School’s out for summer, meaning you’re now your child’s social calendar, chauffeur, and entertainment director, all rolled into one. Well, pause your frantic search for summer activities to occupy your listless, no-longer-tethered-by-academia child — the editors over at Amazon Books just released their annual list of best children’s books of 2024 (so far). In other words, you just found a great way to fill your kid’s time and stave off the summer slide.
Each year, Amazon Books editors combine their deep expertise with their passion for storytelling to hand-pick a curation of titles for young readers. And on June 14, they announced their picks for the top 20 children’s books to hit shelves ✨this✨ year.
Of their picks, Seira Wilson, editor with Amazon Books, tells Scary Mommy, “You’ll find several books that bring the laughs on our list of the Best Children’s Books of 2024 So Far, including our #1 pick for ages 3-5, Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb. A sweet, rhyming story about making friends and being yourself, paired with gorgeous illustrations that are pure magic. For early readers, we love Kate DiCamillo’s Orris and Timble — a play on the lion and the mouse fable that is the first of a new series. And for the older kids, The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman — a smart, kind, heartbreaking, and heartbreakingly funny novel about an 11-year-old boy and his little sister who have to start over in a new place with only each other for family.
So, without further ado, here’s the list.
1. The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Teaser synopsis: “Readers will be rooting for a happy ending for Hank in Newbery-Honor-winner Gennifer Choldenko’s gripping story of a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn’t come home.”
2. Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb
Teaser synopsis: “Introducing a sweet and silly buffalo who tries to bluff and fluff his way into being bigger than he really is, this laugh-out-loud story by an Emmy-nominated comedy writer shows it’s OK to be yourself.”
3. Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo
Teaser synopsis: “From beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes the first book in a warm and funny early-reader trilogy about a misanthropic rat and a naive owl — and the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
4. Do Mommies Ever Sleep? by Kim Howard
Teaser synopsis: “Figure out what’s keeping Mommy up all night in this funny rhyming story that’s the perfect gift for new moms, told from baby’s point of view.”
5. Finally Heard by Kelly Yang
Teaser synopsis: “From the New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk comes the sequel to Finally Seen ‘that tackles tweenhood and technology woes head-on’ when Lina tries to navigate social media, only to discover not everything online is what it seems.”
6. Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #12) by Dav Pilkey
Teaser synopsis: “Our canine superhero returns in Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder, the suspenseful and hilarious twelfth graphic novel in the #1 worldwide bestselling series by award-winning author and illustrator Dav Pilkey!”
7. Little Blue Truck Feeling Happy: A Touch-and-Feel Book by Alice Schertle
Teaser synopsis: “Soft and woolly, shiny and smooth… this Little Blue Truck book for the youngest fan provides fun and sensory exploration, while gently sharing that we don’t have to be the same to be the best of ourselves — and the best of friends.”
8. Ferris by Kate DiCamillo
Teaser synopsis: “The beloved author of Because of Winn-Dixie has outdone herself with a hilarious and achingly real love story about a girl, a ghost, a grandmother, and growing up.”
9. Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Alan Gratz
Teaser synopsis: “From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Refugee, Ground Zero, and Two Degrees comes this heart-pounding, inventive, and powerful new novel about the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor… as only Alan Gratz can tell it!”
10. Rocket Ship, Solo Trip by Chiara Colombi
Teaser synopsis: “A delightful, rhyming picture book that is perfect for fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and captures all the excitement and nervousness of life’s big firsts.”
11. Hello Hello Shapes by Brendan Wenzel
Teaser synopsis: “Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Brendan Wenzel’s irresistible animal images take the spotlight in this new series of concept board books for young children, based on his award-winning picture book Hello Hello.”
12. Not Just the Driver! by Sara Holly Ackerman
Teaser synopsis: “Come along for the ride and meet the teams behind the machines that get us to our destinations in this ‘spirited… engaging’ rhyming picture book celebrating transportation teamwork and featuring vibrant art by award-winning illustrator Robert Neubecker!”
13. Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough by Hayley Rocco
Teaser synopsis: “An inspiring and accessible picture book biography of the beloved naturalist, broadcaster, and documentarian David Attenborough — stunningly illustrated by a Caldecott Honoree.”
14. And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
Teaser synopsis: “A gripping new novel in verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish, featuring a poverty-stricken boy who bravely rides out all the storms life keeps throwing at him.”
15. Penelope Rex and the Problem with Pets by Ryan T. Higgins
Teaser synopsis: “Penelope Rex might finally have bitten off more than she can chew — a pet saber tooth tiger! — in this companion to the #1 New York Times bestselling We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins.”
16. Animal Albums from A to Z by Cece Bell
Teaser synopsis: “From the inimitable creator of El Deafo, this all-ages alphabet book is also a hand-wrought, high-fidelity, hilariously tongue-in-cheek homage to the golden days of album cover art.”
17. Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Teaser synopsis: “Revered teacher, librarian, and story ambassador John Schu explores anorexia—and self-expression as an act of survival—in a wrenching and transformative novel-in-verse.”
18. How Big Is Love? by Emma Dodd
Teaser synopsis: Does love have a size? A family of ducks celebrates the boundless affection between them in Emma Dodd’s gentle rhyming ode to unconditional love.
19. Luigi, the Spider Who Wanted to Be a Kitten by Michelle Knudsen
Teaser synopsis: From the New York Times best-selling creators of Library Lion comes a warm (and delightfully fuzzy) storybook about learning to be — and be loved for — exactly who you are.
20. The One and Only Family by Katherine Applegate
Teaser synopsis: For more than a decade, readers have been enchanted by the modern classic The One and Only Ivan, a Newbery Award winner and a #1 New York Times bestseller, and by its bestselling sequels, The One and Only Bob and The One and Only Ruby. Powerhouse author Katherine Applegate invites readers back into Ivan’s world for one last adventure — his most exciting yet.
