Children’s Book Committee
The Children’s Book Committee (CBC) was founded more than 100 years ago to help parents, teachers, and librarians choose the books that children will find captivating and transforming. Every year it produces comprehensive annotated book lists for children aged infant through 18.
Our Mission
The CBC reviews over 6000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children. It chooses the best 600 books, both fiction and nonfiction, which it lists with annotations according to age and category.
The Children’s Book Committee strives to guide librarians, educators, parents, grandparents, and other interested adults to the best books for children published each year. The list includes more than 600 titles chosen by reviewers for literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes.
To contact us, please email bookcom@bankstreet.edu.
Children's Book Committee October Pick
A modern telling in a variety of verse forms of the Persephone story gives motivation to the character caught between conflicting desires. Layered, believable, and compelling.
Our Young Reviewer Says:
“Bright Red Fruit is a young adult coming-of-age novel that will hook you from the very beginning. The story is told through multiple poems, which is a unique format that may take some getting used to, but is ultimately well executed and interesting.
The novel explores the idea of finding your identity while trying to appease those around you, as Samira navigates her relationship with Horus while trying to get her mother to understand her point of view.
This book will appeal to readers who understand what it’s like to sometimes feel trapped or those who want a change in pace in their reading format. Overall, Bright Red Fruit is a great story, and Elhillo will have you rooting for her sympathetic and endearing characters.”
–Leah, age 15, Westchester, NY.