Picture Books We Loved in 2020

Here is a boy who is sure of one thing: he does NOT like stories. Not stories about waking up in the morning, or people in space, or fish in the sea, or planes, or trains, or boring old buildings.

We see the boy’s experiences play out over the course of his day. The one thing this contrarian boy loves is his cat—whose day is depicted through graphic panels in a funny, parallel side narrative. The cheerful cat searches for the boy all day, chasing anything yellow, the colour of the boy’s br …

Kate is upset when her grandma (Bubbie) gets a motorized scooter. Will Bubbie still be Bubbie in that scooter? Kate slowly warms to the scooter after she sees what a good friend it is to Bubbie. And shopping at Granville Island Market with Bubbie and the scooter turns out to be so much fun! Her little brother Nate loves the scooter's bells and whistles, and Kate makes new friends on their joyous outing.

A picture book about a lively evening in a community kitchen from Governor General’s Award–winning author and illustrator Jillian Tamaki.

Tie on your apron!
Roll up your sleeves!
Pans are out, oven is hot.
The kitchen’s all ready,
Where do we start?

In this lively, rousing picture book from Caldecott Honoree Jillian Tamaki, a crew of resourceful neighbours come together to prepare a meal for their community. With a garden full of produce, a joyfully chaotic kitchen and a friendly meal shared …

Fall in love at first blunder with a wisely foolish kindergarten teacher who makes the first day of school an experience to remember.

Kayla isn’t too sure about the first day of kindergarten. What if she misses her mom? What if she can’t find the bathroom? But when Kayla meets Mrs. Muddle, it quickly becomes clear that Kayla’s problems are nothing compared to her teacher’s. Mrs. Muddle mixes up the kids’ name tags, takes them to the library instead of the gym, and can’t find the bath …

In this engaging and inspiring biography, a groundbreaking but relatively unknown woman finally gets her due as one of the most influential mathematicians of the twentieth century.

Emmy Noether is not pretty, quiet, good at housework or eager to marry --- all the things a German girl is expected to be in her time. What she is, though, is a genius at math. When she grows up, she finds a way to first study math at a university (by sitting in, not actually enrolling) and then to teach it (by doing s …

From the creators of A World of Kindness, a meditative, sensory picture book with arresting art from fourteen illustrators featuring several exciting new artists

I am here. I know who I am. I breathe in the smell of sun-warmed grass and it fills my lungs with energy.

Parents, educators, and health practitioners everywhere are recognizing the importance of mindfulness practice, particularly for children. Meditation and yoga are becoming common activities in kindergarten classes and beyond. Taking …

An elevator ride to a birthday party turns into a shared experience bursting with joy in this multicultural story about community, togetherness and the special feeling of belonging.

Today is Olive's birthday party, and Sophie and her dad have baked cookies. Sophie's dad holds the platter so Sophie can push the elevator button for the tenth floor. But on the way up, the elevator stops to let the Santucci brothers get on. Then on the next floor, Vicky, Babs and their dog, Norman, get in. And as the …

A boy's little sister doesn't like the way he improvises when he tells tales, in this funny and bighearted tale about what makes a story good.

The stories Gabe “reads” to his little sister start out sounding familiar --- a red-caped girl on her way to Grandma's house meets a wolf in the woods --- but then, just in the nick of time, Sir Gabriel swoops in to save the day. His sister points out that's not how the story is supposed to go. The boy says his way is better: “Nothing bad happens in …