Looking for great books to add to your classroom library or to launch a new lesson plan? This list of 2022 award-winning books for kids is a great place to start. Find diverse characters and stories, stunning artwork, and even an award-winning audiobook below.
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Newbery Medal Winner:
The Last Cuentista, written by Donna Barba Higuera
About the Award: Named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. This award is given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
About the Book: The Last Cuentista is a mesmerizing science fiction tale for the ages, sprinkled with Mexican folklore. Petra Penaâs journey through space and time is a stunning reminder of the power of stories and how those stories shape both our past and future.
Caldecott Medal Winner:
Watercress, written by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin
About the Award: Named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. This award is given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of ALA, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
About the Book: A moving autobiographical story of a child of immigrants discovering and connecting with her heritage. Chinâs illustrations are in an entirely new style, inspired by Chinese painting techniques.
Coretta Scott King Award Winner:
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper
About the Award: Given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
About the Book: A powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nationâs history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsaâs Greenwood district and follows the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community.
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Michael L. Printz Award Winner:
Firekeeperâs Daughter, written by Angeline Boulley
About the Award: Named for a Topeka, Kansas, school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. Award given for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
About the Book: Eighteen-year-old Daunisâs mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths.
National Book Award Winner (Young Peopleâs Literature):
Last Night at the Telegraph Club, written by Malinda Lo
About the Award: The National Book Awards were established in 1950 to celebrate the best writing in America. Since 1989, they have been overseen by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture.
About the Book: Seventeen-year-old Lily Huâs feelings for classmate Kathleen Miller under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her fatherâdespite his hard-won citizenshipâLily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
Batchelder Award Winner:
Temple Alley Summer, written by Sachiko Kashiwaba
About the Award: This award is given to a United States publisher for a childrenâs book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originating in a country other than the United States, in a language other than English, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States.
About the Book: A fantastical and mysterious adventure filled with the living dead, a magical pearl, and a suspiciously nosy black cat named Kiriko.
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner:
Honeybee, written by
About the Award: Established by the Association for Library Service to Children in 2001, this award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois, and is sponsored by the company. ALSC administers the award.
About the Book: The life cycle of a worker honeybee, including the many roles she plays within her colony, unfold alongside detailed, closeup illustrations.
Geisel Award Winner:
Fox at Night, written by Corey R. Tabor
About the Award: Given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. Must be published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
About the Book: Fox is up late in the night. There are shadows and noises everywhere. Fox is sure the night is full of monsters! Then he meets the real creatures of the night and realizes they are not so scary after all.
Odyssey Award Winner:
Boogie Boogie, Yâall, written and narrated by C. G. Esperanza
About the Award: Given to the producer of the best audiobook made for children and/or young adults. Must be available in English in the United States.
About the Book: A celebratory ode to graffiti and the Boogie Down Bronx through an infectious read-aloud beat and colorful illustrations that leap right off the page!
William C. Morris Award Winner:
Firekeeperâs Daughter, written by Angeline Boulley
About the Award: Given to a debut author who demonstrates an âimpressive new voiceâ in young adult literature.
About the Book: Eighteen-year-old Daunisâs mixed heritage has always made her feel like an outsider, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. When she witnesses a shocking murder, she reluctantly agrees to be part of a covert FBI operation into a series of drug-related deaths.
Pura Belpré Award Winner:
ÂĄVamos! Letâs Cross the Bridge , illustrated and written by RaĂșl Gonzalez
About the Award: Named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. Award presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. Co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the ALA, and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.
About the Book: Little Lobo and Bernabé are back in this joyful story about coming together and celebrating community.
Schneider Family Book Award:
My City Speaks, written by Darren Lebeuf , illustrated by Ashley Barro
About the Award: Awarded to honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Given by the American Library Association.
About the Book: A young girl, who is visually impaired, finds much to celebrate as she explores the city she loves.
New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Childrenâs Books Winner:
I Am the Subway, written and illustrated by Kim Hyo-eun
About the Award: This is only one of the ten books featured in this list that has been created annually since 1952. Three expert judges select the 10 winners purely on the basis of artistic merit.
About the Book: Accompanied by the constant, rumbling ba-dum ba-dum of its passage through the city, the subway has stories to tell. Between sunrise and sunset, it welcomes and farewells people, and holds themâalong with their joys, hopes, fears, and memoriesâin its embrace.
Which of these award-winning kids books are you most looking forward to sharing with your class? Share in the comments below.
Also, check out our best books for the classroom, by grade and subject.
