Nominees
NOMINEES
2026-2027 Nominees
Author
Rashmi Sirdeshpande
Illustrator
Ruchi Mhasane
Publisher
Levine Querido
Author
Alex Latimer
Illustrator
Alex Latimer
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Young Vo
Illustrator
Young Vo
Publisher
Levin Querido
Author
Corey R. Tabor
Illustrator
Corey R. Tabor
Publisher
Greenwillow Books
Author
Christopher Denise
Illustrator
Christopher Denise
Publisher
Christy Ottaviano Books
Author
Hannah Salyer
Illustrator
Hannah Salyer
Publisher
HarperCollins
Author
Kirsten W. Larson
Illustrator
Katherine Roy
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Author
Barb Rosenstock
Illustrator
Erika Meza
Publisher
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Author
Mitali Perkins
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Author
Jane Kuo
Publisher
Quill Tree Books
Author
Ellen Oh
Publisher
Allida
Author
Meg Eden Kuyatt
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Author
Christina Li
Publisher
Quill Tree Books (HarperCollins)
Author
Gennifer Choldenko
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Authors
Kathleen Glasgow
Liz Lawson
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Carolina Ixta
Publisher
Quill Tree Books (HarperCollins)
Author
Lyn Miller-Lachmann
Publisher
Lerner Books
2025-2026
Author
Aaron Reynolds
Illustrator
Peter Brown
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Author
Laurel Snyder
Illustrator
Dan Santat
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Authors
Katherine Trejo
Scott Martin-Rowe
Illustrator
Karla Monterrosa
Publisher
Lil Libros
Author
Kim Rogers
Illustrator
Jonathan Nelson
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Steve Smallman
Illustrator
Miguel Ordóñez
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Shannon Stocker
Illustrator
Devon Holzwarth
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Channa Stiefel
Illustrator
Chuck Groenink
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Author
Colleen Paeff
Illustrator
Nancy Carpenter
Publisher
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Author
Gary D. Schmidt
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Dan Gemeinhart
Publisher
MacMillan
Authors
Katherine Applegate
Gennifer Choldenko
Illustrator
Wallace West
Publisher
MacMillan
Author
Sally J. Pla
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Claire Swinarski
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Veera Hiranandani
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Nick Brooks
Publisher
MacMillan
Author
Nicola Yoon
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Jeff Zentner
Publisher
Penguin Random House
2024-2025
Authors
David Levithan
Jennifer Niven
Publisher
Knopf - Penguin Random House
Author
Maria Andreu
Publisher
Balzer & Bray - Harper Collins
Author
Ruta Sepetys
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Erin Bow
Publisher
Disney Hyperion
Author & Illustrator
Matt Faulkner
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Author
Anne Blankman
Publisher
Puffin Books
Author
Skyler Schrempp
Publisher
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Author
Kelly Barnhill
Publisher
Algonquin Books for Young Readers
Author
Kelly Yang
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Author
Wafa’ Tarnowska
Illustrator
Vali Mintzi
Publisher
Barefoot Books
Author
Emma Bland Smith
Illustrator
Jenn Ely
Publisher
Charlesbridge Books
Author
Meeg Pincus
Illustrator
Alexander Vidal
Publisher
Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster)
Author
Naaz Khan
Illustrator
Mercé López
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Authors
Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huynh Kim Liên
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Corey R. Tabor
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Andrea Wang
Illustrator
Hyewon Yum
Publisher
Neal Porter Books
Author
Monica Arnaldo
Publisher
Harper Collins
2023-2024
Author
Marcia Argueta Mickelson
Publisher
Lerner Publishing Group
Authors
Kimberly Jones
Gilly Segal
Publisher
Sourcebooks Fire
Author
Darcie Little Badger
Illustrator
Rovina Cai
Publisher
Hardie Grant Publishing
Author
B.B. Alston
Publisher
HarperCollins
Author
Holly Goldberg Sloan
Publisher
CreateSpace
Author
Geoff Rodkey
Publisher
Random House Children’s Books
Author
Megan E. Freeman
Publisher
Aladdin Books
Author
Jenn Reese
Publisher
Henry Holt and Company
Author
Dusti Bowling
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Author & Illustrator
Peter Sís
Publisher
Norton Young Readers
Author
Kim Tomsick
Illustrators
Hadley Hooper
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Author
Megan Hoyt
Illustrators
Iacopo Bruno
Publisher
HarperCollins Children’s Books
Author
Beth Ferry
Illustrators
The Fan Brothers
Publisher
HarperCollins
Author
Lisa Wheeler
Illustrator
Loren Long
Publisher
Dial Books for Young Readers
Author & Illustrator
Sophie Blackall
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Lu Fraser
Illustrator
Kate Hindley
Publisher
Simon & Schuster UK
Author
Bob Shea
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
2022-2023
Author
Elizabeth Acevedo
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Jen Doll
Publisher
Macmillan
Author
Deb Caletti
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Author
Ben Guterson
Publisher
Macmillan
Author
Katherine Marsh
Publisher
Macmillan
Author
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Jennifer L. Holm
Publisher
Random House Children’s Books
Author
Avi
Publisher
Candlewick Press
Author
Dusti Bowling
Publisher
Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Author
Caron Levis
Illustrator
Charles Santoso
Publisher
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Author & Illustrator
Patricia Polacco
Publisher
GP Putnam and Sons
Author
Linda Skeers
Illustrator
Marta Álvarez Miguéns
Publisher
Sourcebooks
Author & Illustrator
Ryan T. Higgins
Publisher
Disney
Authors
Parker Curry and Jessica Curry
Illustrator
Brittany Jackson
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Author
Suzanne Lang
Illustrator
Max Lang
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Author
Jory John
Illustrator
Pete Oswald
Publisher
Harper Collins
Author
Carrie Finnison
Illustrator
Brianne Farley
Publisher
GP Putnam and Sons
2021-2022
Author
Lesa Cline-Robinson
Illustrator
Frank Ransome
Publisher
Holiday House
Writer
Susan Wood
Illustrator
Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen
Publisher
Sleeping Bear Press
Writer
Let the Children March
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Writer
Randy Ribay
Publisher
Penguin/Kokila
Writer
David Yoon
Publisher
GP Putnam’s Sons
Writer
Ruta Sepetys
Publisher
Penguin
Writer
Jessica Townsend
Publisher
Little, Brown and Co
Writer
Kristine Levine
Publisher
GP Putnam’s Sons
Writer
Elissa Brent Weissman
Publisher
Dial Books for Young Readers
Writer
Katherine Applegate
Publisher
Macmillan
Writer
Dan Gemeinhart
Publisher
Henry Holt & Co
Writer
Jasmine Warga
Publisher
Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins
Writer
Minh Lê
Illustrator
Dan Santat
Publisher
Hachette
Writer
Lupita Nyong’o
Illustrator
Vashti Harrison
Publisher
Simon and Schuster Books for Young People
Writer
Alexandra Penfold
Illustrator
Suzanne Kaufman
Publisher
Alfred Knopf
Writer
Matthew A. Cherry
Illustrator
Vashti Harrison
Publisher
Penguin/Kokila
Writer and Illustrator
Yuyi Morales
Publisher
Holiday House Books
2020-2021
Writer
Donna Janell Bowman
Illustrator
Daniel Minter
Publisher
Lee and Low Books
Writer
Jennifer Bryant
Illustrator
Boris Kulikov
Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf
Writer
Patricia McCormick
Illustrator
Iacopo Bruno
Publisher
Balzer and Bray
Writer
Jason Reynolds
Publisher
Atheneum
Writer
Tara Sullivan
Publisher
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Writer
Wendy Mills
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Writer
Jonathan Auxier
Publisher
Amulet Books
Writer
Donna Gephart
Publisher
Delacorte Press
Writer
Lisa Lewis Tyre
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen Books
Writer
Karina Yan Glaser
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Writer
Sarah Weeks
Publisher
Scholastic
Writer
Gordon Korman
Publisher
Scholastic
Writer
Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrator
Rafael Lopez
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen Books
Writer
Lisa Papp
Publisher
Peachtree
Writer
Thyra Heder
Publisher
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Writer
Dan Santat
Publisher
Roaring Book Press
Writer
Tony Fucile
Publisher
Candlewick Press
2019-2020
Writer
Carrie Ryan
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Writer
Angie Thomas
Publisher
Harper Collins
Writer
Neal Shusterman
Publisher
Simon & Schuster
Writer
Firoozeh Dumas
Publisher
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Writer
Alan Gratz
Publisher
Scholastic
Writer
Paul Griffin
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Writer
Kate Hannigan
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Writer
Andrew Clements
Publisher
Random House Books for Kids
Writer
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Writer
Malala Yousafzai
Illustrator
Kerascoët
Publisher
Little Brown Books
Writer
Jonah Winter
Illustrator
Shane W. Evans
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Writer
Dave Eggers
Illustrator
Shawn Harris
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Written by Jory John
Illustrated by Pete Oswald
Published by Harper Collins, 2017
Written by Troy Cummings
Published by Random House Kids, 2018
Written by Rocio Bonilla
Published by Peter Pauper Press, 2016
Written by Minh Lê
Illustrated by Isabel Roxas
Published by Disney-Hyperion, 2016
Written by Drew Daywalt
Illustrated by Adam Rex
Published by Harper Collins, 2018
2018-2019
Written by David Litchfield
Published by Frances Lincoln, 2016
Writer: Dev Petty
Illustrator: Mike Boldt
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Writer
Elise Parsley
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Writer and Illustrator
Philip C. Stead
Publisher
Roaring Brook Press
Writer
R.J. Palacio
Publisher
Knopf Books for Young Readers
Writer and Illustrator
Duncan Tonatiuh
Publisher
Abrams Books for Young Readers
Writer
Laurie Ann Thompson
Illustrator
Sean Qualls
Publisher
Schwartz & Wade
Writer
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Publisher
Puffin Books
Writer
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Publisher
Puffin Books
Writer
Katherine Applegate
Publisher
Feiwel & Friends
Writer
John David Anderson
Publisher
Walden Pond Press
Writer
Pam Munoz Ryan
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Writer
Lauren Wolk
Publisher
Dutton Books for Young Readers
Writer
Monica Hesse
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Writer
Rae Carson
Publisher
Greenwillow Books
Writer
Aisha Saeed
Publisher
Speak
2017-2018
Written by Kelly Dipucchio
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Published by Simon and Schuster, 2014
Written and Illustrated by Gianna Marino
Published by Penguin Random House, 2015
Written by Helen Docherty
Illustrated by Thomas Docherty
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2013
Written by B.J. Novak
Published by Penguin Random House, 2014
Written by Jen Bryant
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014
Written by Marissa Moss
Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2016
Written by Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Mary GrandPre
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2014
Written by Elise Primavera
Published by Penguin Random House, 2015
Written by Sara Pennypacker
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Published by HarperCollins, 2016
Written by Kirby Larson
Published by Scholastic, 2016
Written by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Published by Scholastic, 2016
Written by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman
Published by Disney-Hyperion, 2014
Written by Leslie Connor
Published by HarperCollins, 2016
Written by Ruta Sepetys
Published by Penguin Random House, 2016
Written by Laura Amy Schlitz
Published by Candlewick Press, 2016
2016-2017
Written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015
Written & Illustrated by David Ezra Stein
Published by Candlewick Press, 2014
Written & Illustrated by Michael Hall
Published by Greenwillow Books, 2014
Written by Rodrigo Folgueira
Illustrated by Poly Bernatene
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013
Written by Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Published by Candlewick Press, 2014
Written by Chris Grabenstein
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013
Written by Anne Ursu
Illustrated by Erin McGuire
Published by Walden Pond Press, 2013
Written by Liesl Shurtliff
Published by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2013
Written by Blue Balliett
Published by Scholastic, 2013
Written by Shannon Messenger
Published by Aladdin Books, 2012
Written by Julie T. Lamana
Published by Chronicle Books, 2014
Written by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers, 2014
Written by Shawn Goodman
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2013
Written by Victoria Aveyard
Published by HarperCollins, 2015
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012
Written by Alexis O'Neill
Illustrated by Terry Widener
Published by Calkins Creek, 2013
Written by Helen Foster James & Virginia Shin-Mui Loh
Illustrated by Wilson Ong
Published by Sleeping Bear Press, 2013
2015-2016
Written by Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Kevin Cornell
Published by Disney-Hyperion, 2013
Written by Aaron Reynolds
Illustrated by Peter Brown
Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2012
Written by Drew Daywalt
Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Published by Philomel, 2013
Written by Adam Rubin
Illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012
Written & Illustrated by Rosy Lamb
Published by Candlewick Press, 2013
Written by Sarah Lean
Published by Katherine Tegen Books, 2012
Written by Katherine Hannigan
Published by Greenwillow Books, 2011
Written by Colin Meloy
Illustrated by Carson Ellis
Published by Balzer + Bray, 2011
Written by Elizabeth Partridge
Published by Bloomsbury USA Children's, 2011
Written by Holly Black
Illustrated by Eliza Wheeler
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013
Written by Susan Cooper
Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013
Written by Marissa Meyer
Published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, 2012
Written by Rainbow Rowell
Published by St. Martin's Griffin, 2013
Written by Ransom Riggs
Published by Quirk Books, 2011
Written by Doreen Rappaport
Illustrated by Matt Tavares
Published by Disney-Hyperion, 2012
Written by Matt de la Peña
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers, 2011
Written by H. Joseph Hopkins
Illustrated by Jill McElmurry
Published by Beach Lane Books, 2013
2014-2015
Written by Mo Willems
Illustrated by Jon J. Muth
Published by Hyperion Books for Children, 2011
Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Published by Scholastic Press, 2013
Written by Barbara Bottner
Illustrated by Michael Emberley
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
Written & Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Published by Candlewick Press, 2012
Written & Illustrated by Gianna Marino
Published by Viking Press, 2012
Written by Jessica Day George
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2010
Written by Gill Lewis
Illustrated by Yuta Onada
Published by Atheneum, 2011
Written by R.J. Palacio
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2012
Written by Pat Schmatz
Published by Candlewick, 2011
Written by Lynne Kelly
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012
Written by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Published by Scholastic, 2012
Written by Laini Taylor
Published by Little, Brown, 2011
Written by John Green
Published by Dutton Books, 2012
Written by Marie Lu
Published by Putnam Juvenile, 2011
Written by Audrey Vernick
Illustrated by Steven Salerno
Published by Clarion, 2012
Written by Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein
Published by Dial Books for Young People, 2012
Written by Margaret H. Mason
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010
2013-2014
Written and illustrated by Peter Brown
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010
Written and illustrated by Brian Lies
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010
Written by Mary Lyn Rae
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Published by Beach Lane Books, 2011
Written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein
Published by Candlewick, 2010
Written and illustrated by Herve Tullet
Published by Chronicle Books, 2011
2013-2014 Winner - Primary
Written by Henry Cole
Published by Katherine Tegen Books, 2010
Written by Jennifer L. Holm
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers, 2010
Written by Lisa McMann
Published by Aladdin, 2011
Written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011
2014 Winner - Picture Book for Older Readers
2012-2013
2011-2012
Written by Gary D. Schmidt
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt