2023 North Carolina Children's Book Award Nominees

The North Carolina Children's Book Award program is a children's choice program designed to introduce children to current children's literature and to instill a love of reading. The award is sponsored by the North Carolina Library Association's Youth Services Section and supported by school and public librarians across the state.

NCCBA website

Updated December 7, 2022
D
Davidson County Public Library
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Amari and the night brothers
Alston, B. B.
Paper Book
Stand-alone Big Mouth galley mailing to 150 librarians, teachers, and other national tastemakers Extensive advertising in school and library media, such as School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and Booklist Launch and Lead promotion at virtual...
Willodeen
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author of Odder and The One and Only Ivan, a heartfelt story about a girl named Willodeen who risks everything to help a magical, endangered creature. The earth is old and we are not, and that is all you...
I'm trying to love garbage
Barton, Bethany 1982-
Paper Book
Children's Choice Award winner Bethany Barton explores the history and future of garbage with tons of humor, fascinating information, and entertaining illustrations. Do you ever wonder where we put all of our garbage, who gets rid of it, or how our planet isn't a big pile of mess...
Nigel and the moon
Eady, Antwan
Paper Book
A song of frutas
Engle, Margarita
Paper Book
Una edición española Cuando visitamos a abuelo, lo ayudo a vender frutas, pregonando los nombres de cada una mientras caminamos: nuestros pasos repican como tambores, nuestras manos, cual maracas, que suenan agitan los brillantes colores de las frutas......
A place at the table
Faruqi, Saadia
Paper Book
A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom. Sixth graders Sara...
Dozens of doughnuts
Finison, Carrie
Paper Book
A generous but increasingly put-upon bear makes batch after batch of doughnuts for her woodland friends without saving any for herself in this delightful debut picture book about counting, sharing, and being a good friend. LouAnn (a bear) is making a doughnut feast in preparation...
The boy who grew a forest : the true story of Jadav Payeng
Gholz, Sophia M.
Paper Book
Florida Book Award Gold Winner Recipient of the 2019 Eureka! Honors Award Winner -Best of 2019 Kids Books - Most Inspiring Category As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So...
How to build an insect
Gibson, Roberta Lynn 1959-
Paper Book
See what the buzz is about in this fresh, fun look at insect anatomy. Let's build an insect! In the pages of this book, you'll find a workshop filled with everything you need, including a head, a thorax, an abdomen, and much more. Written by entomologist Roberta Gibson and...
Unplugged
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unteachables, Gordon Korman, comes a hilarious middle grade novel about a group of kids forced to "unplug" at a wellness camp--where they instead find intrigue, adventure, and a whole lot of chaos. Perfect for fans of Korman's...
Mars! : earthlings welcome
McAnulty, Stacy
Paper Book
From writer Stacy McAnulty and illustrator Stevie Lewis, Mars! Earthlings Welcome is a light-hearted nonfiction picture book about the red planet--told from the perspective of Mars himself... Meet Mars! The red planet. Planet Marvelous. Favorite sibling of Earth (or so...
A wolf called Wander
Parry, Rosanne
Paper Book
Launch and lead promotion at School & Library conferences Extensive galley distribution including: stand-along Big Mouth mailing sent before ALA Midwinter plus giveaways at all conference and preview events Digital Discussion Guide Social media campaign on...
The box turtle
Roeder, Vanessa
Paper Book
An irresistibly cute story about finding the confidence to be yourself, starring a turtle in search of the perfect shell. Terrance the turtle was born without a shell, so he uses a cardboard box instead. Terrance loves his box. It keeps him dry on soggy days, safe from snooping...
Clean getaway
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone comes a timely middle-grade road-trip story through landmarks of the Civil Rights movement and the map they lay for contemporary race relations. How to Go on an Unplanned Road Trip with Your Grandma: Grab a...
Except Antarctica!
Sturgell, Todd
Paper Book
Turtles are found on every continent EXCEPT Antarctica. But not for long! Follow along as a rogue group of determined animals embark on an adventure (and defy their flustered narrator in the process) in this funny animal picture book for kids! When the narrator explains that turtles are...
Skunk and Badger
Timberlake, Amy
Paper Book
A Best Book of 2020: People * Kirkus Reviews * Booklist  * School Library Journal * Publishers Weekly * Shelf Awareness for Readers * New York Public Library * Chicago Public Library * Evanston...
Katie the catsitter
Venable, Colleen A. F.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * The first book of a purr-fectly irresistible graphic novel series about friendship, superheroes, and cats--lots of cats! "Readers will revel in the heroic antics."--The New York Times "Ideal for readers seeking the whimsy of Dav...
Watercress
Wang, Andrea
Paper Book
Caldecott Medal Winner Newbery Honor Book APALA Award Winner A story about the power of sharing memories--including the painful ones--and the way our heritage stays with and shapes us, even when we don't see it. While driving through Ohio in an old...

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