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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Waiting for the Owl's Call

by Gloria Whelan

Illustrator: Pascal Milelli

Ages: 6+

Published: 2009

Publisher: Sleeping Bear

ISBN: 978-1-58536-418-3

Keywords: Afghanistan

Eight-year-old Zulvija weaves carpets all day with her female relatives, while dreaming of school and her own creativity. Detailed, strong images of Turkoman traditional life in Afghanistan. Author's note on child labor.