Favorites for 2025

 Submit your favorite for 2025

We are collecting the titles of your favorite books published in the past three years for the 2025 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 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024)

Kids may nominate more than one favorite. 

 

Activities for 2024 Nominees are ready!

We are excited to present read-alouds, book trailers, book talks and activities for the 2024 North Carolina Children's Book Award Nominees. Voting begins on March 1, 2024.  

2024 Activity Booklet  (your one resource for all of the 2024 Nominees) 

2024 NCCBA bookmarks

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 Blue House Read-aloud

The Blue House Activities

 Chester Van Chime Read-aloud

  Chester Van Chime Activities

Clovis Keeps His Cool Read-aloud

Clovis Keeps His Cool Activities

Dandelion Magic Read-aloud

Dandelion Magic Activities

How to Solve a Problem Read-aloud

How to Solve a Problem Activities

I Am Every Good Thing Read-aloud

I Am Every Good Thing Activities

Jabari Tries Read-aloud

Jabari Tries Activities

Memory Jars Read-aloud

Memory Jars Activities

Negative Cat Read-aloud

Negative Cat Activities

Paletero Man Read-aloud

Paletero Man Activities

 

Sheepish Read-aloud

Sheepish Activities

What Can You Do with a Rock? Read-aloud

What Can You Do with a Rock? 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.  

30000 Stitches Read-aloud

30000 Stitches Activities

Boy at the Back of the Class Book Trailer

Boy at the Back of the Class Activities

Dog Squad Book Trailer

Dog Squad Activities

Elephant in the Room Read-aloud

Elephant in the Room Activities

Invisible Book Trailer

Invisible Activities

Last Beekeeper Book Trailer

Last Beekeeper Activities

A Rover's Story Book Trailer

A Rover's Story Activities

Solimar Book Trailer

Solimar Activities

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! Book Trailer

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! Activities

Starfish Book Trailer

Starfish Activities

Swim Team Book Talk

Swim Team Activities

Your Place in the Universe Read-aloud

Your Place in the Universe Activities

2024 NCCBA Picture Book and Junior Book Nominees

We are very pleased to announce the nominees for the 2024 North Carolina Children's Book Awards.  We selected twelve titles for both lists because of possible availability issues.  In order to vote in March 2024, 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 Blue House Wahl, Phoebe.  New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2020. Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme Monsen, Avery. Illustrated by Abby Hanlon.  New York; Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 2022. Clovis Keeps His Cool Aronson, Katelyn. Illustrated by Eve Farb.  Salem, MA : Page Street Kids, 2021. Dandelion Magic Farrell, Darren. Illustrated by Maya Tatsukawa.  New York : Dial Books, 2021. How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion Shiraishi, Ashima.  Illustrated by Yao Xiao.  New York : Make Me a World, 2020. I Am Every Good Thing Barnes, Derrick. Illustrated by Gordon C. James.  New York : Nancy Paulsen Books, 2020. Jabari Tries Cornwall, Gaia.  Somerville, MA : Candlewick Press, 2020. Memory Jars Brosgol, Vera.  New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2021. Negative Cat Blackall, Sophie.  New York : Nancy Paulsen Books, 2021. Paletero Man/¡Que Paletero tan Cool! Diaz, Lucky.  Illustrated by Micah Player.   New York : HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021. Sheepish (Wolf under Cover) Yoon, Helen.  Somerville, MA : Candlewick Press, 2021. What Can You Do With a Rock? Miller, Pat Zietlow.  Illustrated by Katie Kath.  Naperville, IL : Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2021.

30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag Davis, Amanda.  Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport.  New York : WorthyKids, 2021. The Boy at the Back of the Class  Raúf, Onjali Q..  New York : Delacorte Press, 2020. Dog Squad Grabenstein, Chris.  New York : Random House Children's Books, 2021. The Elephant in the Room Sloan, Holly Goldberg.  New York : Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021. Invisible Gonzalez, Christina Diaz.  Illustrated by Gabriella Epstein.  New York : Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, 2022. The Last Beekeeper Cartaya, Pablo.  Waterville, ME : Thorndike Press, 2023. A Rover's Story Warga, Jasmine.  New York : Balzer + Bray, 2022. Solimar: The Sword of the Monarchs Ryan, Pam Muñoz. Los Angeles : Disney Hyperion, 2022. Stand Up, Yumi Chung! Kim, Jessica.  New York : Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2020. Starfish Fipps, Lisa.  New York : Nancy Paulsen Books, 2021. Swim Team Christmas, Johnnie.  New York : Harper Alley, 2022. Your Place in the Universe Chin, Jason.  New York : Holiday House, 2020.

2023 Picture Book and Junior Book Winners!

The votes have been collected and tallied!  We have our winners for the 2023 North Carolina Children's Book Awards.  For the complete results, please visit the 2023 Results and Materials page.

The Box Turtle, written and illustrated by Vanessa Roeder, is the winner of the picture book category with 10,421 votes.

 Unplugged, written by Gordon Korman, is the winner of the junior book category with 772 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 2024 Awards.  Check back in again soon!