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SLJ chats with the Pura Belpre–winning artist about the creative process for this year’s December Best Books cover.

We hope that SLJ’s Best Books of 2025, filled with adventurous and fantastical stories, silly and breathtaking picture books, true-crime mysteries and stirring romances, and universally consumed manga and graphic novels, will be the joy-making resource that you need to impact the next generation of readers (and their grown-ups).

These Best Transitional Books of 2025 for beginning, emerging, and newly independent readers include relatable friendship tales, challenges overcome, and everyday slice-of-life stories that are pitch-perfect for the age group.

From sensory-filled illustrations to relentlessly funny characters, the 2025 Best Picture Books make for excellent read-alouds, heartfelt one-on-ones, and heartrending reads.

SLJ has selected 191 titles for our 2025 Best Books of the year! Take a look at our fabulous December issue cover, dedicated to this year's list.

Vibrant anthologies, powerful celebrations of groundbreaking figures, and volumes filled with concrete poems and traditional rhymes make their appearance on our Best Poetry list.

The Best Middle Grade titles of 2025 feature action-packed fantasies, resonant realistic fiction, and heart-pounding horror stories for tweens.

This year’s Best Nonfiction for Middle and High School students features true crime, an inclusive puberty book, sports titles, and lots of STEM.

From poo and tentacles to contemplative picture book biographies, this year’s picks for the Best Nonfiction for Elementary readers are filled with facts, information, and wonder.