We partnered with Candlewick Press books to review some of their new fiction books for kids. These 20 children’s books are full of fun stories and beautiful illustrations. I’m providing a brief summary and linking to each of the new fiction books for kids. Check them out and share them with a little reader in your life!

Fiction Books for Kids: Ages 2-5

Baby, Sleepy Baby (ages 2-5): written by Atinuke and illustrated by Angela Brooksbank

Our daughters love this sweet bedtime book, as a family takes turns to cuddle and sing this sleepy baby to bed. It is a warm, soothing story, full of tender language about wrapping a child in a nighttime embrace. The illustrations are whimsical and a lovely way to end an evening together before bed.

The Barn (ages 2-5): written by Leah H. Rogers and illustrated by Barry Root

Our daughters love visiting their aunt and uncle on their farm. This story shows the life on a farm from the barn’s perspective. Over the years, many animals live in the barn. The barn watches the days unfold and provides shelter to the animals. It is a creative perspective, and a great introduction to farm life and the animals that live there.

Fiction Books for Kids: Ages 3-7

Maybe…  (ages 3-7): written and illustrated by Chris Haughton

Our 3 daughters love this story of 3 little monkeys who are told by a big monkey NOT to go to the mango tree because there are tigers down there. The little monkeys LOVE mangoes and wonder if “maybe…” they could go down and just look at the mangoes. This story is suspenseful and silly, and provides a caution against pushing boundaries even when nobody is looking. The illustrations are bright and delightful, and this book is requested over and over in our home!

Mi Casa is My Home (ages 3-7): written by Laurenne Sala, illustrated by Zara González Hoang

This story takes us on a tour of Lucía’s home, where she lives with her family. She loves her busy and cozy home, and as she shows us around she labels many words in Spanish. This is a great bilingual picture book for young kids.

Moose’s Book Bus  (ages 3-7): written and illustrated by Inga Moore

In this book, Moose loves telling stories to his family after dinner, but when he runs out of stories he goes into the town to borrow books from the library. He goes back home to read them aloud to his family, and animals from all over the woods stop by to listen. His house becomes completely packed, and Moose decided to create a traveling book bus library so that all of the animals can have their own books to read. It’s a sweet tale of friendship and the power of books and libraries within communities.

Time for Bed, Old House (ages 3-7): written by Janet Costa Bates and illustrated by AG Ford

This is a tender story about a young boy who is having a sleepover at his Grandpop’s house for the first time, and is a little nervous about going to bed away from home. But first, Grandpop tells him he needs his help in putting the house to bed. They move from room to room, turning out lights and pulling down shades, as Grandpop gently explains the nighttime sounds that the boy finds unfamiliar. Then they read the house a bedtime story, and when the house is ready for bed, they finally are too. It’s a sweet tale about a fun nighttime tradition and the love between extended families.

Castle Gesundheit  (ages 3-7): written and illustrated by Mark Fearing

Our daughters find this book absolutely hilarious. It’s about a village full villagers who can’t get any rest because the Baron Von Sneeze in Castle Gesundheit can’t stop sneezing. A little girl decides to visit the castle and finds the Baron living alone with hundreds of cats. She discovers what is making the Baron feel unwell and has the perfect solution! Our girls love reading along with all the “Ahhh-Chooos” and sniffles and snorts!

One Mean Ant with Fly and Flea and Moth  (ages 3-7): written by Arthur Yorinks and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

This is a funny tale about 3 insects who are stuck doing tricks in a circus. They plan their escape with the help of a 4th performer, a moth. But can they teach a moth to fly AWAY from a light bulb instead of TOWARDS it? This suspenseful, creative story shows the power of friendship to overcome adversity!

Wild (ages 3-7): written and illustrated by Sam Usher

This book is full of gorgeous illustrations, full of adventure and wild scenes. The book begins with a boy and his granddad taking care of someone’s cat for the day. However, the cat doesn’t seem to like anything they expect it to enjoy! And then it runs off into the wild, leading them to a wild jungle adventure of their own.

Off-Limits (ages 3-7): written and illustrated by Helen Yoon

Our family could relate to this work-from-home story, about a curious little girl who has been told her dad’s office is off-limits. Of course that only makes the space even more intriguing to his curious young daughter. She sneaks in to look around and discovers a magical world of tape, paper clips, and sticky notes. These items are too fun not to play with, and she decorates her dad’s office for him in a joyful celebration of office supplies!

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright: An Animal Poem for Each Day of the Year (ages 3-7): illustrated by Britta Teckentrup and edited by Fiona Waters

This book is full of a large collection of animal poems, one for every day of the year! The illustrations are captivating, and the poems cover a wide variety of authors. The collection is perfect for a fun family tradition of sharing a poem together at the beginning or end of every day.

My First Pop-Up Mythological Monster: 15 Incredible Pops-Ups (ages 3-7): written by Owen Davey

Our daughters love the pop-up feature in this fun book that shows mythological monsters from around the world. This spring to life as they jump off the page, and the text is full of interesting descriptions about each creature.

Fiction Books for Kids: Ages 4-8

Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast  (ages 4-8): written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

This is a new book in the Interrupting Chicken series. In this one, the little red chicken wakes up his Papa to let him know he wants cookies for breakfast. Papa suggests they read nursery rhymes before breakfast, and the little red chicken inserts herself and cookies into every rhyme they read together. This book got lots of giggles from our daughters, and ends with Papa’s own idea for a sweet breakfast to delight the little red chicken.

How to Have a Birthday (ages 4-8): written by Mary Lyn Ray and illustrated by Cindy Derby

This book invites readers to view their special day in a new light. It shares various things that make birthdays special, as a day that is filled with anticipation, celebration, and joy. It will be a fun book to pull out every year on their birthdays, as part of celebrating together each year they grow older.

There’s a Dodo on the Wedding Cake (ages 4-8): written by Wade Bradford and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

This book is a favorite in our house. It’s a delightful, silly tale of a wedding musician who is invited to play his violin at a fancy wedding. As he waits for the ceremony to begin, he admires the wedding cake. But what is that on the cake? A Dodo on the cake?! More and more creatures arrive and the musician does his best to protect the cake. Hilarious disaster ensues as he discovers it’s hard to tell who’s a guest and who’s a pest.

Dogs Love Cars (ages 4-8): written by Leda Schubert and illustrated by Paul Meisel

This book is perfect for any family with a dog or kids who love dogs. It shows dogs in all shapes and colors in lots of different situations, but continuing to love whatever they see and whereever they go. It’s a fun celebration of the joy a dog can bring into our lives.

See the Dog: Three Stories About a Cat (ages 4-8): written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka

This is a great book for young readers who are starting to read early chapter books on their own. It is a followup book to “See the Cat” (which is about a dog), but this time the book is “See the Dog” (and is about a cat)! It’s a clever and silly story with illustrations that show the irony of the simple words, and our girls loved reading it aloud to us on their own!

Ready for the Spotlight! (ages 4-8): written and illustrated by Jaime Kim

This is a perfect story for siblings. Tessie is the younger sister, and has been practicing ballet for a whole month and thinks she is pretty good. But her big sister Maya seems to own the spotlight and gets the lead role of the princess for the recital. This book beautifully captures the competition and joy shared in sisterhood, and also shows the importance of both confidence and practice when developing your own unique talents.

Fiction Books for Kids: Ages 5-9

Once Upon a Time There Was and Will Be So Much More (ages 5-9): written and illustrated by Johanna Schaible

This book is constructed in an amazing way that adds so much to the concept. It is full of collage artwork, and explores the concept of time. The conceptual idea of going back in time and forward in time is combined with the physical reality of the pages gradually becoming smaller and smaller as the story explores the past, and then growing larger and larger again as the story expands to show a future of possibility. It’s an amazing exploration of time as it shows what things looked like long ago, and also asks questions about what could be in the future?

Fiction Books for Kids: Ages 7-10

The Wind in the Willows (ages 7-10): written by Kenneth Grahame and illustrated by Grahame Baker-Smith

This gorgeous book contains the complete and unabridged edition of the timeless classic story “The Wind in the Willows”. The adventures of Mole, Ratty, Badger, and Mr. Toad have delighted generations of readers, and we’re excited to share this book with our girls and add it to our home library.

Need other book ideas beyond these fiction books for kids? Check out our Favorite Children’s Books, New Books for Kids, Holiday Books for Kids, Books for Kids (That Also Teach!), and Top 12 Tidy Books for Kids.

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