This year, the Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature and the Children’s Book Committee (CBC) celebrated excellence in children’s literature through the release of several annual awards and booklists honoring outstanding titles across genres and age levels.
Most recently, the CBC announced its 2026 edition of the Best Children’s Books of the Year list, featuring over 600 books published in 2025 reviewed and selected by committee members. The list, organized by age range for readers from infancy through age 14 and older, includes titles selected for literary quality, excellence of presentation, and potential emotional impact on young readers.
“Each year, we are proud to celebrate children’s books that demonstrate literary and artistic excellence and resonate deeply with young readers,” said Cynthia Weill, Director of the Center for Children’s Literature, Bank Street College. “Through the dedicated engagement of our committee members, educators, and young reviewers, our awards and booklists reflect our core belief that high-quality literature is fundamental to fostering a love for reading and a deeper understanding of our world.”
The CBC also recognized exceptional works through its annual awards, including the Josette Frank Award for fiction, the Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for nonfiction, and the Claudia Lewis Award for poetry.
The Josette Frank Award was presented to Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman; the Flora Stieglitz Straus Award was presented to The Black Mambas: The World’s First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit by Kelly Crull; and the Claudia Lewis Award was presented to The Poetry of Car Mechanics by Heidi E.Y. Stemple (Older Poetry) and For a Girl Becoming by Joy Harjo, illustrations by Adriana Garcia (Younger Poetry).
Additionally, the Youth Choice Award Committee, which includes members of the CBC’s Young Ambassadors Program, announced that All the Noise at Once, a young adult novel by DeAndra Davis, was awarded the 2026 Robie Harris Youth Choice Award. Presented for the first time last year in honor of late children’s book author and educator Robie H. Harris, GSE ’70, the award recognizes a book of excellent literary merit on sensitive subjects written for a youth audience.
“This book exhibits faith in young readers to understand sensitive topics through a new lens, and that is what distinguished writing looks like,” said 17-year-old Quade, chair of the 2026 Robie Harris Youth Choice Award, on the selection of this year’s winner.
In the spring, the Center for Children’s Literature announced the recipients of the Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Irma Black Award). The annual award celebrates books for young children in which the text and illustrations are inseparable, combining words and images to create a deeply enriched story.
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat, received the gold medal. Silver medalists include The Peanut Man by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Raúl Colón; Evelyn Witch Gets a Pet by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Charles Santoso; and Worm Makes a Sandwich by Brianne Farley.
To select the winning book, thousands of first- and second-graders across the globe cast their votes among four finalist titles, determined earlier in the process by third- and fourth-graders from Bank Street School for Children.
The Center for Children’s Literature also presented the annual Cook Prize, which honors the best science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) picture books for children ages 8 to 10.
This year, Hurricane, by Jason Chin, received the gold medal. Silver medalists include Plight of the Pelican: How Science Saved a Species by Jessica Stremer, illustrated by Gordy Wright; Rewriting the Rules: How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability by Danna Zeiger, illustrated by Josée Bisaillon; and We Carry the Sun by Tae Keller, illustrated by Rachel Wada.
Similar to the Irma Black Award, third and fourth grade students vote for their favorite STEM picture book from a selection of four finalists, chosen by a panel of Bank Street educators from the Graduate School of Education, School for Children, and alumni who work in math and science education.
Earlier this year, the Spanish Language Affiliate of the Children’s Book Committee announced the winners of the 2026 Best Spanish Language Picture Book Award, a biennial prize presented to outstanding children’s books published or translated into Spanish in 2024 and 2025.
The winning titles, selected for their cultural authenticity in both narrative and illustration, offer readers greater insights into Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Latinx experiences within the United States.
The 2026 honorees include gold medalist La Intéprete/The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi, illustrated by Monica Arnaldo, and translated by David Bowles, and silver medalists Alberto Salas Juega a la paka paka con la papa: Únete a la búsqueda con el célebre científico y experto en papas peruano/Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert by Sara Andrea Fajardo, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, and translated by Mariana Llanos; Prohibido llorar/Absolutely No Crying by Gama Valle, illustrated by Lorenzo Sangió; and Wanda oye las estrellas: Una astrónoma ciega escucha al universo/Wanda Hears the Stars: A Blind Astronomer Listens to the Universe by Amy S. Hansen and Wanda Díaz Merced, illustrated by Rocío Arreola Mendoza, and translated by Gabriela Carrión.
Laura Zadoff, Co-Director of Online Teaching and Learning, Bank Street Graduate School of Education, celebrated the gold medal-winning book by sharing a reading in Spanish of La intérprete/The Interpreter. The special reading was featured as part of the Read Out Loud series by KidLit TV.
Along with the awards, the committee released the latest edition of the annual Best Children’s Books of the Year in Spanish list, featuring notable titles published or translated in 2025.
Beyond its awards and booklists, the Center for Children’s Literature and CBC announced that Anna Membrino, who is currently enrolled in the Early Childhood and Special Education Program at Bank Street Graduate School of Education, has been named the recipient of the annual graduate student fellowship. Designed to cultivate future leaders and advocates for high-quality children’s literature, the fellowship offers a graduate student hands-on experience in developing the Best Children’s Books of the Year list.
Next year, the Center for Children’s Literature looks forward to announcing the Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award winners. This biennial honor commemorates the legacy of the late award-winning Goodnight Moon author, a former student at Bank Street and member of the Bank Street Writers Lab. The prize is dedicated to recognizing excellence in literature specifically created for infants and toddlers.