Amazon Announces 20 Best Children’s Books of 2021, So Far

There are lots of great new children’s books out there and sometimes it can be overwhelming to decide what to read next. Fortunately Amazon just released the annual Best Books of the Year So Far list, featuring books published between January and June. The result? 20 diverse selections that will make bedtime story time and summer downtime that much better.

Top selection Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho has more than 1,000 five stars reviews on Amazon. It features the story of a young Asian girl who learns to love and accept her eyes in a celebration of diversity. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston is described as “Artemis Fowl meets Men in Black” and it’s a middle school fantasy series featuring a black heroine, Amari Peters. And Dog Man: Mothering Heights is the latest in a series from Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey, a laugh-out-loud read following the adventures of Dog Man and Petey.

The full list of the Best Children’s Books of the Year, So Far:

1.      Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho

2.      Amari and the Night Brothers (Supernatural Investigations) by B.B. Alston

3.      Dog Man: Mothering Heights by Dav Pilkey

4.      What the Road Said by Cleo Wade

5.      Starfish by Lisa Fipps

6.      Fiona, It’s Bedtime by Zondervan

7.      City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

8.      I‘ll Meet You in Your Dreams by Jessica Young

9.      A Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele

10.   The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody

11.   Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Pena

12.   Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm

13.   The Tale of the Mandarin Duck: A Modern Fable by Bette Midler

14.   Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina Ireland

15.   Once Upon a Dragons Fire by Beatrice Blue

16.   I Am Smart, I Am Blessed, I Can Do Anything! by Alissa Holder

17.   Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories by Jeff Kinney

18.   A New Day by Brad Meltzer

19.   Ground Zero by Alan Gratz

20.   Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo