Looking for the best picture books to read in January 2021?
I’m sharing a list of 30 new picture books releasing in January 2021 that will be perfect to read with your kids!
Whether you’re looking for new releases to read with kids before bed, or picture books to add to your classroom library, this list is for you.
From humourous stories to important themes and messages, there’s a book for everyone on this list.
January 5th
Adaptation • Little Golden Books
Celebrate the diversity of the Star Wars universe with this Little Golden Book!
Some are big, and some are small. Some are young, and some are old. Some are queens, and some are scavengers. All off the aliens and beings from the Star Wars saga are very different, but each and every one of them plays an important role in the galaxy. This Little Golden Book celebrates the wonderful diversity in the Star Wars saga. Featuring stunning retro stylized illustrations, this book includes characters from all of the Star Wars films. It is perfect for Star Wars — and Little Golden Book — fans of all ages.
Friendship, Religious • Waterbrook
Heisman Trophy winner, multi-sport athlete, special needs advocate, and positive role model Tim Tebow encourages children to embrace their unique qualities in his first book for children, a winning tale based on his sweet pup, Bronco.
Bronco received an invitation to a party, but he can’t find the puzzle piece everyone is supposed to bring. During his search, he encounters a variety of friends with their own set of worries: a flightless bird, an allergic goat, and a clumsy bunny. The animals team up to find both Bronco’s puzzle piece and the party, arriving to discover that the party is in their honor!
This sweet story of animals with different challenges and abilities is core to Tim Tebow’s message to fans and friends of any age who have special needs. Getting invited to the party is exciting — but bringing your own particular gifts makes it more fun for everyone. Tim Tebow wants everyone to know that’s how God sees them: special, unique, and essential to the party.
Alphabet • Random House Books for Young Readers
Parents who play Grammy winner Lil Nas X’s 12-times platinum single Old Town Road on repeat will want to take their kids and ride on over to this ABC picture book from the music mega-star!
A is for adventure. Every day is a brand-new start!
B is for boots — whether they’re big or small, short or tall.
And C is for country.
Join superstar Lil Nas X — who boasts the longest-running #1 song in history — and Panini the pony on a joyous journey through the alphabet from sunup to sundown. Experience wide-open pastures, farm animals, guitar music, cowboy hats, and all things country in this debut picture book that’s perfect for music lovers learning their ABCs and for anyone who loves Nas’s signature genre-blending style.
Featuring bold, bright art from Theodore Taylor III, with plenty of hidden surprises for Nas’s biggest fans, C Is for Country is a celebration of song and the power inside us all.
This lyrical and stunning picture book tells a story about learning to love and celebrate your Asian-shaped eyes, in the spirit of Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry.
A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers’. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother’s, her grandmother’s, and her little sister’s. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future.
Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self love and empowerment.
This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages and is a celebration of diversity.
From New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne and illustrator Julia Kuo, here is I Dream of Popo. This delicate, emotionally rich picture book celebrates a special connection that crosses time zones and oceans as Popo and her granddaughter hold each other in their hearts forever.
I dream with Popo as she rocks me in her arms.
I wave at Popo before I board my flight.
I talk to Popo from across the sea.
I tell Popo about my adventures.
When a young girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to America, she leaves behind her beloved popo, her grandmother. She misses her popo every day, but even if their visits are fleeting, their love is ever true and strong.
Values • Random House & Disney
Say happy birthday to Little Judy from Disney Zootopiain this new Little Judy series and give the gift of kindness with this sweet storybook that includes over 30 stickers!
It’s little Judy Hopps’ birthday, and she’s invited her whole class to her party! Perfect for Disney fans ages 3 to 7, this brand-new storybook features a sweet story about being gracious and kind to everyone and includes over 30 stickers!
Disney Little Judy is a new preschool series starring Disney Zootopia‘s Judy Hopps as she grows from a bashful baby bunny to a fearless young rabbit. The series pairs the go-getting Judy Hopps with important preschool themes such as kindness, sharing, and trying new things.
Humour • Viking Books for Young Readers
The zany humor of Aaron Reynolds meets some serious facial hair in this competition for the title of finest mustache in the land!
When a mustachioed rabbit spots a mustache contest, he’s sure he has the competition beat. That is, until a pesky frog hops up with his own fine mustache. And a duck waddles up with a … duckstache? Soon, the competition is full of moosestaches and mousestaches, whalestaches and tailstaches — and every kind of ‘stache in between.
Readers will love following this simple tale of hirsute havoc with a laugh-out-loud twist ending. Plus, there’s a fun guide at the end to every kind of mustache imaginable!
Bedtime • Doubleday Books for Young Readers
A forest full of sleepy animals can be found beneath the remarkable, detailed cut-outs on every page of this stunning good night picture book.
As the sun goes down on Sleepy Hill, the animals are settling in for the night. This beautifully illustrated picture book with intricate, peek-through cut-outs throughout is sure to enchant any little one getting ready for bed. The soft, rhyming story is perfect for bedtime reading and along the way, kids will learn about animal habitats and behavior. Fans of the much-loved Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book won’t want to miss it.
Social Themes • Roaring Brook Press
From Caldecott honoree LeUyen Pham, Outside, Inside is a moving picture book celebrating essential workers and the community coming together to face the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Something strange happened on an unremarkable day just before the season changed.
Everybody who was outside …
… went inside.
Outside, it was quieter, wilder, and different. Inside, we laughed, we cried, and we grew.
We remembered to protect the ones we love and love the ones who protect us.
While the world changed outside, we became stronger on the inside and believed that someday soon spring would come again.
Ruth the bunny is excited to share the smells of spring with Bruce, but Bruce thinks spring stinks!
Fans of the best-selling Mother Bruce series will cheer for this festive book blooming with visual humor just right for our littlest readers.
Black girl magic takes the solar system in Stella’s Stellar Hair , a celebration of hair, family, and self-love from debut author-illustrator Yesenia Moises!
It’s the day of the Big Star Little Gala, and Stella’s hair just isn’t acting right! What’s a girl to do?
Simple! Just hop on her hoverboard, visit each of her fabulous aunties across the solar system, and find the perfect hairdo along the way.
Stella’s Stellar Hair celebrates the joy of self-empowerment, shows off our solar system, and beautifully illustrates a variety of hairstyles from the African diaspora. Backmatter provides more information about each style and each planet.
Science Fiction • Disney LucasFilm Press
Meet the noble and wise Jedi of the High Republic! When a disaster strikes in hyperspace, putting the people of Hetzal Prime in grave danger, only the Jedi of the High Republic can save the day!
Humour • Random House Books for Young Readers
Whoosh! A superhero has landed in your book! A new interactive adventure from the team that brought you There’s a Monster in Your Book and its companions.
Use the power of your imagination to unlock Superhero’s superpowers. But you’d better act fast before The Scribbler ruins your book completely! Readers will enjoy interactively tapping, stretching, and whizzing this book around as they help Superhero defeat the villain and save the day! As he did in all of the companion books, Tom Fletcher invites interactive fun while delivering a satisfying twist that celebrates the power of kindness and the true meaning of being a hero and a friend.
Flowers • Random House Books for Young Readers
A beautiful gift book that reveals the meaning of birth flowers for babies born each month of the year.
Every child is a different kind of flower, and all together, make this world a beautiful garden.
Welcome to this celebration of nature and babies from New York Times bestselling illustrator of Uni the Unicorn, Brigette Barrager. A gorgeous gift book reveals the qualities of babies born in each month of the year, and the accompanying flower that blooms in each birth month. This text is sweet, and soft, and everyone who opens it can find the special personality traits of individuals born in their month revealed.
January 12th
All the animals know it’s time to go to sleep — except Albie! A bedtime story for everyone who wants to stay up and play.
“Bedtime? Not now!
It’s time for rolling and jumping,
sniffling and snuffling. Not bedtime!”
The sun is sinking low over the savanna, and all the animals are getting ready to go to sleep. But when Albie the warthog’s mother calls him to bed, Albie dashes off to play instead. Will the cheetahs run a race with him? Not now — they’re getting a bedtime story. Will the elephants play Splish and Splash? Not now — they’re having their bedtime shower. Will the meerkats see who can dig the deepest hole? Not now, Albie! They’re very sleepy. Albie can’t find anyone to play with, and it’s getting darker by the minute. Luckily, his mother might just have the most fun idea of all — a squishy mud bath before bed! Spirited illustrations and a relatable main character will make this story a fun addition to young readers’ own bedtime routines.
Mermaids • Katherine Tegen Books
New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio teams up with illustrator Raissa Figueroa for a delightfully humorous picture book starring a mischievous black mermaid, her sea creature friends, and their surprising finds during their quest for treasure.
Meet Oona. The big sea’s littlest mischief maker.
She and her best friend, Otto, love to search for treasure … but often find trouble instead.
Messy trouble.
Tricky trouble.
Even shark-related trouble.
That’s never stopped them before, though!
After all, no proper treasure hunt is without some adventure. But when the grandest treasure yet is stuck in a deep, dark rift, Oona’s not sure if she can dive right in. What might be waiting for her in those unknown waters?
With gorgeous underwater scenes from rising new talent Raissa Figueroa and humor and heart abounding in New York Times bestselling author Kelly DiPucchio’s text, this little mermaid’s tale is a celebration of friendship, creativity, and bravery in the face of the unknown.
A heartfelt story of changing perspectives, set in the Midwest. Ten Beautiful Things gently explores loss, a new home, and finding beauty wherever you are.
Lily and her grandmother search for ten beautiful things as they take a long car ride to Iowa and Lily’s new home with Gran. At first, Lily sees nothing beautiful in the April slush and cloudy sky. Soon though, Lily can see beauty in unexpected places, from the smell of spring mud to a cloud shaped like a swan to a dilapitated barn. A furious rainstorm mirrors Lily’s anxiety, but as it clears Lily discovers the tenth beautiful thing: Lily and Gran and their love for each other.
Ten Beautiful Things leaves the exact cause of Lily’s move ambiguous, making it perfect for anyone helping a child navigate change, whether it be the loss of a parent, entering or leaving a foster home, or moving.
In Vivian McInerny’s playful debut, readers will fall in love with wonder again as Zia imagines what might happen if the hole in her pocket became big enough to fall right through. The Whole Hole Story is perfect for readers looking for a fresh take on the classic Harold and the Purple Crayon.
Zia is used to the hole in her pocket — she frequently fills it with frogs and other objects. And as it gets bigger and bigger, she starts to wonder what might happen … if she fell right through. Would she cover it with a blanket to catch an elephant, or dig a tunnel to the other side of the world? The possibilities are endless, and readers will love following Zia’s adventurous imagination from beginning to end.
With hilarious wordplay paired with Ken Lamug’s bright and colorful illustrations, The Whole Hole Story will appeal to kids’ divine sense of silliness. Perfect for fans of Du Iz Tak?, and They All Saw a Cat.
Immigration • Feiwel & Friends
A picture book about immigration, Watch Me is based on the author’s father’s own story.
Joe came to America from Africa when he was young. He worked hard in school, made friends, and embraced his new home. Like so many immigrants before and after him, Joe succeeded when many thought he would fail.
In telling the story of how his father came to America, Doyin Richards tells the story of many immigrants, and opens the experience up to readers of all backgrounds. Here is a moving and empowering story of how many different people, from different places, make us great. Acclaimed artist Joe Cepeda brings the story to life with beautiful paintings, full of heart.
January 19th
Self-Empowerment • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
An exciting new picture book from the bestselling author of Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea!
When a young girl sees a strong woman on TV labeled as “too assertive” and “too ambitious,” it sends her on a journey of discovery through past, present, and future about the challenges faced by women and girls and the ways in which they can reframe, redefine, and reclaim words meant to knock them down.
As Ambitious Girl says:
No “too that” or “too this”
will stop what’s inside us from flowering.
Anyone who’s ever been underestimated or overshadowed will find inspiration in this empowering picture book from New York Times bestselling author Meena Harris.
Friendship comes in all shapes and sizes.
Peep, peep, peep! Baby Chick has a lot to say!
Everyone in Chick’s family is too busy to chat with her. But when chatty baby Chick adopts a large egg — she finally finds a friend who is a good listener. When her egg goes missing, Chick is heartbroken, until she finds that it has hatched into a brand-new friend!
This sweet and funny story is about feeling different and embracing who we are.
A fun and original story by Barbara Davis-Pyles, author of Grizzly Boy and Stubby the Fearless Squid, about a troll named Cliff who isn’t very good at sitting still or being a “proper” troll. He’d much rather be a pirate anyway!
“Ahoy!” he shouts upon meeting other trolls, who then remind him that the proper troll hello is “Go away!” After a report card full of Fs in bridge building, stoney staring, and even goat gobbling (he’s a vegetarian!), Cliff sets off for pirate school.
But are things different for him there? Aye, that they arrrre!
This humorous story is about appreciating who we are and knowing there is a place where we fit in the world.
Animals • Knopf Books for Young Readers
This hilarious story of a pangolin with an identity crisis will be loved by fans of Penguin Problems and Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great.
Poor pangolin — he’s trying to explain who he is, but all the other animals keep getting confused.
You have scales — like a snake? A long tongue — like a frog? A strong scent — like a skunk? You can roll in a ball — like an armadillo? And a name that sounds a lot like … penguin? We love penguins!
“No, no, no! I am not a penguin! There are no penguins here!”
But then, just when it couldn’t get worse, a penguin arrives!!
What’s a poor pangolin got to do to be understood?!
Written by an award-winning aquanaut and with art by a #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator, this inspiring picture book encourages readers to explore their world, build their self-esteem and imagine what they can do and become when they grow up.
When I was young, the world seemed too dangerous. Everything was too hard. I was too young. Places were too far away. But that was okay because I had a big imagination …
Through beautiful, spare text, Jill Heinerth tells her story about a girl who feels too young, too little and too far away from her dreams. But you don’t need to wait to grow up. It doesn’t take much to imagine all the things you can do and be. What if your bedroom were a space station? What would it be like to have flippers or tusks? In your own home you can explore new worlds and meet new friends.
Jaime Kim’s luminous art transports readers back and forth through time to see how Jill’s imagination as a young girl laid the pathway to her accomplishments and experiences as an underwater explorer.
Kids can imagine a world where they’re in charge — and ask the grown-ups for help when they need to — in this adorable and imaginative picture book.
The kids have some excellent ideas: turning the Grand Canyon into a ball pit, replacing all the sidewalks with trampolines.
But running the world is a tough job. After the kids build a massive house of candy and then immediately eat all of their own furniture, they begin to have second thoughts.
Will the kids give the adults one more chance to run the world?
January 26th
Self-Esteem • Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Avocado is feeling just fine in the fruit and veg aisle at the supermarket — until a young customer asks a difficult question: “Is an avocado a fruit or a vegetable?”
Avocado doesn’t know the answer either — and the question won’t seem to go away!
A brilliantly funny book about identity and being confident in your own skin — featuring the world’s most popular superfood!
Manners • G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Meet Doug, an ordinary kid who doesn’t like hugs, in this fun and exuberant story which aims to spark discussions about bodily autonomy and consent.
Doug doesn’t like hugs. He thinks hugs are too squeezy, too squashy, too squooshy, too smooshy. He doesn’t like hello hugs or goodbye hugs, game-winning home run hugs or dropped ice cream cone hugs, and he definitely doesn’t like birthday hugs. He’d much rather give a high five — or a low five, a side five, a double five, or a spinny five. Yup, some people love hugs; other people don’t. So how can you tell if someone likes hugs or not? There’s only one way to find out: Ask! Because everybody gets to decide for themselves whether they want a hug or not.
Imagination • Feiwel & Friends
A little girl and a refrigerator box go on many adventures as they imagine all the things they can be in this debut picture book from Kim Howard and Megan Lotter, Grace and Box …
Grace and Box have become fast friends. Box delivered a refrigerator earlier in the week and by the end of it, Grace and Box had already been to space, gone camping, and explored the depths of the sea together.
But on Sunday, Grace notices something’s wrong with her buddy. Box has some rips and crumples that Band-Aids, ice packs, and rest on the couch can’t seem to heal. Grace certainly doesn’t want these adventures to end, so she is determined to fix Box so that they can continue their play together!
A universal friendship (child and box) has come alive in this imaginative and humorous picture book. The depths of friendships run deep with children, even if they’re just boxes to us!
Children will learn the importance of treating others with love, kindness, and respect.
Follow the adventures of a young boy as he practices kindness throughout his day, from rescuing a puppy to standing up to bullies to helping his young sister tie her shoe. I Am a Kindness Hero celebrates gentleness and vulnerability in boys, and shows that true strength and leadership come from treating those around you with love and respect.
I Am a Kindness Hero provides parents, teachers, and childcare providers with a beautiful picture book that offers a new kind of role model for young boys. A standalone title, it also serves as a companion to I Am a Warrior Goddess, by the same author and illustrator, which inspires strength, leadership, and empowerment in young girls.
Friendship • HMH Books for Young Readers
It turns out that the best way to draw others to you is by being yourself in this sweet, STEAM-minded picture book from New York Times best-selling author Beth Ferry.
Marsha is a scientist who has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. But when it comes to making friends to invite to her birthday party, she is stumped.
Luckily, Marsha knows the solution to being stumped: the scientific method.
With equal parts creativity, determination, and humor, Marsha sets out to attract as many friends as she can — what could possibly go wrong?
In this hilarious celebration of friendship and ingenuity, Beth Ferry and Lorena Alvarez show readers that the best way to attract friends is to simply be yourself.
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