These are the nominated titles for the current 2025 award year. All books on this page were published between November 16, 2023 and November 15, 2024. All of these books have strong early literacy messages or modeling and could be used in storytime, one-on-one with a child, or in helping caregivers support the early literacy of their children.
Titles are organized by the early literacy practices: READ, WRITE, TALK, SING, PLAY.
The shortlist and winners will be announced in early 2025.
READ
READ Criteria
Reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for building all early literacy skills and preparing children to read on their own. Reading shortlist and winning titles will be a collection of books that demonstrate great shared reading practices, show that books can affect lives profoundly, and allow children to practice age-appropriate pre-reading behaviors themselves.
We look for stories about the reading experience, the value of reading, that model great reading behaviors, celebrate books, reading, and literacy, and/or are about loving the library, and loving books.
READ – No Cats in the Library
By Lauren Emmons — March 5, 2024 — Paula Wiseman Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Clarisse is a clever cat who loves books and must find a way into the library.
READ – You Can Read to Me!
By Francesco Sedita, illustrated by Arin Gentry and Clare Crosh — May 1, 2024 — Blue Manatee Press
A sweet, simple story featuring photographs of diverse families reading with their infants during the formative first months of life.
READ – My Book and Me
By Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Chris Raschka — June 4, 2024 — Red Comet Press
“My Book and Me” invites us to reflect on beloved books which are friends we hold dear; books we read over and again; books that may take us to places afar to experience the world in different ways, and books that comfort and reassure us.
READ – Abuela’s Library
By Lissette Norman, illustrated by Jayri Gómez — June 11, 2024 — HarperCollins
Alfonso and Abuela love to spend Saturday afternoons reading books together beneath their favorite oak tree. But when their beloved tree is cut down, can Alfonso transform the stump into something magical for their whole community?
READ – I Lived Inside a Whale
By Xin Li — February 20, 2024 — Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
This is a story of friendship and finding your own voice in a world that is “filled with too much of everything, everywhere.”
READ – The Plant Rescuer
By Matthew Rivera — May 21, 2024 — Neal Porter Books
Manny harnesses love, determination, and a visit to the library to care for his first plant and make his gardener father proud.
READ – Go and Get with Rex
By David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka — May 7, 2024 — Candlewick
Jack, Jill, and Rex are excited to play a game of Go and Get! The rules are simple: on the count of three, each player must go and get something that begins with a certain letter. It’s a rousing alphabetical exercise in thinking outside the box.
READ – When You Love a Book
By Kaz Windness, illustrated by Heather Brockman Lee — May 21, 2024 — Flamingo Books
When You Love a Book is a poetic ode to readers and the way the stories we read as children have the ability to shape our lives forever. Includes nods to some of the most beloved children’s books of all time.
READ – The Invisible Story
By Jaime Gamboa and Wen Hsu Chen — April 2, 2024 — Lantana Publishing
One day, a reader who is blind approaches the story’s trembling pages. This reader is unlike any reader the secret story has ever encountered. And when she runs her fingertips over the book’s white pages, the secret story is astonished by what she finds.
WRITE
WRITE Criteria
Writing skills develop in tandem with reading skills and help children build on the key insight that print has meaning. Writing shortlist and winning titles present a variety of ways young children experiment with intentional mark-making: drawing pictures, interpreting their own marks, and using different types of print, such as lists and notes.
We look for books that show children the power of writing and drawing, or demonstrate that developmentally appropriate writing skills also include scribbling, scratching with a stick, tracing shapes with your finger, or movement activities such as lift the flaps or exploring tactile pages.
WRITE – Between Two Windows
By Keisha Morris — January 2, 2024 — HarperCollins
Between two windows, Kayla and Mateo pass drawings of dinosaurs back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…until a story comes to life and the worlds of two friends come together.
WRITE – A Garland of Henna
By Varsha Bajaj, illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan – June 11, 2024 — Nancy Paulsen Books
Nikita is from a long line of henna artists. But the first time Nikita tries to make henna art, the mehndi paste looks like an ugly blob, and she feels like giving up.
WRITE – Leo and the Pink Marker
By Mariyka Foster — May 21, 2024 — Peachtree
Leo LOVES doodling away with his pink marker! A splash of pink would look great on that crunched-up convertible, and that magnet crane…and the family cat. Uh-oh! Leo got carried away. Will his moms be upset?
WRITE – A Letter to My Best Friend
By Yangsook Choi — July 9, 2024 — Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Fueled by wonderful memories of his former home, Jihun uses his creativity to craft a letter for his best friend, Oto. The result is nothing short of extraordinary and opens a door for Jihun to make new friends.
WRITE – A Rainbow in Brown
By Pavonis Giron — March 5, 2024 — Henry Holt and Company
Jo wants to paint all the wonderful things she loves. With a palette of red, yellow, and blue, Jo knows she can mix any colors together to create new ones. Her imagination takes flight as she explores painting with primary and by mixing her own secondary colors, each picture as beautiful as the last.
TALK
TALK Criteria
Talking is a foundational early literacy practice, providing ongoing experience with oral language, and allowing children to develop the background knowledge about the world that leads to greater comprehension of the texts they encounter. Talking shortlist and winning titles include books that encourage conversations, foster language play, and model creative adult-child dialog.
We look for books that are all about age-appropriate conversations, about the value of spoken communication, or are books that make it easy to have conversations with children while you read.
TALK – What’s New, Daniel?
By Micha Archer — February 20, 2024 — Nancy Paulsen Books
“What’s new?” We casually say this to each other all the time, but when Daniel’s grandpa asks him this question, Daniel’s curiosity is sparked and he’s determined to really find out!
TALK – Kadooboo: A Silly South Indian Folktale
By Shruthi Rao, illustrated by Darshkia Varma — February 6, 2024 — Page Street Kids
Kadooboo! Golden brown, puffy, sweet, and crunchy, it’s fresh from the pan―a delicious treat! This modern retelling of a South Indian folktale is about friends, family, and food―the perfect recipe for a satisfying story time.
TALK – Popo & MeiMei Can Help
By Cathy Wu — April 23, 2024 — Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Here is a heartwarming and poignant intergenerational story touching on themes of dependence and independence that is about language, love, and the fact that actions ultimately speak loudest of all.
TALK – The Boy Who Said Wow
By Todd Boss, illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh — April 2, 2024 — Beach Lane Books
Inspired by the beautiful true story of a nonverbal boy moved to speech at his first Mozart concert, this picture book is a testament to the power of art and the boundless joy it can bring.
TALK – Butterfly on the Wind
By Adam Pottle, illustrated by Ziyue Chen — March 12, 2024 — Roaring Book Press
A magical picture book about a Deaf girl who creates a butterfly with Sign Language and sends it on a journey around the world.
TALK – ¡Hola, cara! Hello, Face!
By Aya Khalil — April 2, 2024 — Barefoot Books
Hello, smiling face! From laughing to cooing, from sneezing to yawning, join baby in discovering what expressive eyes, noses, and mouths can do. Bilingual in English and Spanish.
TALK – I Can Say Mama
By Stephanie Cohen — March 26, 2024 — Sourcebooks Explore
Each page features simple words and “Mama” phrases that are easy for little ones to imitate, and can be used and practiced throughout daily routines
TALK – I Can Say Dada
By Stephanie Cohen — March 26, 2024 — Sourcebooks Explore
Babies and toddlers will learn to say “Dada!” and other first words with this adorable and fun-to-read board book created by an early speech expert!
TALK – I Can Say Goodnight
By Stephanie Cohen — October 1, 2024 — Sourcebooks Explore
Teach speech skills as you get ready for bed!
TALK – Mara Hears in Style
By Terri Clemmons, illustrated by Lucy Rogers — February 27, 2024 — Beaming Books
Mara takes on the world with her flashy purple hearing aids and sassy, hot pink earmolds.
TALK – OnomatoPanda
By Janik Coat — July 16, 2024 — Harry N. Abrams
In this oversize board book, young readers will learn about onomatopoeia via a very humorous panda.
SING
SING Criteria
Singing supports children’s oral language development of language structures, vocabulary, and phonological awareness. Singing shortlist and winning titles show families and characters who incorporate singing and music into their daily routines, or foster the exploration of rhyme, alliteration, and syllable concepts.
We look for books about singing or chanting, that have songs in them, or make it easy to sing or chant or enjoy rhythms and rhymes together while you read.
SING – The Belly Song
By Mother Moon, illustrated by Leah Giles — July 2, 2024 — little bee books
With a QR code link to a song, irresistible illustrations, and a powerful message of love, acceptance, and kindness to our bodies, this board book is a great gift for any growing library.
SING – Bed! Bed! Bed!
By Douglas Florian, illustrated by Christiane Engel — March 5, 2024 — little bee books
Bright smiles and enthusiastic kids share their wind-down routines in this lyrical, dreamy read-aloud.
SING – Desert Song
By Laekan Zea Kemp, illustrated by Beatriz Gutiérrez Hernández — June 4, 2024 — Neal Porter Books
A family joins the music of the Texas desert night in this tale of tradition and memory. Desert Song hums and chimes with all the music a front porch and the desert beyond can hold.
SING – One Sweet Song
By Jyoti Raja Gopal, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez — January 16, 2024 — Candlewick
In an ode to the power of music and community, this vibrantly illustrated picture book steps out on the balcony for a shared moment of spontaneous joy and celebration.
SING – Love, Lah Lah
By Nailah Blackman, illustrated by Jade Orlando — January 9, 2024 — Knopf Books for Young Readers
Join Lah Lah and her papa on Carnival morning as they dance through the streets of Trinidad and Tobago, cheer on the King and Queen of the Carnival parade, and end with a grand performance onstage!
SING – Gather Round
By David Covell — February 27, 2024 — Nancy Paulsen Books
A drum circle is forming on the beach, and one fascinated child would love to join in. Soon there’s everything from a conga’s pat-a-pat-a, pat pat to some bongos’ taka taka, ta ta—and it looks like so much fun!
PLAY
PLAY Criteria
Playing encourages children to use their growing vocabularies to think about their world, to experiment with how stories work, and to understand relationships. Playing shortlist and winning titles demonstrate and reflect play in a variety of ways: games between parents and children, interactions with a book itself, or by modeling open-ended exploration of toys or found materials.
We look for stories about developmentally appropriate play, or books that celebrate playfulness, imagination, or creative use of materials, that illustrate what great play looks like or that make it easy for adults to play with their children while they read.
PLAY – AHOY!
By Sophie Blackall – April 2, 2024 – Anne Schwartz Books
Join a child captain and parent first mate as they embark on a wild high seas adventure…all without leaving the living room!
PLAY – Gaga Mistake Day
By Emma Straub and Susan Straub, illustrated by Jessica Love — April 9, 2024 — Rocky Pond Books
Gaga days are the best! That’s when this eccentric, mischievous grandma babysits her delighted granddaughter. These Gaga days are always full of the silliest “mistakes,” like swapping eyeglasses and walking backwards to the park.
PLAY – You’re SO Amazing!
By James Catchpole and Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George — April 16, 2024 — Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
In this authentic and humorous picture book, a child with a limb difference is tired of being told how amazing he is for doing normal things.
PLAY – Pajamarama!
By Julie Gonzalez, illustrated by Rob Sayegh, Jr — June 4, 2024 — HarperCollins
Pajamarama! is a party where all styles of sleepwear become magical and little sleepers dream BIG. And guess what? Everyone’s invited!
PLAY – All the Rocks We Love
By Lisa Varchol Perron and Taylor Perron, illustrated by David Scheirer — July 16, 2024 — Rise x Penguin Workshop
This book is an appreciation of their versatility and appeal, paired with the presentation of real types of rocks and their play-worthy attributes.
PLAY – This Is a Window
By Lauren Paige Conrad — April 9, 2024 — Minerva
Children will use their own imaginations and storytelling skills as they figure out what the book’s busy characters are up to in the gorgeous collage-style art.
PLAY – Built to Last
By Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat — April 30, 2024 — Knopf Books for Young Readers
Two kids build entire worlds out of blocks, cardboard, and imagination. And they don’t mind when these creations break apart and CRASH to the floor.
PLAY – Bros
By Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Reggie Brown — March 12, 2024 — Candlewick
From sunrise to sunset, a group of young Black boys joyously spend the day together as they live their best lives freely in their community. With confidence and a touch of swag, these friends do everything with one another.
PLAY – How We Play
By Dolisha Mitchell — April 23, 2024 — Little Feminist Press
Play is powerful! Whether it’s inside or outside, quiet or loud, alone or with friends—there are so many ways to play.
PLAY – Little Helper, Big Imagination
By Emily Morrow, illustrated by Sally Garland — July 9, 2024 — Zonderkidz
How can you turn a day filled with normal things like breakfast and chores into an unforgettable adventure? Use your IMAGINATION!
PLAY – I Hear a Búho
By Raquel MacKay, illustrated by Armando Fonseca — April 9, 2024 — Scribble US
I Hear a Búho is a rhyming story with text in English and Spanish, which encompasses language, the parent-child bond, nature, and the benefit of being still, and listening.
PLAY – My Baby Sister is a Diplodocus
By Aurora Petit — March 5, 2024 — Gecko Press
A brother finds an inventive way to reconcile with his new baby sister through his love of dinosaurs in this eye-catching, neon-bright picture book.
