The Children's Book Council produces a number of reading lists for young people.
We encourage you to make copies of these materials for your classroom or personal use.
Bimonthly Showcase
Online bimonthly thematic reading lists for all ages. Both the current and archived lists are available.
Hot Off the Press
This monthly online bibliography features anticipated bestsellers, either recently published or forthcoming, published by CBC member publishers. Hot Off the Press listings include a brief summary (supplied by the publisher). Best of all, you will find out about these books here before you can find them on bookstore shelves.
The Bearemy Book Club
The Children's Book Council is pleased to work with First Book and Build-A-Bear Workshop® on Bearemy's Book Club® to encourage children of all ages to read about bears and other wonderful friends and adventures. The Book Club also gives kids a voice in reviewing and rating books for other kids.
New Poetry Books for Young People
Every year CBC member publishers publish a plethora of poetry books for young people. Here are lists, by year, of all the poetry books published by our members since 1999. Links to poetry month activities and articles about sharing poetry with young people are also included.
2008 Election Books for Young People
From the Constitution and Voting How-To's to Presidential Biographies and vital Supreme Court Decisions, these books provide a detailed and wide-ranging understanding of our electoral process and its effects on our government, society, and day-to-day lives.
As reviewed on "KidStuff"
The Children's Book Council is pleased to sponsor the children's book segment on "KidStuff" on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius 112.
Building a Home Library Bibliographies
The ALA-CBC Joint Committee, with cooperation from the ALSC's Quicklists Consulting Committee, has created four bibliographies, "Building a Home Library," to provide guidance to parents, grandparents, and others interested in assembling a high-quality library for their children at home. Librarians, educators, and others who work with families are encouraged to download and print these brochures and share them with parents, grandparents, and caregivers in their community. The bibliographies can be found on the ALSC web site.
Children's Choices
10,000 schoolchildren select their favorite books—an annual project of the International Reading Association and CBC. Publishing companies are encouraged to submit their titles to this project each year.
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
Twelve social studies educators select the best books of the year—an annual project of the National Council for the Social Studies and CBC. Publishing companies are encouraged to submit their titles to this project each year.
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12
Twelve social studies educators select the best books of the year—an annual project of the National Science Teachers Association and CBC. Publishing companies are encouraged to submit their titles to this project each year.
Outstanding International Books
Outstanding International Books 2007
Outstanding International Books 2006
2006 was the inaugural year of the Outstanding International Books project, a bibliography intended to highlight excellence in books originally published outside of the U.S. Nine children's literature experts comprise the book selection committee. The selections will be displayed at the IRA Annual Convention, and the annotated bibliography will appear in the February edition of School Library Journal.
Top Ten Out-of-Print Books readers would like reissued.
Graphic Novels for Young Readers
This list was compiled from titles submitted by CBC members and represents a wide selection of titles for classroom and home use. The list, created in November 2005 in conjunction with a program at the annual convention of the National Council of Teachers of English entitled "Graphic Novels: Not Your Father's Comic Books," includes new titles through Spring 2006. (PDF; 160KB)
Books to Grow On
Classic books for children ages 0-3, selected by the ALA-CBC Joint Committee.
75 Authors and Illustrators Everyone Should Know
Compiled by noted reading specialist Bernice E. Cullinan.
An Annotated List of Election-Related Books (PDF; 314KB)
Compiled in 2004 by the Children's Book Council.
Publishing Spanish-Language Books
Encouraging publishers of English-language books for young people to consider the value of publishing quality, well translated, Spanish-language children's books.
Choosing a Children's Book
A child's book is something special—uniquely rewarding and pleasurable. It is never too soon to introduce children to books. Here are some basic points about specific age groups to keep in mind when you are choosing a child's book.
Not Just for Children Anymore!
Compiled in 2002, the list represents only a small number of the many children's titles appropriate for adults, but these strong selections provide a solid foundation for booksellers to begin expanding their audience for children's books. For bookstore customers, the list offers a sampling of the fun, educational, thought-provoking, and artistic world of children's books available to readers of all ages.