Best Children's Books of 2017

aimy Plus outside school hours care software (OSHC) makes everything easier, including stocking your bookshelf with the latest reads kids will love. Here are our top picks for 2017.

Triangle

By Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

(Ages 5-9)

Friendly shapes, sneaky tricks, a dramatic chase and a twist ending all conspire to captivate young readers and leave them wanting more...luckily, this is the first book of a trilogy so there are plenty more shape shenanigans to come!

Te Kaihanga Māpere (The Marble Maker)

By Sacha Cotter, translated by Kawata Teepa

(Ages 5-9)

One for your Te Reo readers, this winner of the Te Kura Pounamu Award at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2017 turns a common childhood pastime into imagination-bending chaos and fun! As relateable as it is fantastical, find out just what happens when you combine ‘teeth bling from a retired rapper’, ‘three pints of swooshy night air’ and ‘a snippet from a sheep’s fringe’...while learning that with perseverance, anything is possible

Out of Wonder Poems Celebrating Poets

By Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjorie Wentworth

(Ages 8-12)

Get kids hooked on verse with this captivating and lyrical homage to some of the most celebrated poets across the ages, including Naomi Shihab Nye, Basho, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda and Maya Angelou. An infectious and all-important introduction to the language of the human heart.

Snark: Being a true history of the expedition that discovered the Snark and the Jabberwock...and its tragic aftermath

By David Elliot (after Lewis Carroll)

(Ages 8-80)

The wit and whimsical artwork of this homegrown author has won more than the hearts of children, with Snark being awarded both the Young Adults Margaret Mahy Book of the Year and the Russell Clark Award for Illustration at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults 2017.

Picking up where the verse of Lewis Carroll left off, you'll romp through the tulgy woods in this frabjous alternative adventure through the looking glass, and at long last discover the answer to the age-old question...what exactly is a snark?

The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life

By Kwame Alexander

(Ages 9-12)

You've gotta know the rules to win the game! This book draws motivational metaphors between basketball and life to get kids into the growth mind-set that will set them up for success. Including real-life wisdom from well-known athletes and role models, this book will inspire even your non-readers with its outside-the-box format and uplifting message. You shoot...you score!

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