Each year, the ALSC Notable Children’s Books Committee identifies the best of the best in children’s books, and YOU are invited to listen in on their discussions!
According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.
The 2026 Notable Children’s Book Committee will be meeting on January 13, January 14, and January 15 beginning at 1:00 pm CT for its final 2026 discussions. Register to observe the discussions here:
- January 13, 2026 @ 1pm CT – Register here
- January 14, 2026 @ 1pm CT – Register here
- January 15, 2026 @ 1pm CT – Register here
Here is the list of titles <subject to change> which will be discussed:
| Book Title | Author | Illustrator | Publisher | Category | |
| FICTION | |||||
| 1 | Amina Banana and the Formula for Friendship | Shifa Saltagi Safadi | Aaliya Jaleel | G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers | Fiction |
| 2 | Benny on the Case | Wesley King | Beach Lane Books | Fiction | |
| 3 | A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe | Mahogany L. Browne | Crown Books for Young Readers | Fiction | |
| 4 | Blood in the Water | Tiffany Jackson | Scholastic Press | Fiction | |
| 5 | The Burning Season | Caroline Starr Rose | Nancy Paulsen Books | Fiction | |
| 6 | Bunns Rabbit | Alan Barillaro | Alan Barillaro | Candlewick Press | Fiction |
| 7 | Busted | Dan Gemeinhart | Henry Holt & Company | Fiction | |
| 8 | Cabin Head and Tree Head | Scott Campbell | Tundra Books | Fiction | |
| 9 | The Cartoonists Club | Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud | Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud | Graphix | Fiction |
| 10 | Casey’s Cases: The Mysterious New Girl | Kay Healy | Kay Healy | Neal Porter Books | Fiction |
| 11 | Cassi and the House of Memories | Dean Stuart | Dean Stuart | Viking Books for Young Read | Fiction |
| 12 | Chickenpox | Remy Lai | Remy Lai | Henry Holt & Company | Fiction |
| 13 | Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker | Heidi Heilig | Greenwillow Books | Fiction | |
| 14 | Danilo Was Here | Tamika Burgess | HarperCollins | Fiction | |
| 15 | Defanged | H E Edgmon | Feiwel & Friends | Fiction | |
| 16 | Dino Poet: A Graphic Novel | Tom Angleberger | Tom Angleberger | Harry N. Abrams | Fiction |
| 17 | Dragonborn | Struan Murray | Dutton Books for Young Rea | Fiction | |
| 18 | The Enemy’s Daughter | Anne Blankman | Viking Books for Young Read | Fiction | |
| 19 | The Experiment | Rebecca Stead | Feiwel & Friends | Fiction | |
| 20 | The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez | Jasminne Paulino | G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books fo | Fiction | |
| 21 | Graciela in the Abyss | Meg Medina | Anna and Elena Balbusso | Candlewick Press | Fiction |
| 22 | Growing Home | Beth Ferry | The Fan Brothers | Simon & Schuster Books for | Fiction |
| 23 | Gus and Glory | Sarah Guillory | Roaring Brook Press | Fiction | |
| 24 | The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze | Derrick Barnes | Viking Books for Young Read | Fiction | |
| 25 | Into the Rapids | Ann Braden | Nancy Paulsen Books | Fiction | |
| 26 | It’s All or Nothing, Vale | Andrea Beatriz Aran | Random House Books for Yo | Fiction | |
| 27 | Junius Leak and the Spiraling Vortex of Doom | Allan Wolf | Candlewick Press | Fiction | |
| 28 | The Last Resort | Erin Entrada Kelly | Scholastic Press | Fiction | |
| 29 | Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories | Cynthia Leitich Smith | Heartdrum | Fiction | |
| 30 | The Library of Unruly Treasures | Jeanne Birdsall | Matt Phelan | Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers | Fiction |
| 31 | Max in the Land of Lies | Adam Gidwitz | Dutton Books for Young Rea | Fiction | |
| 32 | The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls | Judith Rossell | Judith Rossell | Dial Books | Fiction |
| 33 | No Purchase Necessary | Maria Marianayagam | HarperCollins | Fiction | |
| 34 | Oasis | Guojing | Guojing | Godwin Books | Fiction |
| 35 | Octopus Moon | Bobbie Pyron | Nancy Paulsen Books | Fiction | |
| 36 | The Peach Thief | Linda Joan Smith | Candlewick Press | Fiction | |
| 37 | Pocket Bear | Katherine Applegate | Feiwel & Friends | Fiction | |
| 38 | The Poisoned King | Katherine Rundell | Ashley MacKenz | Alfred A. Knopf Books for Yo | Fiction |
| 39 | Return to Sender | Vera Brosgol | Vera Brosgol | Roaring Brook Press | Fiction |
| 40 | Scarlet Morning | ND Stevenson | ND Stevenson | Quill Tree Books | Fiction |
| 41 | Scattergood | H.M. Bouwman | Neal Porter Books | Fiction | |
| 42 | A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez | María Dolores Águil | Roaring Brook Press | Fiction | |
| 43 | A Song for You and I | K. O’Neill | K. O’Neill | Random House Graphic | Fiction |
| 44 | Song of a Blackbird | Maria van Lieshout | Maria van Lieshout | First Second | Fiction |
| 45 | Speechless | Aron Nels Steinke | Aron Nels Steinke | Graphix | Fiction |
| 46 | The Stolen Songbird | Judith Eagle | Walker Books U.S. | Fiction | |
| 47 | Story Spinners: A Sisterly Tale of Danger, a Princess, and Her Crew of Lady Pirates | Cassandra Federman | Cassandra Federman | Aladdin Paperbacks | Fiction |
| 48 | The Strongest Heart | Saadia Faruqi | Quill Tree Books | Fiction | |
| 49 | The Teacher of Nomad Land | Daniel Nayeri | Levine Querido | Fiction | |
| 50 | The Trouble with Secrets | Naomi Milliner | Quill Tree Books | Fiction | |
| 51 | Troubling Tonsils! | Aaron Reynolds | Peter Brown | Simon & Schuster Books for | Fiction |
| 52 | What Fell from the Sky | Adrianna Cuevas | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | Fiction | |
| 53 | When Sally O’Malley Discovered the Sea | Karen Cushman | Alfred A. Knopf Books for Yo | Fiction | |
| 54 | The Winter of the Dollhouse | Laura Amy Schlitz | Candlewick Press | Fiction | |
| 55 | A World Worth Saving | Kyle Lukoff | Dial Books | Fiction | |
| 56 | Xolo | Donna Barba Higuer | Mariana Ruiz Jo | Levine Querido | Fiction |
| Book Title | Author | Illustrator | Publisher | Category | |
| NONFICTION | |||||
| 1 | Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert | Sara Andrea Fajardo | Juana Martinez-Neal | Roaring Brook Press | Nonfiction |
| 2 | And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison’s Life in Stories | Andrea Davis Pinkney | Daniel Minter | Little, Brown Books for Youn | Nonfiction |
| 3 | Are We There Yet?: The First Road Trip Across the USA | Stacy McAnulty | Elizabeth Baddeley | Margaret K. McElderry Books | Nonfiction |
| 4 | At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom | Erin Entrada Kelly | Greenwillow Books | Nonfiction | |
| 5 | The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest | Lynn Street | Anne Hunter | Margaret Quinlin Books | Nonfiction |
| 6 | Cassini’s Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth | Katie Venit | Julia Blattman | MIT Kids Press | Nonfiction |
| 7 | The Clock | Pam Fong | Pam Fong | Union Square Kids | Nonfiction |
| 8 | A Dangerous Idea: The Scopes Trial, the Original Fight Over Science in Schools | Debbie Levy | Bloomsbury Publishing | Nonfiction | |
| 9 | Dead Ends! Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels | Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal | Adrian Teal | Bloomsbury Publishing | Nonfiction |
| 10 | Dragonflies of Glass: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls | Susan Goldman Rubin | Susanna Chapman | Harry N. Abrams | Nonfiction |
| 11 | Drawing Is …: Your Guide to Scribbled Adventures | Elizabeth Haidle | Elizabeth Haidle | Tundra Books | Nonfiction |
| 12 | The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape | Amy Alznauer | Anna Bron | Candlewick Press | Nonfiction |
| 13 | Forests | Nell Cross Beckerm | Kalen Chock | Orchard Books | Nonfiction |
| 14 | A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet | Martha Brockenbrough | Juana Martinez-Neal | Alfred A. Knopf Books for Yo | Nonfiction |
| 15 | Harriet Tubman, Force of Nature: A Biography in Poems | Caroline Brewer | Caroline Brewer | What on Earth! | Nonfiction |
| 16 | How the Ghost Army Hoodwinked Hitler: The Story of American Artistry and Deception in World War II | Rebecca Siegel | Peachtree Publishers | Nonfiction | |
| 17 | How to Say Goodbye in Cuban | Daniel Miyares | Daniel Miyares | Anne Schwartz Books | Nonfiction |
| 18 | Hurricane | Jason Chin | Jason Chin | Neal Porter Books | Nonfiction |
| 19 | I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive | Leslie Barnard Boot | Alexandra Finkel | Chronicle Books | Nonfiction |
| 20 | Imogen: The Life and Work of Imogen Cunningham | Elizabeth Partridge | Yuko Shimizu | Viking Books for Young Readers | Nonfiction |
| 21 | In the World of Whales | Michelle Cusolito | Jessica Lanan | Neal Porter Books | Nonfiction |
| 22 | Is It Real? The Loch Ness Monster | Candace Fleming | Scholastic Focus | Nonfiction | |
| 23 | Jim!: Six True Stories About One Great Artist: James Marshall | Jerrold Connors | Jerrold Connors | Dial Books | Nonfiction |
| 24 | Maya Angelou Finds Her Voice | Coonie Roop & Peter Roop | Noa Denmon | Aladdin Paperbacks | Nonfiction |
| 25 | Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem | Henry Cole | Henry Cole | Peachtree Publishers | Nonfiction |
| 26 | My Pollinator Garden: How I Plant for Bees, Butterflies, Beetles and More | Jordan Zwetchkenb | Kate Cosgrove | Holiday House | Nonfiction |
| 27 | My Presentation Today is About the Anaconda | Bibi Dumon Tak | Annemarie Van H | Levine Querido | Nonfiction |
| 28 | Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s Handbook | Giselle Clarkson | Giselle Clarkson | Gecko Press | Nonfiction |
| 29 | One Day: A True Story of Survival in the Holocaust | Michael Rosen | Benjamin Phillips | Candlewick Studio | Nonfiction |
| 30 | Outside In and Inside Out: A Story About Arnold Lobel | Emmy Kastner | Emmy Kastner | Viking Books for Young Read | Nonfiction |
| 31 | Rachel Carson’s Wonder-Filled World: How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Environmental Movement | Kate Hannigan | Katie Hickey | Calkins Creek Books | Nonfiction |
| 32 | So Many Years: A Juneteenth Story | Anne Wynter | Jerome Pumphre | Clarion Books | Nonfiction |
| 33 | The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army | Penny Parker Klostermann | Anne Lambelet | Calkins Creek Books | Nonfiction |
| 34 | This is Orange: A Field Trip Through Color | Rachel Poliquin | Julie Morstad | Candlewick Press | Nonfiction |
| 35 | Through the Telescope: Mae Jemison Dreams of Space | Charles R. Smith, Sr. | Evening Monteir | Orchard Books | Nonfiction |
| 36 | A Universe Big & Small: A Story About Carl Sagan | James Yang | James Yang | Viking Books for Young Read | Nonfiction |
| 37 | The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur: A Graphic Novel Based on a True Story | Allan Wolf | Jose Pimienta | Candlewick Press | Nonfiction |
| 38 | Wanda Hears the Stars | Amy S. Hansen and | Rocio Arreola Me | Charlesbridge Publishing | Nonfiction |
| 39 | We Carry the Sun | Tae Keller | Rachel Wada | Norton Young Readers | Nonfiction |
| 40 | Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Begin Seen | James Robinson | Brian Rea | Penguin Workshop | Nonfiction |
| 41 | Whales in the City | Nancy F Castaldo | Chuck Groenink | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | Nonfiction |
| 42 | A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out | Nicholas Day | Yas Imamura | Random House Studio | Nonfiction |
| 43 | Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn’t | Sarah Albee | Chris Hsu | Charlesbridge Publishing | Nonfiction |
| Book Title | Author | Illustrator | Publisher | Category | |
| PICTURE BOOKS | |||||
| 1 | The 13th Day of Christmas | Adam Rex | Adam Rex | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 2 | Afloat | Kirli Saunders | Freya Blackwood | Levine Querido | Picture Book |
| 3 | Anything | Rebecca Stead | Gracey Zhang | Chronicle Books | Picture Book |
| 4 | Astro | Manuel Marsol | Lizzie Davis | Transit Children’s Editions | Picture Book |
| 5 | At the Window | Hope Lim | Qin Leng | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 6 | Bear and the Three Goldilocks | Patrick Horne | Dan Yaccarino | Holiday House | Picture Book |
| 7 | Broken | X. Fang | X. Fang | Tundra Books | Picture Book |
| 8 | Buzz! Boom! Bang! The Book of Sounds | Benjamin Gottwald | Benjamin Gottwa | Northsouth Books | Picture Book |
| 9 | Cat Nap | Brian Lies | Brian Lies | Greenwillow Books | Picture Book |
| 10 | CeeCee: Underground Railroad Cinderella | Shana Keller | Laura Freeman | Charlesbridge Publishing | Picture Book |
| 11 | Dark Nights and Light Hearts: A Muslim Book of Opposites | Hena Khan | Mehrdokht Amini | Chronicle Books | Picture Book |
| 12 | Dawn | Marc Martin | Marc Martin | Candlewick Studio | Picture Book |
| 13 | The Day the Books Disappeared | Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin Pritchard | Dan Santat | Disney Hyperion | Picture Book |
| 14 | Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-spalsh! | Yuko Ohnari | Koshiro Hata | Red Comet Press | Picture Book |
| 15 | Every Peach Is a Story | Masumoto, David Mas and Nikiko Masumoto | Lauren Tamaki | Abrams Books for Young Re | Picture Book |
| 16 | Forts | Katie Venit | Kenard Pak | Viking Books for Young Read | Picture Book |
| 17 | Gather Grateful | Megan Litwin | Alexandra Finkel | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 18 | The Gift of the Great Buffalo | Carole Lindstrom | Aly McNight | Bloomsbury Publishing | Picture Book |
| 19 | A Great Fall: Three-And-A-Half Stories | Ame Dyckman | Mark Teague | Beach Lane Books | Picture Book |
| 20 | Hilwa’s Gifts | Safa Suleiman | Anait Semirdzhyan | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 21 | Home | Matt de la Peña | Loren Long | G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books fo | Picture Book |
| 22 | The House that Floated | Guojing | Guojing | Random House Studio | Picture Book |
| 23 | How to Draw a Tree | David LaRochelle | Colleen Muske | Minnesota Historical Society Press | Picture Book |
| 24 | How to Grow a Family Tree | Bea Birdsong | Jasu Hu | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 25 | I Hear the Snow, I Smell the Sea | Janice Milusich | Chris Raschka | Anne Schwartz Books | Picture Book |
| 26 | If We Were Dogs | Sophie Blackall | Sophie Blackall | Little, Brown Books for Youn | Picture Book |
| 27 | Island Storm | Brian Floca | Sydney Smith | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 28 | It’s Corn Picking Time! | Jill Esbaum | Melissa Crowton | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 29 | The Jade Bracelet | Ha Dinh | Yong Ling Kang | Random House Studio | Picture Book |
| 30 | Little Big Man | Varian Johnson | Reggie Brown | Orchard Books | Picture Book |
| 31 | Little Rebels | Yuyi Morales | Yuyi Morales | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 32 | Made for More | Chloe Ito Ward | Gael Abary | Allida | Picture Book |
| 33 | Mai’s Áo Dài | Thai Nguyen and Monique Truong | Dung Ho | Atheneum Books | Picture Book |
| 34 | Menudo Sunday: A Spanglish Counting Book | María Dolores Águila | Erika Meza | Dial Books | Picture Book |
| 35 | Midnight Motorbike | Maureen Shay Tajsar | Ishita Jain | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 36 | Mixed Feelings | Liana Finck | Liana Finck | Rise X Penguin Workshop | Picture Book |
| 37 | A Monstrous Bedtime | Kerilynn Wilson | Kerilynn Wilson | Greenwillow Books | Picture Book |
| 38 | Moon Song | Michaela Goade | Michaela Goade | Little, Brown Books for Youn | Picture Book |
| 39 | Night Light | Michael Emberley | Michael Emberle | Holiday House | Picture Book |
| 40 | Nightsong | Sally Soweol Han | Sally Soweol Han | Bloomsbury Publishing | Picture Book |
| 41 | Night Walk | Jason Cockcroft | Jason Cockcroft | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 42 | Nunu and the Sea | Isabella Kung | Isabella Kung | Alfred A. Knopf Books for Yo | Picture Book |
| 43 | Our Gorgeous Baby | Smriti Prasadam-Halls | Smriti Prasadam-Halls | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 44 | Our Pebbles | Jarvis | Jarvis | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 45 | Outside Mom, Inside Mom | Jane Park | Lenny Wen | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | Picture Book |
| 46 | Pilgrim Codex | Vivian Mansour | Emmanuel Valtierra | Levine Querido | Picture Book |
| 47 | A Place for Us | James E. Ransome | James E. Ransome | Nancy Paulsen Books | Picture Book |
| 48 | The Polar Bear and the Ballerina | Eric Velasquez | Eric Velasquez | Holiday House | Picture Book |
| 49 | Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme | Betsy Bird | Andrea Tsurumi | Union Square Kids | Picture Book |
| 50 | Popo the Xolo | Paloma Angelina Lo | Abraham Matais | Charlesbridge Publishing | Picture Book |
| 51 | Put Your Shoes On | Polly Dunbar | Polly Dunbar | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 52 | Raven’s Ribbons | Tasha Spillet | Daniel Ramirez | Little, Brown Books for Youn | Picture Book |
| 53 | Recess | Lane Smith | Lane Smith | Harry N. Abrams | Picture Book |
| 54 | The Riding Lesson | Jennifer K Mann | Jennifer K Mann | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 55 | Ripening Time | Patrice Gopo | Carlos Vélez Aguilera | Worthy Kids | Picture Book |
| 56 | The Search for Carmella | Chloe Savage | Chloe Savage | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 57 | Shark Girl | Kate Beaton | Kate Beaton | Roaring Brook Press | Picture Book |
| 58 | A Sky that Sings | Anita Sanchez and G | Emily Mendoza | Lee & Low Books | Picture Book |
| 59 | The Sleeper Train | Mick Jackson | Baljinder Kaur | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 60 | Smiling Eyes | Linda Sue Park | Lenny Wen | Allida | Picture Book |
| 61 | A Snow Day for Amos McGee | Philip C Stead | Erin E Stead | Roaring Brook Press | Picture Book |
| 62 | Sparrow | Mary Tebo | E.B. Lewis | Astra Young Readers | Picture Book |
| 63 | Sundust | Zeke Peña | Zeke Peña | Kokila | Picture Book |
| 64 | This Is How We Talk: A Celebration of Disability and Connection | Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp | Kayla Harren | Dial Books | Picture Book |
| 65 | The Three-Year Tumble | Dayeon Auh | Dayeon Auh | Northsouth Books | Picture Book |
| 66 | Thunderland | Maggie Edkins Willis | Maggie Edkins Willis | Viking Books for Young Readers | Picture Book |
| 67 | To Activate Space Portal, Lift Here | Antoinette Portis | Antoinette Portis | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 68 | To Catch a Ghost | Rachel Michelle Wilson | Rachel Michelle Wilson | Orchard Books | Picture Book |
| 69 | Toto | Hyewon Yum | Hyewon Yum | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 70 | Tuck Me In! | Nathan W Pyle | Nathan W Pyle | Random House Books for Yo | Picture Book |
| 71 | A Vaisakhi to Remember | Simran Jeet Singh | Japneet Kaur | Kokila | Picture Book |
| 72 | The Wandering Feather | Lisa Frenette | August Swinson | Owlkids | Picture Book |
| 73 | We Are the Wibbly: A Tadpole’s Tail | Sarah Tagholm | Jane McGuiness | Bloomsbury Publishing | Picture Book |
| 74 | We Go Slow | Mariahadessa Ekere | Aaron Becker | Atheneum Books for Young | Picture Book |
| 75 | We Leap Together | Christopher Silas Neal | Christopher Silas Neal | Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers | Picture Book |
| 76 | What Makes A Bird | Megan Pomper | Maia Hoekstra | Owlkids | Picture Book |
| 77 | Where Are You, Brontë? | Tomie dePaola | Barbara McClinto | Simon & Schuster Books for | Picture Book |
| 78 | Wiggling Words | Kate Rolfe | Kate Rolfe | Candlewick Press | Picture Book |
| 79 | Year Round | Audrey Helen Weber | Audrey Helen We | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| 80 | Zip Zap Wickety Wack: A Story About Sharing | Matthew Diffee | Matthew Diffee | Neal Porter Books | Picture Book |
| Book Title | Author | Illustrator | Publisher | Category | |
| POETRY | |||||
| 1 | Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends | Joyce Sidman | Melissa Sweet | Clarion Books | Poetry |
| 2 | In the Desert | David Elliott | Gordy Wright | Candlewick Press | Poetry |
| 3 | Of the Sun: A poem for the Land’s First Peoples | Xelena González | Emily Kewagesh | Barefoot Books | Poetry |
| 4 | Where the Deer Slip Through | Katey Howes | Beth Krommes | Beach Lane Books | Poetry |
| 5 | Words with Wings and Magic Things | Matthew Burgess | Doug Salati | Tundra Books | Poetry |
| 6 | You’re a Poet: Ways to Start Writing Poems | Sean Taylor | Sam Usher | Candlewick Press | Poetry |
The entire 2026 Notable Children’s Books committee is excited to share this opportunity to learn more about critical evaluation of children’s books and listen to their final discussions. All are welcome.