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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Santa's First Christmas
Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Sydney Smith
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Realizing Santa has never celebrated Christmas, the elves decide to introduce him to the warmth and good cheer of the holiday traditions. Soft watercolor and gouache illustrations.
Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Sydney Smith
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Realizing Santa has never celebrated Christmas, the elves decide to introduce him to the warmth and good cheer of the holiday traditions. Soft watercolor and gouache illustrations.
See, Touch, Feel: Look at Me (See, Touch, Feel series)
created by Roger Priddy
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Diverse babies and toddlers clap hands, play peekaboo, hug their teddies, and more. Photographs and mixed-media art. Interactive format with mirror.
created by Roger Priddy
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Diverse babies and toddlers clap hands, play peekaboo, hug their teddies, and more. Photographs and mixed-media art. Interactive format with mirror.
Shadow & the Ghost, The
Cat Min
Illustrator: Cat Min
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Separated by the cycle of day and night, two supernatural beings forge an unlikely friendship by writing messages on a rock. Bright, expressive mixed-media art, digitally finished.
Cat Min
Illustrator: Cat Min
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Separated by the cycle of day and night, two supernatural beings forge an unlikely friendship by writing messages on a rock. Bright, expressive mixed-media art, digitally finished.
Shine
Bruno Valasse
Illustrator: Bruno Valasse
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Entranced by the stars, a little moth boy ventures out into the night, where he meets wonder, danger, and new friends. Earth-tone mixed-media art with printed textures.
Bruno Valasse
Illustrator: Bruno Valasse
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Entranced by the stars, a little moth boy ventures out into the night, where he meets wonder, danger, and new friends. Earth-tone mixed-media art with printed textures.
Ship in the Window, The
Travis Jonker
Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
The proud builder of a model ship keeps it safely displayed indoors; but a brave, curious mouse wants to sail it on the open water. Hand-drawn, hatched illustrations.
Travis Jonker
Illustrator: Matthew Cordell
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
The proud builder of a model ship keeps it safely displayed indoors; but a brave, curious mouse wants to sail it on the open water. Hand-drawn, hatched illustrations.
Sleepy: Surprising Ways Animals Snooze
Jennifer Ward
Illustrator: Robin Page
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Lively rhyming text and fascinating facts introduce readers to the amazing slumber styles of 17 animals. Vibrant digital art. Back matter.
Jennifer Ward
Illustrator: Robin Page
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Lively rhyming text and fascinating facts introduce readers to the amazing slumber styles of 17 animals. Vibrant digital art. Back matter.
Solar Bear
Beth Ferry
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Endangered species around the world take on a mystical glow to reveal the importance of their survival. Rhyming text with haunting mixed-media art. Back matter, including conservation resources.
Beth Ferry
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Endangered species around the world take on a mystical glow to reveal the importance of their survival. Rhyming text with haunting mixed-media art. Back matter, including conservation resources.
Stickler Christmas, A
Lane Smith
Illustrator: Lane Smith
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A bizarre creature cheerfully delivers stick-based gifts to animal friends in a snowy landscape. Oil, gesso, and cold wax illustrations, with digital pencil.
Lane Smith
Illustrator: Lane Smith
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A bizarre creature cheerfully delivers stick-based gifts to animal friends in a snowy landscape. Oil, gesso, and cold wax illustrations, with digital pencil.
Still Life
Alex London
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
While introducing his grand, formal work of art, a painter fails to notice the objects within coming to life. Pencil drawing combined with digital illustrations.
Alex London
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
While introducing his grand, formal work of art, a painter fails to notice the objects within coming to life. Pencil drawing combined with digital illustrations.
Strangest Fish, The
Katherine Arden
Illustrator: Zahra Marwan
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
When Daisy wins a "weird-looking" goldfish, she helps find his appropriate habitat after he outgrows a series of homes. Exqusite pen, ink, and watercolor artwork.
Katherine Arden
Illustrator: Zahra Marwan
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
When Daisy wins a "weird-looking" goldfish, she helps find his appropriate habitat after he outgrows a series of homes. Exqusite pen, ink, and watercolor artwork.
Summer Is Here
Renée Watson
Illustrator: Bea Jackson
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Summer comes to life joining a young Black girl from morning till night, sharing the joys of the season. Bright mixed-media art adds to the fun.
Renée Watson
Illustrator: Bea Jackson
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Summer comes to life joining a young Black girl from morning till night, sharing the joys of the season. Bright mixed-media art adds to the fun.
Teeny-Weeny Unicorn, The
Shawn Harris
Illustrator: Shawn Harris
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
After accidentally squashing the car of a grumpy gnome, a frustrated miniature unicorn learns that size is relative. Comical neon-bright art in chalk pastels.
Shawn Harris
Illustrator: Shawn Harris
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
After accidentally squashing the car of a grumpy gnome, a frustrated miniature unicorn learns that size is relative. Comical neon-bright art in chalk pastels.
That's Not My Dog . . . (That's Not My series)
Fiona Watt
Illustrator: Rachel Wells
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
You can't be my pup because . . . Bold, colorful illustrations include mirrors, fake fur, and other tactile elements.
Fiona Watt
Illustrator: Rachel Wells
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
You can't be my pup because . . . Bold, colorful illustrations include mirrors, fake fur, and other tactile elements.
There Was a Shadow
Bruce Handy
Illustrator: Lisk Feng
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A poetic look at the shadows and their emotional resonance that a child encounters throughout a day. Bright, expressive illustrations of nature and home.
Bruce Handy
Illustrator: Lisk Feng
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A poetic look at the shadows and their emotional resonance that a child encounters throughout a day. Bright, expressive illustrations of nature and home.
This Baby, That Baby
Cari Best
Illustrator: Rashin Kheiriyeh
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Two babies playfully wave to each other across their apartment windows and then begin their daily routines, ending with a playdate in the park. Appealing layout, vivid acrylic art.
Cari Best
Illustrator: Rashin Kheiriyeh
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Two babies playfully wave to each other across their apartment windows and then begin their daily routines, ending with a playdate in the park. Appealing layout, vivid acrylic art.
This Is the Way in Dog Town
Ya-Ling Huang
Illustrator: Ya-Ling Huang
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Puppies of diverse breeds perform their daily activities to the rhythmic pattern of a familiar nursery song. Action verbs accompany each activity, set on colorful whimsical pages.
Ya-Ling Huang
Illustrator: Ya-Ling Huang
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Puppies of diverse breeds perform their daily activities to the rhythmic pattern of a familiar nursery song. Action verbs accompany each activity, set on colorful whimsical pages.
Time to Eat!
Vickie Lee
Illustrator: Joey Chou
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
It's time for dinner, but everyone in the family wants something different. Told in Mandarin, English, and Pinyin. Colorful digital illustrations.
Vickie Lee
Illustrator: Joey Chou
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
It's time for dinner, but everyone in the family wants something different. Told in Mandarin, English, and Pinyin. Colorful digital illustrations.
Touch the Sky
Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic
Illustrator: Chris Park
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Vern wishes he could use the swings all by himself, but first he'll have to learn how to pump. Mixed-media illustrations with eye-popping colors.
Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic
Illustrator: Chris Park
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Vern wishes he could use the swings all by himself, but first he'll have to learn how to pump. Mixed-media illustrations with eye-popping colors.
Towed by Toad
Jashar Awan
Illustrator: Jashar Awan
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A young tow truck driver enjoys helping others, but avoids being helped by anyone himself, until he has no choice. Rhyming text, lively illustrations of various vehicular woes.
Jashar Awan
Illustrator: Jashar Awan
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A young tow truck driver enjoys helping others, but avoids being helped by anyone himself, until he has no choice. Rhyming text, lively illustrations of various vehicular woes.
Tree Is a Community, A (Books for a Better Earth series)
David L. Harrison
Illustrator: Kate Cosgrove
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Exuberant verse and digitally enhanced drawings depict a tree's role in its ecosystem.
David L. Harrison
Illustrator: Kate Cosgrove
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Exuberant verse and digitally enhanced drawings depict a tree's role in its ecosystem.
Two Homes, One Heart
Jessica Young
Illustrator: Chelsea O'Byrne
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A child splits time between two loving parents' homes and discovers opportunities for individualized activities, attention, exploration, and creativity. Childlike drawings reinforce protagonist's point of view.
Jessica Young
Illustrator: Chelsea O'Byrne
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A child splits time between two loving parents' homes and discovers opportunities for individualized activities, attention, exploration, and creativity. Childlike drawings reinforce protagonist's point of view.
Two Together
Brendan Wenzel
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A cat and a dog have wild adventures on their way home. Rich, luminous art in acrylic, watercolor, and colored pencil, digitally finished.
Brendan Wenzel
Illustrator: Brendan Wenzel
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A cat and a dog have wild adventures on their way home. Rich, luminous art in acrylic, watercolor, and colored pencil, digitally finished.
Ursula Upside Down
Corey R. Tabor
Illustrator: Corey R. Tabor
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A happy-go-lucky catfish is dismayed to learn that she has been swimming upside down; rotate the book to follow her changes of heart. Mixed-media art, assembled digitally.
Corey R. Tabor
Illustrator: Corey R. Tabor
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
A happy-go-lucky catfish is dismayed to learn that she has been swimming upside down; rotate the book to follow her changes of heart. Mixed-media art, assembled digitally.
Wake Up, Woodlands
Karen Jameson
Illustrator: Marc Boutavant
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Children give a fond hello to nature as they journey out into the warmth of spring. Bright, cheerful digital illustrations.
Karen Jameson
Illustrator: Marc Boutavant
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Children give a fond hello to nature as they journey out into the warmth of spring. Bright, cheerful digital illustrations.
Walk of the Field Mouse, The
Nadine Robert
Illustrator: Valerio Vidali
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Despite onlookers' jeers, a steadfast mouse rolls a fallen robin's egg back to its nest atop an enormous rock. Bold, textured digital art in luminous colors.
Nadine Robert
Illustrator: Valerio Vidali
Ages: 5 & Under
Published: 2024
Despite onlookers' jeers, a steadfast mouse rolls a fallen robin's egg back to its nest atop an enormous rock. Bold, textured digital art in luminous colors.