Awards

Starred reviews have a big problem. And it begins and ends with the 10 points in this list.

Bank Street College of Education has revealed the 2025 Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award honorees, along with the Best Board Books of the Year.

This year, the committee recognized twelve outstanding books of poetry and nine novels in verse as 2025 Notable Books. These selections emphasize inclusiveness and diversity, showcasing a wide range of experiences and perspectives.

While winning the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz awards often leads to a bump in sales and a spot on school library shelves, censorship legislation, librarians afraid of challenges, and the growing anti-diversity movement could change that this year.

The 2025 Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award went to Breanna J. McDaniel for Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. X. Fang won the Illustrator Award for We Are Definitely Human.

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. and School Library Journal have revealed the winning titles in the 2025 Children & Youth Literary Awards, which celebrate the diversity of the Black experience.

Following a devastating year of violence against children, our deepest hope is that these 40 outstanding international titles, and the words within them, can inspire bridges of understanding and peace. Download the full list here.

Author Hilary Horder Hippely's title earned the annual award given for outstanding writing in a picture book.