All Gertie’s favorite picture books from this year. New or newly discovered.
I’ve been away from Gertie and the book blog for so long! But that is because I’ve been hard at work learning to be a real, authentic, children’s library person and keeper of books and reader (out loud!) of stories in a brick and mortar public library. Aren’t I lucky?
In my new role I get to read dozens of picture books every week. These are some of my very favorite from the year. Some are newly published and others I’ve just discovered.
This was such a wonderful way to return to the blog. May 2026 hold love and safety for children everywhere. And may there forever be more and more places where children can discover new worlds and comfort in stories, where they can learn literacy, and be cared for by the keepers of books and their grownups and communities.
A quiet and lovely gem about the meaning of home and family and the importance of welcoming new people in our communities, Home in a Lunchbox follows one child as she starts a new school in a new place, trying to learn a new language. As she faces this difficult task, food from her home in her lunchbox grounds her and helps her start to feel at home amongst her classmates. I loved this book dearly.
Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo
This book is not new but it is newly discovered by Gertie’s Books. I read this several times to my library little ones and it was always a hit with both littles and grownups. Simple, fun illustrations tell the story of a little connecting with her grandpa over tea. The gently unexpected end is always a charming, even moving moment. I’ve seen lots of grownup eyes mist over when we get there.
Tea with Grandpa by Barney Saltzberg
Calling all cat and library lovers! This book of funny and detailed illustrations is great for building narrative understanding with little ones. A curious cat wants to get in to the library and find out what the squiggly lines next to the pictures in her favorite books mean. But the keeper of the books keeps gently removing her. Until one day a child trying to learn to read discovers she makes the perfect library pet.
No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons
A dramatic and cinematic telling of an ordinary and relatable experience of young children. A child breaks one of their grandmother’s treasured cups. They are too afraid to tell what happened but keeping the secret proves to be a burden too difficult to bear. A sweet and thoughtful story of understanding and a grownup’s wisdom and love.
Broken by X. Fang
Fry Bread is a significant work of art. Delving into the meanings and cultural connections of an important native food while providing the charm and comfort of a beloved picture book for children must not be easy. But Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal reach this pinnacle with ease and beauty. A book for all time.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard. Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal
Tea means so much to so many different cultures. This books is about the way tea is a source of love between people and families. I really love the rich and softly colorful illustrations in the book. It feels just like sitting down with a friend for a warm cuppa. Gertie would have loved this one especially. In her travels around the world she most often noticed children and how they were the same in every culture and every place.
Drawn Onward is a book about grief and the ways that we heal ourselves with memory, imagination, and the solace of the natural world. Although this is a graphic picture book, I think it is best suited to school aged children. Lyrical and emotionally wise, Drawn Onward will resonate with anyone who had lost someone precious.
This is a fun and happy book to read around Thanksgiving or before, after or during any family gathering. Rituals and traditions are important to young children. Around the Table That Granddad Built helps celebrate those moments. The illustrations tickle me, with their cute and funny collection of cousins and the bright details of a shared meal.
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