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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Abdul's Story
Jamilah Thompkins -Bigelow
Illustrator: Tiffany Rose
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Abdul, a dark-skinned boy who loves storytelling but struggles with writing, is assured by an author visiting the school that it is OK to make mistakes. Colorful digital illustrations.
Jamilah Thompkins -Bigelow
Illustrator: Tiffany Rose
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Abdul, a dark-skinned boy who loves storytelling but struggles with writing, is assured by an author visiting the school that it is OK to make mistakes. Colorful digital illustrations.
Abuelita and I Make Flan
Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
Illustrator: Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
While preparing flan for Abuelito's birthday, Anita accidently breaks her grandmother's special plate. How will she tell Abuelita? Includes Spanish words and phrases. Bright, playful illustrations and a recipe among the back matter.
Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
Illustrator: Adriana Hernández Bergstrom
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
While preparing flan for Abuelito's birthday, Anita accidently breaks her grandmother's special plate. How will she tell Abuelita? Includes Spanish words and phrases. Bright, playful illustrations and a recipe among the back matter.
A is for Bee: An Alphabet Book in Translation
Ellen Heck
Illustrator: Ellen Heck
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Well-known animals portrayed in bold stylized digital illustrations are identified in different languages. Web-based pronunciation guide.
Ellen Heck
Illustrator: Ellen Heck
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Well-known animals portrayed in bold stylized digital illustrations are identified in different languages. Web-based pronunciation guide.
Alaska Is for the Birds!: Fourteen Favorite Feathered Friends
Susan Ewing
Illustrator: Evon Zerbetz
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The tufted puffin, willow ptarmigan, and 12 other birds found in the 49th state are described in rhyming verse. Vibrant linocut illustrations. Back matter includes glossary and additional information.
Susan Ewing
Illustrator: Evon Zerbetz
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The tufted puffin, willow ptarmigan, and 12 other birds found in the 49th state are described in rhyming verse. Vibrant linocut illustrations. Back matter includes glossary and additional information.
All from a Walnut
Ammi-Joan Paquette
Illustrator: Felicita Sala
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Emilia's immigrant grandfather guides her in carrying on their Italian family's tradition of growing a walnut tree from a single walnut. Comforting green, ochre, and brown illustrations.
Ammi-Joan Paquette
Illustrator: Felicita Sala
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Emilia's immigrant grandfather guides her in carrying on their Italian family's tradition of growing a walnut tree from a single walnut. Comforting green, ochre, and brown illustrations.
All You Need
Howard Schwartz
Illustrator: Jasu Hu
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A girl from China grows into an accomplished artist mindful of the small but important things in life. Soft watercolor illustrations.
Howard Schwartz
Illustrator: Jasu Hu
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A girl from China grows into an accomplished artist mindful of the small but important things in life. Soft watercolor illustrations.
Alone Like Me
Rebecca Evans
Illustrator: Rebecca Evans
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Liling, taunted and lonely when her parents move from a rural area to an urban environment in China, finds solace through an unexpected friendship. Muted watercolor illustrations. Author's note.
Rebecca Evans
Illustrator: Rebecca Evans
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Liling, taunted and lonely when her parents move from a rural area to an urban environment in China, finds solace through an unexpected friendship. Muted watercolor illustrations. Author's note.
Amah Faraway
Margaret Chiu Greanias
Illustrator: Tracy Subisak
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
It's time to visit Amah in Taipei, but Kylie has doubts; everything there is so different. Colorful mixed media illustrations. Information on Taipei sights and foods.
Margaret Chiu Greanias
Illustrator: Tracy Subisak
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
It's time to visit Amah in Taipei, but Kylie has doubts; everything there is so different. Colorful mixed media illustrations. Information on Taipei sights and foods.
Amazing Plants of the World (World of Amazement)
Štěpánka Sekaninová
Illustrator: Zuzana Dreadka Krutá
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Dr. Carnations's botanical garden showcases smelly, carnivorous fungi and plants that look like people, animals, and objects. Humorous informal text accompanies each whimsical colorful plant and tree illustration.
Štěpánka Sekaninová
Illustrator: Zuzana Dreadka Krutá
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Dr. Carnations's botanical garden showcases smelly, carnivorous fungi and plants that look like people, animals, and objects. Humorous informal text accompanies each whimsical colorful plant and tree illustration.
Am I a Frog? (I Like to Read series)
Lizzy Rockwell
Illustrator: Lizzy Rockwell
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A simple, clear introduction to the way a tadpole turns into a frog. Calming, blue and green watercolor and digital illustrations.
Lizzy Rockwell
Illustrator: Lizzy Rockwell
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A simple, clear introduction to the way a tadpole turns into a frog. Calming, blue and green watercolor and digital illustrations.
Anglerfish: The Seadevil of the Deep
Elaine M. Alexander
Illustrator: Fiona Fogg
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Born on the ocean surface, anglerfish then live most of their lives in the deepest ocean. Strange and unique characteristics and adaptations allow them to survive. Digital art. Back matter.
Elaine M. Alexander
Illustrator: Fiona Fogg
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Born on the ocean surface, anglerfish then live most of their lives in the deepest ocean. Strange and unique characteristics and adaptations allow them to survive. Digital art. Back matter.
Anna Hibiscus
Atinuke
Illustrator: Lauren Tobia
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Lively pencil drawings burgeon with the exuberant spirit of Anna's childhood in a busy Nigerian city.
Atinuke
Illustrator: Lauren Tobia
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Lively pencil drawings burgeon with the exuberant spirit of Anna's childhood in a busy Nigerian city.
Annette Feels Free: The True Story of Annette Kellerman, World-Class Swimmer, Fashion Pioneer, and Real-Life Mermaid
Katie Mazeika
Illustrator: Katie Mazeika
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Colorful digital illustrations capture the life of a forward thinking feminist swimmer, who achieved fame after overcoming a childhood disability. Back matter and resources.
Katie Mazeika
Illustrator: Katie Mazeika
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Colorful digital illustrations capture the life of a forward thinking feminist swimmer, who achieved fame after overcoming a childhood disability. Back matter and resources.
Away with Words!: Wise and Witty Poems for Language Lovers
Mary Ann Hoberman
Illustrator: Perry Hoberman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Clever rhymes deliver surprisingly sophisticated grammar and punctuation rules with panache, heart, and humor. Playful pencil and pen drawings.
Mary Ann Hoberman
Illustrator: Perry Hoberman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Clever rhymes deliver surprisingly sophisticated grammar and punctuation rules with panache, heart, and humor. Playful pencil and pen drawings.
Awe-Some Days: Poems about the Jewish Holidays
Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Dana Wulfekotte
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A family celebrates a year of Jewish holidays. Each of the twelve poems is accompanied by additional information about the festival. Animated illustrations.
Marilyn Singer
Illustrator: Dana Wulfekotte
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A family celebrates a year of Jewish holidays. Each of the twelve poems is accompanied by additional information about the festival. Animated illustrations.
Baker by the Sea,The
Paula White
Illustrator: Paula White
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A boy dreams of becoming a brave fisherman, but comes to value his father's job as a baker in their seaside English village. Evocative pencil and ink illustrations. Author's note.
Paula White
Illustrator: Paula White
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A boy dreams of becoming a brave fisherman, but comes to value his father's job as a baker in their seaside English village. Evocative pencil and ink illustrations. Author's note.
Bear in the Family
Eric Walters
Illustrator: Olga Barinova
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
After a wildfire, a multiracial family finds an orphaned bear cub and cares for it until it can be placed in a wildlife sanctuary. Black-and-white illustrations.
Eric Walters
Illustrator: Olga Barinova
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
After a wildfire, a multiracial family finds an orphaned bear cub and cares for it until it can be placed in a wildlife sanctuary. Black-and-white illustrations.
Beatrice Bly's Rules for Spies: Mystery Goo (Beatrice Bly's Rules for Spies series)
Sue Fliess
Illustrator: Beth Mills
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When Beatrice, using her detective skills with her sidekick, Nora, discovers the source of a sticky substance on her table, could it become their winning school project? Animated illustrations.
Sue Fliess
Illustrator: Beth Mills
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When Beatrice, using her detective skills with her sidekick, Nora, discovers the source of a sticky substance on her table, could it become their winning school project? Animated illustrations.
Beauty Woke
NoNieqa Ramos
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When Puerto Rican Beauty experiences racism and loses her sense of self-worth, her family steps in to empower her. Bold illustrations. Told in a mix of Spanish and English.
NoNieqa Ramos
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When Puerto Rican Beauty experiences racism and loses her sense of self-worth, her family steps in to empower her. Bold illustrations. Told in a mix of Spanish and English.
Because of You, John Lewis: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrator: Keith Henry Brown
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
After ten-year-old Tybre Faw's dream of meeting Congressman John Lewis came true, a friendship grew between the young activist and the civil rights leader. Watercolor illustrations accompany the poetic text. Thorough back matter include photographs.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrator: Keith Henry Brown
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
After ten-year-old Tybre Faw's dream of meeting Congressman John Lewis came true, a friendship grew between the young activist and the civil rights leader. Watercolor illustrations accompany the poetic text. Thorough back matter include photographs.
Best Kind of Mooncake, The
Pearl AuYeung
Illustrator: Pearl AuYeung
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
In Hong Kong, a starving stranger staggers into a family's market stall, and the young girl there gives him her prized mooncake. Will this act of kindness be rewarded? Digital illustrations.
Pearl AuYeung
Illustrator: Pearl AuYeung
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
In Hong Kong, a starving stranger staggers into a family's market stall, and the young girl there gives him her prized mooncake. Will this act of kindness be rewarded? Digital illustrations.
Big Truck Little Island
Chris Van Dusen
Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When a big rig carrying a surprise slips off an island's only road, it takes everyone's cooperation to work around the stuck truck. Bright gouache illustrations.
Chris Van Dusen
Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When a big rig carrying a surprise slips off an island's only road, it takes everyone's cooperation to work around the stuck truck. Bright gouache illustrations.
Billy & Rose: Forever Friends (Billy & Rose series)
Amy Hest
Illustrator: Kady MacDonald Denton
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Billy, an industrious sheep, and Rose, a playful pig, are best buddies who both challenge and inspire each other but always end up compromising. Lively, humorous illustrations.
Amy Hest
Illustrator: Kady MacDonald Denton
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Billy, an industrious sheep, and Rose, a playful pig, are best buddies who both challenge and inspire each other but always end up compromising. Lively, humorous illustrations.
Bird Book, The
Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Illustrator: Steve Jenkins
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Torn and cut color paper collages across double page spreads display the avian species' evolution and their anatomical and behavioral similarities and differences as well as their endangerment status. Extensive back matter.
Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Illustrator: Steve Jenkins
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Torn and cut color paper collages across double page spreads display the avian species' evolution and their anatomical and behavioral similarities and differences as well as their endangerment status. Extensive back matter.
Bird Coat, The
Inger Marie Kjøldtadmyr
Illustrator: Øyvind Torseter
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Flying is Pierre's greatest wish, and wearing the special coat he has fashioned, he dares to spread his "wings" and takes off. This tale, with its predictable solemn ending, is written in a quirky, fantastical manner. Cartoon-like illustrations.
Inger Marie Kjøldtadmyr
Illustrator: Øyvind Torseter
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Flying is Pierre's greatest wish, and wearing the special coat he has fashioned, he dares to spread his "wings" and takes off. This tale, with its predictable solemn ending, is written in a quirky, fantastical manner. Cartoon-like illustrations.