By Katelyn Fry

These eight 2016 picture books have made it to the top of the lists of the top book reviewers. Each one offers children about ages 4 to 8 to discover something new - and enables you to have some QualAuntie Time with nieces and nephews, snuggling up together on cold winter nights.


1. The Hueys: What’s the Opposite? by Oliver Jeffers




The latest of four in Oliver Jeffers’ "Hueys" series, What’s the Opposite? helps little readers learn the meaning of and difference between opposites. These “small and mischievous” little creatures, as publisher Penguin Random House describes them, will help your nieces and nephews explore simple contraries like beginning and end, lucky and unlucky and many more. At the top of ReadBrightly’s list of “16 Awesome Picture Books to Read in 2016,” kids will fall in love with these adorable characters, brought to life by this New York Times bestselling illustrator.


2.  Thunder Boy Jr. by Sherman Alexie




Winner of the Kirkus Literary Prize for 2016, Thunder Boy Jr. introduces children to Native American boy, Little Thunder, who is named after his father, Big Thunder. Little Thunder admires his father very much, but wishes he had a name that was all his own. Big Thunder eventually realizes that it is time for his son to get a name that reflects his “blossoming personality.” Alexie’s book explores the dynamic of a father-son-relationship, culture and the process of finding oneself, and is the perfect book for young children who are just starting to develop their identities.


3.  An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns by Betsy R. Rosenthal




At the top of the American Library Association’s list of “Notable Children’s Books” for 2016, this beautifully illustrated picture book introduces children to animals they may not be familiar with - as well as the world of grammar. Through clever rhymes that help children remember, Rosenthal brings readers through the animal kingdom and teaches kids the collective nouns for each group of animals, including: a prickle of porcupines, a tower of giraffes, and a parcel of penguins.


4.  What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada




This 2016 finalist in GoodReads’ list of “Best Picture Books” portrays a life lesson that will apply to young readers long after they've grow up. The story revolves around a child who has a problem but doesn’t know how to go about it, and so he chooses to just ignore it. The longer he does, the worse it seems to get, until he finally faces it and it’s not what he had imagined at all. Yamada teaches children how to approach problems in a more positive light, believing that by facing them head-on, “you may discover something amazing about your problem…and yourself.”


5. Before Morning by Joyce Sidman




Joyce Sidman's heartfelt and timely winter themed Before Morning made the Publishers Weekly Top 20 Books of 2016 list. A daughter says goodbye to her pilot mother as she leaves for work, desperately wishing for a blizzard so that her mother can stay, but the snow doesn’t start falling soon enough. Written as one poem from beginning-to-end, children benefit from the beautifully constructed emotional experience.


6.  Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty




A New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, Andrea Beaty's Ada Twist, Scientist is a book you and your budding scientist niece or nephew won’t want to miss. Ada Twist loves science and believes any question can be answered by it. However, she comes to learn that some questions just lead to more questions! But that won’t stop her. Being a girl, and a girl of color for that matter, Ada Twist shows readers that they can accomplish anything, as well as celebrates science and the power of determination.




7.   ABC: The Alphabet from the Sky by Benedikt Grob & Joey Lee

For nieces and nephews who are just getting acquainted with the alphabet, this book provides one of the most unique ways to get it down pat. Recommended by the School Library Journal at mid-year as one of the best picture books of 2016, geographers Grob and Lee's ABC: The Alphabet from the Sky, is a series of aerial satellite photographs of the Earth, with each image resembling a letter of the alphabet. Children not only learn the letters but words like “river,” “mountain” and “building.” Together, explore the world - and the letters of the alphabet - with this book filled with discovery!





8.  Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

OK, so we're cheating a bit here since this final pick is from 2015 - but we wanted to include it because according to its publisher Penguin Random House, Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena has earned multiple awards of recognition, including the 2016 Newbery Medal, a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book, and a 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book> It is a New York Times “Notable Children’s Book” for 2015 and among The Wall Street Journal’s Best Children’s Book of 2015. In it, we meet CJ who rides the bus to church every Sunday with his grandmother. CJ eventually begins to wonder why they don’t have their own car, why he doesn’t have his own iPod, and why they don’t live in the nicer part of town. For every question he asks, his grandma has a positive response, one that allows CJ to “see the beauty – and fun – in their routine and the world around them.”

Well, there's nothing routine about these best of the best of 2016 (and one from 2015) list of children's picture books. We hope you find at least one that your young nieces and nephews will think is the best, too!

Photo: famveldman
Published: December 7, 2016