Dreading the impossible question

Several times over the Christmas period at social gatherings I was asked a question which I dread. It is expressed in different ways - "What is your favourite book?", "What was the best book you read this year?", "What are your top three books?", "Do you have a favourite classic picture book?" and so on.

IMPOSSIBLE! - Would it be easier if this question specified a genre or age range or format? Picture Book; Junior novel; Middle Grade novel; funny book; realistic fiction; historical fiction; fantasy; published in 2025; or Australian?

NO this is still an impossible question. In 2025 I blogged over 450 titles. For every book I blogged I probably read 3-5 others so that's over 1000 books read in just one year (and that is a conservative figure). In total I am getting close to 4100 blog posts between 2008 and the present and I began my serious reading of kids' books back in 1983 so there are tons more titles I could talk about. I do give star ratings sometimes, but I admit to being a big inconsistent with this and anyway that would still be quite a long list of just five-star titles, not just the one or two titles as demanded by the people asking these questions. (Who by the way probably don't know much about kids' books at all even the ones who are actual parents and do read to their own children). I wonder what their favourite books are - adult books or kids' books.

To add to this, at one function I was also asked what makes a good/great picture book. Of course, that is a PhD topic but I mumbled something about fabulous illustrations that extend beyond the text, rich vocabulary, satisfying stories that invite re-reading, and picture books (for older kids) that leave you thinking long after the last page is turned. 

I imagine the people asking the questions above, think that reading kids books is a small field - little do they know that there are so many possibilities from board books, to non fiction, and books in interesting formats (read about 1 is for One), and award winners, and verse novels, and complex dystopian stories not to mention steam punk! I could go on and on.

In response and exasperation, I did share these book covers on Instagram as a sample of books I loved in 2025 (note not all were actually published in 2025 and only a few are Australian - I should have put a few more). You can pop any of these titles into my search bar for further details:

Best ones in this bunch not to be missed are Growing Home and Then and Now

Best ones in this bunch not to be missed would be The Same Stuff as Stars and Wolf Siren

Best ones in this bunch would be Magnolia Wu unfolds it all, Dawn and One Day

Best ones in this bunch Busted and The Ones that disappeared 

but also try to find the series by Jason Reynolds

Best ones in this bunch Water Water, The Wrong Way Home and The final Year

Best ones in this bunch Not Nothing and Ruby on the outside

Do I have a favourite book? No - I have tons of favourites. Here are a some of books I always mention but really this is just a drop in an enormous ocean:

Australian Picture Book by Bob Graham - I suggest reading all of his books

Dimity Dumpty

Canadian Picture Book

Shelter

US Middle Grade Novel - look for other books by Katherine Applegate

I want adults to read this too

Wishtree

It is almost impossible to select one Kate DiCamillo book but you could begin with this one

Because of Winn Dixie

Classic book that I have read over and over

Sarah, Plain and Tall

CBCA Picture Book of the Year here in Australia in 2023

My Strange Shrinking Parents

I have adored every book by UK author Katherine Rundell but this one still haunts me

Wolf Wilder

One of my favourite childhood books along with others by Rumer Godden 

and The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Gouge.

Favourite animal series

Poppy by Avi

A terrific animal, fantasy, quest series

The Legend of Podkin One-Ear

If you know me at all you would expect me to share this one!

Puffling by Margaret Wild

If you want to experience fantastic writing look for these books by Glenda Millard 

beginning with The Naming of Tishkin Silk

I think this is the book that started my love affair with Verse Novels - and I am still smiling and celebrating that Sharon Creech herself commented on my blog post!

Love that dog

I can recite this little treasure - as a read-aloud it has it all - voices, funny moments, 

jam tarts and a glorious happy ending.

Jeremiah in the Dark Woods

As a teacher this is probably where it all began - my discovery of the absolute joy of reading a book to a group of student every single day - I thank the unknown person who included this little book on an old typed list of books to read to Grade 2 or 3. I read this aloud to over 1000 kids from 1984 to 2017.

The Amazing Adventures of Chilly Billy

On the upside - if you have read right to the end of this rant - I did meet a little girl aged 9 at a Christmas function who told me some of her own favourite books and then I was able to share a heap of great book covers with her mum. Hopefully they will hunt for some of these in their school or local library - that was way more satisfying than answering or in my case not feeling able to answer the impossible question - so what is your favourite book!