Book challenges and awards
Geisel Award winners, 2006 to 2024
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award goes to the best American book for beginning readers each year, awarded by the American Library Association. These are the medal winners from the first year on. Newer ones are short, in simple words, and often funny.
Winners checked against the ALA Geisel Award list and Wikipedia's summary, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas
Cynthia Rylant · Ages 5-8
Henry and Mudge spend time with grandfathers and their friends. Geisel Award 2006.
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Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways
Laura McGee Kvasnosky · Ages 5-8
Fox sisters in a short, illustrated early chapter book. Geisel Award 2007.
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There Is a Bird on Your Head!
Mo Willems · Ages 4-8
Gerald is told there are birds on his head and Piggie helps. Geisel Award 2008, with big speech bubbles and a very short word list.
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Are You Ready to Play Outside?
Mo Willems · Ages 4-8
Piggie wants to play outside; Gerald hates rain. Geisel Award 2009.
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Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!
Geoffrey Hayes · Ages 5-8
Two mouse siblings in a comic-style early reader and Geisel Award 2010 winner.
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Bink and Gollie
Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee · Ages 5-8
Two mismatched friends in three short stories, with a funny argument over socks. Geisel Award 2011.
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Tales for Very Picky Eaters
Josh Schneider · Ages 5-8
A boy and his father's food, told as a short early reader. Geisel Award 2012.
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Up, Tall and High!
Ethan Long · Ages 5-8
Birds compare how tall they are. Geisel Award 2013, with a sly punchline.
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The Watermelon Seed
Greg Pizzoli · Ages 4-8
A crocodile swallows a watermelon seed and imagines a vine growing in his stomach. Geisel Award 2014 with minimal words.
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You Are (Not) Small
Anna Kang · Ages 4-8
Two furry creatures argue about who is small and who is big. Geisel Award 2015, about perspective.
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Don't Throw It to Mo!
David A. Adler · Ages 5-8
Mo is a small boy who keeps being passed over in football and surprises everyone. Geisel Award 2016.
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We Are Growing!
Laurie Keller · Ages 5-8
Blades of grass compare how each is special. Geisel Award 2017, with jokes and puns.
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Charlie & Mouse
Laurel Snyder · Ages 5-8
Two brothers have small adventures at home. Geisel Award 2018, with a kid-sized sense of fun.
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Fox the Tiger
Corey R. Tabor · Ages 5-8
Fox wants to be a tiger. A very short beginning reader (Geisel Award 2019).
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Stop! Bot!
James Yang · Ages 5-8
A robot cleans up a mess and goes out of control. Geisel Award 2020, with 'stop' as the main word.
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See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog
David LaRochelle · Ages 5-8
A dog is mislabelled as a cat in three little stories. Geisel Award 2021, with only a few words.
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Fox at Night
Corey R. Tabor · Ages 5-8
Fox sneaks out at night to make friends. Geisel Award 2022.
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I Did It!
Michael Emberley · Ages 5-8
A short beginner reader and Geisel Award 2023 winner.
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Fox Has a Problem
Corey R. Tabor · Ages 5-8
Fox has a puzzle to solve with friends. Geisel Award 2024.
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More lists
The Elephant & Piggie books
Mo Willems wrote the Elephant & Piggie series between 2007 and 2016.
Newbery Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
The Newbery Medal goes each year to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, chosen by a committee of librarians.
Newbery Honor Books, 2023 to 2026
Honor books are the runners-up the Newbery committee also names.
Newbery Medal winners worth reading before middle school
Newbery winners go back to 1922, and many older ones feel dated.
Caldecott Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
The Caldecott Medal honors the most distinguished American picture book for children, judged on the illustrations.
Caldecott Honor Books, 2022 to 2026
Honor books are the Caldecott committee's runners-up, and many of them are the ones children ask to hear again.
Caldecott Medal winners from 1980 to 2016 that are still shelf favorites
Older Caldecott winners are the ones many families already own.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winners, 2019 to 2026
The Geisel Award goes to the best book for beginning readers each year.