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Don't Trust Fish
by
4.51 avg rating — 3,880 ratings
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| 2 |
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Fireworks
by
4.24 avg rating — 1,309 ratings
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| 3 |
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To See an Owl
by
4.40 avg rating — 761 ratings
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| 4 |
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Every Monday Mabel
by
4.41 avg rating — 1,307 ratings
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Our Lake
by
4.31 avg rating — 688 ratings
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Cat Nap
by
4.47 avg rating — 1,070 ratings
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| 7 |
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Stalactite & Stalagmite
by
4.27 avg rating — 1,292 ratings
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| 8 |
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Papilio
by
4.21 avg rating — 572 ratings
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| 9 |
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Hope in a Jar
by
4.24 avg rating — 396 ratings
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| 10 |
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Let's Be Bees
by
3.79 avg rating — 655 ratings
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| 11 |
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Soy Sauce!
by
4.09 avg rating — 339 ratings
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| 12 |
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Broken
by
4.46 avg rating — 1,234 ratings
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| 13 |
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How Sweet the Sound
by
4.24 avg rating — 342 ratings
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| 14 |
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Big Enough
by
4.37 avg rating — 309 ratings
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| 15 |
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When Alexander Graced the Table
by
4.24 avg rating — 229 ratings
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| 16 |
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Cranky, Crabby Crow
by
4.14 avg rating — 948 ratings
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| 17 |
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The History of We
by
4.45 avg rating — 494 ratings
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| 18 |
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Where Are You, Brontë?
by
4.50 avg rating — 373 ratings
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| 19 |
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Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend
by
4.06 avg rating — 612 ratings
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| 20 |
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Where the Deer Slip Through
by
4.25 avg rating — 349 ratings
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| 20 |
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Aggie and the Ghost
by
4.25 avg rating — 1,455 ratings
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| 22 |
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Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme
by
4.29 avg rating — 545 ratings
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| 23 |
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Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer
by
4.34 avg rating — 311 ratings
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| 24 |
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Otto and the Story Tree
by
4.06 avg rating — 198 ratings
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| 25 |
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Popo the Xolo
by
4.41 avg rating — 473 ratings
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| 26 |
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When I Hear Spirituals
by
4.12 avg rating — 140 ratings
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| 27 |
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Magic in a Drop of Water: How Ruth Patrick Taught the World about Water Pollution
by
4.59 avg rating — 156 ratings
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| 28 |
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Home
by
4.07 avg rating — 492 ratings
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| 29 |
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Anything
by
4.07 avg rating — 533 ratings
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| 30 |
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Wind Watchers
by
4.18 avg rating — 312 ratings
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| 31 |
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Every Peach Is a Story
by
4.15 avg rating — 207 ratings
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| 32 |
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The Badger Chronicles: Defenders of Bunger Hill
by
4.33 avg rating — 6 ratings
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| 33 |
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Stealing of Emily - INSTITUTIONAL FRAUD AND TOXIC JUDICIAL PROCEDURES
by
4.43 avg rating — 7 ratings
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| 34 |
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The Clock
by
3.88 avg rating — 113 ratings
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| 35 |
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A Place for Us
by
4.42 avg rating — 263 ratings
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| 36 |
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The Escape Artist: A True Story of Octopus Adventure ― A True Story of an Octopus Escape, for Kids (Ages 4-8)
by
4.30 avg rating — 277 ratings
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| 37 |
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A Pocket Full of Rocks
by
4.10 avg rating — 326 ratings
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| 38 |
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To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities
by
4.22 avg rating — 238 ratings
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| 39 |
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Safe Crossing
by
4.25 avg rating — 342 ratings
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| 39 |
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In the World of Whales
by
4.29 avg rating — 258 ratings
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| 41 |
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The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle
by
4.48 avg rating — 204 ratings
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| 42 |
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Head Full of Clouds
by
3.66 avg rating — 175 ratings
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| 43 |
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So Tortoise Dug
by
3.99 avg rating — 397 ratings
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| 44 |
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Are We There Yet?: The First Road Trip Across the USA
by
4.06 avg rating — 139 ratings
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| 45 |
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The Littlest Drop
by
4.36 avg rating — 460 ratings
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| 46 |
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The Hole
by
4.54 avg rating — 250 ratings
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| 47 |
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Hurricane
by
4.35 avg rating — 310 ratings
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| 48 |
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Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem
by
4.48 avg rating — 162 ratings
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| 49 |
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Old Blue Is My Home
by
4.45 avg rating — 273 ratings
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| 49 |
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Can You Imagine?: The Art and Life of Yoko Ono
by
4.48 avg rating — 150 ratings
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| 51 |
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Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum
by
4.36 avg rating — 200 ratings
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| 52 |
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A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet
by
4.13 avg rating — 296 ratings
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| 53 |
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Nunu and the Sea
by
4.14 avg rating — 262 ratings
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| 54 |
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Home Is a Wish
by
4.11 avg rating — 243 ratings
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| 55 |
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Raven's Ribbons
by
3.99 avg rating — 191 ratings
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| 56 |
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Hansel and Gretel
by
3.99 avg rating — 12,635 ratings
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| 57 |
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The Polar Bear and the Ballerina
by
4.06 avg rating — 265 ratings
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| 58 |
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Good Golden Sun
by
3.53 avg rating — 300 ratings
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| 59 |
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The Wild Robot on the Island
by
4.27 avg rating — 1,432 ratings
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| 60 |
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New Shoes for Leo
by
4.24 avg rating — 133 ratings
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| 60 |
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Whales in the City
by
4.26 avg rating — 193 ratings
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| 62 |
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Sundust
by
3.68 avg rating — 548 ratings
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| 63 |
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Mistaco: A Tale of Tragedy y Tortillas
by
4.06 avg rating — 358 ratings
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| 63 |
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Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert
by
4.25 avg rating — 411 ratings
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| 65 |
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Recess
by
3.75 avg rating — 347 ratings
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| 66 |
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Island Storm
by
4.16 avg rating — 558 ratings
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| 67 |
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Me and Other Bunnies
by
3.65 avg rating — 382 ratings
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| 68 |
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Sadie Mouse Wrecks the House: A Funny Picture Book for Kids (Ages 4-8) About a Good Mouse Going Bad
by
3.52 avg rating — 94 ratings
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| 69 |
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Seven Ways Through the Woods
by
4.38 avg rating — 232 ratings
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| 70 |
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Will the Pigeon Graduate? (Pigeon, #12)
by
4.29 avg rating — 1,013 ratings
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| 70 |
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The Peddler of Puddles
by
4.19 avg rating — 313 ratings
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| 72 |
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A Knot Is Not a Tangle
by
4.29 avg rating — 311 ratings
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| 73 |
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The Urban Owls: How Flaco and Friends Made the City Their Home
by
4.14 avg rating — 107 ratings
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| 73 |
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Moon Song (Song of the Seasons, #2)
by
4.44 avg rating — 335 ratings
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| 75 |
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The Keeper of Stories
by
4.36 avg rating — 270 ratings
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| 76 |
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Elsa's Chessboard
by
4.50 avg rating — 179 ratings
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| 77 |
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The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle
by
4.33 avg rating — 207 ratings
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| 78 |
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Faith Takes the Train
by
4.02 avg rating — 169 ratings
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| 79 |
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The Invisible Parade
by
3.93 avg rating — 2,042 ratings
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| 80 |
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While We Wait
by
4.26 avg rating — 267 ratings
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| 81 |
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And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison's Life in Stories
by
4.04 avg rating — 161 ratings
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| 82 |
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Words with Wings and Magic Things
by
4.17 avg rating — 324 ratings
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| 83 |
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The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape
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4.36 avg rating — 244 ratings
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| 83 |
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The Cave Downwind of the Café
by
4.06 avg rating — 337 ratings
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| 83 |
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Zip Zap Wickety Wack: A Story About Sharing
by
4.31 avg rating — 480 ratings
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| 86 |
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A Line Can Go Anywhere: The Brilliant, Resilient Life of Artist Ruth Asawa
by
4.24 avg rating — 166 ratings
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| 86 |
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The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake
by
4.51 avg rating — 1,072 ratings
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| 88 |
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Your Forest
by
4.07 avg rating — 518 ratings
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| 88 |
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How to Say Goodbye in Cuban
by
4.24 avg rating — 787 ratings
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| 90 |
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The Coziest Place on the Moon
by
4.07 avg rating — 153 ratings
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| 90 |
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Your Crown Shines: For Ketanji Brown Jackson and You – A Poetic Love Letter and Picture Book Celebrating Black Women Pioneers
by
3.84 avg rating — 50 ratings
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| 92 |
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Little Freddie Two Pants:
by
3.96 avg rating — 478 ratings
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| 92 |
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I Have Three Cats . . .
by
4.28 avg rating — 217 ratings
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| 94 |
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Girls on the Rise
by
4.22 avg rating — 451 ratings
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| 95 |
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Dancing with Water
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3.92 avg rating — 102 ratings
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| 95 |
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BALLy the Amazing Wonderball
by
3.89 avg rating — 46 ratings
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| 97 |
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Beacon of Hope: The Life of Barack Obama (A Big Words Book, 12)
by
4.17 avg rating — 82 ratings
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| 97 |
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Mixed Feelings
by
3.71 avg rating — 187 ratings
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| 99 |
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Caboose
by
3.68 avg rating — 299 ratings
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| 99 |
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Dear Acorn (Love, Oak): Letter Poems to Friends
by
4.47 avg rating — 203 ratings
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I've searched for some anticipated picture books in 2025 that will be eligible for the 2026 Caldecott Award and want to welcome any avid readers of children's books to vote for books with illustrations that have impressed them.
You are also welcome to add books to the list, though I would caution you to double-check their eligibility first, especially with regard to an illustrator's place of residence. If the illustrator does not reside in the US, their book may be ineligible, unless it was first published in the US; however, that shouldn't stop you from sharing these titles with the group here in the comments section.
Also, please be sure that the book has a cover available. I have at least four I am waiting to add when their covers drop on Goodreads. I believe it does a book a disservice not to add that visual reference along with the title, particularly since this is an award that honors artwork in children's books.
Happy reading!