Children’s Book Committee
The Children’s Book Committee (CBC) was founded more than 100 years ago to help parents, teachers, and librarians choose the books that children will find captivating and transforming. Every year it produces comprehensive annotated book lists for children aged infant through 18.
Our Mission
The CBC reviews over 6000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children. It chooses the best 600 books, both fiction and nonfiction, which it lists with annotations according to age and category.
The Children’s Book Committee strives to guide librarians, educators, parents, grandparents, and other interested adults to the best books for children published each year. The list includes more than 600 titles chosen by reviewers for literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes.
To contact us, please email bookcom@bankstreet.edu.
Children's Book Committee November Pick
A young space traveler explores a post-ecological-disaster earth and discovers a time capsule with a viewfinder showing scenes from the planet’s past. Dreamlike digital painted artwork. Graphic format.
Our Young Reviewer Says:
“The book was told entirely by illustrations, which I enjoyed because of the thought the artist/author put into each picture. The characters’ expressions, the wonderful colors, and the details in the background (and foreground!) of each illustration were intriguing. For that reason, although I could have flipped through the book quickly to get the gist, I loved looking at each picture. I appreciate how well the story was told through art.
The main character, a young explorer, is endearing and lovable. I enjoyed watching as her curiosity and eagerness for discovery led her to unique places, and to solving mysteries. Near the beginning, her longing for a discovery occasionally had tones of desperation/sadness, but as she learned more during her explorations, she found contentment/fulfillment.”
–Sarah, age 16, Eastchester, NY.