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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Dictionary Story, The
Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Wanting a narrative like the other books, a dictionary lets her words come alive, but they soon start to run wild. Zany mixed-media art.
Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Wanting a narrative like the other books, a dictionary lets her words come alive, but they soon start to run wild. Zany mixed-media art.
Dive!: The Story of Breathing Underwater
Chris Gall
Illustrator: Chris Gall
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
For thousands of years, scientists and inventors have developed increasingly sophisticated tools for survival in the deep. Vibrant, detailed illustrations. Back matter.
Chris Gall
Illustrator: Chris Gall
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
For thousands of years, scientists and inventors have developed increasingly sophisticated tools for survival in the deep. Vibrant, detailed illustrations. Back matter.
Dog That Dug for Dinosaurs, The: A True Story (Ready-to-Read series)
Shirley Raye Redmond
Illustrator: Simon Sullivan
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
In 19th-century England, while on a fossil hunt with her dog, 12-year-old Mary Ann Anning uncovered amazing dinosaur bones. Color illustrations in a muted palette.
Shirley Raye Redmond
Illustrator: Simon Sullivan
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
In 19th-century England, while on a fossil hunt with her dog, 12-year-old Mary Ann Anning uncovered amazing dinosaur bones. Color illustrations in a muted palette.
Dress in the Window, The
Robert Tregoning
Illustrator: Pippa Curnick
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Excited after seeing a red dress that he wants to wear and swirl in, a boy does chores to earn enough to buy it. What happens when he discovers that it has already been sold? Animated vibrant color illustrations.
Robert Tregoning
Illustrator: Pippa Curnick
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Excited after seeing a red dress that he wants to wear and swirl in, a boy does chores to earn enough to buy it. What happens when he discovers that it has already been sold? Animated vibrant color illustrations.
Duck, Duck, Goose!
John Hare
Illustrator: John Hare
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
In this humorous romp, introducing counting and rhyming to beginning readers, a moose helps three birds complete their disruptive migration south. Hand-drawn pencil and bold digital color illustrations.
John Hare
Illustrator: John Hare
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
In this humorous romp, introducing counting and rhyming to beginning readers, a moose helps three birds complete their disruptive migration south. Hand-drawn pencil and bold digital color illustrations.
Egg Incident, The
Ziggy Hanaor
Illustrator: Daisy Wynter
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Because his uncle had a serious accident, Humphrey's parents are extremely overprotective. Can he dare risk playing with a new friend? Lively cartoons contribute to the fun.
Ziggy Hanaor
Illustrator: Daisy Wynter
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Because his uncle had a serious accident, Humphrey's parents are extremely overprotective. Can he dare risk playing with a new friend? Lively cartoons contribute to the fun.
Elephant and the Sea, The
Ed Vere
Illustrator: Ed Vere
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Rejected by the village water rescue team because of his size, Gabriel the elephant builds his own lifeboat. Loose mixed-media illustrations.
Ed Vere
Illustrator: Ed Vere
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Rejected by the village water rescue team because of his size, Gabriel the elephant builds his own lifeboat. Loose mixed-media illustrations.
Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube
Kerry Aradhya
Illustrator: Kara Kramer
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
What led to the Hungarian inventor's creation of the world's most popular puzzle? Mixed-media illustrations. Back matter.
Kerry Aradhya
Illustrator: Kara Kramer
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
What led to the Hungarian inventor's creation of the world's most popular puzzle? Mixed-media illustrations. Back matter.
Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava
Gary Golio
Illustrator: E. B. Lewis
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Immersive, luminous watercolors and lyrical text invite us to see a beloved 1940s neighborhood through an artist's eyes. Biography, time line, bibliography, suggested museums for viewing DeCarava's work
Gary Golio
Illustrator: E. B. Lewis
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Immersive, luminous watercolors and lyrical text invite us to see a beloved 1940s neighborhood through an artist's eyes. Biography, time line, bibliography, suggested museums for viewing DeCarava's work
Every Wrinkle Has a Story
David Grossman
Illustrator: Ninamasina
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
With warmth and humor, a grandfather explains the origin of his wrinkles to his grandson. Gentle, dreamy illustrations.
David Grossman
Illustrator: Ninamasina
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
With warmth and humor, a grandfather explains the origin of his wrinkles to his grandson. Gentle, dreamy illustrations.
Evidence!: How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera
Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrator: Nik Henderson
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Somber illustrations depict London in 1854, when one persistent doctor applied detective skills to prove to naysayers the true source of a devastating illness.
Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrator: Nik Henderson
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Somber illustrations depict London in 1854, when one persistent doctor applied detective skills to prove to naysayers the true source of a devastating illness.
Extraordinary Magic: The Storytelling Life of Virginia Hamilton
Nina Crews
Illustrator: Nina Crews
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
The award-winning African American children's book author was inspired to retell stories she'd heard as a child on her Ohio farm. Free verse. Digital illustrations and archival photos, Extensive back matter.
Nina Crews
Illustrator: Nina Crews
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
The award-winning African American children's book author was inspired to retell stories she'd heard as a child on her Ohio farm. Free verse. Digital illustrations and archival photos, Extensive back matter.
Farmer Eva's Green Garden Life (Food Heroes series)
Jacqueline Briggs Martin, afterword by Eva Sommaripa
Illustrator: Christy Hale
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A pioneering woman turned her passion into community, both above and below ground. Collage illustrations. Extensive back matter.
Jacqueline Briggs Martin, afterword by Eva Sommaripa
Illustrator: Christy Hale
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A pioneering woman turned her passion into community, both above and below ground. Collage illustrations. Extensive back matter.
Felix Powell, Boy Dog
Erin Entrada Kelly
Illustrator: Erin Entrada Kelly
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A thrift shop blanket magically turns Felix, 8, into a dog. How will he return to being a boy? Humorous dialogue. Short chapters. Simple line drawings.
Erin Entrada Kelly
Illustrator: Erin Entrada Kelly
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A thrift shop blanket magically turns Felix, 8, into a dog. How will he return to being a boy? Humorous dialogue. Short chapters. Simple line drawings.
Finding Home: Words From Kids Seeking Sanctuary
Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner
Illustrator: Shelley Rotner, photographer
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
This photographic picture book captures the resilient and hopeful voices of children and families seeking asylum. Back matter provides additional resources.
Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner
Illustrator: Shelley Rotner, photographer
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
This photographic picture book captures the resilient and hopeful voices of children and families seeking asylum. Back matter provides additional resources.
Fire Flight: A Wildfire Escape
Cedar Pruitt
Illustrator: Chiara Fedele
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Lyrical text tells the story of a screech owl seeking safety in a helicopter during the 2020 California Creek forest fire. Dramatic illustrations. Back matter.
Cedar Pruitt
Illustrator: Chiara Fedele
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Lyrical text tells the story of a screech owl seeking safety in a helicopter during the 2020 California Creek forest fire. Dramatic illustrations. Back matter.
Five Stories
Ellen Weinstein
Illustrator: Ellen Weinstein
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Over the span of a century, five diverse immigrant families make their home in the same Lower East Side tenement. Detailed gouache and digital illustrations. Author's note.
Ellen Weinstein
Illustrator: Ellen Weinstein
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Over the span of a century, five diverse immigrant families make their home in the same Lower East Side tenement. Detailed gouache and digital illustrations. Author's note.
Flicker of Hope, A: A Story of Migration
Cynthia Harmony
Illustrator: Devon Holzwarth
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A Mexican girl's father journeys north to look for seasonal work, paralleling the migration of the local monarch butterflies. Simple, emotive text. Evocative mixed-media illustrations. Author's note.
Cynthia Harmony
Illustrator: Devon Holzwarth
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A Mexican girl's father journeys north to look for seasonal work, paralleling the migration of the local monarch butterflies. Simple, emotive text. Evocative mixed-media illustrations. Author's note.
Freedom Braids
Monique Duncan
Illustrator: Oboh Moses
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Young Nemy follows the women to their braiding space where she is welcomed, taught the meaning of braids, and nourished. Digitally created artwork; informative endpapers.
Monique Duncan
Illustrator: Oboh Moses
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Young Nemy follows the women to their braiding space where she is welcomed, taught the meaning of braids, and nourished. Digitally created artwork; informative endpapers.
Freedom on the Sea: The True Story of the Civil War Hero Robert Smalls and His Daring Escape to Freedom
Michael Boulware Moore
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
An enslaved seaman commandeered a Confederate ship, liberating himself, the rest of the crew, and their families. Striking paint and collage illustrations.
Michael Boulware Moore
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
An enslaved seaman commandeered a Confederate ship, liberating himself, the rest of the crew, and their families. Striking paint and collage illustrations.
Gale, The
Mo Yan. adapted by Guan Xiaoxiao
Illustrator: Zhu Chengliang
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A young Chinese boy and his grandfather spend a whole day cutting grass for their livestock to eat. As they head home, a wind blows it all away. Atmospheric acrylic illustrations.
Mo Yan. adapted by Guan Xiaoxiao
Illustrator: Zhu Chengliang
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A young Chinese boy and his grandfather spend a whole day cutting grass for their livestock to eat. As they head home, a wind blows it all away. Atmospheric acrylic illustrations.
Garland of Henna, A
Varsha Bajaj
Illustrator: Archana Sreenivasan
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Nikita wants to become a traditional henna artist like her mother and grandmother, but her first attempts at palm drawing are discouraging. Will she succeed? Bold color illustrations. Author's note.
Varsha Bajaj
Illustrator: Archana Sreenivasan
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Nikita wants to become a traditional henna artist like her mother and grandmother, but her first attempts at palm drawing are discouraging. Will she succeed? Bold color illustrations. Author's note.
Giant on the Shore
Alfonso Ochoa
Illustrator: Azul López
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Through footprints, shadows, and negative space, moody acrylic paintings reveal a timid giant lingering in the shallows as the narrator imagines him coming ashore and meeting the townspeople.
Alfonso Ochoa
Illustrator: Azul López
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Through footprints, shadows, and negative space, moody acrylic paintings reveal a timid giant lingering in the shallows as the narrator imagines him coming ashore and meeting the townspeople.
Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don't) Throw Away
Andrew Larsen, foreword by Nelson Molina
Illustrator: Oriol Vidal
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
As a sanitation worker in NYC, Nelson Molina saved more than 45,000 items from his truck, including toys, musical instruments, and thingamajigs. Digital art.
Andrew Larsen, foreword by Nelson Molina
Illustrator: Oriol Vidal
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
As a sanitation worker in NYC, Nelson Molina saved more than 45,000 items from his truck, including toys, musical instruments, and thingamajigs. Digital art.
Gigi and Ojiji: Perfect Paper Cranes (Gigi and Ojiji series)
Melissa Iwai
Illustrator: Melissa Iwai
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A young Japanese American girl wants to make an origami paper crane. After several attempts and much encouragement, she succeeds. Expressive illustrations. Origami directions. Japanese glossary.
Melissa Iwai
Illustrator: Melissa Iwai
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A young Japanese American girl wants to make an origami paper crane. After several attempts and much encouragement, she succeeds. Expressive illustrations. Origami directions. Japanese glossary.