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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Brick by Brick
Heidi Woodward Sheffield
Illustrator: Heidi Woodward Sheffield
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A loving Latino father and son work toward a dream of owning their "always" home in America. Creative collage-based digital paintings.
Heidi Woodward Sheffield
Illustrator: Heidi Woodward Sheffield
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A loving Latino father and son work toward a dream of owning their "always" home in America. Creative collage-based digital paintings.
Bug Dipping, Bug Sipping (Ready -To-Read series)
Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Lucy Semple
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A simple, rhyming, easy-to-read introduction to bugs and their habits. Colorful digital art and bug facts for the curious reader.
Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Lucy Semple
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A simple, rhyming, easy-to-read introduction to bugs and their habits. Colorful digital art and bug facts for the curious reader.
Button Book, The
Sally Nicholls
Illustrator: Bethan Woollvin
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
In this interactive book, animals press different buttons to explore shapes, colors, and actions. Humorous splashes of colors match the buttons. Mixed-media illustrations.
Sally Nicholls
Illustrator: Bethan Woollvin
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
In this interactive book, animals press different buttons to explore shapes, colors, and actions. Humorous splashes of colors match the buttons. Mixed-media illustrations.
Bye, Penguin!
Seou Lee
Illustrator: Seou Lee
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Stranded, Penguin travels the world on a shrinking ice floe, only to return on a surfboard. Wordless. Digital illustrations show world sights like the Statue of Liberty.
Seou Lee
Illustrator: Seou Lee
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Stranded, Penguin travels the world on a shrinking ice floe, only to return on a surfboard. Wordless. Digital illustrations show world sights like the Statue of Liberty.
Cannonball Coralie and the Lion
Grace Easton
Illustrator: Grace Easton
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
When Coralie is dismissed by a cruel ring master, her bravery and dignity motivate her lion friend and others to follow. Quirky engaging digital illustrations.
Grace Easton
Illustrator: Grace Easton
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
When Coralie is dismissed by a cruel ring master, her bravery and dignity motivate her lion friend and others to follow. Quirky engaging digital illustrations.
Catch That Chicken
Atinuke
Illustrator: Angela Brooksbank
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Spare, alliterative text joins bold mixed-media illustrations in this joyful tale of a resourceful Nigerian girl in her quest to catch chickens.
Atinuke
Illustrator: Angela Brooksbank
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Spare, alliterative text joins bold mixed-media illustrations in this joyful tale of a resourceful Nigerian girl in her quest to catch chickens.
Cat Dog Dog: The Story of a Blended Family
Nelly Buchet
Illustrator: Andrea Zuill
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
In this nearly wordless story, two people move in together very happily. But will their pets get along too? Humorous energetic digital ink illustrations.
Nelly Buchet
Illustrator: Andrea Zuill
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
In this nearly wordless story, two people move in together very happily. But will their pets get along too? Humorous energetic digital ink illustrations.
Cave Dada
Brandon Reese
Illustrator: Brandon Reese
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
When Cave Baby demands the perfect bedtime book, Cave Dada looks for the perfect stone tablet. Hilarious color pencil, gouache, and Photoshop illustrations.
Brandon Reese
Illustrator: Brandon Reese
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
When Cave Baby demands the perfect bedtime book, Cave Dada looks for the perfect stone tablet. Hilarious color pencil, gouache, and Photoshop illustrations.
Christmas Is Joy
Emma Dodd
Illustrator: Emma Dodd
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A little reindeer discovers the true meaning of Christmas - joy, love, family, and peace. Gentle expressive digital illustrations on double-page spreads.
Emma Dodd
Illustrator: Emma Dodd
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A little reindeer discovers the true meaning of Christmas - joy, love, family, and peace. Gentle expressive digital illustrations on double-page spreads.
Cookie Boo
Ruth Paul
Illustrator: Ruth Paul
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Vibrant digital illustrations and shiny cover enhance this rhyming tale of cookies escaping the cookie tin for an adventurous Halloween night. Entertaining, attractive read-aloud.
Ruth Paul
Illustrator: Ruth Paul
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Vibrant digital illustrations and shiny cover enhance this rhyming tale of cookies escaping the cookie tin for an adventurous Halloween night. Entertaining, attractive read-aloud.
Cozy
Jan Brett
Illustrator: Jan Brett
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Exquisitely detailed watercolor illustrations immerse us in this gentle tale of Arctic tundra animals sheltering from a storm within a wooly musk ox's coat.
Jan Brett
Illustrator: Jan Brett
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Exquisitely detailed watercolor illustrations immerse us in this gentle tale of Arctic tundra animals sheltering from a storm within a wooly musk ox's coat.
Dandelion's Dream
Yoko Tanaka
Illustrator: Yoko Tanaka
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Digitally colored charcoal illustrations depict the ethereal adventures of a flower transformed into a yellow-maned dandelion before it goes to seed.
Yoko Tanaka
Illustrator: Yoko Tanaka
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Digitally colored charcoal illustrations depict the ethereal adventures of a flower transformed into a yellow-maned dandelion before it goes to seed.
Do I Have to Wear a Coat?: A Journey through the Seasons
Rachel Isadora
Illustrator: Rachel Isadora
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Varied activities of multiracial children celebrate the seasons. Ink-and-watercolor illustrations.
Rachel Isadora
Illustrator: Rachel Isadora
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Varied activities of multiracial children celebrate the seasons. Ink-and-watercolor illustrations.
Don't Worry, Little Crab
Haughton, Chris
Illustrator: Haughton, Chris
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Gently encouraged by Very Big Crab, Little Crab finds the courage to overcome his fear of the ocean and discover a new world. Simple, colorful digital illustrations.
Haughton, Chris
Illustrator: Haughton, Chris
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Gently encouraged by Very Big Crab, Little Crab finds the courage to overcome his fear of the ocean and discover a new world. Simple, colorful digital illustrations.
Every Little Letter
Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Joy Hwang Ruiz
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
In this "not an alphabet book," lower case letters successfully make their case to upper case letters to welcome strangers by breaking down barriers. Vibrant digital illustrations.
Deborah Underwood
Illustrator: Joy Hwang Ruiz
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
In this "not an alphabet book," lower case letters successfully make their case to upper case letters to welcome strangers by breaking down barriers. Vibrant digital illustrations.
Families Belong
Dan Saks
Illustrator: Brooke Smart
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Families of various configurations show many ways of being together. Colorful illustrations depict multiple racial representations.
Dan Saks
Illustrator: Brooke Smart
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Families of various configurations show many ways of being together. Colorful illustrations depict multiple racial representations.
Federico and the Wolf
Rebecca J. Gomez
Illustrator: Elisa Chavarri
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A resourceful Latinx boy saves the day in this rollicking Red Riding Hood retelling. Central American-inflected Photoshop illustrations. Salsa recipe. Spanish/English glossary included.
Rebecca J. Gomez
Illustrator: Elisa Chavarri
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A resourceful Latinx boy saves the day in this rollicking Red Riding Hood retelling. Central American-inflected Photoshop illustrations. Salsa recipe. Spanish/English glossary included.
Feel the Fog (Weather Walks series)
April Pulley Sayre
Illustrator: April Pulley Sayre
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Readers are fog-immersed in this poetic photographic volume. Extensive endnotes provide opportunities for further exploration of this surprisingly exciting meteorological phenomenon.
April Pulley Sayre
Illustrator: April Pulley Sayre
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Readers are fog-immersed in this poetic photographic volume. Extensive endnotes provide opportunities for further exploration of this surprisingly exciting meteorological phenomenon.
Fight the Night
Tomie dePaola
Illustrator: Tomie dePaola
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Animated, crosshatched black ink/color illustrations elevate the story of a young boy's struggle to resist sleep, revisiting a 1968 classic.
Tomie dePaola
Illustrator: Tomie dePaola
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Animated, crosshatched black ink/color illustrations elevate the story of a young boy's struggle to resist sleep, revisiting a 1968 classic.
Friday Night Wrestle Fest
J.F. Fox
Illustrator: Micah Player
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Rollicking text, vibrant digital art, and a diaper joke will have young readers sharing one family's rumpus—their weekly bedtime tradition.
J.F. Fox
Illustrator: Micah Player
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Rollicking text, vibrant digital art, and a diaper joke will have young readers sharing one family's rumpus—their weekly bedtime tradition.
Ghosts Went Floating, The
Kim Norman
Illustrator: Jay Fleck
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
All types of spooky creatures make their way across vivid, playfully illustrated pages in this Halloween counting book. Rhythm and rhyme inspired by “The Ants Go Marching.”
Kim Norman
Illustrator: Jay Fleck
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
All types of spooky creatures make their way across vivid, playfully illustrated pages in this Halloween counting book. Rhythm and rhyme inspired by “The Ants Go Marching.”
Green on Green
Dianne White
Illustrator: Felicita Sala
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Lyrical rhyming text describes the colors of passing seasons and a family's joyful experience of a pregnancy. Engaging watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations.
Dianne White
Illustrator: Felicita Sala
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Lyrical rhyming text describes the colors of passing seasons and a family's joyful experience of a pregnancy. Engaging watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations.
Heart of a Whale, The
Anna Pignataro
Illustrator: Anna Pignataro
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A whale's song is filled with kindness, but takes another whale's friendship to bring happiness and fulfillment. Evocative watercolor illustrations.
Anna Pignataro
Illustrator: Anna Pignataro
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
A whale's song is filled with kindness, but takes another whale's friendship to bring happiness and fulfillment. Evocative watercolor illustrations.
Hidden Rainbow, The
Christie Matheson
Illustrator: Christie Matheson
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Colors, numbers, and the important work of bees coalesce engagingly in this interactive book. Inviting mix of watercolor and collage art. Endnote on bees.
Christie Matheson
Illustrator: Christie Matheson
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Colors, numbers, and the important work of bees coalesce engagingly in this interactive book. Inviting mix of watercolor and collage art. Endnote on bees.
How to be a Pirate
Isaac Fitzgerald
Illustrator: Brigette Barrager
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Can girls be pirates? Cece sets out to learn from her grandfather if she has what is needed. Bright, engaging illustrations.
Isaac Fitzgerald
Illustrator: Brigette Barrager
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2020
Can girls be pirates? Cece sets out to learn from her grandfather if she has what is needed. Bright, engaging illustrations.