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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Meeselphe
Claude Ponti
Illustrator: Claude Ponti
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A girl traverses a bizarre landscape, solving riddles and outwitting monsters. Uproarious wordplay and metafictional tomfoolery. Surreal cartoon-style art.
Claude Ponti
Illustrator: Claude Ponti
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A girl traverses a bizarre landscape, solving riddles and outwitting monsters. Uproarious wordplay and metafictional tomfoolery. Surreal cartoon-style art.
Memory Garden
Zohreh Ghahremani
Illustrator: Susie Ghahremani
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Helping tend their garden in America, a young girl is transported back to her ancestral home in Iran through her grandmother's stories. Colorful gouache art. Back matter.
Zohreh Ghahremani
Illustrator: Susie Ghahremani
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Helping tend their garden in America, a young girl is transported back to her ancestral home in Iran through her grandmother's stories. Colorful gouache art. Back matter.
Message in the Mooncake: A Legend from Ancient China
Sapphire Chow
Illustrator: Xiaojie Liu
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Su-Ling must give her uncle a message, concealed in a mooncake, about a rebellion. Will Mongol guards stop her? Evocative illustrations. Endnotes.
Sapphire Chow
Illustrator: Xiaojie Liu
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Su-Ling must give her uncle a message, concealed in a mooncake, about a rebellion. Will Mongol guards stop her? Evocative illustrations. Endnotes.
Miguel Must Fight!
Jamie Ofelia
Illustrator: Sara Palacios
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Miguel confronts El Dragón using his artistic talents instead of the swords wielded by his family. Amusing, action-filled acrylic, gouache, and Photoshop illustrations, Spanish glossary.
Jamie Ofelia
Illustrator: Sara Palacios
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Miguel confronts El Dragón using his artistic talents instead of the swords wielded by his family. Amusing, action-filled acrylic, gouache, and Photoshop illustrations, Spanish glossary.
Mishka
Edward van de Vendel and Anoush Elman
Illustrator: Annet Schaap
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
After fleeing Afghanistan and living in refugee camps for five years, Roya's family has finally settled permanently in Holland. Now, it's time for a family pet. Muted full-color illustrations.
Edward van de Vendel and Anoush Elman
Illustrator: Annet Schaap
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
After fleeing Afghanistan and living in refugee camps for five years, Roya's family has finally settled permanently in Holland. Now, it's time for a family pet. Muted full-color illustrations.
Mistakes That Made Us, The: Confessions from Twenty Poets
edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Illustrator: Mercè López
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Using a variety of poetic forms, renowned poets from Margarita Engle to Jane Yolen divulge their early mistakes. Detailed insets provide the writers' accounts of lessons learned. Emotive colorful illustrations.
edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters
Illustrator: Mercè López
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Using a variety of poetic forms, renowned poets from Margarita Engle to Jane Yolen divulge their early mistakes. Detailed insets provide the writers' accounts of lessons learned. Emotive colorful illustrations.
Monti and Leo: A Newcomer in Pocketville (Monti and Leo series)
Sylvie Kantorovitz
Illustrator: Sylvie Kantorovitz
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Monti the Mole's routine is disrupted when Leo the Lizard moves to town. They become friends, but will the rest of the community be as welcoming? Playful, expressive illustrations.
Sylvie Kantorovitz
Illustrator: Sylvie Kantorovitz
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Monti the Mole's routine is disrupted when Leo the Lizard moves to town. They become friends, but will the rest of the community be as welcoming? Playful, expressive illustrations.
Most Boring Book Ever, The
Brandon Sanderson
Illustrator: Kazu Kibuishi
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
While droll narration tells readers of a boy's boring experiences, dynamic pen-and-ink illustrations with digital color reveal him tangling with flying machines and a dragon in the sky.
Brandon Sanderson
Illustrator: Kazu Kibuishi
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
While droll narration tells readers of a boy's boring experiences, dynamic pen-and-ink illustrations with digital color reveal him tangling with flying machines and a dragon in the sky.
Mr. Lepron's Mystery Soup
Giovanna Zoboli
Illustrator: Mariachiara Di Giorgio
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A rabbit patriarch's vegetable soup becomes world famous, its extraordinary taste tied to the power of his dreams. Bright, fanciful art in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil.
Giovanna Zoboli
Illustrator: Mariachiara Di Giorgio
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A rabbit patriarch's vegetable soup becomes world famous, its extraordinary taste tied to the power of his dreams. Bright, fanciful art in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil.
Mr. Santa
Jarvis
Illustrator: Jarvis
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A young girl wakes up and discovers Santa putting presents under the tree. Naturally, she has many questions as they set off on some fun adventures. Digitally created illustrations.
Jarvis
Illustrator: Jarvis
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A young girl wakes up and discovers Santa putting presents under the tree. Naturally, she has many questions as they set off on some fun adventures. Digitally created illustrations.
My Block Looks Like
Janelle Harper
Illustrator: Frank Morrison
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Dancing through the Bronx, a young Black girl shows readers the streets, trains, street art, and people of her community. Poetic text and detailed paintings.
Janelle Harper
Illustrator: Frank Morrison
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Dancing through the Bronx, a young Black girl shows readers the streets, trains, street art, and people of her community. Poetic text and detailed paintings.
My Mother's Tongues: A Weaving of Languages
Uma Menon
Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
South Asian Indian American Sumi and her mother speak two languages. As Sumi says, the more languages a person can speak, the more people they can talk to. Bold, colorful mixed-media illustrations.
Uma Menon
Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
South Asian Indian American Sumi and her mother speak two languages. As Sumi says, the more languages a person can speak, the more people they can talk to. Bold, colorful mixed-media illustrations.
My Olive Tree
Hazar Elbayya
Illustrator: Hazar Elbayya
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A little Palestinian girl plants an olive tree in her war-torn country. Her grandfather and the whole community help restore what is lost when the tree is destroyed. Digital, muted illustrations.
Hazar Elbayya
Illustrator: Hazar Elbayya
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A little Palestinian girl plants an olive tree in her war-torn country. Her grandfather and the whole community help restore what is lost when the tree is destroyed. Digital, muted illustrations.
My Sister and Me
Joana Estrela
Illustrator: Joana Estrela
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
They put stickers on the cat and scribble in your books. Grrr . . . little sisters can be so annoying! Humorous cartoon-like drawings.
Joana Estrela
Illustrator: Joana Estrela
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
They put stickers on the cat and scribble in your books. Grrr . . . little sisters can be so annoying! Humorous cartoon-like drawings.
Mysterious, Marvelous Octopus
Paige Towler, foreword by Sy Montgomery
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A playful exploration of the science of an octopus. Color photography, with many close-ups, brings these highly intelligent undersea creatures into focus.
Paige Towler, foreword by Sy Montgomery
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A playful exploration of the science of an octopus. Color photography, with many close-ups, brings these highly intelligent undersea creatures into focus.
Narwhal: Unicorn of the Arctic
Candace Fleming
Illustrator: Deena So'Oteh
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A giant-toothed marine mammal jousts with his pod members, breathes through ice holes, and uses echolocation to find food and migrate safely. Luminous blue-tone illustrations. Back matter.
Candace Fleming
Illustrator: Deena So'Oteh
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A giant-toothed marine mammal jousts with his pod members, breathes through ice holes, and uses echolocation to find food and migrate safely. Luminous blue-tone illustrations. Back matter.
Night Market, The
Seina Wedlick
Illustrator: Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
With a bag full of coins, a young girl visits an African night market and marvels at the many sights and sounds and all the different wares for sale there. Bright digital illustrations.
Seina Wedlick
Illustrator: Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
With a bag full of coins, a young girl visits an African night market and marvels at the many sights and sounds and all the different wares for sale there. Bright digital illustrations.
Night Stories: Folktales from Latin America (TOON Latin America Folktales series)
Liniers, introduction by David Bowles
Illustrator: Liniers
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Siblings terrify and fascinate each other at night with recountings of The Owl of Doom and other Latin American folktales. Comic style illustrations. Introduction and endnotes. Also available in Spanish.
Liniers, introduction by David Bowles
Illustrator: Liniers
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Siblings terrify and fascinate each other at night with recountings of The Owl of Doom and other Latin American folktales. Comic style illustrations. Introduction and endnotes. Also available in Spanish.
Noisy Puddle, The: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons
Linda Booth Sweeney
Illustrator: Miki Sato
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A temporary shallow wetland ecosystem of plants and animals, changing throughout the year, stores rain and has other important environmental benefits. Seasonal colors showcase the wildlife and curious children. Back matter.
Linda Booth Sweeney
Illustrator: Miki Sato
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
A temporary shallow wetland ecosystem of plants and animals, changing throughout the year, stores rain and has other important environmental benefits. Seasonal colors showcase the wildlife and curious children. Back matter.
Noodles on a Bicycle
Kyo Maclear
Illustrator: Gracey Zhang
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
In Tokyo of long ago, children revel in following and imitating the amazingly talented soba deliverymen. Ink and gouache paint illustrations capture the time and place.
Kyo Maclear
Illustrator: Gracey Zhang
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
In Tokyo of long ago, children revel in following and imitating the amazingly talented soba deliverymen. Ink and gouache paint illustrations capture the time and place.
Nothing Scares a Dinosaur (Ready to Read series)
Jonathan Fenske
Illustrator: Jonathan Fenske
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
The sounds and shadows at bedtime don't scare a dark-skinned boy when he imagines he's a brave dinosaur. Poetic text, lively cartoon-style art.
Jonathan Fenske
Illustrator: Jonathan Fenske
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
The sounds and shadows at bedtime don't scare a dark-skinned boy when he imagines he's a brave dinosaur. Poetic text, lively cartoon-style art.
Oddball Book of Armadillos, The
Elizabeth Shreeve
Illustrator: Isabella Grott
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
The evolution, behaviors, and physical characteristics of these armored animals are presented in clear, inviting language and vivid, detailed illustrations. Back matter.
Elizabeth Shreeve
Illustrator: Isabella Grott
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
The evolution, behaviors, and physical characteristics of these armored animals are presented in clear, inviting language and vivid, detailed illustrations. Back matter.
One Day This Tree Will Fall
Leslie Barnard Booth
Illustrator: Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Witness the life cycle of a tree, from a seed on the wind to a full-grown home for other organisms. Colorful, detailed mixed-media art. Back matter with glossary and bibliography.
Leslie Barnard Booth
Illustrator: Stephanie Fizer Coleman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Witness the life cycle of a tree, from a seed on the wind to a full-grown home for other organisms. Colorful, detailed mixed-media art. Back matter with glossary and bibliography.
One & Only Googoosh, The: Iran's Beloved Superstar
Azadeh Westergaard
Illustrator: Azadeh Westergaard
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Iran's most famous singer, even when she was a child, was forced to stop performing after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Written in the second person. Collages. Author's note.
Azadeh Westergaard
Illustrator: Azadeh Westergaard
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
Iran's most famous singer, even when she was a child, was forced to stop performing after the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Written in the second person. Collages. Author's note.
One Wise Sheep
Ulrich Hub
Illustrator: Jörg Mühle
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
With the shepherds missing, an unruly flock follows a bright star in search of a special child. Humorous account of the Christmas story from the perspective of the sheep. Amusing illustrations.
Ulrich Hub
Illustrator: Jörg Mühle
Ages: 6+
Published: 2024
With the shepherds missing, an unruly flock follows a bright star in search of a special child. Humorous account of the Christmas story from the perspective of the sheep. Amusing illustrations.