Welcome to the Bank Street Children's Book Committee's (CBC) Searchable Best Books List, a tool designed to help educators, families, librarians, and others access developmentally appropriate and engaging books for young readers (ages birth - 18).

Our online Searchable Best Books List draws from the committee's annual Best Children's Books of the Year-beginning with the list of books published in 2000-with each featuring more than 600 high-quality titles for young readers.

To share feedback about the tool, please feel free to email bookcom@bankstreet.edu. To learn more about the CBC, visit https://www.bankstreet.edu/cbc/.

How to Perform a Search and Save a List

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Turtle Splash!
written and ill. by Cathryn Falwell
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2001
Animals and birds appear as turtles fall into the water one by one. Handsome cut-paper illustrations and nature glossary.

Two Homes
by Claire Masurel
Illustrator: Kady MacDonald Denton
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2001
Young Alex shares the joys of the love he receives in both homes of his divorced parents. Warm illustrations.

Under New York
by Linda Oatman High
Illustrator: Robert Rayevsky
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2001
Strong illustrations and text reveal another world below the city streets.

Widget
by Lyn Rossiter McFarland
Illustrator: Jim McFarland
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2001
A stray dog must fit into a household with six cats. Endearing watercolor illustrations.

Yoko's Paper Cranes
written and ill. by Rosemary Wells
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2001
Friendship expressed through origami and mail sent from America to Japan.

A Handful of Sunshine
written and photographed by Melanie Eclare
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Bold color photographs depict a child's gardening projects from seed to flower.

All by Myself!
written and ill. by Aliki
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
A toddler's day. Lively, helpful illustrations.

And the Cow Said Moo!
by Mildred Phillips
Illustrator: Sonja Lamut
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
A cow asks why other domestic animals make their own sounds.

Angel Baby
written and ill. by Pat Cummings
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
A helpful big sister and her baby brother go through a typical day. Humorous illustrations.

Animal Kisses A
written and ill. by Barney Saltzberg
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Scratchy cat kisses, fuzzy bear kisses, velvety cow kisses and more. Engaging board book.

A Pig Is Big
written and ill. by Douglas Florian
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
From a pig to the universe, a rhyming introduction to the relative size of things. Charming illustrations.

Apples, Apples, Apples
written and ill. by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
A family of rabbits go apple-picking and learn all about apples. Songs, sayings, recipes and art projects included.

A Tree for Me
by Nancy Van Laan
Illustrator: Sheila White Samton
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Cheerful account of a small child's search for the perfect tree. Exuberant illustrations.

Away We Go!
by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Illustrator: Dan Yaccarino
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
The various ways we travel from place to place. Simple colorful illustrations.

Big Rain Coming
by Katrina Germein
Illustrator: Bronwyn Bancroft
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
A week spent waiting for rain in Australia. Lush illustrations.

Big Wolf and Little Wolf
by Sharon Phillips Denslow
Illustrator: Cathie Felstead
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Wolf father and son sing to each other in a lovely, lilting bedtime story. Warm, bold illustrations.

Bless This House
written and ill. by Leslie Staub
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
A non-denominational, ecological, gently humorous prayer.

Bling Blang
by Woody Guthrie
Illustrator: Vladimir Radunsky
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
The classic folk song with upbeat illustrations. Music on the inside jacket cover.

Bouncing Time
by Patricia Hubbell
Illustrator: Melissa Sweet
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Animals, insects and babies in motion with lively and rhythmic illustrations.

Bunny and Me
written and photographed by Adele Aron Greenspun
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Baby and Bunny get to know each other.

Bunny's Noisy Book
by Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator: Lisa McCue
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
What bunny hears in the meadow day and evening. A great read-a-loud interactive book. Expressive illustrations.

BusyBusy City Street
by Cari Meister
Illustrator: Steven Kellogg
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Exuberant paean to traffic noise and urban congestion rendered in graphic illustrations.

Doggy Dog
written and ill. by Chris Raschka
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
See Goosey Goose

Dreaming
written and ill. by Elaine Greenstein
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
A wonderful bedtime counting book.

Fall Leaves Fall!
by Zoe Hall
Illustrator: Shari Halpern
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2000
Irresistible crunching, jumping, collecting, painting or printing. Colorful illustrations.