Curated Best Children’s Book Lists of 2018!
“Like Snow” 
Suppose we did our work
Like the snow, quietly, quietly,
Leaving nothing out.
-Wendell Berry, Leavings, 2009
During this period of long nights, short days, and cold frosts in the Northern Hemisphere, we share some of our favorite year-end lists of best books for children. Perhaps these books will help personalize a holiday gift selection. Perhaps these books will guide you towards a new classroom library purchase. Perhaps, one of these books will be just the book that you need to curl up with during a quiet winter evening.
We’ll see you back here on Monday, January 7th with a regular posting. Until then, we hope that you have a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Thank you for all that you do in the reading lives of children.
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Fondly,
Mary Ann, Katie, Grace, and Erika
Best of 2018
Please click on each title for the full list.
A Fuse #8 31 Days of 31 Lists (12/17/18 post)
If you’re a regular SLJ Blog Roll reader, you also know that Betsy Bird is doing another “31 Days, 31 Lists” round-up of the best children’s books of 2018 on her FUSE 8 Blog. You can find the full list here; Betsy makes the links active once the blogs are posted.
100 Scope Notes – Best 20 Books of 2018 (Starting Monday, 12/17/18)
NCTE’s Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2019`
NCTE’s Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children 2019
International Literacy Association Notable Books for a Global Society
The Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature Best Books 2008
American Indians in Children’s Literature Best Books of 2018
New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Books 2018
New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2018
Kirkus Reviews: Best Middle Grade Books of 2018
Kirkus Reviews: Best Picture Books of 2018
School Library Journal: Best Picture Books of 2018
School Library Journal: Best Chapter Books of 2018
School Library Journal: Best Middle Grade Books of 2018
School Library Journal: Best Nonfiction of 2018
School Library Journal: Best Graphic Novels of 2018
School Library Journal: Best Poetry of 2018
School Library Journal Top Ten Audio Books 2018
Booklist, Editor’s Choice: Books for Youth, 2018
Booklist, Editor’s Choice: Best Audio for Youth, 2018
Publisher’s Weekly: Best Picture Books of 2018
Publisher’s Weekly: Best Middle Grade Books of 2018
NSTA: Outstanding Science Trade Books K-12 for 2018
Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Picture Books 2018
Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Middle Grade and Children’s Books 2018
The Washington Post Best Children’s Books of 2018
Filed under: Best of Lists, Book Lists
About Mary Ann Cappiello
Mary Ann is a professor of language and literacy at Lesley University. A former public school language arts and humanities teacher, she is a passionate advocate for and commentator on children’s books. Mary Ann is the co-author of Teaching with Text Sets (2013) and Teaching to Complexity (2015) and Text Sets in Action: Pathways Through Content Area Literacy (Stenhouse, 2021). She has been a guest on public radio and a consultant to public television. From 2015-2018, Mary Ann was a member of the National Council of Teachers of English's Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction (K-8) Committee, serving two years as chair.
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