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NOTABLES

2025 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts
Award Books

2024 COPYRIGHT
Alphabetical by Author

And, Then Boom written by Lisa Fipps, published by Nancy Paulsen Books an imprint of Penguin Random House

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman written by Gennifer Choldenko, published by Knopf Books an imprint of Penguin Random House

Tree, Table Book written by Lois Lowry, published by Clarion Books an imprint of Harper Collins

Not Nothing written by Gayle Foreman, published by Aladdin Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Kareem Between written by Shifa Saltagi Safadi, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers an imprint of Penguin Random House

Across So Many Seas written by Ruth Bahar, published by Nancy Paulsen Books an imprint of Penguin Random House

One Big Open Sky written by Lesa Cline-Ransome, published by Holiday House

Deer Run Home written by Ann Clare LeZotte, published by Scholastic Press

Popcorn written by Rob Harrell, published by Dial Books an imprint of Penguin Random House

Louder Than Hunger written by John Schu, published by Candlewick Press

Leafy Landmarks, Travel with Trees written by Michelle Schaub, illustrated by Anne Lambelet, published by Sleeping Bear Press

Haiku, Ew written by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Julia Patton, published by Millbrook Press

The Mistakes That Made Us written by Irene Latham and Charles Walter, illustrated by Merce Lopez, published by Carolrhoda Books

Windsongs, Poems about Weather written and illustrated by Douglas Florian, published by Beach Lane Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Life after Whale written by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin, published by Neal Porter Books and imprint of Holiday House

Sleepy: Surprising Ways Animals Snooze written by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Robin Page, published by Beach Lane Books and imprint of Simon and Schuster

Claudette Colvin - I Want Freedom Now written by Claudette Colvin and Phillip Hoose, illustrated by Bea Jackson, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux an imprint of Macmillan

One Day This Tree Will Fall written by Leslie Barnard Booth, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman, published by Margaret K. McElderry Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Whirligigs - The Wondrous Windmills of Vollis Simpson's Imagination written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham, published by Calkins Creek an imprint Astra Publishing House

Go Forth and Tell - The Life of Augusta Baker written by Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by April Harrison by Dial Books an imprint of Penguin Random House

They Call Me Teach written by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrated by James E. Ransome, published by Candlewick

Fake Chinese Sounds written and illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong, published by Kokila an imprint of Penguin Random House

Meatballs for Grandpa written by Jeanette Fazzari Jones, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett, published by Two Lions

A Map for Falasteen written by Maysa Odeh, illustrated by Aliaa Betawi, published by Henry Holt and Co.

Home in a Lunchbox written and illustrated by Cherry Mo, published by Penguin Workshop an imprint of Penguin Random House

My Daddy is a Cowboy written by Stephanie Seales, illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, published by Harry N. Abrams

Buffalo Fluffalo written by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan, published by Random House Studio an imprint of Penguin Random House

Five Words That Are Mine written by Melissa Seron Richardson, illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda, published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

I'm Sorry You Got Mad written by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Julie Kwon, published by Dial Books an imprint of Penguin Random House

The Book That Almost Rhymed written by Omar Abed, illustrated by Hatem Aly, published by Dial Books an imprint of Penguin Random House

2025 Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Selection Committee Members

Patrick Andrus, Eden Prairie School District, Minnesota (Chair)
Laura Hudock, Framingham State University, Massachusetts (Chair Elect)
Ally Hauptmann, Lipscomb University, Tennessee
Joyce Herbeck, Montana State University, Montana
Lynette Smith, Walden University, Pennsylvania
Jason Lewis, Tyngsborough Elementary School, Massachusetts
Mary Ellen Oslick, Stetson University, Florida

NOTABLES OVERVIEW

The charge of the seven-member national committee is to select 30 books that best exemplify the criteria established for the Notables Award. Books considered for this annual list are works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry written for children, grades K-8. The books selected for the list must:

  1. be published the year preceding the award year (i.e. books published in 2015 are considered for the 2016 list);
  2. have an appealing format;
  3. be of enduring quality;
  4. meet generally accepted criteria of quality for the genre in which they are written; and
  5. meet one or more of the following criteria:
    1. deal explicitly with language, such as plays on words, word origins, or the history of language;
    2. demonstrate uniqueness in the use of language or style; and/or
    3. invite child response or participation.

INFORMATION FOR PUBLISHERS

  1. Review the criteria listed above to confirm that the book(s) you wish to submit are eligible for the Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts award.
  2. Ship one copy of each book you wish to nominate directly to each committee member.
  3. Contact the 2026 Award Committee chair, Laura Hudock, for more information and for the mailing addresses of the committee members.

JOINING THE NOTABLES COMMITTEE

The deadline for applications has elapsed.
The call for applications is shared for informational purposes.
2025_ncbla_application.pdf
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NOTABLES ARCHIVE

 
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Member Exclusive: Videos by book creators whose work is among the Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts
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