Kelly DiPucchio accepts award

Kelly DiPucchio attended the North Carolina School Library Media Association conference two weeks ago to receive her award for the 2016 Picture Book Winner - Gaston!  Here she is with members of the NCCBA committee (Kelly DiPucchio is seated in front) while Gaston accepts the NCCBA award plaque.




5 Ways to Participate in NCCBA

Check out how to get involved in the North Carolina Children's Book Awards. Your kids will be able to nominate their favorites very soon - November 1!



Important Dates


November 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017
  • Children may nominate their favorite picture and junior books published in the years 2014-present. 
  • Nominations are accepted on nccba.blogspot.com or through teachers and librarians via an email to co-chair, Janet West (janet.west@wakegov.com). 

March 1 - 31, 2017
  •  Children vote for their favorite picture book and/or junior book at their school and/or public library.

March 31, 2017
  • Deadline for nominations for 2017-2018 consideration list.
  • Deadline for librarians to submit votes for EACH title. Enter votes at nccba.blogspot.com or send to co-chair, Lisa England (lengland@wsfcs.k12.nc.us).

For the complete guidelines, go to the "About the NCCBA" page and open the NCCBA Guidelines document.

2016-2017 Picture Book and Junior Book Nominees

We are very pleased to announce the nominees for the 2016-2017 North Carolina Children's Book Awards.  For activities and other resources, please go to the 2016-17 NCCBA Nominees and Activity Book page.

Picture Books

Junior Books

  • I'm Trying to Love Spiders: (it isn't easy)
    Barton, Bethany. New York: Viking Books for Young Readers,  2015


  • Glow: Animals with Their Own Night-lights 
    Beck, W.H.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2015.


  • I Yam a Donkey
    Bell, Cece.  Boston: Clarion Books, 2015


  • Wolfie the Bunny
    Dyckman, Ame.  Illus. Zachariah OHora.  New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2015.


  • Mother Bruce
    Higgins, Ryan.  New York: Disney-Hyperion, 2015.


  • Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear
    Mattick, Lindsay.  Illus. Sophie Blackall. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2015.


  • The Quickest Kid in Clarksville
    Miller, Pat Zietlow.  Illus. Frank Morrison.  San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2016.


  • A Boy and a Jaguar
    Rabinowitz, Alan.  Illus. Catia Chien. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2014.


  • Nerdy Birdy
    Reynolds, Aaron.  Illus. Matt Davies. New York: Roaring Press, 2015.


  • Henri's Scissors
    Winter, Jeanette.  New York: Beach Lane Books, 2013.
  • Crenshaw
    Applegate, Katherine.  New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2015.


  • The War That Saved My Life
    Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.  New York: Dial Books, 2015.


  • Stella By Starlight
    Draper, Sharon.  New York: Atheneum Books, 2015.


  • Mountain Dog
    Engle, Margarita.  New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2013.


  • Fish in a Tree
    Hunt, Lynda Mullaly.  New York, NY: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015.


  • Roller Girl
    Jamieson, Victoria.  New York: Dial Books, 2015.


  • Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
    Jones, Kelly.  New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2015.


  • Hiding Out at the Pancake Palace
    Marino, Nan.  New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2013.


  • Pax
    Pennypacker, Sara.  New York: Balzer + Bray, 2016.


  • Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower
    Pizzoli, Greg.  New York, NY: Viking Books for Young Readers, 2015.


  • Fuzzy Mud
    Sachar, Louis.  New York: Delacorte Press, 2015.

2016 Picture Book and Junior Book Winners!

2016 Picture Book Winner
2016 Junior Book Winner

2016 Voting summary

Voting Summary

PICTURE BOOKS: 78,307 total votes cast
Gaston 24350 WINNER
My Teacher is a Monster (No, I am Not!) 18603
Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of a Shopping Mall Gorilla 14969
The Cart that Carried Martin 4224
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell 4103
Gravity 3778
Some Bugs 2639
Last Stop on Market Street 2332
Blue on Blue 2182
This Orq: He Cave Boy 1127

2016 Annotated Picture Book List


JUNIOR BOOKS: 8,797 total votes cast
The One and Only Ivan 2449 WINNER
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library 1154
El Deafo 1066
The Night Gardener 799
The Fourteenth Goldfish 764
Poached 589
Rain Reign 581
Counting by 7s 509
Elvis and the Underdogs 333
Brown Girl Dreaming 322
Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things 231