North Carolina Children's Book Award

2022 Winners Accept Awards

Mike Boldt accepts the 2022 North Carolina Children's Picture Book Award for Bad Dog.

Jerry Craft accepts the 2022 North Carolina Children's Junior Book Award for New Kid.

We are starting to collect the titles of your favorite books published in the past three years for the 2024 North Carolina Children's Book Awards! Nominations are submitted by the children of North Carolina in grades K-6th. Teachers and librarians may help children enter their nominations, but no teacher or librarian should enter their own favorites. (Titles with publication dates of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023)

Kids may nominate more than one favorite.

Activities for the 2023 Nominees are ready!

We are excited to present read-alouds, book trailers, book talks and activities for the 2023 North Carolina Children's Book Award Nominees. Voting begins on March 1, 2023.

Activities for all 2023 Nominees

2023 Nominee flyer with covers (can be used as ballot)

Picture Book Nominees

Children may vote for their favorite title if they have read at least 5 of the 12 nominees.

eBooks and eAudiobooks available through NC Kids digital library.


The Box Turtle Read-aloud The Box Turtle Activities		The Boy Who Grew a Forest Read-aloud The Boy Who Grew a Forest Activities

Dozens of Doughnuts Read-aloud Dozens of Doughnuts Activities		Eat Your Rocks, Croc! Read-aloud Eat Your Rocks, Croc! Activities

Except Antarctica! Read-aloud Except Antarctica! Activities		How to Give Your Cat a Bath Read-aloud How to Give Your Cat a Bath Activities

I'm Trying to Love Garbage Read-aloud I'm Trying to Love Garbage Activities		It Fell From the Sky Read-aloud It Fell From the Sky Activities

Mars! Earthlings Welcome Read-aloud Mars! Earthlings Welcome Activities		Nigel and the Moon Read-aloud Nigel and the Moon Activities

A Song of Frutas Read-aloud A Song of Frutas Activities		Watercress Read-aloud Watercress Activities

Junior Book Nominees

Children may vote for their favorite title if they have read at least 3 of the 10 nominees.

eBooks and eAudiobooks available through NC Kids digital library.


Amari and the Night Brothers Book Trailer Amari and the Night Brothers Activities	Clean Getaway Book Trailer Clean Getaway Activities

Flower Talk Book Trailer Flower Talk Activities	How to Build an Insect Read-aloud How to Build an Insect Activities

Katie the Catsitter Book Trailer Katie the Catsitter Activities	A Place at the Table Book Trailer A Place at the Table Activities

Rez Dogs Book Talk Rez Dogs Activities	Skunk and Badger Book Trailer Skunk and Badger Activities

Unplugged Book Trailer Unplugged Activities	Willodeen Book Talk Willodeen Activities

A Wolf Called Wander Book Trailer A Wolf Called Wander Activities	The World Ends in April Book Trailer The World Ends in April Activities

2023 Nominees

We are very pleased to announce the nominees for the 2023 North Carolina Children's Book Awards. We selected twelve titles for both lists because of possible availability issues. In order to vote, children should read at least 5 picture book nominees and/or 3 junior book nominees.

Annotated Picture Book list
Annotated Junior Book list

Picture Books	Junior Books
*The Box Turtle* Roeder, Vanessa.. New York : Dial Books, 2020. *The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng* Gholz, Sophia. Illustrated by Kayla Harren. Sleeping Bear Press, 2019. Dozens of Doughnuts Finison, Carrie. Illustrated by Brianne Farley. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2020. *Eat Your Rocks, Croc!* Keating, Jess. Illustrated by Pete Oswald. New York : Orchard Books, 2020. *Except Antarctica!* Sturgell, Todd. Naperville, IL : Sourcebooks Explore, 2021. *How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps* Winstanley, Nicola. Illustrated by John Martz. Toronto, ON : Tundra Books, 2019. *I'm Trying to Love Garbage* Barton, Bethany. New York : Viking Books for Young Readers, 2021. *It Fell From the Sky* Fan, Terry and Eric. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021. *Mars! Earthlings Welcome* McAnulty, Stacy. Illustrated by Stevie Lewis. New York : Henry Holt & Co., 2021. *Nigel and the Moon* Eady, Antwan. Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. New York : Katherine Tegen Books, 2022. *A Song of Frutas* Engle, Margarita. Illustrated by Sara Palacios. New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021. *Watercress* Wang, Andrea. Illustrated by Jason Chin. New York : Neal Porter Books, 2021.	*Amari and the Night Brothers* Alston, B.B.. New York : Balzer + Bray, 2021. *Clean Getaway* Stone, Nic. New York : Crown Books for Young Readers, 2020. *Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate* Levine, Sara. Illustrated by Masha D'yans. Minneapolis : Millbrook Press, 2019. *How to Build an Insect* Gibson, Roberta. Illustrated by Anne Lambelet. Minneapolis : Millbrook Press, 2021. *Katie the Catsitter* Venable, Colleen AF. Illustrated by Stephanie Yue. New York : Random House Children's Books, 2021. *A Place at the Table* Faruqi, Saadia and Laura Shovan. Boston : Clarion Books, 2020. *Rez Dogs* Bruchac, Joseph. New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021. *Skunk and Badger* Timberlake, Amy. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Chapel Hill, NC ; Algonquin Young Readers, 2020. *Unplugged* Korman, Gordon. New York : Balzer + Bray, 2021. *Willodeen* Applegate, Katherine. New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2021. *A Wolf Called Wander* Parry, Rosanne. New York : Greenwillow Books, 2019. *The World Ends in April* McAnulty, Stacy. New York : Random House Books for Young Readers, 2019.

Picture Books

Junior Books

The Box Turtle
Roeder, Vanessa.. New York : Dial Books, 2020.

The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng
Gholz, Sophia. Illustrated by Kayla Harren. Sleeping Bear Press, 2019.

Dozens of Doughnuts
Finison, Carrie. Illustrated by Brianne Farley. G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2020.

Eat Your Rocks, Croc!
Keating, Jess. Illustrated by Pete Oswald. New York : Orchard Books, 2020.

Except Antarctica!
Sturgell, Todd. Naperville, IL : Sourcebooks Explore, 2021.

How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps
Winstanley, Nicola. Illustrated by John Martz. Toronto, ON : Tundra Books, 2019.

I'm Trying to Love Garbage
Barton, Bethany. New York : Viking Books for Young Readers, 2021.

It Fell From the Sky
Fan, Terry and Eric. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021.

Mars! Earthlings Welcome
McAnulty, Stacy. Illustrated by Stevie Lewis. New York : Henry Holt & Co., 2021.

Nigel and the Moon
Eady, Antwan. Illustrated by Gracey Zhang. New York : Katherine Tegen Books, 2022.

A Song of Frutas
Engle, Margarita. Illustrated by Sara Palacios. New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021.

Watercress
Wang, Andrea. Illustrated by Jason Chin. New York : Neal Porter Books, 2021.

Amari and the Night Brothers
Alston, B.B.. New York : Balzer + Bray, 2021.

Clean Getaway
Stone, Nic. New York : Crown Books for Young Readers, 2020.

Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate
Levine, Sara. Illustrated by Masha D'yans. Minneapolis : Millbrook Press, 2019.

How to Build an Insect
Gibson, Roberta. Illustrated by Anne Lambelet. Minneapolis : Millbrook Press, 2021.

Katie the Catsitter
Venable, Colleen AF. Illustrated by Stephanie Yue. New York : Random House Children's Books, 2021.

A Place at the Table
Faruqi, Saadia and Laura Shovan. Boston : Clarion Books, 2020.

Rez Dogs
Bruchac, Joseph. New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021.

Skunk and Badger
Timberlake, Amy. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Chapel Hill, NC ; Algonquin Young Readers, 2020.

Unplugged
Korman, Gordon. New York : Balzer + Bray, 2021.

Willodeen
Applegate, Katherine. New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2021.

A Wolf Called Wander
Parry, Rosanne. New York : Greenwillow Books, 2019.

The World Ends in April
McAnulty, Stacy. New York : Random House Books for Young Readers, 2019.

2022 Picture Book and Junior Book Winners!

The votes have been collected and tallied! We have our winners for the 2022 North Carolina Children's Book Awards. For the complete results, please visit the 2022 Results and Materials page.

Bad Dog, written and illustrated by Mike Boldt, is the winner of the picture book category with 13,534 votes.

New Kid, written and illustrated by Jerry Craft, is the winner of the junior book category with 1,097 votes.

We would like to thank all of the children who participated by voting in schools and local public libraries or virtually on this website. Giving kids a voice in choosing their favorites is what this award is all about so THANK YOU for voting!

The committee will be meeting mid-May to select the nominees for the 2023 Awards. Check back in again soon!