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Don't Trust Fish
by
4.50 avg rating — 2,364 ratings
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| 2 |
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Fireworks
by
4.26 avg rating — 755 ratings
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| 3 |
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To See an Owl
by
4.42 avg rating — 668 ratings
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| 4 |
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Every Monday Mabel (Caldecott Honor)
by
4.43 avg rating — 879 ratings
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| 5 |
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Our Lake
by
4.34 avg rating — 445 ratings
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| 6 |
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Cat Nap
by
4.50 avg rating — 739 ratings
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| 7 |
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Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave (Caldecott Honor)
by
4.27 avg rating — 774 ratings
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| 8 |
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Papilio
by
4.22 avg rating — 488 ratings
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| 9 |
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Hope in a Jar
by
4.24 avg rating — 328 ratings
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| 10 |
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Let's Be Bees
by
3.78 avg rating — 532 ratings
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| 11 |
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Soy Sauce!
by
4.09 avg rating — 302 ratings
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| 12 |
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Broken
by
4.50 avg rating — 655 ratings
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| 13 |
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How Sweet the Sound
by
4.24 avg rating — 302 ratings
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| 14 |
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Big Enough
by
4.41 avg rating — 241 ratings
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| 15 |
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When Alexander Graced the Table
by
4.24 avg rating — 189 ratings
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| 16 |
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Cranky, Crabby Crow
by
4.15 avg rating — 677 ratings
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| 17 |
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Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend
by
4.09 avg rating — 508 ratings
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| 18 |
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The History of We
by
4.47 avg rating — 344 ratings
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| 19 |
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Where Are You, Brontë?
by
4.52 avg rating — 334 ratings
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| 20 |
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Aggie and the Ghost
by
4.26 avg rating — 1,022 ratings
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| 21 |
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Where the Deer Slip Through
by
4.28 avg rating — 286 ratings
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| 22 |
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Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme
by
4.31 avg rating — 382 ratings
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| 23 |
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Otto and the Story Tree
by
4.05 avg rating — 173 ratings
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| 24 |
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Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer
by
4.37 avg rating — 264 ratings
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| 25 |
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Popo the Xolo
by
4.43 avg rating — 303 ratings
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| 26 |
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When I Hear Spirituals
by
4.12 avg rating — 130 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
4.56 avg rating — 124 ratings
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| 28 |
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Home
by
4.07 avg rating — 435 ratings
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| 29 |
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Anything
by
4.07 avg rating — 438 ratings
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| 30 |
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Wind Watchers
by
4.18 avg rating — 268 ratings
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| 31 |
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Every Peach Is a Story
by
4.12 avg rating — 146 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
3.95 avg rating — 57 ratings
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| 35 |
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A Place for Us
by
4.43 avg rating — 202 ratings
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| 36 |
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The Escape Artist: A True Story of Octopus Adventure
by
4.31 avg rating — 179 ratings
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| 37 |
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A Pocket Full of Rocks
by
4.13 avg rating — 268 ratings
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| 38 |
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To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering Cities – A Beautifully Illustrated History of Mohawk Skywalkers and Their Legacy
by
4.20 avg rating — 198 ratings
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| 39 |
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In the World of Whales
by
4.33 avg rating — 191 ratings
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| 40 |
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Safe Crossing
by
4.30 avg rating — 227 ratings
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| 41 |
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The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle
by
4.46 avg rating — 140 ratings
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| 42 |
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The Hole
by
4.57 avg rating — 203 ratings
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| 43 |
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Head Full of Clouds
by
3.64 avg rating — 152 ratings
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| 44 |
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So Tortoise Dug
by
3.96 avg rating — 304 ratings
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| 45 |
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Are We There Yet?: The First Road Trip Across the USA
by
4.03 avg rating — 111 ratings
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| 46 |
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The Littlest Drop
by
4.38 avg rating — 343 ratings
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| 47 |
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Hurricane
by
4.37 avg rating — 252 ratings
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| 48 |
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Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem
by
4.47 avg rating — 138 ratings
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| 49 |
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Old Blue Is My Home
by
4.46 avg rating — 213 ratings
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| 50 |
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Can You Imagine?: The Art and Life of Yoko Ono
by
4.52 avg rating — 141 ratings
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| 51 |
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Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum
by
4.38 avg rating — 162 ratings
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| 52 |
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A Gift of Dust: How Saharan Plumes Feed the Planet
by
4.14 avg rating — 247 ratings
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| 53 |
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Home Is a Wish
by
4.11 avg rating — 227 ratings
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| 54 |
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The Wild Robot on the Island
by
4.27 avg rating — 1,061 ratings
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| 55 |
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Whales in the City
by
4.28 avg rating — 145 ratings
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| 56 |
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Good Golden Sun
by
3.53 avg rating — 257 ratings
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| 57 |
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New Shoes for Leo
by
4.22 avg rating — 122 ratings
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| 57 |
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Nunu and the Sea
by
4.17 avg rating — 178 ratings
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| 59 |
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Will the Pigeon Graduate? (Pigeon, #12)
by
4.28 avg rating — 804 ratings
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| 60 |
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Sundust: (A Caldecott Honor Book)
by
3.74 avg rating — 312 ratings
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| 60 |
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Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert
by
4.28 avg rating — 271 ratings
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| 62 |
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Mistaco: A Tale of Tragedy y Tortillas
by
4.05 avg rating — 276 ratings
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| 63 |
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Recess
by
3.82 avg rating — 265 ratings
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| 64 |
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Island Storm
by
4.20 avg rating — 405 ratings
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| 65 |
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Me and Other Bunnies
by
3.52 avg rating — 292 ratings
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| 66 |
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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 — 80 ratings
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| 67 |
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Seven Ways Through the Woods
by
4.39 avg rating — 157 ratings
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| 68 |
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The Peddler of Puddles: A Heartwarming Story About an Inventor, Friendship, and Home for Children (Ages 4-8)
by
4.18 avg rating — 268 ratings
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| 69 |
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A Knot Is Not a Tangle
by
4.29 avg rating — 153 ratings
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| 70 |
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The Polar Bear and the Ballerina
by
4.03 avg rating — 207 ratings
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| 71 |
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The Urban Owls: How Flaco and Friends Made the City Their Home
by
4.12 avg rating — 96 ratings
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| 72 |
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Moon Song (Song of the Seasons, #2)
by
4.46 avg rating — 236 ratings
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| 73 |
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Elsa's Chessboard
by
4.51 avg rating — 144 ratings
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| 74 |
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The Secret Life of a Sea Turtle
by
4.35 avg rating — 178 ratings
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| 75 |
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Faith Takes the Train: A Picture Book About Kindness and Courage on a NYC Subway for Kids (Ages 4-8)
by
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 143 ratings
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| 76 |
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Hansel and Gretel
by
3.98 avg rating — 11,353 ratings
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| 77 |
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Are You a Friend of Dorothy?: The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped
by
4.55 avg rating — 215 ratings
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| 78 |
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Raven's Ribbons
by
3.98 avg rating — 138 ratings
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| 79 |
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And She Was Loved: Toni Morrison's Life in Stories
by
4.02 avg rating — 143 ratings
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| 80 |
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Words with Wings and Magic Things
by
4.16 avg rating — 256 ratings
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| 81 |
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The Gift of the Great Buffalo
by
4.15 avg rating — 229 ratings
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| 82 |
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Girls on the Rise
by
4.24 avg rating — 404 ratings
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| 83 |
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The Five Sides of Marjorie Rice: How to Discover a Shape
by
4.41 avg rating — 173 ratings
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| 83 |
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The Cave Downwind of the Café
by
4.01 avg rating — 184 ratings
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| 83 |
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Zip Zap Wickety Wack: A Story About Sharing
by
4.29 avg rating — 262 ratings
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| 83 |
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A day in the life of Russell Sprout
by
4.82 avg rating — 182 ratings
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| 87 |
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A Line Can Go Anywhere: The Brilliant, Resilient Life of Artist Ruth Asawa
by
4.23 avg rating — 132 ratings
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| 87 |
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The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake
by
4.50 avg rating — 664 ratings
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| 89 |
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Your Forest
by
4.06 avg rating — 401 ratings
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| 89 |
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How to Say Goodbye in Cuban
by
4.29 avg rating — 403 ratings
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| 91 |
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The Coziest Place on the Moon
by
4.08 avg rating — 87 ratings
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| 91 |
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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
3.71 avg rating — 42 ratings
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| 93 |
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Little Freddie Two Pants:
by
3.93 avg rating — 397 ratings
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| 93 |
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I Have Three Cats . . .
by
4.29 avg rating — 189 ratings
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| 95 |
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Dancing With Water
by
3.87 avg rating — 78 ratings
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| 95 |
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The Invisible Parade
by
3.87 avg rating — 1,603 ratings
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| 97 |
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Beacon of Hope: The Life of Barack Obama (A Big Words Book)
by
4.16 avg rating — 74 ratings
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| 98 |
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Mixed Feelings
by
3.73 avg rating — 169 ratings
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| 99 |
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BALLy the Amazing Wonderball
by
4.03 avg rating — 29 ratings
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| 100 |
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Caboose
by
3.67 avg rating — 261 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!