Top Ten Tuesday: 2022 Storytime Favorites

I just blogged about a few of my favorite books in my lengthy 2022 Reading Year in Review, but here’s ten more! These were my top ten read-aloud storytime picture books from last year (plus a few honorable mentions). What were your storytime favorites? Let me know in the comments below!

A Good Place by Lucy Cousins

Lucy Cousins does it again! The simply sweet and repetitious text invites young readers into the story just as much as Cousin’s signature bright and bold illustrative style. This is a great picture book to add to your Spring/Bugs or Houses/Homes storytime theme. I’m thinking I need to add some bug homes to my Mouse House Flannelboard!

Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty

In the scramble to get ready for Grandma’s visit, a mischievous cat scrambles the magnetic letters of the to-do list on the fridge. The jumbled letters result in increasingly silly tasks that had my storytime kids rolling on the floor with laughter! You can check out this book in storytime action by clicking here and here.

Bear Has a Belly by Jane Whittingham

Jane released not just one but TWO amazing titles last year! This series is Toddler Storytime GOLD, I tell you. I love the everyday diversity and interaction. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Animals Move to win a CLEL Bell Award!

Counting to Bananas: A Mostly Rhyming Fruit Book Carrie Tillotson & Estrela Lourenço

Count, rhyme and laugh out loud in this fabulously fun math picture book! This book makes for a great buddy read if you have a partner. Pair it with Z Is For Moose or Waiting is Not Easy for a Feeling Impatient storytime theme! 🙂

Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale Endings by Laurel Snyder & Dan Santat

Classoc fairy tales get the Choose Your Own Adventure treatment in this gorgeously illustrated, cleverly written picture book. I’ve never seen anything like it. This is my new favorite read-aloud for school-age storytimes!

I Am! A Book of Reminders by Meg Medina

I wish I was still doing Mindfulness Storytimes. This book is full of important affirmations for kids and adults of any age!

I’m Hungry! ¡Tengo Hambre! by Angela Dominguez

This was one of my most anticipated picture book releases of the year and it did not disappoint! I read this to both preschool and kindergarten groups. They both loved it, but I think the kindergarten class understood the humor more.

I’m Not Small by Nina Crews

I love how this picture book explores early math concepts and showcases Black Boy Joy in nature! What a great way to introduce toddlers to the idea of relative size and comparison.

Poo-Dunit? A Forest Floor Mystery by Katelyn Aronson & Stephanie Laberis

Mouse wakes up one day to an unwelcome smelly surprise at their door. Who could have done such a thing? It’s a forest floor mystery!

This laugh-out-loud, rhyming romp of a picture book just begs to be read aloud! Kids love joining in the refrain. The twist ending is especially delightful! Recommended for preschool and above.

The Eyebrows of Doom by Steve Smallman

A pair of Evil Eyebrows take over Dave the Bear, but they don’t stop there. These two mind-controlling slugs cause mayhem and mischief wherever they go. What a fun picture book to explore feelings and emotions! Recommended for preschool and above.