Welcome friend! Indigo Chapters is the biggest bookstore chain in Canada and this year, they compiled a lovely list of best books of the year. These are stories that have resonated most deeply with readers across Canada. When the Indigo Best Books of 2025 list was released last month, I was delighted to see familiar covers — books that had already found their way to my shelves through the generosity of their publishers and my curiosity.
In this post, I’ll be focusing on the titles for young readers, ages 0-12. With the holiday season around the corner, I hope one or more of these will offer some ideas for the little readers in your life. Let’s get started.
For ages 0–2:
Highlight from my shelf: Just a Banana by Barney Saltzberg | Goodreads
Bananas are one of the first foods that babies try out and this book questions if a banana is just a banana. With flaps opening in different orientations and hiding an artsy version of the banana in various stages of unpeeled to peeled, Just a Banana is a cute first book. It combines an everyday fruit with repetition and imagination. It’s not a board book but the pages are sturdy. Definitely a nice one for ages 0-2! The kids will grow with it as their world expands. I love this minimalistic picture book.
For ages 3–5:
Highlight from my shelf: Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson | Goodreads
What starts off as a book about different kinds of animals – mammals, reptiles, birds, ends up being a fun story on why we should not trust fishes. It is convincing. It has hilarious art. It questions all we know about fishes and what their secret agenda under the sea might be. This story delighted me and I can’t wait for my daughter to appreciate it as she grows. It’s one of those books parents will enjoy as much as little readers do.
For ages 6–8:
Highlight from my shelf: Pizza and Taco: Coolest Club Ever by Stephen Shaskan | Goodreads
Pizza and Taco start an after school club where they plan to share their love for waterslides, rock n roll, robot wrestlers only to have no one show up. Turns out Cheeseburger has a video game after school club that everyone has decided to go to instead. This is a sweet picture book for early readers. The pictures say a lot and the words and expressions offer a great start for kids getting used to visual and written language. The story is about friendship, clubs, community, shared interests and the good feelings of hanging out together. It is a fun one to read!
For ages 9–12:
Highlight from my shelf: Dragonborn by Struan Murray | Goodreads
What if you could turn into a dragon? Dragonborn is a magical middle-grade adventure that celebrates courage and wonder. It has a young human discovering her dragon self, a school on an island that trains these young minds and other dragon awakenings of significance. A first instalment in a series that is getting rave reviews on Goodreads. Dive into some dragon academia!
These stories range from laugh-out-loud picture books to epic adventures. It’s a joy to watch these books find their readers, and I can’t wait to keep exploring them in the months and years ahead. Many thanks to Hachette and Penguin Random House for bringing these to my attention!
In the adult category, Wild Dark Shore took the top spot. This book still lingers in my thoughts for its raw emotional power and I’ll dedicate a whole post to next month so stay tuned for that.
I don’t read much Young Adult but if you do, check out the top 50 Indigo Best Books of 2025 in this age group here.
I don’t read much of the above age categories either so if you have any favorites, do let me know! Your suggestions will help me curate my daughter’s library — she is turning 1 old year next month!
Check out other Book Awards here.
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