I had to change the title of today’s post. Under normal circumstances I call it the “Transcendent Holiday Picture Books List”. This year, though, there were a slew of board books that insisted on inclusion, as well as a sneaky little graphic novel that upset the entire apple cart (and I couldn’t be more pleased to have found it).

In the old days I used to do this post around December 25th. Then a reader pointed out that if anyone wants to, I dunno, actually have these books on hand when some of the winter holidays come up, it would behoove me to make this list a little earlier in the month. As such, enjoy this smattering of holidays from all the livelong year. Each one is the best of its kind, representing their respective seasons.

For a PDF of this list, please look right here.

Would you like to see previous years’ lists of holiday titles? Try these on for size:

• 2024
• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019 (Great Santa Stakeout alert!)
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016

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2025 Transcendent Holiday Children’s Books

FEATURED TITLE

Crack Goes the Cascarón / La Explosión del Cascarón by Sara Andrea Fajardo, ill. Rocío Arreola Mendoza traducción de Yanitzia Canetti [Holiday – Easter]

YES! More of this, PLEASE! It’s got everything we should be seeing in our holiday titles. Mischief. Slime. And bilingual to boot?!? In this tale you have Toti. Toti is the king… the king of cascarónes, that is. He wields his power over others with verve. No one is safe from his reign of terror. You’re probably somewhat familiar at least with those confetti-filled eggs. Well this year the kid is going all out. He has devious plans indeed for his various family members… even his poor Abuela! But what Toti doesn’t count on is his family getting in on the act. Dang, this is so hugely creative, fun, and full of life and energy. Easter titles are never ever going to go back to the dull little rabbit titles ever again after this. Bring on the cascarónes!!

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Banana Menorah by Lee Wind, ill. Karl West [Holiday – Hanukkah]

About the time I finally got to this book I fully realized that the overarching theme of children’s books in 2025 wasn’t resistance or the environment or civil rights. It was bananas. Bananas are the number 1 theme of 2025. So much so that this is the first of TWO books to feature a banana menorah for Hanukkah inside (the other, as you will soon see, is The Book of Candles by Laurel Snyder). I have to credit Lee Wind with this book, of course, because not only is this Hanukkah title hilarious, it felt weirdly, amazingly real. I am not Jewish, but I could 100% see myself grabbing random fruits in the kitchen to form makeshift menorahs, if the necessity arose. In this story our heroine is on a lovely beachy vacation with her two dads around Hanukkah time, when it becomes evident that they both assumed that the other had packed the menorah. The enterprising kid sticks two candles in a banana and voila! Problem solved! But bananas (especially in tropical locales) have a tendency towards mush, so on the next night … granola menorah! And the night after that? Shiny foil menorah! I love the two-page reveals of each original menorah idea. There’s info at the end about making your own original menorahs (“Be careful to choose materials that will not burn” is VERY good advice, I should think) and as Lee himself points out in his note to readers, this is a great way of coming up with a fun new family tradition. 

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The Birds of Christmas by Olivia Armstrong, ill. Mira Miroslavova [Holiday – Christmas]

Folks, I want to make it clear to you that in order to put together this holiday list I read a LOT LOT LOT of holiday books throughout the year. And of those books, I’d make a rough estimate that around 70% of them are Christmas-related. That’s why you’ll see such a tipped balance in favor of Christmas on this list here today. It’s not ideal, but it reflects what the publishers tend to put out. Now out of that 70% only a very select few make it onto this list. My standards are kind of egregiously high, I suppose. Such books need to be original, have art that works in perfect tandem with the story, and have great writing. Storyteller Oliva Armstrong has a bit of a leg up on the competition when it comes to that last stipulation I mentioned. A professional storyteller who tends to do performances at intimate venues like Westminster Abbey, the National Gallery, the British Library, Hampton Court Palace, and Windsor Castle (adorable locales that I’m sure you’ve never heard of), the woman knows wordplay. Here, she has adapted one such story to the picture book form. It’s an original story of how the British robin got its red breast. Eerdmans is calling it, “a transcendent Nativity folktale from Eastern Europe, published for the first time as a picture book,” but what made it stand out for me was the pacing and the art. Not every storyteller is adept at putting the oral on the page, but Armstrong (and, presumably, her editor) figured it out. Meanwhile, Miroslavova’s art is created with graphite pencils and colored digitally, giving the entire outing a rather stunning glow. It’s an interesting array of colors too. A lot of purples and golds, but a bit more muted than you’d find in your average Ecclesiastical ceremonies. An excellent new entry into the form. 

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The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah by Laurel Snyder, ill. Leanne Hatch [Holiday – Hanukkah]

There is much to be said for a poem picture book that determines its sense of place from the first two-page spread onward. Just after the title page, we are presented with a wordless scenario in which a family prepares for Hanukkah. The scene, in fact, is so realistic that you can practically smell the potatoes being grated and the heat of the hairdryer dad’s using to work on the menorah over the sink. We then move immediately into the poems and they are… good? No. Not “good”. Absurdly good. This is the kind of book you pick up off-handedly, expecting it to be decent, only to find that the poetry within transcends the ordinary. Look, I’ll just spell it out. There’s a poem for every night, but there are also little sidebars of information (“Did you know that unlike Shabbat candles, which should be lit before sundown, you can light Hanukkah candles late into the night, so long as everyone is awake to see them burn?”). But the whole reason I felt such kinship with this book had much to do with the easy, cozy, everyday contemporary family feel. At one point on the third night everyone comes home with a takeout pizza. This is a family that you grow to know and love throughout the pages, and that has as much to do with the author’s poems as it does the illustrator’s pictures. And yes. If you’re wondering, “That sounds great, Betsy, but is there a banana menorah in this book?” The answer is yes. It is part of the 2025 banana menorah trend. 

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Dance in the Desert by Madeleine L’Engle, ill. Khoa Le [Holiday – Christmas]

There’s a lot of dancing going on in the Christmas books this year (as you will soon see). Now if you want the full story on this book, good luck to you. Rarely have I found a picture book that raised so many questions yet had so little backmatter (at least, it’s rare in contemporary publications). Only if you happen to read the teeny tiny type of the front bookflap will you discover that this book is an abridged version of a title L’Engle published fifty-five years ago. That probably explains why the copyright on this text reads 2025, come to think of it. I do appreciate that on her official website they say, “This touching story follows a refugee family facing an impossible journey across dangerous terrain and the community that generously helps them along the way.” Clever ducks. I was under the distinct impression that I hadn’t seen the original, but then I glimpsed the original cover illustrated by Symeon Shimin and it all came roaring back. Cutting down the text was undoubtedly a good move. This is, at its heart, a baby Jesus and family tale where they’re fleeing to Egypt. To do so, they join a caravan of a rich merchant who takes pity on them. One night the caravan is approached by a host of animals, and they all dance with the little boy. The ostrich dancing is, as you might imagine, 100% my favorite part. There’s no huge point made with all of this. It’s just a really cool dance of the animals with the baby Jesus (who is walking at this point, so it’s not like he was born yesterday). Khoa Le is the perfect illustrator to pair with this too, since she gives this book class and style and just a couple jaw-dropping glorious images to boot. You want a baby Jesus book this season? You grab this one. 

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A Dance with Santa Claus by Sandra Boynton [Holiday – Christmas]

Doggone it, Sandra Boynton. Why are you still so danged good at everything you do? Did you know that she put out an adult book of cocktail recipes with her son this year called Extremely Happy Holidays? Seems to me an enterprising gift-giver would be clever if they were to give a parent and child of their acquaintance that book and this book together (lord, I should have gone into Marketing). In any case, refocusing our attention on this particular book, just look at that cover. Look at it, I say. The title says it all. This is a lightly rhyming, bouncy little book about a small bunny with a single, solitary wish: To dance with Santa Claus. “You can keep all the toys,” it says, which is a kind of ballsy statement to make on Christmas Eve. Does Santa show up for a dance just for a minute or two? You betcha he does. The music even runs along the bottom of the page (for you enterprising guitar/piano readers). Extra bonus: If you have ever wanted to see Buddy Holly as a cat, boy are you in luck. As charming as it is delightful. Ya just gotta respect a book that puts the salsa in Santa. 

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Days of Awe: Stories for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Eric A. Kimmel, ill. Sarah Green [Holidays – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur]

Three classic tales of the Jewish High Holy Days are retold by an expert folklorist, making them fun and accessible and inspirational for all readers. And as I was quick to discover, this is actually an older book, redesigned and re-illustrated for today. I compared the two side-by-side and 100% I prefer this new edition. Opinion: Eric A. Kimmel is a national treasure and should be venerated as such. For those non-Jewish readers who may get the two holidays a bit mixed up, a book like this is a godsend. There’s a great introduction by Kimmel, giving adults like myself a bit of background. Then we get into the three stories: The Samovar, The Shepherd, and Rabbi Eleazar and the Beggar. And because it’s Kimmel telling the tales, they’re all just great! Evocative and interesting, with fun art by Sarah Green to keep things interesting. And it isn’t just the selection of the stories but the ways in which Kimmel is capable of retaining what made them great from the start while also adapting them for a modern audience that makes the book work so well. A great example of how to take tales from the past and highlight the elements that make them so relevant today.

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Easter Is Eggcellent by Sabrina Moyle, ill. Eunice Moyle [Holiday – Easter]

So the Moyles have been in this game for a while and they covered all the basics already. They’ve done Halloween and Christmas as well as general approbation titles celebrating moms and dads. All fine, of course, but with Easter, now things are getting interesting. You know, if publishers had the courage of their convictions they’d be putting out books like this for Eid and Holi and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Until we get those books (and I shall wait them out) Easter is still a rare enough occurrence in board books to be celebrated. The Moyles slightly frenetic style suits the content of this book nicely. Easter bunnies and an ambulant egg (who appears to be not in the least bit disturbed by the eggs hatching all around it on some of these pages) sum up what Easter is. There’s no, ah, Jesus or anything, of course. This is much more of a sweets, egg hunt, fancy hat kind of deal. But there is a “Let Us Rejoice!” line at the end that tries to bridge that gap a little (clever pookies). The real lure of the book is its sheer levels of enthusiasm, though. I’m beginning to get these books now. 

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Family Feast! by Carole Boston Weatherford, ill. Frank Morrison [Holiday – Thanksgiving]

You all KNOW how hard it is to do good Thanksgiving picture books. And truth be told, nowhere in this book does that holiday ever get name checked. Cleverly, Weatherford and Morrison appear to be perfectly aware that this book could really be about ANY major family gathering at any time. Still, I have my suspicions. There’s mention made at one point of “Chicken and dumplings, turkey and stuffing, / Virginia’s biscuits and cornbread muffins.” I mean, I don’t know that turkey gets eaten all that often. Plus, look at what folks are wearing in this story. It’s all warm weather clothing. There’s even a large two-page spread of a turkey being carved. I call Thanksgiving on this book, and that’s good because together Weatherford & Morrison are very good at describing the full-on chaos that comes when you fill a house with SO many people. Lots of kids. Lots of adults. And at least one girlfriend in knee-high boots (or maybe that’s just my interpretation). If you want a holiday book that wraps you up in so much family that it feels like a wild, unpredictable hug, this is what you need. Extra points for also being DELICIOUS. 

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Gather Grateful by Megan Litwin, ill. Alexandra Finkeldey [Holiday – Thanksgiving]

This is the holiday book so pretty it’s actually ending up on some Best of the Year lists too. As potentially problematic holidays go, Thanksgiving is certainly well behind Columbus Day, but it often leaves folks a bit baffled as to how to go forward with it. For the children’s book publishing industry, the general attitude has been to view the day almost exclusively as one devoted to giving thanks and showing gratitude. As such, the books they put out try to acknowledge that, but as with any message, it’s easy to get bogged down in the good intentions and forget how to make a decent story. Full credit to Gather Grateful then. Alexandra Finkeldey, an inconveniently Canadian illustrator, has done quite a few books already, but I really feel that she put her back into rendering the autumn on this pages as autumn-y as possible. For example, the two-page spread of the title pages just shows a landscape of darkened houses in gray/blue and these trees and leaves and ground of a kind of vibrant russet brown/orange. I know I often talk about two-page spreads I’d like to frame and put on my walls, but this is a definite contender right here. That blue/gray and russet brown/orange filter continues throughout the rest of the book, showing animals gathering different things for the months ahead while down below human families are gathering together for meals and companionship, stories and singing, and more. “Gather outside. Gather in. Cozy time can now begin.” Oh right. It also rhymes, which isn’t necessary but is rather nice once you ease into the cadence of it. A clever take on several old themes, brought together expertly. 

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How Six Found Christmas by Trina Schart Hyman [Holiday – Christmas]

This year I started toying with the idea of what a Trina Schart Hyman picture book biography would entail. It’s an impossibility (the woman smoked like a chimney and the ONE thing you can never show in a picture book anymore is someone sucking on a cigarette) but from time to time I see a reprint like this lovely little publication from 1969 and it reminds me why I liked her as much as I did. Now I always think of Hyman as the Trickster Queen of Children’s Literature, but that’s not the tone of this book. Instead, it’s a rather sweet, and highly original, Christmas tale. I suppose the Hyman-like element to the storytelling is that the entire premise of the book hinges on characters that begin and end the tale with zero clue about what Christmas actually is. When a little girl (the kind that just seems to live merrily on her own without a parent in sight) learns from an old woman that there is such a thing as “Christmas” (the book says that the old woman, “did not elaborate on the matter”) she sets out into the woods to locate it. Each animal she meets along the way joins her in a kind of Bremen Town Musicians-type situation, seeking a “Christmas” that makes the most sense to them. The cat wants to know what it feels like, a dog wants to know what it smells like, a fox wants to know what it tastes like, etc. When they find an old green bottle (“dropped in the snow by some lonely hunter, or a long-dead, frozen king”) they come to the perfectly logical conclusion that it must be Christmas. For folks looking for baby Jesuses or Santas, they’re going to be deeply disappointed by what is, at its core, a small, slightly long, picture book with the final message, “Christmas is not only where you find it, it’s what you make of it.” A wry little holiday oddity worth remembering. 

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If It’s Pride and You Know It… by Andy Passchier [Holiday – Pride Month]

(Previously seen on the Board Book List)

All right, man. We are doing this. So Nosy Crow rules the interactive board book genre in a number of ways. One of them just comes down to sheer cardboard technology. They call them “chunky sliders to push and pull”. I call them genius. Now usually you see this kind of thing on a Bizzy Bear book or something like that. Incorporating it into a book on Pride is brilliant, and making it something you can actually sing? Even better. But the true reason I’m as excited as I am about this book also has to do with the way in which Passchier utilizes color. The cover of this book, when you turn the wheel, becomes this psychedelic whirligig of rainbow colors. I mean… it’s a dance party. They put a dance party in a board book and it’s the most gorgeous little thing. Without a doubt, this is the best Pride board book you will ever ever encounter. 

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The Invisible Parade by Leigh Bardugo, ill. John Picacio [Holiday – Día de Muertos]

Deeply ensconced in grief over her beloved grandfather, Cala doesn’t want to go to the Día de Muertos party in the graveyard. But that’s before four mysterious riders teach her a little about love, loss, and courage. Why yes, one of my favorite picture books of 2025 IS a thinly veiled metaphor starring the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, how did you know? I’m always particularly happy when a book manages to be about a specific holiday (in this case Día de Muertos) while also having a much wider scope. In all honesty, this is a book about a girl trying to wrestle with her grief. Now I’m always a bit wary when authors of YA or adult fare swerve so hard into picture book territory and that goes for illustrators as well. Happily, Bardugo and Picacio must have had a steady editor, because for all that it’s a touch wordy, I don’t think anyone would call this overlong. And, of course, the art is JAW-DROPPING! This is gonna be the weirdest, most beautiful thing you read today, so grab it fast! 

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Mr. Willoughby’s Head Over Heels Christmas by Robert Barry, ill. Sue DiCicco [Holiday – Christmas]

Okay. So this book sports a pedigree that requires a certain level of explanation. And, for some reason, that explanation includes Robert Downey Jr. and The Muppets. No lie. So way back in 1963, a children’s book author/illustrator by the name of Robert Barry created a Christmas-themed picture book called Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree. It had perfectly decent sales but didn’t exactly become a household name. But it did, I should note, get a bit of attention in 1995 when Jim Henson Productions adapted it for TV with star Robert Downey Jr. playing Mr. Willowby. Okay, so fast forward to today. Turns out that Mr. Barry wrote a sequel to that book, but he did that thing where he placed the manuscript and sketches in an overstuffed file cabinet, unknown to his heirs. When his son, John Barry, found it again, he revivified the book and brought it to life. Now I can personally attest that even without prior knowledge of its predecessor, this second Mr. Willowby story is rather charming. I’m a sucker for any book where things start of copacetic and then, with increased chaos, grow rapidly out-of-hand. In this tale the truck that is supposed to deliver Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree gets stuck in a snowdrift. Now the kindly old man will have no lovely tree for Christmas. The local animals, friends with the Mr. Moneybags-looking fella, decide to surprise him with a tree they find on a mountainside. That’s when the avalanche occurs… You can imagine the hijinks that ensue. I wasn’t thrilled with the choice to hide illustrator Sue DiCicco’s name deep within the publication page when, in truth, she’s responsible for the bulk of the images in this book (like I said, the original creator left only sketches). But for madcap holiday fun, complete with a bit of WAHOO! mixed in, this Christmas book is hard to beat. 

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My Little Santa Claus by Gabrielle Vincent [Holiday – Christmas]

If I’ve been a bit unclear, allow me to clarify something. A good holiday picture book, a truly good one, has something about it that sticks in a child’s brain. Your average children’s librarian in a public library is probably well familiar with the adults that sidle up to their desks with apologetic grimaces. These people want to ask about a book from their youth. It’s often not one of the big ones you’ve heard about. In spite of the fact that so many more picture books are published today, there are untold hoards of forgotten ones out there. Forgotten, except for the fact that they have an overwhelming effect on the children that find and read them. That’s what I look for in holiday books. I want titles that parents can pull out to read every year and that sear themselves into the subconscious of the children in strange and interesting ways. With that in mind, you probably now understand why I’m as fond of My LIttle Santa Claus as I am. I mean, just look at it. The whole premise is so wonderfully backwards. A child-sized Santa parachutes down from the sky where he meets a girl. When he confesses that he has nothing to give, she runs for home and grabs a doll. Immediately she returns and gives HIM a gift for once. The last she sees of him, he’s plucked back up into the sky, and they decide they’ll meet at the same place, same time, next year. This is a French book, and something American in me expected the girl to be rewarded for her act of kindness at the end. Nope. The reward, the true one, is seeing the little Santa snuggling the doll on a cloud in a final, wordless shot. It’s evocative, odd, and deeply pleasant. A perfect Christmastime accompaniment. 

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The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, ill. Hayden Goodman [Holiday – Christmas]

You know, I haven’t taken the time to check, but I do believe that each and every year there are at least three different versions of Clement C. Moore’s poem published in picture book form. That’s what happened this year, anyway, and of the three this was the version that I found snuggled deepest into my heart. Maybe it’s the acknowledgement right there on the cover of that most odd little line calling Santa a, “jolly old elf” (note his pointy ears). This version of the story takes place at an apartment building, allowing the artist to focus on a range of families and not just one. This is not dissimilar to the Loren Long version from a couple years ago. Instead of a grown man, the narrator is a young girl who just happens to have an apartment with a working fireplace. I did wonder about this (not a lot of apartments have fireplaces, after all) but it seems Goodman thought this through. From what I could tell, hers is the only fireplace in the building. From there, St. Nick is able to get into the other apartments to bestow his gifts. Also, I get a bit petulant when versions cut out the pipe part. This St. Nick has a long Galdalf-worthy one. Honestly, he kinda resembles Gandalf. And why we haven’t seen a Galdalf/Santa mashup until now? No idea. The art is actually really fun (love the kid with the eyes popping out of his head when he spots the person in his home) and Goodman does some lovely things with the ribbons on Santa’s bag that is just really quite inventive. My top Moore pick of the season. 

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North for the Winter by Bobby Podesta [Holiday – Christmas]

A supervising Pixar animator tries his hand at middle grade comics and comes out with a legitimately fun Christmastime tale. Silly that I am, color me surprised when I learned that the critter on the cover of this book is Donner. Dasher had her time in the sun with Matt Tavares, so it seems only fair that Donner should have a turn. The story fixes on a broken family. Virginia and her dad are driving to her aunt’s home just in time for Christmas and the kid is NOT happy about it. Ever since her mom’s death, Virginia’s father has been withdrawn and moody. It probably doesn’t help when he almost hits some animal in the road and gets a flat. While he’s taking care of that, Virginia runs into the animal in question and accidentally ends up with the strange compass it wears around its next. What follows is a trip to the city where department store elves, a trapper with a Javert-like mindset, a new friend for Virginia, and more than a dose of magic mean that by hook or by crook, it’s up to Virginia to save Christmas itself! I was particularly taken with the continual shots of the army during all of this, as they try to deal with the flying objects that make no sense on their radars. Set in 1955, the book is peppered with little callbacks to a lot of classic Christmas fare. Reading it, you’re never quite sure where Podesta will head next. Gripping storytelling, fantastic art, hopefully we’re going to see a lot more books out of Mr. Podesta in the future.  

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Once Upon a Kwanzaa by Nyasha Williams and Sidney Rose McCall, ill. Sawyer Cloud [Holiday – Kwanzaa]

Okay, you want to know the first thing I noticed about this book, apart from the fact that it’s a rather gorgeous Kwanzaa title (and to call such a thing a rarity is an understatement)? It’s the fact that illustrator Sawyer Cloud (a freelance artist from Madagascar) appears to have done her research when it comes to hearing aids and wheelchairs. It was illustrator Jason Chin who alerted me to the fact that when it comes to wheelchairs you can’t just slap wheels on the sides of a chair and then plunk it into a book. That’s not respectful and that’s not cool. This book? Respectful. And very cool. We’re introduced to about ten different families, all of whom are celebrating Kwanzaa in different ways. There are defined terms throughout, but it doesn’t feel like an informational text or anything. Rather Williams and McCall work in elements like the seven principles of Kwanzaa, the Libation Statement, and what each night of Kwanzaa represents with aplomb. Also? How many books do you know that sport a purple-haired blind woman going about her business, independent and confident? “Words To Know” are in the back and those endpapers? *chef’s kiss* The Kwanzaa book of the season (and, let’s face it, probably the decade too). 

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One Diwali Day by Dev Kothari, ill. Aditi Anand [Holiday – Diwali]

Is it bad that I much prefer picture books in which the characters are thwarted and disappointed at every turn? Certainly there are some books out there where everything is happy dappy and… dull. Much more interesting for everyone is a book like One Diwali Day. Ronak is determined to enjoy his Diwali but things just keep going wrong for the poor kid. First a breeze comes up and smudges his rangoli. Then his cool new kurta gets juice spilled on it. ALL the relatives seem to come except for Dida (where is she?). When Dadaji and Dadima have a video call, Dida missed it. And then where the heck are the jalebis on the table? There’s a refrain that comes up again and again that says, “So I let my worry fly away”. That’s probably what’s keeping this from turning into its own Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Diwali style). The book also replicates that feeling that comes to kids so often (and adults not enough) where you finally get the thing you want most (in this case, big sister Dida finally appears) and “This is the bestest and happiest Diwali ever!” But trust me, you don’t earn a happy ending like that without a little frustration first. A recipe for making your own Diwali pedas (nom) and instructions on constructing your own lantern appear at the end. 

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Shabbat Is… A Special Day Celebrated in Many Ways by A.J. Sass, ill. Noa Kelner [Holiday – Shabbat]

Weekly holidays are still holidays, folks. Now not all Shabbat books are created equal. As a day of celebration, I’d go so far as to say that it’s one of the more difficult ones! Over in the graphic novels this year we have One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe, but, see, Passover is an official holiday that comes with a built-in exciting story. Shabbat is a festive day, but isn’t it just a little harder to explain to kids? Don’t worry. Sass & Kelner have the situation well in hand. The key to this book is Sass showing a wide variety of ways to celebrate Shabbat, whether it’s with a large family, a small one, in service, or even at a basketball game. There are a WIDE variety of types of people and families portrayed, as well as a dang good Author’s Note and Glossary at the end. Kelner’s art is just the right level of fun and interesting too. All told, this isn’t just useful… it’s also fun to read. 

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Shabbat Shalom: Let’s Rest and Reset by Suzy Ultman [Holiday – Shabbat]

(Previously seen on the Board Book List)

Let us, for just a moment, praise a board book and its adept, succinct use of limited language. Listen to this: “On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, we do all the doing. On Friday night, Shabbat begins, and we pause the doing to enjoy just being.” I have literally never heard Shabbat described any better than this. Every element on the tables, as they are prepared, contains a plethora of smiley-faced objects scattered hither and yon. The attendees at the meal are an eclectic and wide array of critters, people, and the occasional walking talking piece of fruit. The book isn’t preachy in the least. Its explanation of why Shabbat is a necessary time is so straightforward and lovely that you’ll want to partake in it right away. This is, to my mind, is the most successful kind of holiday or religious ceremony-centric board book. It gives you what you want to know while also containing amazing eye-catching art and a text that outdoes itself. Find this!

Slow Down, Shoshi! It’s Shabbat in Uganda by Shoshana Nambi, ill. Moran Yogev

A couple years ago you might have seen on a previous Holiday list an entry for a book called The Very Best Sukkah: A Story From Uganda. I was absolutely entranced by that book. Not just Shoshana Nambi’s text, but also Moran Yogev’s beautiful accompanying illustrations. The duo is now back with a new title, though Yogev’s art looks a bit less like woodcuts here and more like standard illustration. The story is one that I’ve seen before but that I always enjoy. Shabbat is perfect for picture book adaptations since it comes with a built-in deadline. In this story, it’s finally harvest day for Shoshi and her grandfather. They pick the red coffee cherries, prepare them, wash them, dry them, and soon they’re ready to be sold at market. Shoshi is on hyperdrive, wanting to get there and get all the things for their Shabbat meal stat! Her grandfather takes a more roundabout approach to the whole thing. When she finally gets to shop, she does so far too quickly and forgets to get the Shabbat candles. Not only does Shoshi learn about taking your time in preparing for Shabbat, but in experiencing it personally as well. I don’t think that there’s a kid alive that won’t sympathize with Shoshi when her grandfather first talks to all the neighborhood kids and then his friends at the market. Think of this as My Parents Won’t Stop Talking but with a bit of a deeper message at its core. 

So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story by Anne Wynter, ill. Jerome Pumphrey [Holiday – Juneteenth]

How would you dress, dance, sing, or eat after years of various forms of oppression? A glorious celebration of Juneteenth that cleverly links the past to the present in new, vital, and vibrant ways. It can be hard to come up with an original holiday book, particularly when that holiday comes with as much history and weight as Juneteenth. Full credit to Anne Wynter then. Working with only one of the Pumphrey brothers (!!) she makes the importance of Juneteenth come through her crystal clear words. The text frames the history of Blacks in America through the sense of “How would you?”. So you’ve questions throughout the book like, “How would you dress after so many years of mending your clothes with rags?” all at the beginning. Then, after the muted colors have passed, you get this glorious riot of color in the second half taking place today. Few books tie the past to the present quite as clearly as this one does, and to loop it all together with a holiday kids are familiar with today? Brilliant. Every library should own this. Every last one.

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The 13th Day of Christmas by Adam Rex [Holiday – Christmas]

For me, it was the pile of gold rings on the table at the story’s start that really solidified my love for this book, even before I knew where Adam Rex was going to take it. The recipient of the gifts that come with the 12 Days of Christmas song has been a meme in pop culture for a while, but no one has ever really tackled it as seriously as Rex does with this book. First off, the song does not appear at the beginning. That’s a choice on Adam’s part and I am HERE FOR IT. Kids will be too. If you’re worried that they won’t understand the book otherwise, easily solved. Just grab your favorite version of the song in picture book form (my personal favorite is the LeUyen Pham one). When Rex’s book opens you have our hero (whose nose resembles nothing so much as a plumbob) shell-shocked on a corner of his couch while his house remains full of dancers, milkmaids, drummers, you name it. As one drummer tells him, “You have us ‘til Thursday.” Indeed he does! His true love is out of town (and baffled by his attitude over her gift) and so what is there to do? He takes off, but anywhere he goes in town he creates shows, impromptu parades, and more. And you know what? Merriment follows too. And the next thing you know they’re raising money for a school’s books (the fake award winner covers are worth the price of this book alone), and when the true love finally does arrive again it appears that this wasn’t what she ordered (“The website I ordered from was really confusing”). Lotsa cows. Lotsa fun. Now THIS is the kind of original hilarious holiday book I like to see!!

This Moment Is Special / Este momento es especial by John Parra [Holiday – Día de Muertos]

I was at the Milkwood retreat run by artist Sophie Blackall earlier this year with a number of librarians and educators. And at Milkwood there is an enormous library, full to brimming with illustrated books for kids. While I was in there, searching to see who might be included, one of the teachers started to wax rhapsodic over the works of John Parra. As she was quick to point out, the man may have won a Pura Belpré Honor in his day, he has yet to get the attention he so richly deserves. This latest title of his is a Día de Muertos story (a popular topic this year, alongside such titles as Popo the Xolo and aforementioned The Invisible Parade) and seemingly follows a little skeleton boy as he does a variety of things in celebration of the holiday. At the end, his skull is revealed to just be face paint, which is an interesting touch. Of course Parra’s acrylic paints are well in hand, but I was personally very taken with the endpapers of the title. I don’t know why but they reminded me of some of my favorite outsider art of the 90s. Whatever the case, this is a lovely new addition to the holiday genre.

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We’re Going On an Egg Hunt by Goldie Hawk, ill. Angie Rozelaar [Holiday – Easter]

2025 is going to be remembered for a lot of things. I suspect that nowhere else will you hear it referred to as The Year Board Books Upped Their Easter Game, but there you are. Between this and the aforementioned Easter Is Egg-Cellent! we’re looking at a nice array of springy titles. Now I’m a sucker for any board book that adapts to a pre-existing rhyme. And when that pre-existing rhyme is good old We’re Going On a Bear Hunt… I mean is it just me or is it weird that no one else has ever thought to make an Egg Hunt book like this? Now I wouldn’t have necessarily have thought to make it a board book, but it works, y’know? For the right preschool storytime (and since Easter is inherently religious, it’ll probably be a Sunday school storytime or something) or one-on-one with a parent, this book chants beautifully. Plus you get to make clucking chicken, munching rabbit, and hoppy froggy sounds. I might quibble with where the heck in America it is that you have full-grown carrots by Easter, but otherwise no objections here. Fun, and with a very nice use of fluorescent pink too.

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The Witch’s Table by Melinda Beatty, ill. Stefano Tambellini [Holiday – Halloween]

To call The Witch’s Table a Halloween book is just a tiny bit of a stretch since aside from the whole witch factor, there’s nothing specifically Halloween-ish about this book. Even so, I’m rather inordinately fond of it. It first caught my attention when I read the name, of course. Years ago when Trina Schart Hyman was accepting her Caldecott Award she mentioned that she was through apologizing, “for the witch’s table”. Naturally, I had to look into it and, at last, found said table (it’s in King Stork by Pyle and you should DEFINITELY see what she got away with if you can). This table is a bit more of a grumpy trickster. It’s like that pet that keeps getting returned to the pet shop because it’s just too much for any of its owners to deal with. For this relatively young witch, she discovers it in the attic. It’s been in her family since her great-grandmother and no one can ever get rid of it. This witch knows how to get around its usual tricks, but then, slowly, she begins to empathize with it. She gives it a nice rug to keep its toes warm. She makes it a pretty tablecloth. They watch movies. She even gets it an equally naughty lamp as a pal. The tale is sweet and to the point, which I appreciate, but it’s the art of Stefano Tambellini that really makes the whole thing a delight. Plus I really like the author’s note in the back which begins, “Melinda Beatty has had years of practice trying to explain to others why she was just having an imaginary conversation between two people that don’t exist, so becoming a writer seemed like the best way to stop everyone from looking at her funny.” 

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That’s it for today! Be sure to stay tuned for more lists on 2025 titles. The full roster is here:

December 1 – Great Board Books

December 2 – Picture Book Readalouds

December 3 – Simple Picture Book Texts

December 4 – Transcendent Holiday Children’s Books

December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books

December 6 – Funny Picture Books

December 7 – Caldenotts

December 8 – Wordless Picture Books

December 9 – Bilingual Books for Kids

December 10 – Math Books for Kids

December 11 – Books with a Message / Social Emotional Learning

December 12 – Easy Books

December 13 – Translated Children’s Books

December 14 – Fairy Tales / Folktales / Religious Tales

December 15 – Gross Books

December 16 – Poetry Books

December 17 – Unconventional Children’s Books

December 18 – Early Chapter Books

December 19 – Comics & Graphic Novels

December 20 – Older Funny Books

December 21 – Science Fiction Books

December 22 – Fantasy Books

December 23 – Informational Fiction

December 24 – American History

December 25 – Science & Nature Books

December 26 – Unique Biographies

December 27 – Blueberry Award Contenders (Celebrating the Environment)

December 28 – Nonfiction Picture Books

December 29 – Nonfiction Books for Older Readers

December 30 – Middle Grade Novels

December 31 – Picture Books

Filed under: 31 Days 31 Lists, Best Books, Best Books of 2025