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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Cranky (Cranky and Friends series)
Phuc Tran
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A yellow crane truck in a bad mood, encouraged by fellow vehicles to share his feelings, discovers the value of their advice. Colorful, animated illustrations accompany punny text.
Phuc Tran
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A yellow crane truck in a bad mood, encouraged by fellow vehicles to share his feelings, discovers the value of their advice. Colorful, animated illustrations accompany punny text.
Crick, Crack, Crow!
Janet Lord
Illustrator: Julie Paschkis
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
An adventurous crow plays a trick on a cat, escapes a hawk, and more. Rhythmic text. Luscious gouache and pen and ink art. Bibliography and crow facts.
Janet Lord
Illustrator: Julie Paschkis
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
An adventurous crow plays a trick on a cat, escapes a hawk, and more. Rhythmic text. Luscious gouache and pen and ink art. Bibliography and crow facts.
Dalmartian: A Mars Rover's Story
Lucy Ruth Cummins
Illustrator: Lucy Ruth Cummins
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A doglike alien befriends a young boy and learns the ins and outs of life on Earth. Playful ink, charcoal, and digital illustrations.
Lucy Ruth Cummins
Illustrator: Lucy Ruth Cummins
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A doglike alien befriends a young boy and learns the ins and outs of life on Earth. Playful ink, charcoal, and digital illustrations.
Desert Song
Laeken Zea Kemp
Illustrator: Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernéndez
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Under the stars, a family plays instruments and sings together to honor their ancestors. Dynamic flat-style art in gouache and colored pencil, digitally edited.
Laeken Zea Kemp
Illustrator: Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernéndez
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Under the stars, a family plays instruments and sings together to honor their ancestors. Dynamic flat-style art in gouache and colored pencil, digitally edited.
D Is for Dog
Em Lynas
Illustrator: Sara Ogilvie
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A diverse pack of dogs acting in exuberantly doggy ways introduce letters of the alphabet. Humorous illustrations. List of dog breeds in back matter.
Em Lynas
Illustrator: Sara Ogilvie
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A diverse pack of dogs acting in exuberantly doggy ways introduce letters of the alphabet. Humorous illustrations. List of dog breeds in back matter.
EidTale: An Eid al-Fitr Adventure (Abrams Trail Tale series)
Aaliya Jaleel
Illustrator: Aaliya Jaleel
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Two Muslim children celebrate a traditional festive holiday with their family and community. Warm, cheery tableaus with occasional surprise-revealing foldouts.
Aaliya Jaleel
Illustrator: Aaliya Jaleel
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Two Muslim children celebrate a traditional festive holiday with their family and community. Warm, cheery tableaus with occasional surprise-revealing foldouts.
Emma Full of Wonders
Elisha Cooper
Illustrator: Elisha Cooper
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Vibrant watercolors thickly outlined in bold black ink express the joys and concerns of a gentle dog as she looks forward to tomorrow.
Elisha Cooper
Illustrator: Elisha Cooper
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Vibrant watercolors thickly outlined in bold black ink express the joys and concerns of a gentle dog as she looks forward to tomorrow.
Everyone Gets a Turn
Marianne Dubuc
Illustrator: Marianne Dubuc
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Bear, Mouse, Turtle, and Hare find an egg and nurture the chick inside with warmth, food, and encouragement. But can they relinquish their overprotectiveness? Colorful comic-style panels.
Marianne Dubuc
Illustrator: Marianne Dubuc
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Bear, Mouse, Turtle, and Hare find an egg and nurture the chick inside with warmth, food, and encouragement. But can they relinquish their overprotectiveness? Colorful comic-style panels.
Everyone Loves Career Day but Zia (Zia series)
Jenny Liao
Illustrator: Dream Chen
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
How can Zia's Chinese mother tell the class about her job as a seamstress when she doesn't speak English? Zia has an idea. Expressive Illustrations. Author's note. Cantonese glossary.
Jenny Liao
Illustrator: Dream Chen
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
How can Zia's Chinese mother tell the class about her job as a seamstress when she doesn't speak English? Zia has an idea. Expressive Illustrations. Author's note. Cantonese glossary.
Everyone Starts Small
Liz Garton Scanlon
Illustrator: Dominique Ramsey
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Engaging text and bright digital art celebrate growth and change in a pastoral landscape filled with plants, animals, and personified elemesnt of nature. Author's note with environmental resources.
Liz Garton Scanlon
Illustrator: Dominique Ramsey
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Engaging text and bright digital art celebrate growth and change in a pastoral landscape filled with plants, animals, and personified elemesnt of nature. Author's note with environmental resources.
Exactly as Planned
Tao Nyeu
Illustrator: Tao Nyeu
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Moose and Fox unwittingly find each other's lost gifts; their stories begin at either end of the book and meet in the middle. Whimsical silkscreen and colored pencil art.
Tao Nyeu
Illustrator: Tao Nyeu
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Moose and Fox unwittingly find each other's lost gifts; their stories begin at either end of the book and meet in the middle. Whimsical silkscreen and colored pencil art.
¡Fiesta!: A Festival of Colors
Duncan Tonatiuh
Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A joyful own voices review of the food, music and colors of Mexican celebrations. Illustrations evoking Mixtec codices. Bilingual in Spanish and English.
Duncan Tonatiuh
Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A joyful own voices review of the food, music and colors of Mexican celebrations. Illustrations evoking Mixtec codices. Bilingual in Spanish and English.
Finding Things
Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Laura Dronzek
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
What might happen if you discovered little treasures on your daily walks and brought them home? Gentle acrylic art in small frames and full-bleed pages.
Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Laura Dronzek
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
What might happen if you discovered little treasures on your daily walks and brought them home? Gentle acrylic art in small frames and full-bleed pages.
Fire Fox, The
Alexandra Page
Illustrator: Stef Murphy
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Grieving a loss, Freya visits a cabin in the snowy woods and encounters a magical fox in the moonlight. Luminous digital illustrations.
Alexandra Page
Illustrator: Stef Murphy
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Grieving a loss, Freya visits a cabin in the snowy woods and encounters a magical fox in the moonlight. Luminous digital illustrations.
First Day, Hooray!
June Sobel
Illustrator: Nabila Adani
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Children learn to accept a wide range of emotions, broadening their vocabulary with specific words that will help them self-regulate their feelings. An invaluable classroom resource. Expressive illustrations.
June Sobel
Illustrator: Nabila Adani
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Children learn to accept a wide range of emotions, broadening their vocabulary with specific words that will help them self-regulate their feelings. An invaluable classroom resource. Expressive illustrations.
Flora and Friends: Colors (Flora and Friends series)
Molly Idle
Illustrator: Molly Idle
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Combine colors and create a rainbow. Expressive illustrations and flaps.
Molly Idle
Illustrator: Molly Idle
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Combine colors and create a rainbow. Expressive illustrations and flaps.
Forest
Christie Matheson
Illustrator: Christie Matheson
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Rhymed verse and soft watercolor textures depict plants, animals, and other aspects of nature in the peace and quiet of a woodland environment.
Christie Matheson
Illustrator: Christie Matheson
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Rhymed verse and soft watercolor textures depict plants, animals, and other aspects of nature in the peace and quiet of a woodland environment.
Fruit Shop, The/La frutería, La (Teeny Tiendas series)
Lourdes Heuer
Illustrator: Zara González Hoang
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Mr. Manzano sells all sorts of wonderful produce in his local store. Mixed-media illustrations of his multi-ethnic customers. Bilingual in Spanish and English.
Lourdes Heuer
Illustrator: Zara González Hoang
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Mr. Manzano sells all sorts of wonderful produce in his local store. Mixed-media illustrations of his multi-ethnic customers. Bilingual in Spanish and English.
Gina Kaminski Saves the Wolf (Gina Kaminiski series)
Craig Barr-Green
Illustrator: Francis Martin
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Entering fairyland to prevent the woodcutter from killing the 'big bad wolf," an empowered young reader finds a way to change the wolf's fate. Humorous sketchy illustrations punctuated with emotionally charged emojis.
Craig Barr-Green
Illustrator: Francis Martin
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Entering fairyland to prevent the woodcutter from killing the 'big bad wolf," an empowered young reader finds a way to change the wolf's fate. Humorous sketchy illustrations punctuated with emotionally charged emojis.
Girl Who Planted Trees, The
Caryl Hart
Illustrator: Anastasia Suvorova
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A young girl dreams of reforesting a barren mountain. After many attempts and with the perseverance of her inspired village, she finally succeeds. Lush colors capture the landscape.
Caryl Hart
Illustrator: Anastasia Suvorova
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A young girl dreams of reforesting a barren mountain. After many attempts and with the perseverance of her inspired village, she finally succeeds. Lush colors capture the landscape.
Go and Get With Rex
David LaRochelle
Illustrator: Mike Wohnoutka
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Have big fun with four consonants, two kids and a pup with a smart sense of humor, as they fetch mostly correct surprises. Cheery gouache art.
David LaRochelle
Illustrator: Mike Wohnoutka
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Have big fun with four consonants, two kids and a pup with a smart sense of humor, as they fetch mostly correct surprises. Cheery gouache art.
Goodbye, Hello: A Going Home Travel Adventure
Angela H. Dale
Illustrator: Daniel Wiseman
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A biracial US Navy family travels by taxi, plane, and bus to meet Mama in Japan. Rhymed couplets, staccato phrasing. Fine-lined, digital illustrations with saturated colors. Author's note.
Angela H. Dale
Illustrator: Daniel Wiseman
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A biracial US Navy family travels by taxi, plane, and bus to meet Mama in Japan. Rhymed couplets, staccato phrasing. Fine-lined, digital illustrations with saturated colors. Author's note.
Good Little Mermaid's Guide to Bedtime, The
Eija Sumner
Illustrator: Nici Gregory
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Beware the ferocious mergirl who mocks the instructions of a saccharine book on bedtime etiquette . . . until she starts feeling drowsy. Cartoon-style digital art, equally hilarious and terrifying.
Eija Sumner
Illustrator: Nici Gregory
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Beware the ferocious mergirl who mocks the instructions of a saccharine book on bedtime etiquette . . . until she starts feeling drowsy. Cartoon-style digital art, equally hilarious and terrifying.
Good Night Belly Button
Lucie Brunellière
Illustrator: Lucie Brunellière
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A wide-awake baby is gently lulled to sleep as, with every flap turn, a blanket progressively covers her body from little toes to little chin.
Lucie Brunellière
Illustrator: Lucie Brunellière
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A wide-awake baby is gently lulled to sleep as, with every flap turn, a blanket progressively covers her body from little toes to little chin.
Green Baby Swing, The
Thomas King
Illustrator: Yong Ling Kang
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
When Nana dies, Xavier and his mother explore Nana's possessions. uncovering family stories and sharing memories. Delicate watercolor illustrations
Thomas King
Illustrator: Yong Ling Kang
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
When Nana dies, Xavier and his mother explore Nana's possessions. uncovering family stories and sharing memories. Delicate watercolor illustrations