Books for Kids
As a parent, you know your child best. Getting them to read can be tricky, but it is easier when you pick books that are about their interests or the type of books they like. Use the links below to see PDFs of curated lists of books, with title and authors.
Find picture books by subject
- Adoption
- Bedtime
- Books on DVD
- Books that Rhyme
- Dress-Up
- Fairy, Folk, and Tall Tales
- Families
- Go Go Go!
- Grief
- Grandparents
- I Like Dirt, Monsters and Slime!
- I Like Sparkles, Dancing, and Mermaids!
- Manners
- New Baby
- People in Your Neighborhood
- Pets
- Seasons
- Sports
- Time for a Check Up
- Tolerance and Acceptance
- Wordless Books
Find books for specific age groups
- Infants and Toddlers
- Preschool
- Kindergarten and 1st Grade
- 1st and 2nd Grades
- 2nd and 3rd Grades
- 3rd and 4th Grades
- 4th and 5th Grades
- 5th and 6th Grades
- 7th and 8th Grades
State and national book awards
State awards
State of Illinois' Awards include the Monarch Award for Kindergarten to 3rd grade, the Bluestem Award for 3rd to 5th grades, the Rebecca Caudill Award for 4th to 8th grades, and the Abraham Lincoln Award for high school literature.
Learn about how your kids can participate in our reading clubs for these awards.
- Monarch Award Nominees 2020
- Monarch Award 2019 Winner: Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds
- Bluestem Award Nominees 2020
- Bluestem Award 2019 Winner: Wish by Barbara O'Connor
- Rebecca Caudill Award Nominees 2020
- Rebecca Caudill Award 2019 Winner: Ghost by Jason Reynolds
- Abraham Lincoln Award Nominees 2020
- Abraham Lincoln Award 2019 Winner: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
National Awards
National Awards vary in purpose, from excellence in illustration to books that honor the best and brightest authors of specific heritages. You can find more about each of these awards and their winners by clicking on the links below.
- Coretta Scott King Award: Presented annually to African American authors and illustrators whose books promote an understanding and appreciation of the “American Dream.”
- John Newberry Award: Awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
- Children's Literature Legacy Award: Awarded every two years to an author or illustrator whose books have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature. Formerly Laura Ingalls Wilder Metal.
- Michael L. Printz Award: Given to a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
- Odyssey Award: Honors the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults.
- Pura Belpre Award: Honors Latinx writers and illustrators whose works best exemplify authentic cultural experiences in children's works of literature.
- Randolph Caldecott Medal: Awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
- Theordore Geisel Seuss Award: Given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year.