Bank Street College Announces 2025 Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award Winners and New Board Book List

New York, NY, February 28, 2025—The Children’s Book Committee (CBC) at Bank Street College of Education and School Library Journal announced today that Below the Ice by Michaël Escoffier, illustrated by Ella Charbon and We All Play by Julie Flett are the gold medal winners of the 2025 Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award for excellence in literature for very young children. A silver medal was awarded to Is That the Bus? by Libby Koponen, illustrated by Katie Mazeika. This prize recognizes outstanding board books published—or picture books adapted to board book format—in 2023 or 2024 for children ages 0-3.

The CBC evaluated hundreds of board books as part of its annual review process for its Best Children’s Books of the Year lists in 2023 and 2024 and recommended 16 titles to a distinguished jury. The jurors included Dr. Perri Klass, National Medical Director, Reach Out and Read; Leonard S. Marcus, children’s literature historian, author, and critic; Dr. Mark Nagasawa, Director, Straus Center for Young Children & Families, Bank Street College of Education; Betsy Groban, reporter for The Boston Globe and Publishers Weekly; Dr. Ofelia García Otheguy, Professor Emerita, The Graduate Center, City University of New York; and Rachel Payne, Coordinator, Early Childhood Services, Brooklyn Public Library, and Columnist, Horn Book Magazine. 

“Julie Flett’s We All Play is a wonderful celebration of playtime and the connection between children and the natural world. Children will enjoy practicing the list of animals in the Cree language. Sweet illustrations of young animals and children are depicted in warm tones,” said Mary Anne Wolpert, a member of the Children’s Book Committee and of the Centre for Research in Children's Literature at the University of Cambridge. “In Michaël Escoffier’s Below the Ice, a little fish and her would-be captor fight for control with the help of some friends. There is a hilarious twist at the end. Ella Charbon’s humorous illustrations are supported by the landscape format.”

Wolpert said of this year’s silver medalist, Is That the Bus? by Libby Koponen with illustrations by Katie Mazeika, “Anticipation builds as a younger sibling waits impatiently for an older one. Mazeika’s illustrations of a variety of vehicles will appeal to transport-loving toddlers.”

“Among so many jewels, it was difficult to select one that met the criteria that had been set out. The criteria guide, established by the Center for Children’s Literature, was important for me individually as a reader... But more important was the exchange of information from members of the committee with such different experiences,” said Dr. Ofelia García. “Hearing a pediatrician, a librarian, a preschool teacher, a book historian and a children’s book journalist was particularly enlightening. It was clear that we all had our own lenses... but we were able to articulate our positions with respect for each other, and also passion. I believe we came to a decision that accommodated all our different perspectives.”

As part of the selection process, teachers and young children in the Bank Street Family Center read copies of the nominated books and gave their feedback to the jury. Jeanette Corey, Director, Bank Street Family Center, stated, “We were delighted to share our insights with such an illustrious group of judges. Our teachers read the books to the children and made them available in their classrooms for the children to look through on their own. We all took extensive notes as we observed them interacting with and responding to the work. Our students had clear favorites.” 

"The Children’s Book Committee believes that engagement with high-quality board books and literature for babies and toddlers is important for numerous reasons, from providing stimulation in support of brain development to bonding infants and adults,” said Dr. Cynthia Weill, Director, Bank Street Center for Children’s Literature. “Board books are a cornerstone for developing early literacy skills, as well as independence and confidence in young children as readers."

With this award, the committee honors former Bank Street student and author Margaret Wise Brown's contributions to the canon of children's literature, which include classics like Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, as well as over 100 other books.

In addition to the prize announcement, the CBC presented its Best Board Book List 2025 featuring high-quality works published in 2023 and 2024. 

Publishers are invited to send board books for review to the Children’s Book Committee, Bank Street College of Education, 610 West 112th Street, New York, NY 10025. Board books published or picture books adapted to board book format in 2025 must be received by November 1 of this year to be considered for the 2027 Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award and the 2026 Best Children’s Books of the Year list. 

About the Children’s Book Committee

The Children’s Book Committee (CBC) was founded more than 100 years ago to help parents, teachers, and librarians choose the books that children will find captivating and transforming. Every year it produces comprehensive annotated book lists for children aged infant through 18. The CBC reviews over 6,000 titles each year for accuracy and literary quality and considers their emotional impact on children. It chooses the best 600 books, both fiction and nonfiction, which it lists with annotations according to age and category. The CBC’s Searchable Best Books List is available at apps.bankstreet.edu/cbc.

The Children’s Book Committee strives to guide librarians, educators, parents, grandparents, and other interested adults to the best books for children published each year. It also awards annual literary prizes in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. To learn more, visit bankstreet.edu/childrens-book-committee.

About Bank Street College of Education

Bank Street College of Education is a recognized leader in early childhood education, teacher and leader preparation, and the development of innovative practice in school systems across the country. For one hundred years, Bank Street’s focus has been improving the education of children and their teachers by applying to the education process all available knowledge about learning and growth, and by connecting teaching and learning meaningfully to the outside world. Learn more about Bank Street’s Children’s Programs, Graduate School of Education, and the Bank Street Education Center at bankstreet.edu.