Small Fry's Best Books of 2022

Picture book roundup!

For a long time I have been looking forward to sharing books with my little kids, and I'm so happy that one of them is big enough to share that joy. She is turning 3 this January, so we have had an exciting year of new books. Her attention span has grown beyond board books with one sentence per page, into longer picture books with actual stories.
These books have all been loved by a toddler and *at least* one adult. Two have graduated from "regular library borrow" to belonging in our home collection. This list is a range of old and new classics, and some brand new 2022 books. Plus, read to the end for the honourable mention.

Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site, by Sherry Duskey Rinker and Ag Ford
My favorite thing about this book is how we use it to subvert gender roles. The personified trucks are getting ready for bed, and every truck is written as a "he." Not when I read this story! These rough, tough, strong, and hard working trucks are GIRLS when I'm reading! Also, S loves excavators, and I love anything that encourages that.

In My Heart, by Jo Witek, illustrated by Christine Roussey
Beautiful, fun illustrations, and opened up conversation about what makes S feel certain feelings. We can’t go wrong with teaching emotional intelligence!

I Dream of Popo, Livia Blackburne, illustrated by Julia Kuo
A girl moves from Taiwan to America with her family. There are lots of new experiences, food, and people, but she misses her Popo (grandma). This made two adults cry.

Maple, Lori Nichols
I found this book while looking for books about new siblings. This is a cute story and S loved it even more after her sister was born.

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp
This book is totally for millenial parents- it’s the spin-off of the youtube video about Marcel the Shell. Kids relate to Marcel because he’s so little, and kids are little!

Skater Cielo, Rachel Katstaller
Cielo loves skateboarding because it is like flying. When she drops in on the new bowl and has a major wipeout, she says she will never skate again. A couple new friends at the skate park teach her about resilience and never giving up, and about great friendship.

Two Little Trains, Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Originally published in 1949, this edition has modern illustrations with colours that complement Brown’s other, very well known classics- Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Two Little Trains is sparse with words and has fun rhymes.

Phoebe & Digger, Tricia Springstubb, illustrated by Jeff Newman
When Mama got a new baby, Phoebe got a new digger! This book hit for S in a real Venn diagram of a new baby, excavator obsession, and big feelings.

Red Red Red, Polly Dunbar
More emotional intelligence and strategies for helping a little one cool down after a tantrum aka feeling RED RED RED, all wrapped up in a cute story.

Little Blue Truck, Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
If you don’t know Little Blue, you must not have kids. It’s a cultural phenomenon- all the kids love that Beep Beep Beep! Also, friendship.

The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Clever little mouse tricks all the animals into believing HE is the scariest thing in this wood! Multiple ages love this one.

Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
A real classic that doesn’t get old for me. If anyone has suggestions for sound effects during the wild rumpus, I’m all ears.

Honourable Mention goes to:
One Eagle Soaring, by Roy Henry Vickers & Robert Budd
Our baby doesn’t have a favourite book per se but this is the book she gets every night because it’s in her room (which is basically a storage room). We love a counting book, we love a rhyme, and we love pretty pictures, so this is an easy choice.

There are SO many more books that I did not include on this list! Would you like to see more kids book roundups?