As we are just over the halfway mark of the year, I thought now would be a good time to look back over the stand-out reads of the year, so far…

For part two, I am taking a look at picture books and board books- categories which I not only feel so lucky I get to pore over daily at work, but also categories which I am constantly amazed by. The titles picked here are the reads that have surprised, delighted, impressed, or ones that I feel have done something innovative and fresh. In no particular order, here are my picture book and board book picks:

Out of the Woods: A True Story of an Unforgettable Event by Rebecca Bond
Before I Leave by Jessixa Bagley
Barnacle is Bored by Jonathan Fenske
This Is My Dollhouse by Giselle Potter
One Day, The End.: Short, Very Short, Shorter-Than-Ever Stories by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illus. Fred Koehler
Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum, illus. Keika Yamaguchi
Wild Berries by Julie Flett
Secret Tree Fort by Brianne Farley
Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) by Julie Falatko, illus. Tim Miller
My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith, illus. Julie Flett
The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan
If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki VanSickle, illus. Cale Atkinson
Big Friends by Linda Sarah, illus. Benji Davies
Here Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood, illus. Claudia Rueda
Dylan the Villain by K.G. Campbell
Please, Open This Book! by Adam Lehrhaupt, illus. Matthew Forsythe
Hamsters on the Go! by Kass Reich
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A BabyLit Fairies Primer by Jennifer Adams, illus. Alison Oliver
Gryphons Aren’t So Great (Adventures in Cartooning) by James Sturm, Alexis Frederick-Frost, Andrew Arnold
Wild by Emily Hughes
Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
Dear Yeti by James Kwan
This Book Just Ate My Dog! by Richard Byrne
Lost. Found. by Marsha Diane Arnold, illus. Matthew Cordell
We All Count: A Book of Cree Numbers by Julie Flett
A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell
The Wonderful Habits of Rabbits by Douglas Florian, illus. Sonia Sanchez
Sing a Season Song by Jane Yolen, illus. Lisel Jane Ashlock
Wandering Whale Sharks by Susumu Shingu
A Dog Wearing Shoes by Sangmi Ko