Welcome to our #CYBILS2023 book feast!
Today’s book list give a nod to Thanksgiving but more broadly embrace broader themes of family, sharing, and celebration.
There are sweet picture books and savory novels. There are title foods and books about big emotions. Some served with a side of humor or fantasy, too. And, in what may be a CYBILS Awards first, two books with the exact same title!
Books on this list are being considered for the 2023 CYBILS Awards
and are currently being read by our judges.
Book covers link to Goodreads.
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All Are Welcome: Give What You Can (Step into Reading)
by Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman,(Illustrator)
The kids from All Are Welcome are working together to give back to their community. How do they do it? By gathering a team to follow a dream and lending a hand when someone is in need.
Easy Reader nominee
The kids from All Are Welcome are working together to give back to their community. How do they do it? By gathering a team to follow a dream and lending a hand when someone is in need.
Easy Reader nominee
Alma and Her Family/Alma y su familia
by Juana Martinez-Neal
Meet Alma’s family . . . in two languages! How much does little Alma love her family? She kisses her daddy, squeezes her mommy, laughs with her grandma, and . . . paints on her artist grandpa (such a good sport!)
Board Book nominee
Meet Alma’s family . . . in two languages! How much does little Alma love her family? She kisses her daddy, squeezes her mommy, laughs with her grandma, and . . . paints on her artist grandpa (such a good sport!)
Board Book nominee
Cornbread & Poppy at the Museum (Cornbread and Poppy, 3…
by Matthew Cordell
Cornbread LOVES spending time inside. Poppy does not. Cornbread ADORES in-depth research. Poppy does not. Cornbread is THRILLED to visit The Moonville Museum. Poppy…is not. But Cornbread and Poppy are the best of friends, so when Cornbread is invited to attend the Founders Gala to see the unveiling of a surprise new exhibit, Poppy agrees to be his guest. Their evening is full of spectacular treasures, including hand-carved hairbrushes, diamond-encrusted perfume sprayers, and a solid gold ice cream scoop. What other wonders will these mice discover?
Easy Reader nominee
Cornbread LOVES spending time inside. Poppy does not. Cornbread ADORES in-depth research. Poppy does not. Cornbread is THRILLED to visit The Moonville Museum. Poppy…is not. But Cornbread and Poppy are the best of friends, so when Cornbread is invited to attend the Founders Gala to see the unveiling of a surprise new exhibit, Poppy agrees to be his guest. Their evening is full of spectacular treasures, including hand-carved hairbrushes, diamond-encrusted perfume sprayers, and a solid gold ice cream scoop. What other wonders will these mice discover?
Easy Reader nominee
A Family Like Ours
Frank Murphy, Kayla Harren (Illustrator), Alice Lee
Everyone's family is unique--and good! From sprawling extended families and close-knit units to adopted and chosen families, A Family Like Ours celebrates all those important connections we build over the years. Regardless of what yours looks like, family is a place for support, safety, growth, and inspiration.
Fiction Picture Book submission
Everyone's family is unique--and good! From sprawling extended families and close-knit units to adopted and chosen families, A Family Like Ours celebrates all those important connections we build over the years. Regardless of what yours looks like, family is a place for support, safety, growth, and inspiration.
Fiction Picture Book submission
Gigi And Ojiji: Food for Thought
by Melissa Iwai
Ohayo! It’s breakfast time and Gigi can’t wait to make her favorite meal—Peanut Butter Toast. Yummy! But Ojiji doesn’t like peanut butter. How can anyone NOT like peanut butter Ojiji prefers Japanese foods—like natto, made from fermented soybeans. Will Gigi learn to love a new breakfast treat This story highlights the close relationship of Gigi and her grandfather and the importance of trying new things!
Easy Reader nominee
Ohayo! It’s breakfast time and Gigi can’t wait to make her favorite meal—Peanut Butter Toast. Yummy! But Ojiji doesn’t like peanut butter. How can anyone NOT like peanut butter Ojiji prefers Japanese foods—like natto, made from fermented soybeans. Will Gigi learn to love a new breakfast treat This story highlights the close relationship of Gigi and her grandfather and the importance of trying new things!
Easy Reader nominee
The Greatest in the World! (1) (Tater Tales)
by Ben Clanton
Rot is a mutant potato who wakes up feeling great, maybe even…the greatest in the world! But that only makes Rot’s brother Snot the grumpiest in the world. The only solution? An epic contest to prove who is the greatest once and for all, judged by the only impartial party they can find—their small fry little sister Tot. As their their rivalry spirals out of control, Rot isn't feeling so spudtacular anymore.
Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novel nominee
Rot is a mutant potato who wakes up feeling great, maybe even…the greatest in the world! But that only makes Rot’s brother Snot the grumpiest in the world. The only solution? An epic contest to prove who is the greatest once and for all, judged by the only impartial party they can find—their small fry little sister Tot. As their their rivalry spirals out of control, Rot isn't feeling so spudtacular anymore.
Elementary/Middle-Grade Graphic Novel nominee
Harvest House
by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He’s excited to take part in the fun, spooky show—until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an “Indian maiden,” a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Folklore aside, unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. As Moon rises on All Hallows Eve, will they be able to protect themselves and their community?
YA Speculative Fiction nominee
Halloween is near, and Hughie Wolfe is volunteering at a new rural attraction: Harvest House. He’s excited to take part in the fun, spooky show—until he learns that an actor playing the vengeful spirit of an “Indian maiden,” a ghost inspired by local legend, will headline. Folklore aside, unusual things have been happening at night at the crossroads near Harvest House. As Moon rises on All Hallows Eve, will they be able to protect themselves and their community?
YA Speculative Fiction nominee
My Head Has a Bellyache: And More Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups
by Chris Harris, Andrea Tsurumi (Illustrator
Chris Harris delivers "everything poetry for kids should be - and more -with dazzling new heights of creativity, kooky conundrums, witty wordsmithing, and of course, wacky laugh-out-loud fun!
There are more mind-bending verbal and visual riddles, plus there's plenty of hilarious hijinks hiding around every corner, whether it's a buffalo that escapes one poem and roams through others or a meteor threatening to land on the book and obliterate everything.
Poetry Collections nominee
Chris Harris delivers "everything poetry for kids should be - and more -with dazzling new heights of creativity, kooky conundrums, witty wordsmithing, and of course, wacky laugh-out-loud fun!
There are more mind-bending verbal and visual riddles, plus there's plenty of hilarious hijinks hiding around every corner, whether it's a buffalo that escapes one poem and roams through others or a meteor threatening to land on the book and obliterate everything.
Poetry Collections nominee
No Place Like Home
by James Bird
When home is a car, life is unpredictable. School, friends, and three meals a day aren't guaranteed. Not every town has a shelter where a family can sleep for a night or two, and places with parking lots don't welcome overnight stays. Opin, his brother Emjay, and their mother are trying to get to Los Angeles, where they hope an uncle and a new life are waiting. Then Opin finds a stray dog who needs him as much as he needs her, and his longing for a stable home intensifies. But this shelter doesn't take dogs. Will anything other than a real home ever be enough?
Middle-Grade Fiction nominee
When home is a car, life is unpredictable. School, friends, and three meals a day aren't guaranteed. Not every town has a shelter where a family can sleep for a night or two, and places with parking lots don't welcome overnight stays. Opin, his brother Emjay, and their mother are trying to get to Los Angeles, where they hope an uncle and a new life are waiting. Then Opin finds a stray dog who needs him as much as he needs her, and his longing for a stable home intensifies. But this shelter doesn't take dogs. Will anything other than a real home ever be enough?
Middle-Grade Fiction nominee
No Place Like Home
by Linh S. Nguyễn
A recent immigrant to Canada from Viet Nam, Lan is lonely in the basement apartment she shares with her dad. She misses her mom and little brother so much, and books are her only comfort. Then Lan is whisked into the pages of her latest fantasy read. She must help her new friends (and book characters) Annabelle and Marlow save their home. Now, torn between several places at once, Lan confronts an important how do you redefine a lost home?
Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction submission
A recent immigrant to Canada from Viet Nam, Lan is lonely in the basement apartment she shares with her dad. She misses her mom and little brother so much, and books are her only comfort. Then Lan is whisked into the pages of her latest fantasy read. She must help her new friends (and book characters) Annabelle and Marlow save their home. Now, torn between several places at once, Lan confronts an important how do you redefine a lost home?
Elementary/Middle-Grade Speculative Fiction submission
The Only Way to Make Bread
by Cristina Quintero, Sarah Gonzales (Illustrator)
Explore all kinds of breads, from sourdough to bannock to bao, that will tickle your taste buds and warm your heart. No matter what kind of bread YOU like to make, this book is for you!
Fiction Picture Book submission
Explore all kinds of breads, from sourdough to bannock to bao, that will tickle your taste buds and warm your heart. No matter what kind of bread YOU like to make, this book is for you!
Fiction Picture Book submission
Our Favorite Apples (Storytelling Math)
by Grace Lin
Manny, Olivia, and Mei go apple picking and sort their red, green, and yellow apples by color. But then they find an apple that’s all three colors. What should they do? A playful exploration of sorting, classifying, and friendship.
Board Book nominee
Manny, Olivia, and Mei go apple picking and sort their red, green, and yellow apples by color. But then they find an apple that’s all three colors. What should they do? A playful exploration of sorting, classifying, and friendship.
Board Book nominee
Potatoes for Pirate Pearl
by Jennifer Concepcion, Chloe Burgett (Illustrator)
Pirate Pearl and her parrot Petunia are HUNGRY, and after they make the hardtack biscuits walk the plank, they go in search of a perfect provision for their next sea voyage. Where do they end up? On Farmer Fay's potato farm! Farmer Fay shows Pirate Pearl how potatoes grow on the farm and how potatoes can be cooked into many different delicious potato recipes.
Fiction Picture Book submission
Pirate Pearl and her parrot Petunia are HUNGRY, and after they make the hardtack biscuits walk the plank, they go in search of a perfect provision for their next sea voyage. Where do they end up? On Farmer Fay's potato farm! Farmer Fay shows Pirate Pearl how potatoes grow on the farm and how potatoes can be cooked into many different delicious potato recipes.
Fiction Picture Book submission
Remembering Mom’s Kubbat Halab
Medeia Sharif, Paran Kim (Illustrator)
Bushra misses her mother, her dayik. So does her brother Sherzat. Mom used to help them with homework, read to them, and tuck them into bed at night. For Bushra, she would cook kubbat halab, perfectly golden rice-and-potato patties made without meat. No one can make kubbat halab quite like Mom, but Bushra wants to try.
Fiction Picture Book submission
Bushra misses her mother, her dayik. So does her brother Sherzat. Mom used to help them with homework, read to them, and tuck them into bed at night. For Bushra, she would cook kubbat halab, perfectly golden rice-and-potato patties made without meat. No one can make kubbat halab quite like Mom, but Bushra wants to try.
Fiction Picture Book submission
Too Much!: An Overwhelming Day
Jolene Gutiérrez, Angel Chang (Illustrator)
Sometimes everything is too much! Too loud, too bright, and all too overwhelming. Writing from her own experience with sensory processing disorder, Jolene Gutiérrez’s compassionate picture book explores the struggles of a sensorily sensitive child and how they settle themselves.
Fiction Picture Book submission
Sometimes everything is too much! Too loud, too bright, and all too overwhelming. Writing from her own experience with sensory processing disorder, Jolene Gutiérrez’s compassionate picture book explores the struggles of a sensorily sensitive child and how they settle themselves.
Fiction Picture Book submission
What to Bring
Lorna Schultz Nicholson, Ellen Rooney (Illustrator)
When a forest fire forces Malia's family to evacuate, Daddy tells her that she needs to pick small, important things. But there’s so much that Malia wants to take with her! As the pile in her room grows, and chaos swirls around her, Malia comes to realize that what is most important to her won’t fit in a backpack. Malia’s authentic voice will resonate with readers, and the book’s challenging subject matter is balanced with gentle lessons in communication, problem-solving, and family.
Fiction Picture Book submission
When a forest fire forces Malia's family to evacuate, Daddy tells her that she needs to pick small, important things. But there’s so much that Malia wants to take with her! As the pile in her room grows, and chaos swirls around her, Malia comes to realize that what is most important to her won’t fit in a backpack. Malia’s authentic voice will resonate with readers, and the book’s challenging subject matter is balanced with gentle lessons in communication, problem-solving, and family.
Fiction Picture Book submission