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/.
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Me I Choose to Be, The
Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrator: Regis and Kahran Bethencourt
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Extraordinarily fascinating photoshopped images of Black children exploring their creative potential make this an exuberant choice.
Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Illustrator: Regis and Kahran Bethencourt
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Extraordinarily fascinating photoshopped images of Black children exploring their creative potential make this an exuberant choice.
Mel Fell
Corey R. Tabor
Illustrator: Corey R. Tabor
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A brave fledgling kingfisher leaves her nest to fly for the first time. Innovative vertical format; engaging pastel illustrations. Author's note.
Corey R. Tabor
Illustrator: Corey R. Tabor
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A brave fledgling kingfisher leaves her nest to fly for the first time. Innovative vertical format; engaging pastel illustrations. Author's note.
Mole in a Black & White Hole
Tereza Šedivá
Illustrator: Tereza Šedivá
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Mole prefers to stay in his underground home, but what happens when he ventures beyond his comfort zone? Horizontal, linocut prints mirror Mole's journey from stark black-and-white to vibrant colors.
Tereza Šedivá
Illustrator: Tereza Šedivá
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Mole prefers to stay in his underground home, but what happens when he ventures beyond his comfort zone? Horizontal, linocut prints mirror Mole's journey from stark black-and-white to vibrant colors.
Mommy
Leslie Patricelli
Illustrator: Leslie Patricelli
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Mommy can do everything! Bright, acrylic illustrations accompany rhyming text.
Leslie Patricelli
Illustrator: Leslie Patricelli
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Mommy can do everything! Bright, acrylic illustrations accompany rhyming text.
Monster Clothes
Daisy Hirst
Illustrator: Daisy Hirst
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Everybody needs to find something to wear in the morning including behemoths. Humorous, screen printed illustrations.
Daisy Hirst
Illustrator: Daisy Hirst
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Everybody needs to find something to wear in the morning including behemoths. Humorous, screen printed illustrations.
Moose, Goose, and Mouse
Mordicai Gerstein
Illustrator: Mordecai Gerstein and Jeff Mack
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A rollicking adventure on a runaway caboose leads three animal friends to the new home that meets each of their wishes. Bright and playful computer generated collage illustrations.
Mordicai Gerstein
Illustrator: Mordecai Gerstein and Jeff Mack
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A rollicking adventure on a runaway caboose leads three animal friends to the new home that meets each of their wishes. Bright and playful computer generated collage illustrations.
More Than Fluff
Madeline Valentine
Illustrator: Madeline Valentine
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Her friends can't resist touching cute, fluffy Daisy the chick, but she needs some personal space! Daisy's mother helps her hatch a plan. Loose, washy illustrations.
Madeline Valentine
Illustrator: Madeline Valentine
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Her friends can't resist touching cute, fluffy Daisy the chick, but she needs some personal space! Daisy's mother helps her hatch a plan. Loose, washy illustrations.
Never, Not Ever
Beatrice Alemagna
Illustrator: Beatrice Alemagna
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
First day of school jitters have a creative solution when a young bat uses her extraordinary secret powers. Collage and crayon art.
Beatrice Alemagna
Illustrator: Beatrice Alemagna
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
First day of school jitters have a creative solution when a young bat uses her extraordinary secret powers. Collage and crayon art.
New House
Dave Wheeler
Illustrator: Dave Wheeler
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A toddler explores his fascinating but unfamiliar new home and is assured of familial love. Humorous, mixed-media illustrations.
Dave Wheeler
Illustrator: Dave Wheeler
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A toddler explores his fascinating but unfamiliar new home and is assured of familial love. Humorous, mixed-media illustrations.
Nice Dream Truck, The
Beth Ferry
Illustrator: Brigette Barrager
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A lyrical bedtime story depicts children's dreams with clever rhymes and energetic illustrations.
Beth Ferry
Illustrator: Brigette Barrager
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A lyrical bedtime story depicts children's dreams with clever rhymes and energetic illustrations.
Night Becomes Day: Changes in Nature
Cynthia Argentine
Illustrator: List of photo image credits
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Nature is constantly changing/evolving. Simple clear text and extraordinary contrasting photos reveal examples of these transformations.
Cynthia Argentine
Illustrator: List of photo image credits
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Nature is constantly changing/evolving. Simple clear text and extraordinary contrasting photos reveal examples of these transformations.
Night Creatures: Animals that Swoop, Crawl, and Creep While You Sleep
Rebecca E. Hirsch
Illustrator: Sonia Possentini
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A mother and child camp out in the backyard; from dusk to dawn, the breathtakingly-illustrated world of nocturnal animals reveals itself. Lyrical text, informative end notes.
Rebecca E. Hirsch
Illustrator: Sonia Possentini
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A mother and child camp out in the backyard; from dusk to dawn, the breathtakingly-illustrated world of nocturnal animals reveals itself. Lyrical text, informative end notes.
Noah's Seal
Layn Marlow
Illustrator: Layn Marlow
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
While waiting for Nana to fix their sailboat, Noah shapes a sand seal. A storm washes it out to sea, but then... Engaging watercolor and collage illustrations.
Layn Marlow
Illustrator: Layn Marlow
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
While waiting for Nana to fix their sailboat, Noah shapes a sand seal. A storm washes it out to sea, but then... Engaging watercolor and collage illustrations.
Nosotros Means Us: Un cuento bilingüe/A Bilingual Story
Paloma Valdivia
Illustrator: Paloma Valdivia
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A mother holds her child on her lap and expresses her enduring love. Soothing mixed-media illustrations.
Paloma Valdivia
Illustrator: Paloma Valdivia
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A mother holds her child on her lap and expresses her enduring love. Soothing mixed-media illustrations.
Odd Bods: The World's Unusual Animals
Julie Murphy
Illustrator: photographs from multiple sources
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Large clear text with magnified, boldly-colored photographs introduce various species whose unique physical features help them adapt to their environment. Extensive back matter.
Julie Murphy
Illustrator: photographs from multiple sources
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Large clear text with magnified, boldly-colored photographs introduce various species whose unique physical features help them adapt to their environment. Extensive back matter.
Off to See the Sea
Nikki Grimes
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A Black mother turns bath time into a magical adventure. Free verse with brightly colored playful mixed-media illustrations.
Nikki Grimes
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A Black mother turns bath time into a magical adventure. Free verse with brightly colored playful mixed-media illustrations.
Oh Look, A Cake!
J.C. McKee
Illustrator: J.C. McKee
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A sloth and lemur invent absurd reasons for not sharing the large, tempting cake they have found, but greed has consequences. Humorous illustrations of deprived animals.
J.C. McKee
Illustrator: J.C. McKee
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A sloth and lemur invent absurd reasons for not sharing the large, tempting cake they have found, but greed has consequences. Humorous illustrations of deprived animals.
One Day
Lee Juck
Illustrator: Kim Seung-youn
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Grandpa is gone. His grandson contemplates his belongings and imagines where he might be; perhaps among the stars? Appealing illustrations capture the child's loss.
Lee Juck
Illustrator: Kim Seung-youn
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Grandpa is gone. His grandson contemplates his belongings and imagines where he might be; perhaps among the stars? Appealing illustrations capture the child's loss.
Orange Is an Apricot, Green is a Tree Frog: Explore the Natural World through Color
Pascale Estellon
Illustrator: Pascale Estellon
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
The colors of various objects are illustrated in a series of vivid gouache paintings.
Pascale Estellon
Illustrator: Pascale Estellon
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
The colors of various objects are illustrated in a series of vivid gouache paintings.
Oscar's Tower of Flowers
Lauren Tobia
Illustrator: Lauren Tobia
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Colorful illustrations, including some full-page spreads, present touching, wordless scenes of a boy missing his special someone. A planting project shared with diverse neighbors turns sadness to joy.
Lauren Tobia
Illustrator: Lauren Tobia
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Colorful illustrations, including some full-page spreads, present touching, wordless scenes of a boy missing his special someone. A planting project shared with diverse neighbors turns sadness to joy.
Our Shed: A Father-Daughter Building Story
Robert Broder
Illustrator: Carrie O'Neill
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A daughter learns carpentry skills alongside her father and enjoys the work breaks they take together during the project. Colorful, playfully detailed illustrations.
Robert Broder
Illustrator: Carrie O'Neill
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
A daughter learns carpentry skills alongside her father and enjoys the work breaks they take together during the project. Colorful, playfully detailed illustrations.
Out of Nowhere
Chris Naylor- Ballesteros
Illustrator: Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
When Caterpillar disappears, Beetle's search for its friend ends in an amazing discovery. Stark black and white illustrations punctuated with red reveal Caterpillar's whereabouts.
Chris Naylor- Ballesteros
Illustrator: Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
When Caterpillar disappears, Beetle's search for its friend ends in an amazing discovery. Stark black and white illustrations punctuated with red reveal Caterpillar's whereabouts.
Pocket Chaotic, The
Ziggy Hanaor
Illustrator: Daniel Gray-Barbett
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Alexander finds life in his kangaroo mother's pouch crowded and chaotic. He tries to organize, but maybe it's time to move out? Simple appealing illustrations.
Ziggy Hanaor
Illustrator: Daniel Gray-Barbett
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Alexander finds life in his kangaroo mother's pouch crowded and chaotic. He tries to organize, but maybe it's time to move out? Simple appealing illustrations.
Red
Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
An unusual poetic look at many shades of red: simple verse tells a story of a young fox who loses its family. Intense, painterly acrylics.
Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Illustrator: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
An unusual poetic look at many shades of red: simple verse tells a story of a young fox who loses its family. Intense, painterly acrylics.
Red House, Brown Mouse
Jane Godwin
Illustrator: Blanca Gómez
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Rhyming text accompanies a little mouse's journey through a colorful city. Bold illustrations.
Jane Godwin
Illustrator: Blanca Gómez
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2021
Rhyming text accompanies a little mouse's journey through a colorful city. Bold illustrations.