That’s Not a Hippopotamus!

I used to work at a bookshop and was in charge of the weekly children’s storytime for years. This story about a chaotic class trip to the zoo was always a hit—the story is fun, the writing is rhythmic and joyful, and the illustrations are expressive and thoughtful with great hidden details for kids to discover.

Other honourable mentions:

Jabari Jumps

The Last Stop on Market Street

Sylvester’s Magic Pebble

Jon Klassen’s books

Tidy

And the pointless hill I will die on: The Detective Dog is Julia Donaldson’s best book.