Start the new year off right with these exciting new picture books to read in January 2022!
Picture books are some of the best books to read. Not only are they entertaining and educational, but they’re perfect for readers of all ages. Teachers, parents, librarians and kids can always find the joy in a fun and engaging picture book.
The new year is already shaping up to be an incredible year for picture books. With this list of 23 picture books to read in January 2022, bedtime reading and classroom read-alouds will be much more fun.
Whether you’re looking for the most anticipated picture books or something that’s not on your radar yet, there’s a picture book for you on this list. With beautiful and enticing illustrations to go along with these books, we’ll all be happy readers, all month long!
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January 1st
Holidays & Celebrations • Albert Whitman & Company
Gauri is excited to splash colors on everyone for Holi. But when she doesn’t get her favorite color, Gauri gets mad. Will she find a way to overcome her anger and join in the festivities?
January 4th
Disney Parks • Little Golden Books / Disney
Blast off on an epic space adventure in this new Little Golden Book-inspired by the popular Disney Parks Attraction Space Mountain!
Fly through space, swerve around asteroids, and discover the universe in this book inspired by the iconic Disney Park Attraction Space Mountain. Perfect for children ages 2 to 5 and Disney fans of all ages, this Little Golden Book is a great way to celebrate National Astronaut Day with your little space explorer!
People & Places • Nancy Paulsen Books
Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López’s highly anticipated companion to their #1 New York Times bestseller The Day You Begin illuminates the power in each of us to face challenges with confidence.
On a dreary, stuck-inside kind of day, a brother and sister heed their grandmother’s advice: “Use those beautiful and brilliant minds of yours. Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and believe in a thing. Somebody somewhere at some point was just as bored you are now.” And before they know it, their imaginations lift them up and out of their boredom. Then, on a day full of quarrels, it’s time for a trip outside their minds again, and they are able to leave their anger behind. This precious skill, their grandmother tells them, harkens back to the days long before they were born, when their ancestors showed the world the strength and resilience of their beautiful and brilliant minds. Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical text and Rafael Lopez’s dazzling art celebrate the extraordinary ability to lift ourselves up and imagine a better world.
January 11th
Max discovers that uniqueness is more than just a name, in this funny, lively picture book debut by the bestselling author of The Interestings.
Max’s room has his name all over it—on his blanket and night light and wall. His parents call him The One and Only Max. And so, he is in for a big surprise at the playground one day, when he hears Max, time to go home! and two other kids come running. He’s not the one and only after all! How many Maxes are in the world?! Millions of Maxes?
But when he decides to help one of the other Maxes find her missing toy, he discovers that there are other ways to be special, and that he can appreciate the specialness of his new Max friends just as much as his own. That night he dreams of the future adventures he’ll have with all of the Maxes he has yet to meet.
Biography • Random House Studio
Congressman and civil rights advocate Elijah Cummings dedicated his life to public service. This comprehensive and visually stunning biography details his humble beginnings and unwavering faith as he waged an endless battle for truth, justice, and equality.
We can do better.
When Elijah Cummings was a little boy, he struggled in school. His teachers thought he talked too much and asked too many questions. They said he’d never be able to read or write well.
Despite his difficulties, Elijah never gave up. He persevered, having faith that with hard work, he’d be able to achieve his goals.
Best known as a voice for people of color and an advocate for equal opportunity, Elijah Cummings was a man of faith and dignity, a beacon of justice, and an unrelenting warrior for equality and change.
Carole Boston Weatherford and Laura Freeman marry words and images beautifully in this picture book biography of politician and civil rights champion Elijah Cummings, detailing his inspiring journey—from his humble beginnings as the son of former sharecroppers to his unwavering faith as he became a lawyer, state legislator, and leading congressman. Best known as a voice for people of color and an advocate for equal opportunity, Elijah Cummings was a man of faith and dignity, a beacon of justice, and an unrelenting warrior for equality and change.
A sumptuously illustrated exploration of the joy that comes with creating art for one’s own self.
There once was a time when all the colors, from midsummer blue to sunrise orange, lived at the tips of Annie’s fingers …
But when her classmates’ sidelong glances cause Annie to notice all the tiny flaws in her art, her colorful creative spark fades—quite literally—to gray. With lyrical prose and eye-catching illustration author-artist Lisa Anchin shows readers how to find the beauty in imperfections and celebrate the joy of creation for creations’ sake.
This inspiring picture book by New York Times bestselling author Bakari Sellers is a tribute to the family and community that help make us who we are. Perfect for sharing and gifting.
When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, Who are your people? and Where are you from?
Children are shaped by their ancestors, and this book celebrates the village it takes to raise a child.
In the vein of I Am Enough and Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, this powerful picture book with beautiful illustrations by Reggie Brown is a joyful recognition of the people and places that help define young readers and adults alike.
Don’t miss this picture book debut from Bakari Sellers, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller My Vanishing Country: A Memoir.
Nature • Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Inspired by viral online stories during the 2019-2020 wildfires in Australia featuring wombats ‘saving’ other animals taking shelter in their burrows, here is a lyrical story about strangers in need of refuge.
Up on the hill, Wallaby licks a puddle’s last drop. Skink slips into the shade. Echidna hides in grass as dry as tinder. Under the hill, Wombat carves out a cave that’s all his own. Then—KABOOM!—lightning strikes.
Written in simple and concise language perfect for a read aloud, award-winning author Sarah L. Thomson invites readers to see through the eyes of a wombat as a fire rages through Australian outback. Nearly 3 billion animals were affected by the Australian wildfires of 2019-2020, and wombats played a crucial part in allowing their homes to transform as safe havens for other animals whose homes were destroyed in the fires. Paired with stunning and richly layered art by Charles Santoso, Wombat Underground teaches us that the time of greatest danger is also the time to open our door to those in the greatest need.
January 18th
People & Places • Neal Porter Books
Who do you see when you look in the mirror? One mother’s account of her experience as the only Black child in school serves as an empowering message to her own daughter and children of color everywhere.
Life can be hard for the only brown girl in a classroom full of white students. When the teacher talks about slavery, she can feel all of her classmates staring at her. When they talk about civil rights, she is the one that other kids whisper about on the playground. In those moments, she wants to slip away or seep into the ground; and she wonders, is that all you see when you look at me?
What really matters is what she sees when she looks at herself. She is a reflection of the courage, strength, intelligence and creativity that’s been passed down from generation to generation through her ancestors.
Inspired by her daughter’s experience in school as well as her own, Adrea Theodore’s debut picture book is a powerful testament to the past as well as a benediction for the future.
Board Book, Family • Random House Books for Young Readers
This joyous and loving celebration of family is the first-ever picture book to highlight Black nighttime hair traditions—and is perfect for every little girl who knows what it’s like to lose her bonnet just before bedtime. Now in board book!
In my family, when the sun goes down, our hair goes up!
My brother slips a durag over his locs.
Sis swirls her hair in a wrap around her head.
Daddy covers his black waves with a cap.
Mama gathers her corkscrew curls in a scarf.
I always wear a bonnet over my braids, but tonight I can’t find it anywhere!
Bedtime Bonnet gives readers a heartwarming peek into quintessential Black nighttime hair traditions and celebrates the love between all the members of this close-knit, multi-generational family.
Perfect for readers of Hair Love and Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut.
People & Places • Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Confident, empowered girls are celebrated in this follow-up to Happy Hair, a flower-filled, nature-loving, read-together picture book that encourages growth and positivity,
Lovely and wise, shine at sunrise! I am growing each day!
Beautiful Black girls with gorgeous natural hairstyles full of flowers, butterflies, and other garden treasures are the stars of this vibrant, rhythmic picture book from the author/illustrator of Happy Hair and Cool Cuts. Set in a backdrop of nature’s glorious color and bounty, it’s a great springtime read-aloud to promote confidence and self-esteem for girls of all ages.
Family • Katherine Tegen Books
Author Muợn Thị Văn and Stonewall Book Award-winning artist Jessica Love detail all the big and small reasons why we love the people we do within a call-and-response picture book that features families across the spectrum.
“I love you because you tell the best stories.
Because I love you, my best story is you.“
What are all the big and small reasons why we love the people we do? And what does it look like when we voice it out loud?
To be read aloud by one or even two people, this affirming prose demonstrates that love is a dialogue. Love is complex. Love is utterly simple.
This is what love looks like.
Animals • Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Hugs and kisses and lovey-dovey stuff isn’t for all of us! A not-too-sweet story about a fierce and grumpy lion who maybe does know what he loves after all.
Today the fierce, fearsome Lion is supposed to show his love. But that makes him grumpy.
“What do you love?” Mouse asks Lion.
Lion doesn’t love lovey-dovey stuff.
Hugs? Kisses? NO WAY!
But Mouse wonders, doesn’t Lion love …
to growl? Love to roar?
Hmm, maybe Lion likes that.
Doesn’t he love to run? Love to chase?
Actually, maybe Lion loves that.
And maybe he DOES love to share his love.
With a simple, humorous text and playful illustrations from New York Times bestselling Renata Liwska, this story is a charming, unconventional exploration of the many ways there are to show our love!
What will I do if I don’t have you?
Are you still mine?
Our hands around a cup of hot chocolate, sweet and warm. Our boots splashing in puddles. The song you sing to me when the sun comes up. This is how we say “I love you” every day.
But what happens when the person you love is gone? Your heart hurts and you miss them, but even though your eyes can’t see them anymore and your arms can’t hug them, they are still there, still yours to love … just in a different way.
Jane Pillemer’s lyrical story and Sheryl Murray’s sweet illustrations offer gentle comfort and reassurance to anyone who has experienced loss that you still carry those you love with you in the smallest things—and in your heart—forever.
January 25th
Family • Bloomsbury Children’s Books
A delightful story of a child’s visit to a grandmother and home far away, and of how families connect and love across distance, language, and cultures.
Kylie is nervous about visiting her grandmother-her Amah-who lives SO FAR AWAY.
When she and Mama finally go to Taipei, Kylie is shy with Amah. Even though they have spent time together in video chats, those aren’t the same as real life. And in Taiwan, Kylie is at first uncomfortable with the less-familiar language, customs, culture, and food. However, after she is invited by Amah-Lái kàn kàn! Come see!-to play and splash in the hot springs (which aren’t that different from the pools at home), Kylie begins to see this place through her grandmother’s eyes and sees a new side of the things that used to scare her. Soon, Kylie is leading her Amah-Come see! Lái kàn kàn!-back through all her favorite parts of this place and having SO MUCH FUN! And when it is time to go home, the video chats will be extra special until they can visit faraway again.
Backmatter includes author and illustrator notes and a guide to some of the places and foods explored in Taiwan.
Transportation • Random House Books for Young Readers
A new Beginner Book all about vehicles, featuring favorite things that go!
On a busy street in a busy town, cars and trucks go zipping ’round. Buses, trains—watch them go! How many vehicles do YOU know?
Buckle up and join Mommy and Bonnie on their drive as they encounter more than 20 types of vehicles! From garbage trucks and school buses to fire engines and police cars, working vehicles can be spotted all over town—and each plays an important role.
Beginner Books were created by Dr. Seuss to encourage children to read all on their own. Vehicle enthusiasts will take pride in cruising through Busy Street‘s simple rhyming text, perfect for beginning readers ages 3 to 7. And with Edward Miller’s fun, colorful illustrations, little ones will want to take this book for a spin time and time again.
A musical treat for the ear and eye, this antic tale of a worm on a mission doubles as a cozy bedtime book.
One summer day, as Little Worm heads out to play, he discovers he has a song stuck in his head. “What’s that you’re singing?” Owl asks, but Little Worm can’t say. He wriggles past, determined to learn who filled his head with “Shimmy shimmy, no-sashay.” Owl flaps along with a song of his own, and before long Chipmunk, Bunny, and Fox fall in line, each contributing an ear worm to the joyful cacophony. Amid all the singing and dancing, Little Worm forgets his musical mystery until later when—surprise!—Papa Worm tucks him in. Hip, vintage-inspired illustrations and whimsical typesetting meet movement, sound play, and comic, cumulative delights in a picture book that will charm media-savvy children and their parents alike.
New York Times bestselling team Joanna Ho and Dung Ho present Eyes That Speak to the Stars, companion to the acclaimed Eyes That Kiss in the Corners.
A young Asian boy notices that his eyes look different from his peers’ after seeing his friend’s drawing of them. After talking to his father, the boy realizes that his eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars, shine like sunlit rays, and glimpse trails of light from those who came before—in fact, his eyes are like his father’s, his agong’s, and his little brother’s, and they are visionary.
Inspired by the men in his family, he recognizes his own power and strength from within. This extraordinary picture book redefines what it means to be truly you.
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners received three starred reviews and was embraced as breathtaking, lyrical, and poignant. This companion volume is sure to be welcomed with equal joy.
From award-winning author Jen Bryant and illustrator Toshiki Nakamura comes the inspiring story of Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first Asian American woman elected to Congress.
At a young age, Patsy Takemoto Mink learned that working toward a goal could come with challenges. But she never gave up. As the Japanese proverb says, Fall down seven times, stand up eight.
That spirit helped Patsy through life. When she wanted to become a doctor, medical schools refused to admit her because of her gender. So Patsy carved her own path. She went to law school; ran for a seat in the United States Congress; and helped create Title IX, the law that requires federally funded schools to treat boys and girls equally. Although many people tried to knock her down, Patsy always got up again. She was a historic trailblazer who championed equal rights and helped create a better future for all Americans.
People & Places • Philomel Books
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Just Ask! comes a fun and meaningful story about making the world—and your community—better, one action at a time, that asks the question: Who will you help today?
Every night when Sonia goes to bed, Mami asks her the same question: How did you help today? And since Sonia wants to help her community, just like her Mami does, she always makes sure she has a good answer to Mami’s question.
In a story inspired by her own family’s desire to help others, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor takes young readers on a journey through a neighborhood where kids and adults, activists and bus drivers, friends and strangers all help one another to build a better world for themselves and their community.
With art by award-winning illustrator Angela Dominguez, this book shows how we can all help make the world a better place each and every day.
Set in an internment camp where the United States cruelly detained Japanese Americans during WWII and based on true events, this moving love story finds hope in heartbreak.
To fall in love is already a gift. But to fall in love in a place like Minidoka, a place built to make people feel like they weren’t human—that was miraculous.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Tama is sent to live in a War Relocation Center in the desert. All Japanese Americans from the West Coast—elderly people, children, babies—now live in prison camps like Minidoka. To be who she is has become a crime, it seems, and Tama doesn’t know when or if she will ever leave. Trying not to think of the life she once had, she works in the camp’s tiny library, taking solace in pages bursting with color and light, love and fairness. And she isn’t the only one. George waits each morning by the door, his arms piled with books checked out the day before. As their friendship grows, Tama wonders: Can anyone possibly read so much? Is she the reason George comes to the library every day? Beautifully illustrated and complete with an afterword, back matter, and a photo of the real Tama and George—the author’s grandparents—Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s elegant love story for readers of all ages sheds light on a shameful chapter of American history.
This clever picture book is a delightful introduction to the White House from an unusual point of view: that of the first cat.
You’ve heard of the President, the First Lady, and maybe even some first dogs who have lived at the White House. But what about the first cat?
Follow along on this very special tour of the People’s House—you’ll see who really runs things around here …
With detailed illustrations and chock-full of fun facts about this historic residence—and the real first cats—this picture book is the perfect way to introduce children to the White House.
Family • Knopf Books for Young Readers
A poignant multicultural ode to family and what it means to create a home as one girl helps her Tía move away from her beloved Miami apartment.
When Estrella’s Tía Fortuna has to say goodbye to her longtime Miami apartment building, The Seaway, to move to an assisted living community, Estrella spends the day with her. Tía explains the significance of her most important possessions from both her Cuban and Jewish culture, as they learn to say goodbye together and explore a new beginning for Tía.
A lyrical book about tradition, culture, and togetherness, Tía Fortuna’s New Home explores Tía and Estrella’s Sephardic Jewish and Cuban heritage. Through Tía’s journey, Estrella will learn that as long as you have your family, home is truly where the heart is.
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