This is the list of Caldecott Honor books from 1938-present. The Caldecott Medal is given annually to the illustrator of the "most distinguished American picture book for children" by the Association for Library Service to Children; runners up are given the Caldecott Honor. These books have generally stood the test of time, and most are now considered classics. There are many truly wonderful books on this list; however, some of these books contain content that will not be appropriate for all readers.
View the Caldecott Medal winners here.
0-A
1 is One by Tasha Tudor (1957)
The Ageless Story by Lauren Ford (1940)
Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin (2023)
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni (1970)
All Around the Town by Phyllis McGinley, illustrated by Helen Stone (1949)
All Falling Down by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (1952)
All in the Morning Early by Sorche Nic Leodhas, illustrated by Evaline Ness (1964)
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee (2010)
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal (2019)
Alphabatics by Suse MacDonald (1987)
Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson (1996)
The Amazing Bone by William Steig (1977)
An American ABC by Maud & Miska Petersham (1942)
America's Ethan Allen by Stewart Holbrook, illustrated by Lynd Ward (1950)
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott (1973)
Anatole by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone (1957)
Anatole and the Cat by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone (1958)
Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty (1939)
The Angry Moon by William Sleator, illustrated by Blair Lent (1971)
Ape in a Cape: An Alphabet of Odd Animals by Fritz Eichenberg (1953)
April's Kittens by Clare Turlay Newberry (1941)
B
Bambino the Clown by Georges Schreiber (1948)
Barkis by Clare Turlay Newberry (1939)
Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss (1950)
Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (2020)
Bear Party by William Pène du Bois (1952)
Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora (1980)
Berry Song by Michaela Goade (2023)
Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper (2018)
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin (2019)
Bill Peet: An Autobiography by Bill Peet (1990)
Blackout by John Rocco (2012)
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1949)
Boats on the River by Marjorie Flack, illustrated by Jay Hyde Barnum (1947)
Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli (1955)
The Boy of the Three-Year Nap by Diane Snyder, illustrated by Allen Say (1989)
The Bremen-Town Musicians by Ilse Plume (1981)
C
Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer, illustrated by Christopher Bing (2001)
Castle by David Macaulay (1978)
The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham & Karim Shamsi-Basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu (2021)
Cathedral by David Macaulay (1974)
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams (1983)
A Child's Calendar by John Updike, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (2000)
A Child's Good Night Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Jean Charlot (1944)
Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy, illustrated by Janelle Washington (2023)
The Christmas Anna Angel by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Kate Seredy (1945)
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin (2001)
Cock-a-Doodle Doo by Berta & Elmer Hader (1940)
Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert (1990)
Coming on Home Soon by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (2005)
The Contest by Nonny Hogrogian (1977)
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (2009)
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown (2013)
Crow Boy by Taro Yashima (1956)
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James (2018)
D
Dash and Dart by Mary & Conrad Buff (1943)
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier (2011)
The Day We Saw the Sun Come Up by Alice E. Goudey, illustrated by Adrienne Adams (1962)
The Desert is Theirs by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall (1976)
Dick Whittington and His Cat by Marcia Brown (1951)
A Different Pond by Bao Phi, illustrated by Thi Bui (2018)
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick (2002)
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems (2004)
Double Bass Blues by Andrea J. Loney, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez (2020)
Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis (2017)
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney (1999)
E
Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine (2004)
The Emperor and the Kite by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Ed Young (1968)
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2013)
F
The Faithful Friend by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Brian Pinkney (1996)
Feather Mountain by Elizabeth Olds (1952)
First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (2008)
Fish for Supper by M. B. Goffstein (1977)
Fish in the Air by Kurt Wiese (1949)
Five Little Monkeys by Juliet Kepes (1953)
Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle (2014)
Fly High, Fly Low by Don Freeman (1958)
The Forest Pool by Laura Adams Armer (1939)
Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Helen Dean Fish, illustrated by Robert Lawson (1938)
Fox Went out on a Chilly Night: An Old Song by Peter Spier (1962)
Frederick by Leo Lionni (1968)
Free Fall by David Wiesner (1989)
Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (2017)
Freight Train by Donald Crews (1979)
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel (1971)
G
The Garden Of Abdul Gasazi by Chris Van Allsburg (1980)
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart illustrated by David Small (1998)
Gillespie and the Guards by Benjamin Elkin, illustrated by James Daugherty (1957)
Goggles! by Ezra Jack Keats (1970)
Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Daniel Minter (2020)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall (1989)
The Golem: A Jewish Legend by Beverly Brodsky McDermott (1977)
Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans (2007)
Good-Luck Horse by Chih-Yi Chan, illustrated by Plato Chan (1944)
Grand Canyon by Jason Chin (2018)
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (2012)
The Graphic Alphabet by David Pelletier (1997)
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (2013)
Green Eyes by A. Birnbaum (1954)
The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher by Molly Bang (1981)
H
Hansel and Gretel by Rika Lesser, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (1985)
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Marc Simont (1950)
Harlem by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Christopher Myers (1998)
Have You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn Harris (2022)
Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri (1985)
Hawk, I'm Your Brother by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall (1977)
Henry Fisherman by Marcia Brown (1950)
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2008)
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (1990)
Hide and Seek Fog by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin (1966)
Hildilid's Night by Cheli Durán Ryan, illustrated by Arnold Lobel (1972)
Hondo & Fabian by Peter McCarty (2003)
Hosie's Alphabet by Hosea, Tobias & Lisa Baskin, illustrated by Leonard Baskin (1973)
Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman (2006)
The House that Jack Built: La Maison Que Jacques A Batie by Antonio Frasconi (1959)
Houses from the Sea by Alice E. Goudey, illustrated by Adrienne Adams (1960)
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz (2009)
Hush! A Thai Lullaby by Minfong Ho, illustrated by Holly Meade (1997)
I
If All the Seas Were One Sea by Janina Domanska (1972)
If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss (1951)
In the Forest by Marie Hall Ets (1945)
In My Mother's House by Ann Nolan Clark, illustrated by Velino Herrera (1942)
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (1971)
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming (1994)
Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni (1961)
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (2011)
It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach (1978)
J
Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book by Muriel Feelings, illustrated by Tom Feelings (1975)
John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (1995)
Journey by Aaron Becker (2014)
Journey Cake, Ho! by Ruth Sawyer, illustrated by Robert McCloskey (1954)
Juanita by Leo Politi (1949)
The Judge: An Untrue Tale by Harve Zemach, illustrated by Margot Zemach (1970)
Just Me by Marie Hall Ets (1966)
K
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood (1986)
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise (2023)
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. (2005)
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems (2008)
L
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson (2016)
Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol (2017)
Lion by William Pène du Bois (1957)
Little Bear's Visit by Else H. Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1962)
Little Lost Lamb by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1946)
Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman (1984)
M
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans (1940)
Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry (1943)
Martin's Big Words: the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier (2002)
McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss (1948)
Me... Jane by Patrick McDonnell (2012)
Me & Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera (2021)
Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor (2022)
Mice Twice by Joseph Low (1981)
The Mighty Hunter by Berta & Elmer Hader (1944)
Mirandy and Brother Wind by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (1989)
Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book by Muriel Feelings, illustrated by Tom Feelings (1972)
The Moon Jumpers by Janice May Udry, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1960)
"More More More," Said the Baby: Three Love Stories by Vera B. Williams (1991)
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (2007)
The Most Wonderful Doll in the World by Phyllis McGinley, illustrated by Helen Stone (1951)
Mother Goose illustrated by Tasha Tudor (1945)
Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes illustrated by Philip Reed (1964)
Mr. Penny's Race Horse by Marie Hall Ets (1957)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1963)
Mr. T. W. Anthony Woo by Marie Hall Ets (1952)
Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner (2014)
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe (1988)
My Mother is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Becky Reyher, illustrated by Ruth Gannett (1946)
N
Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo (2015)
No, David! by David Shannon (1999)
Noah's Ark by Jerry Pinkney (2003)
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary GrandPré (2015)
Nothing At All by Wanda Gág (1942)
O
Olivia by Ian Falconer (2001)
On Market Street by Arnold Lobel, illustrated by Anita Lobel (1982)
One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small (2013)
One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey (1953)
One Wide River to Cross by Barbara Emberley, illustrated by Ed Emberley (1967)
Outside In by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Cindy Derby (2021)
Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak (1982)
Owen by Kevin Henkes (1994)
P
Paddle-To-The-Sea by Holling C. Holling (1942)
The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey (1997)
Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street by Leo Politi (1947)
Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone, illustrated by Ted Lewin (1994)
Pierre Pidgeon by Lee Kingman, illustrated by Arnold E. Bare (1944)
A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Noa Denmon (2021)
Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets (1956)
A Pocketful of Cricket by Rebecca Caudill, illustrated by Evaline Ness (1965)
Pop Corn & Ma Goodness by Edna Mitchell Preston, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker (1970)
Puss in Boots by Malcolm Arthur, illustrated by Fred Marcellino (1991)
Puss in Boots by Marcia Brown (1953)
R
Rain Drop Splash by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard (1947)
Rain Makes Applesauce by Julian Scheer, illustrated by Marvin Bileck (1965)
Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott (1994)
The Red Book by Barbara Lehman (2005)
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (2010)
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (1986)
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (2015)
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet (2009)
Roger and the Fox by Lavinia R. Davis, illustrated by Hildegard Woodward (1948)
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier (2006)
The Rough Patch by Brian Lies (2019)
Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky (1987)
S
Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (2015)
Seashore Story by Taro Yashima (1968)
Sector 7 by David Wiesner (2000)
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young (1993)
Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale by Boris Artzybasheff (1938)
Sing in Praise: A Collection of the Best Loved Hymns by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Marjorie Torrey (1947)
Sing Mother Goose by Opal Wheeler, illustrated by Marjorie Torrey (1946)
Skipper John's Cook by Marcia Brown (1952)
Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (2013)
Small Rain: Verses From The Bible by Jessie Orton Jones, illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones (1944)
Snow by Uri Shulevitz (1999)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Wanda Gág (1939)
Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs by Randall Jarrell, illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert (1973)
Song of Robin Hood by Anne Malcolmson, illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton (1948)
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beckie Prange (2006)
The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi (2003)
Starry Messenger by Peter Sís (1997)
The Steadfast Tin Soldier by M. R. James, illustrated by Marcia Brown (1954)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith (1993)
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown (1948)
The Storm Book by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham (1953)
The Story of Jumping Mouse: A Native American Legend by John Steptoe (1985)
The Stray Dog by Marc Simont (2002)
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola (1976)
The Sun is a Golden Earring by Natalia M. Belting, illustrated by Bernarda Bryson (1963)
Swamp Angel by Anne Issacs, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky (1995)
Swimmy by Leo Lionni (1964)
T
T-Bone, the Baby Sitter by Clare Turlay Newberry (1951)
The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (1990)
Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold (1992)
Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang (1984)
Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (2019)
The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh, illustrated by Helen Sewell (1955)
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback (1998)
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel (2017)
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki (2015)
Three Jovial Huntsmen by Susan Jeffers (1974)
Thy Friend, Obadiah by Brinton Turkle (1970)
Tibet Through the Red Box by Peter Sís (1999)
Time Flies by Eric Rohmann (1995)
Timothy Turtle by Al Graham, illustrated by Tony Palazzo (1947)
Tom Tit Tot by Evaline Ness (1966)
Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens (1996)
The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz (1980)
Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier (2016)
Truck by Donald Crews (1981)
The Two Reds by Will, illustrated by Nicolas (1951)
U
The Ugly Duckling by Jerry Pinkney (2000)
Umbrella by Taro Yashima (1959)
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (2022)
V
A Very Special House by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1954)
The Village of Round and Square Houses by Ann Grifalconi (1987)
A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard, illustrated by Alice & Martin Provensen (1982)
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales (2015)
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Ekua Holmes (2016)
W
Waiting by Kevin Henkes (2016)
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís (2008)
The Wave by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Blair Lent (1965)
The Way to Start a Day by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall (1979)
Wee Gillis by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson (1939)
What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page (2004)
What Do You Say, Dear? by Sesyle Joslin, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (1959)
Wheel On The Chimney by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Tibor Gergely (1955)
When Clay Sings by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Tom Bahti (1973)
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Diane Goode (1983)
When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang (2000)
When Will the World Be Mine? by Miriam Schlein, illustrated by Jean Charlot (1954)
Where the Buffaloes Begin by Olaf Baker, illustrated by Stephen Gammell (1982)
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky by Elphinstone Dayrell, illustrated by Blair Lent (1969)
The Wild Birthday Cake by Lavinia R. Davis, illustrated by Hildegard Woodward (1950)
Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer (2022)
Working Cotton by Sherley Anne Williams, illustrated by Carole Byard (1993)
Y
Yo! Yes? by Richard Jackson, illustrated by Chris Raschka (1994)
Yonie Wondernose by Marguerite de Angeli (1945)
You Can Write Chinese by Kurt Wiese (1946)
Z
Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth (2006)
Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin by Lloyd Moss, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (1996)