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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Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race (First Conversations series)
Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli
Illustrator: Isabel Roxas
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A child-friendly guide on how skin color plays an important role in who we are. Watercolor and graphite digital artwork.
Megan Madison, Jessica Ralli
Illustrator: Isabel Roxas
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A child-friendly guide on how skin color plays an important role in who we are. Watercolor and graphite digital artwork.
Our Table
Peter H. Reynolds
Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Violet's family is just too busy for meals together at the table. When it shrinks, then actually disappears, she knows what she must do. Monochrome and full color illustrations.
Peter H. Reynolds
Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Violet's family is just too busy for meals together at the table. When it shrinks, then actually disappears, she knows what she must do. Monochrome and full color illustrations.
Outside, Inside
LeUyen Pham
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Poignant digital illustrations and soothing rhythmic language reflect on acts of humanity during pandemic times.
LeUyen Pham
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Poignant digital illustrations and soothing rhythmic language reflect on acts of humanity during pandemic times.
Over the Shop
JonArno Lawson
Illustrator: Qin Leng
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A grandparent and granddaughter finally find tenants for the shabby apartment above their store, gaining neighbors who brighten their lives. Gentle ink and watercolor illustrations. Wordless.
JonArno Lawson
Illustrator: Qin Leng
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A grandparent and granddaughter finally find tenants for the shabby apartment above their store, gaining neighbors who brighten their lives. Gentle ink and watercolor illustrations. Wordless.
Pablo's Pet (Dive into Reading!)
Sheri Tan
Illustrator: Shirley Ng-Benitez
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Pablo's diverse group of friends rally around to comfort him after his pet fish dies, reminding him of their good times. Watercolor, gouache and pencil illustrations. Activity page.
Sheri Tan
Illustrator: Shirley Ng-Benitez
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Pablo's diverse group of friends rally around to comfort him after his pet fish dies, reminding him of their good times. Watercolor, gouache and pencil illustrations. Activity page.
Paletero Man
Lucky Diaz
Illustrator: Micah Player
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A boy's search through his community to find the beloved ice pop man yields some surprises and a lot of kindness. Vibrant digital illustrations.
Lucky Diaz
Illustrator: Micah Player
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A boy's search through his community to find the beloved ice pop man yields some surprises and a lot of kindness. Vibrant digital illustrations.
Passover Guest, The
Susan Kusel
Illustrator: Sean Rubin
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A poor, young, Depression-era Jewish girl meets a magician who advises her to run home for a seder she's convinced her family is too poor to have. Chagall-inspired illustrations.
Susan Kusel
Illustrator: Sean Rubin
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A poor, young, Depression-era Jewish girl meets a magician who advises her to run home for a seder she's convinced her family is too poor to have. Chagall-inspired illustrations.
Peace
Baptiste Paul & Miranda Paul
Illustrator: Estelí Meza
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Lyrical rhyming text introduces the concepts of peace. Folkart-like illustrations in warm hues. Also available in Spanish.
Baptiste Paul & Miranda Paul
Illustrator: Estelí Meza
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Lyrical rhyming text introduces the concepts of peace. Folkart-like illustrations in warm hues. Also available in Spanish.
Peek at Beaks, A: Tools Birds Use
Sara Levine
Illustrator: Kate Slater
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Bird silhouettes and a beak-focused question create a playful guessing game that provides a lot of information about the design of beaks. Colorful mixed- media collages.
Sara Levine
Illustrator: Kate Slater
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Bird silhouettes and a beak-focused question create a playful guessing game that provides a lot of information about the design of beaks. Colorful mixed- media collages.
Protest, The (Dive into Reading!)
Samantha Thornhill
Illustrator: Shirley Ng-Benitez
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Lily and her friends from diverse backgrounds work to save a community garden. Bright, multi-media illustrations. Activity page.
Samantha Thornhill
Illustrator: Shirley Ng-Benitez
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Lily and her friends from diverse backgrounds work to save a community garden. Bright, multi-media illustrations. Activity page.
Pura's Cuentos: How Pura Belpré Reshaped Libraries with Her Stories
Annette Bay Pimentel
Illustrator: Magaly Morales
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Enchanting tales from Miss Belpré's native Puerto Rico captivated her audiences and drew children to her Harlem branch library. Lively, joyful illustrations.
Annette Bay Pimentel
Illustrator: Magaly Morales
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Enchanting tales from Miss Belpré's native Puerto Rico captivated her audiences and drew children to her Harlem branch library. Lively, joyful illustrations.
Queen to the Rescue, A: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah
Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Yevgenia Nayberg
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Inspired by the heroine of the Purim story, an American Jewish woman led humanitarian causes, risking her own life for those in peril and survivors of war and persecution. Stylized cubistic arwork. Comprehensive back matter.
Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Yevgenia Nayberg
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Inspired by the heroine of the Purim story, an American Jewish woman led humanitarian causes, risking her own life for those in peril and survivors of war and persecution. Stylized cubistic arwork. Comprehensive back matter.
Rabbi and the Reverend, The: Joachim Prinz, Martin Luther King Jr., and Their Fight against Silence
Audrey Ades
Illustrator: Chiara Fedele
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A rabbi who fled Nazi Germany represented the Jewish community as an activist and organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. Brightly colored illustrations. Back matter.
Audrey Ades
Illustrator: Chiara Fedele
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A rabbi who fled Nazi Germany represented the Jewish community as an activist and organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. Brightly colored illustrations. Back matter.
Ramble Shamble Children, The
Christina Soontornvat
Illustrator: Lauren Castillo
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Five diverse siblings living in a shabby house decide to fix it up only to discover that a proper house isn't what works for them. Mixed-media illustrations.
Christina Soontornvat
Illustrator: Lauren Castillo
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Five diverse siblings living in a shabby house decide to fix it up only to discover that a proper house isn't what works for them. Mixed-media illustrations.
Red and Green and Blue and White
Lee Wind
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A fictionalized account of a town bonding together to stop bigotry, told with stunningly simple language. Layered images created with brushwork on a Wacom tablet.
Lee Wind
Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A fictionalized account of a town bonding together to stop bigotry, told with stunningly simple language. Layered images created with brushwork on a Wacom tablet.
Ride the Wind
Nicola Davies
Illustrator: Salvatore Rubbino
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
After losing his mother, Javier hides an albatross injured by his father's boat, hoping to nurse the bird back to health and home. Mixed-media illustrations.
Nicola Davies
Illustrator: Salvatore Rubbino
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
After losing his mother, Javier hides an albatross injured by his father's boat, hoping to nurse the bird back to health and home. Mixed-media illustrations.
Rock by Rock: The Fantastical Garden of Nek Chand
Jennifer Bradbury
Illustrator: Sam Boughton
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A man creates a sculpture garden in the jungle to remind him of the childhood home he had to leave following India's partitioning. Vibrant digital illustrations, timeline, afterword.
Jennifer Bradbury
Illustrator: Sam Boughton
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A man creates a sculpture garden in the jungle to remind him of the childhood home he had to leave following India's partitioning. Vibrant digital illustrations, timeline, afterword.
Rock from The Sky, The
Jon Klassen
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Five connected stories about a turtle, an armadillo, and a snake form a meditation on companionship, stubbornness, and intuition. Deadpan humor abounds Muted mixed-media illustrations.
Jon Klassen
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Five connected stories about a turtle, an armadillo, and a snake form a meditation on companionship, stubbornness, and intuition. Deadpan humor abounds Muted mixed-media illustrations.
Room for Everyone
Naaz Khan
Illustrator: Mercè López
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
As a daladala travels to the beach in Zanzibar, the driver encourages an alarming menagerie of people to climb aboard. Irrepressible verse, dynamic mixed-media art.
Naaz Khan
Illustrator: Mercè López
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
As a daladala travels to the beach in Zanzibar, the driver encourages an alarming menagerie of people to climb aboard. Irrepressible verse, dynamic mixed-media art.
Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge
Ray Anthony Shepard
Illustrator: Keith Mallett
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A seemingly dignified life distinguished Ona Judge from other enslaved people but the only dignity that mattered to her was becoming free. Lyrical writing. Painterly illustrations.
Ray Anthony Shepard
Illustrator: Keith Mallett
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
A seemingly dignified life distinguished Ona Judge from other enslaved people but the only dignity that mattered to her was becoming free. Lyrical writing. Painterly illustrations.
Santa in the City
Tiffany D. Jackson
Illustrator: Reggie Brown
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Just before Christmas, Deja begins worrying about how Santa can deliver presents to kids living in apartments without chimneys. Luckily, her mom has some answers. Vibrant digital illustrations.
Tiffany D. Jackson
Illustrator: Reggie Brown
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Just before Christmas, Deja begins worrying about how Santa can deliver presents to kids living in apartments without chimneys. Luckily, her mom has some answers. Vibrant digital illustrations.
Sato the Rabbit
Yuki Ainoya
Illustrator: Yuki Ainoya
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
From floating on the sea in a watermelon to collecting stars during a meteor shower, Sato has many fabulous adventures. Colorful, luminous illustrations.
Yuki Ainoya
Illustrator: Yuki Ainoya
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
From floating on the sea in a watermelon to collecting stars during a meteor shower, Sato has many fabulous adventures. Colorful, luminous illustrations.
Saving American Beach: The Biography of African American Environmentalist MaVynee Betsch
Heidi Tyline King
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
MaVynee Betsch uses her body as a canvas to protest the tearing down of a Florida beach her great-grandfather purchased during Jim Crow. Vibrant acrylic and collage illustrations.
Heidi Tyline King
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
MaVynee Betsch uses her body as a canvas to protest the tearing down of a Florida beach her great-grandfather purchased during Jim Crow. Vibrant acrylic and collage illustrations.
Sea Lions in the Parking Lot: Animals on the Move in a Time of Pandemic
Lenora Todaro
Illustrator: Annika Siems
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Animals were on the move during the pandemic, often moving into people's spaces. Realistic, amusing illustrations. Back matter about habitats and ecosystems.
Lenora Todaro
Illustrator: Annika Siems
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Animals were on the move during the pandemic, often moving into people's spaces. Realistic, amusing illustrations. Back matter about habitats and ecosystems.
Seat at the Table, A: The Nancy Pelosi Story
Elisa Boxer
Illustrator: Laura Freeman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Nancy Pelosi's career, values, and contributions to the US are highlighted in this thoroughly sourced, digitally illustrated book.
Elisa Boxer
Illustrator: Laura Freeman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2021
Nancy Pelosi's career, values, and contributions to the US are highlighted in this thoroughly sourced, digitally illustrated book.