by Andrea Zuill

Ooko by Esme Shapiro
Grumpy Pants by Claire Messer
Tokyo Digs a Garden by Jon-Erik Lappano, illus. Kellen Hatanaka
Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie, illus. Yuyi Morales
The Night Gardener by Terry Fan & Eric Fan

A Family Is A Family Is A Family by Sara O’Leary, illus. Qin Leng
Before Morning by Joyce Sidman, illus. Beth Krommes
Henry & Leo by Pamela Zagarenski
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
Jill & Dragon by Lesley Barnes

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illus. Erin. E. Stead
Bring Me a Rock! by Daniel Miyares
Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway, illus. Julie Flett
Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske
Before I Leave by Jessixa Bagley

The Wish Tree by Kyo Maclear, illus. Chris Turnham
The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito, illus. Julia Kuo
Friend or Foe? by John Sobol, illus. Dasha Tolstikova
Nobody Likes a Goblin by Ben Hatke
The Storybook Knight by Helen Docherty, illus. Thomas Docherty

Note: Some titles appearing on this list may have been published in previous years; titles on this list are ones that I read in 2016. Some titles appearing on this list may also have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest reviews; this has no bearing on making this list. These are my personal selections.

In no particular order, I present my picks for best of YA, adult fiction, and non-fiction of 2016:

Young adult:

Flannery by Lisa Moore
Dan Vs. Nature by Don Calame
Watching Traffic by Jane Ozkowski
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston
Lucky Few by Kathryn Ormsbee
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Speed of Life by J.M. Kelly

Boys Don’t Knit series by Tom Easton
Julia, Vanishes (Witch’s Child #1) by Catherine Egan
The Scorpion Rules (Prisoners of Peace #1) by Erin Bow
Into the Dim (Into the Dim #1) by Janet B. Taylor

Adult fiction:

The Break by Katherena Vermette
The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall
My Last Continent by Midge Raymond
We’re All in This Together by Amy Jones

The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
The Widow by Fiona Barton
Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

Non-fiction (including memoir, comics, humour):

Boy, Erased by Garrard Conley
Sex Object by Jessica Valenti (audiobook)
The Book of Memory Gaps by Cecilia Ruiz
I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short (audiobook)
Adulthood is a Myth: A Sarah’s Scribbles Collection by Sarah Anderson

Molly and the Bear Collection by Bob Scott
Your Grandma Rocks, Mine Rolls: A Grand Avenue Collection by Steve Breen
Happy as a Clam: A Sherman’s Lagoon Collection by Jim Toomey
I’m Only in This for Me A Pearls Before Swine Collection by Stephan Pastis
Gross!: A Baby Blues Collection by Rick Kirkman & Jerry Scott

Note: Some titles appearing on this list may have been published in previous years; titles on this list are ones that I read in 2016. Some titles appearing on this list may also have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest reviews; this has no bearing on making this list. These are my personal selections.

In no particular order, I present my picks for best of children’s fiction- including middle grade lit and graphic novels- of 2016:

A Boy Named Queen by Sara Cassidy
Once Was a Time by Leila Sales
Kabungo by Rolli
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
A Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel

Booked by Kwame Alexander
The Best Man by Richard Peck
The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson
Mayday by Karen Harrington
Avenging the Owl by Melissa Hart

The Book You’re Not Supposed to Have (Timmy Failure #5) by Stephan Pastis
Double Down (Diary of A Wimpy Kid #11) by Jeff Kinney
Royal Wedding Disaster (From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess #2) by Meg Cabot
The Strange Gift of Gwendolyn Golden & Everton Miles Is Stranger Than Me (Night Flyers series) by Philippa Dowding

Gertie’s Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley
Where You’ll Find Me by Natasha Friend
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall
Completely Cassidy series by Tamsyn Murray

The Ministry of Ghosts by Alex Shearer
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly
Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan
An Island of Our Own by Sally Nichols

Children’s graphic novels and early fiction formats:

Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea by Ben Clanton
Fluffy Strikes Back by Ashley Spires
Lucy by Randy Cecil

Note: Some titles appearing on this list may have been published in previous years; titles on this list are ones that I read in 2016. Some titles appearing on this list may also have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest reviews; this has no bearing on making this list. These are my personal selections.

For part two, I am taking a look at picture books and board books- categories which I not only feel so lucky I get to pore over daily at work, but also categories which I am constantly amazed by. The titles picked here are the reads that have surprised, delighted, impressed, or ones that I feel have done something innovative and fresh. In no particular order, here are my picture book and board book picks:

Out of the Woods: A True Story of an Unforgettable Event by Rebecca Bond
Before I Leave by Jessixa Bagley
Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske
This Is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter
One Day, The End.: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illus. Fred Koehler
Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum, illus. Keika Yamaguchi
Wild Berries by Julie Flett
Secret Tree Fort by Brianne Farley
Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) by Julie Falatko, illus. Tim Miller
My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith, illus. Julie Flett
The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan
If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle, illus. Cale Atkinson
Big Friends by Linda Sarah, illus. Benji Davies
Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood, illus. Claudia Rueda
Dylan the Villain by K.G. Campbell
Please, Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt, illus. Matthew Forsythe
Hamsters on the Go! by Kass Reich
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A BabyLit Fairies Primer by Jennifer Adams, illus. Alison Oliver
Gryphons Aren’t So Great (Adventures in Cartooning) by James Sturm, Alexis Frederick-Frost, Andrew Arnold
Wild by Emily Hughes
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
Dear Yeti by James Kwan
This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne
Lost. Found. by Marsha Diane Arnold, illus. Matthew Cordell
We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers by Julie Flett
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell
The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits by Douglas Florian, illus. Sonia Sanchez
Sing a Season Song by Jane Yolen, illus. Lisel Jane Ashlock
Wandering Whale Sharks by Susumu Shingu
A Dog Wearing Shoes by Sangmi Ko

For part one, I am taking a look at three big categories: children’s fiction, young adult fiction, and adult fiction. The titles picked here are the reads that have surprised, delighted, impressed, or ones that I feel have done something innovative and fresh. In no particular order, here are my picks:

In Children’s Fiction:

The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall
Avenging the Owl by Melissa Hart
Where You’ll Find Me by Natasha Friend
The Ministry of Ghosts by Alex Shearer
It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
Completely Cassidy series by Tamsyn Murray
The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson
Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan
Royal Wedding Disaster (From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess #2) by Meg Cabot
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

In YA:

Flannery by Lisa Moore
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston
Lucky Few by Kathryn Ormsbee
With Malice by Eileen Cook
Dan Versus Nature by Don Calame
Boys Don’t Knit series by T.S. Easton
If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
Into the Dim (Into the Dim #1) by Janet B. Taylor
The Greatest Zombie Movie Ever by Jeff Strand
The Scorpion Rules (Prisoners of Peace #1) by Erin Bow

In Adult Fiction:

My Last Continent by Midge Raymond
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Killing Trail (A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery) by Margaret Mizushima
Eligible (The Austen Project #4) by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Widow by Fiona Barton