Best Picture books

The 24 highest-rated Picture books, scored from 4.5K reader ratings.

Sort byDecadeMinimum ratingsAdaptation24 results

By year of first publication, 1940–2011. The busiest stretch is 1960–1969, with 6. Select a bar to narrow the list.

1
8.58.5 / 10
I Want My Hat BackJon Klassen96 ratings“I Want My Hat Back” is a deadpan little picture book whose repetition and dark ending make children laugh.Our view
2
8.58.5 / 10
Strega NonaTomie dePaola81 ratings“Strega Nona” is a warm, funny picture book about the witch Strega Nona and Big Anthony, her helper.Our view
3
8.48.4 / 10
Make Way for DucklingsRobert McCloskey81 ratings“Make Way for Ducklings” is a gentle, timeless picture book about a pair of mallards raising their ducklings in the heart of Boston.Our view

Why I Want My Hat Back is #1

I Want My Hat Back (Jon Klassen) scores 8.5/10 from 96 ratings — level with Strega Nona at one decimal, and ahead on the exact score.

The score is a weighted average across 3 independent rating sources. A title with few ratings is pulled toward the category average, so a handful of enthusiastic reviews cannot outrank a book that thousands of readers have judged. To keep the list varied, the top 20 holds at most two books from one series and three by one author; the rest follow further down. Method →

Frequently asked questions

Which title here has the most ratings?

The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein) — 1.1K ratings and 8.4/10, which puts it at #4 on this list.