A box of rebellious crayons goes on strike. A robot raises a young goose. A little girl befriends a squash. A quick look at our Best Picture Books and Best Middle Grade of the 21^st Century (So Far) proves that there’s no end to the creativity of children’s book authors. As I revisit these titles, I’m also struck by how much the publishing landscape has transformed over the last 25 years. Though there’s still work to be done, kid lit is far more inclusive than it once was. Bao Phi and Thi Bui’s A Different Pond (Capstone Young Readers, 2017) and Yuyi Morales’ Dreamers (Neal Porter/Holiday House, 2018) are immigrant stories threaded with all-too-necessary messages of belonging; Alex Gino’s Melissa (Scholastic, 2015) and Kyle Lukoff and Kaylani Juanita’s When Aidan Became a Brother (Lee & Low Books, 2019) offer lovingly matter-of-fact depictions of trans kids thriving.

Graphic novels for young readers have truly come into their own. Back in the ’90s, my elementary school library’s comics collection—if you could call it that—was limited to a few Bone or Tintin stories. Today, children have a wealth of choices: Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm’s Babymouse: Queen of the World! (Random House, 2005) will keep them giggling, Raina Telgemeier’s angsty graphic memoir Smile (Graphix/Scholastic, 2010) will have them groaning in sympathy, and Jerry Craft’s New Kid (Harper/HarperCollins, 2019), with its forthright exploration of microaggressions and systemic racism, will make them better human beings.

While I remember the nonfiction books of my youth being dry, fact-filled affairs, today’s informational texts are mesmerizing. Brian Floca’s Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 (Richard Jackson/Atheneum, 2009), Troy Andrews and Bryan Collier’s Trombone Shorty (Abrams, 2015), and Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki’s Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration (Chronicle Books, 2022) are superb marriages of words and visuals; Steve Sheinkin’s Bomb: The Race To Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon (Roaring Brook Press, 2012) is as heart-pounding as any suspense novel.

Some things haven’t changed, however. We still love a drama queen (or king). Growing up, I couldn’t get enough of Kay Thompson’s Eloise (starring the Plaza Hotel’s sassiest resident), while today’s kids have Ian Falconer’s Olivia (Atheneum, 2000)—featuring his popular porcine diva—and Mo Willems’ uproarious Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Hyperion, 2003) to keep them entertained. And young readers will always adore a protagonist willing to tell it like it is. Just as I still constantly reread Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy (1964), 21st-century kids devour Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons (Abrams, 2007). Both star snarky youngsters who fill notebooks with hilariously barbed comments about friends and family—if you can’t say anything nice, come sit by Harriet M. Welsch and Greg Heffley.

The other constant? Reading shapes minds and makes us who we are. The young people who grow up with these books will emerge thoughtful, empathetic adults with a healthy sense of humor, a bit of a mischievous streak, and, perhaps, the confidence to create their own stories. What more could we ask for?

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.