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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My Beautiful Voice
Joseph Coehlo
Illustrator: Allison Colpoys
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A young child, shy, fearful, and silent, finds her poetic voice with the support of her very special teacher. Energetic, vibrant illustrations.
Joseph Coehlo
Illustrator: Allison Colpoys
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A young child, shy, fearful, and silent, finds her poetic voice with the support of her very special teacher. Energetic, vibrant illustrations.
My Big Book of Outdoors
Tim Hopgood
Illustrator: Tim Hopgood
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Enjoy four seasons of information, poetry, activities, and recipes. Colorful, appealing mixed-media illustrations.
Tim Hopgood
Illustrator: Tim Hopgood
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Enjoy four seasons of information, poetry, activities, and recipes. Colorful, appealing mixed-media illustrations.
My Brother Is Away
Sara Greenwood
Illustrator: Luisa Uribe
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A six-year-old girl recounts her anger and confusion over her brother's imprisonment as well as her joy at their reunion. Based on the author's childhood experiences. Genteel Photoshop-rendered graphics.
Sara Greenwood
Illustrator: Luisa Uribe
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A six-year-old girl recounts her anger and confusion over her brother's imprisonment as well as her joy at their reunion. Based on the author's childhood experiences. Genteel Photoshop-rendered graphics.
My Hands Tell A Story
Kelly Starling Lyons
Illustrator: Tonya Engel
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A little Black girl listens to the stories her grandmother's hands tell as she and her grandmother bake cinnamon bread together. Oil paint illustrations.
Kelly Starling Lyons
Illustrator: Tonya Engel
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A little Black girl listens to the stories her grandmother's hands tell as she and her grandmother bake cinnamon bread together. Oil paint illustrations.
My Paati's Saris
Jyoti Rajan Gopal
Illustrator: Art Twink
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A young South Asian Indian child helps their beloved paati (grandmother) prepare for and celebrate a day at the market. Vibrant illustrations.
Jyoti Rajan Gopal
Illustrator: Art Twink
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A young South Asian Indian child helps their beloved paati (grandmother) prepare for and celebrate a day at the market. Vibrant illustrations.
My Self, Your Self
Esmé Shapiro
Illustrator: Esmé Shapiro
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A woodland creature shares the many qualities that make us unique, while appreciating similarities and differences. Question and answer format. Pen, watercolor, and digital illustrations.
Esmé Shapiro
Illustrator: Esmé Shapiro
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A woodland creature shares the many qualities that make us unique, while appreciating similarities and differences. Question and answer format. Pen, watercolor, and digital illustrations.
Mystery of the Monarchs, The: How Kids, Teachers, and Butterfly Fans Helped Fred and Norah Urquhart Track the Great Monarch Migration
Barb Rosenstock
Illustrator: Erika Meza
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Scientists led a team, including children and other citizen scientists, to trace the migration patterns of monarchs. Mixed-media illustrations by a Mexican artist. Extensive back matter.
Barb Rosenstock
Illustrator: Erika Meza
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Scientists led a team, including children and other citizen scientists, to trace the migration patterns of monarchs. Mixed-media illustrations by a Mexican artist. Extensive back matter.
Nana, Nenek & Nina
Liza Ferneyhough
Illustrator: Liza Ferneyhough
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Nina loves to visit her grandmothers in England and in Malaysia and to experience the differences and similarities between the two places. Warm, mixed media illustrations.
Liza Ferneyhough
Illustrator: Liza Ferneyhough
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Nina loves to visit her grandmothers in England and in Malaysia and to experience the differences and similarities between the two places. Warm, mixed media illustrations.
Nellie vs. Elizabeth: Two Daredevil Journalists' Breakneck Race Around the World
Kate Hannigan
Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbon
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Two late 19th-century female reporters sped around the globe, each determined to complete the journey first. Acrylic inks and colored pencil illustrations. Back matter.
Kate Hannigan
Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbon
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Two late 19th-century female reporters sped around the globe, each determined to complete the journey first. Acrylic inks and colored pencil illustrations. Back matter.
Nervous Nigel
Bethany Christou
Illustrator: Bethany Christou
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Can crocodile Nigel follow his own path without disappointing his family of swimming champions who have entered him in a contest? Colorful mixed-media illustrations humorously encapsulate dialogues.
Bethany Christou
Illustrator: Bethany Christou
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Can crocodile Nigel follow his own path without disappointing his family of swimming champions who have entered him in a contest? Colorful mixed-media illustrations humorously encapsulate dialogues.
Night before the Nutcracker, The (American Ballet Theatre Presents series)
John Robert Allman
Illustrator: Julianna Swaney
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Excitement builds as a diverse cast of child and adult dancers prepare for opening night of a classic holiday ballet. Dreamlike color illustrations. Rhymed text.
John Robert Allman
Illustrator: Julianna Swaney
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Excitement builds as a diverse cast of child and adult dancers prepare for opening night of a classic holiday ballet. Dreamlike color illustrations. Rhymed text.
Notebook Keeper, The: A Story of Kindness from the Border
Stephen Briseño
Illustrator: Magdelena Mora
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A refugee writes down the names of families seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, and a little girl learns kindness can exist anywhere. Mixed-media illustrations. Also available in Spanish.
Stephen Briseño
Illustrator: Magdelena Mora
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A refugee writes down the names of families seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, and a little girl learns kindness can exist anywhere. Mixed-media illustrations. Also available in Spanish.
Not So Small
Pat Zietlow Miller
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A powerful message about each person's role in improving the world, both individually and with others. Joyful illustrations depict a diverse community.
Pat Zietlow Miller
Illustrator: Paola Escobar
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A powerful message about each person's role in improving the world, both individually and with others. Joyful illustrations depict a diverse community.
One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World's Oldest University
M.O. Yuksel
Illustrator: Mariam Quraishi
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
In 859 CE, an Islamic woman in Morocco created the world's oldest continually functioning university. Watercolor and gouache artwork. Back matter.
M.O. Yuksel
Illustrator: Mariam Quraishi
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
In 859 CE, an Islamic woman in Morocco created the world's oldest continually functioning university. Watercolor and gouache artwork. Back matter.
Only One
Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrator: Chuck Groenink
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
This clear, succinct narrative introduces the vocabulary of the earth, the skies, and each person's place in this universe. Ink and acrylic paint illustrations.
Deborah Hopkinson
Illustrator: Chuck Groenink
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
This clear, succinct narrative introduces the vocabulary of the earth, the skies, and each person's place in this universe. Ink and acrylic paint illustrations.
On This Airplane
Lourdes Heuer
Illustrator: Sara Palacios
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A family emigrates by plane, along with many others who travel for different purposes. Gouache, cut paper and digital illustrations deepen the text.
Lourdes Heuer
Illustrator: Sara Palacios
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
A family emigrates by plane, along with many others who travel for different purposes. Gouache, cut paper and digital illustrations deepen the text.
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free: The True Story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth
Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: Keturah A. Bobo
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The history of the end of American slavery is told in the voice of Opal Lee, the grandmother of our newest national holiday, Juneteenth. Digital artwork, back matter, sourcing.
Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: Keturah A. Bobo
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The history of the end of American slavery is told in the voice of Opal Lee, the grandmother of our newest national holiday, Juneteenth. Digital artwork, back matter, sourcing.
Our Friend Hedgehog: A Place to Call Home (Our Friend Hedgehog series)
Lauren Castillo
Illustrator: Lauren Castillo
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When Hedgehog meets creatures just like herself, she learns that she's meant to hibernate. But will she choose to leave old friends behind? Colorful illustrations of the natural world.
Lauren Castillo
Illustrator: Lauren Castillo
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
When Hedgehog meets creatures just like herself, she learns that she's meant to hibernate. But will she choose to leave old friends behind? Colorful illustrations of the natural world.
Out of this World: Star-Studded Haiku
Sally M. Walker
Illustrator: Matthew Trueman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Explore the universe one haiku at a time and discover stars, moons, eclipses, asteroids, and more, as you've never seen them before. Mixed-media illustrations, extensive back matter.
Sally M. Walker
Illustrator: Matthew Trueman
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Explore the universe one haiku at a time and discover stars, moons, eclipses, asteroids, and more, as you've never seen them before. Mixed-media illustrations, extensive back matter.
Path, The
Bob Staake
Illustrator: Bob Staake
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Dramatic landscapes depicted in a variety of intense and soft colors reflect the twists and turns that everyone will face on the journey of life. Figurative language.
Bob Staake
Illustrator: Bob Staake
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Dramatic landscapes depicted in a variety of intense and soft colors reflect the twists and turns that everyone will face on the journey of life. Figurative language.
People Are Wild
Margaux Meganck
Illustrator: Margaux Meganck
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Animal children query their parents about the diverse humans they see and are warned not to get too close to the people! Color pencil and watercolor illustrations. Back matter.
Margaux Meganck
Illustrator: Margaux Meganck
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Animal children query their parents about the diverse humans they see and are warned not to get too close to the people! Color pencil and watercolor illustrations. Back matter.
Perfect Fit, A: How Lena "Lane" Bryant Changed the Shape of Fashion
Mara Rockliff
Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The inspiring story of Lithuanian immigrant's transformation of the women's clothing industry is shared with style. Distinctively fashionable mixed media illustrations on hand-textured paper. Back matter.
Mara Rockliff
Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The inspiring story of Lithuanian immigrant's transformation of the women's clothing industry is shared with style. Distinctively fashionable mixed media illustrations on hand-textured paper. Back matter.
Poem Forest, The: Poet W. S. Merwin and the Palm Tree Forest He Grew from Scratch
Carrie Fountain
Illustrator: Chris Turnham
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The former poet laureate, who loved wild thoughts and things, planted thousands of palm trees from all over the world in Hawaii. Poetic narration and lush art.
Carrie Fountain
Illustrator: Chris Turnham
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
The former poet laureate, who loved wild thoughts and things, planted thousands of palm trees from all over the world in Hawaii. Poetic narration and lush art.
Polar Bear
Candace Fleming
Illustrator: Eric Rohmann
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
As global warming imperils their survival, a mother and her cubs roam, search for food, and fend off predators. Striking, realistic, oil paint illustrations.
Candace Fleming
Illustrator: Eric Rohmann
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
As global warming imperils their survival, a mother and her cubs roam, search for food, and fend off predators. Striking, realistic, oil paint illustrations.
Poo-Dunit?: A Forest Floor Mystery
Katelyn Aronson
Illustrator: Stephanie Laberis
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Who deposited the smelly droppings outside a mouse's burrow? Rhyming text exposes several possible suspects. Humorous animation-style illustrations. Back matter includes a mystery to solve.
Katelyn Aronson
Illustrator: Stephanie Laberis
Ages: 6+
Published: 2022
Who deposited the smelly droppings outside a mouse's burrow? Rhyming text exposes several possible suspects. Humorous animation-style illustrations. Back matter includes a mystery to solve.