Awards and Honors

Since its founding in 1935, Holiday House has published quality books for children and teens. Please view a comprehensive listing of awards and honors won by our books, sorted alphabetically by title.

2024 ALA Awards & Honors – Peachtree Teen’s The Spirit Bares Its Teeth Receives Stonewall Honor

2023 ALA Awards & Honors – I Did It! Named Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner!

2022 ALA Awards & Honors – Watercress Receives Caldedott Medal, Newbery Honor, APALA Award!

In the Night Garden ALA Notable Children's Book
The Story of the Saxophone Black Caucus Best Book
I’m Ogre It Best Comics & Graphic Novels for Children
Santiago! Best Comics & Graphic Novels for Children
The Fall of Whit Rivera Best Fiction for YAs
For Lamb Black Caucus Best Book Best Fiction for YAs

Excel Awards Spreadsheet

Select Awards

27 Magic Words
  • Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = Chaos
  • Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award, Oregon Library Association, 2014 WINNER
  • Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee, Elementary Division, 2014-2015
  • Nashua, NH School District Gate City Book Award Nominee, 2014-2015
  • Monarch Award Master List, Illinois' K-3 Readers' Choice Award, 2016
  • Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Nominee, Intermediate, 2016
Because They Marched
  • ALA Notable Children's Book
  • Bank Street Best Books of the Year
  • Booklist Editors' Choices, Books for Youth
  • California Reading Association, Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Honor Book
  • ILA Teachers' Choices
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Middle-Grade Nonfiction
  • NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
  • Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Honor Book
Becoming Ben Franklin
  • IRA Teachers' Choice
  • Society of School Librarians International Best Book Award
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Book
  • School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • Book Links Lasting Connections in Social Studies
  • Booklist Editors’ Choice Top of the List
  • California Reading Association Eureka! Non-fiction Children’s Honor Book
  • Booklist Top Ten Biographies for Youth
Before She was Harriet
  • A 2018 Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title
  • An NCTE Notable Poetry Book (2018)
  • A Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature (CSMCL) Best Book of 2017
  • A Booklist Editors’ Choice (2017)
  • A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book (2017)
  • Original artwork included in the 2017 Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibit (11/1/17-12/30/17)
  • 2017 EUREKA! Nonfiction Honor Award
  • NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work – Children (2018)
Bicycle Book
  • A Book Links Best Book of the Year
Birds Make Nests
  • Correll Children’s Picture Book Award
  • National Association of Science Teachers-Children's Book Council Outstanding Science Trade Book
  • Outstanding Merit Bank Street Best Children’s Books
  • Mazza Museum of Children’s Book Art Caldecott Contender Selection
Brown v. Board of Education
  • A 2017 Notable Children's Book
Christina’s Ghost
  • Winner of seven child-voted state awards!
  • Georgia Children's Book Award
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award
  • Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
  • South Carolina Children's Book Award
  • Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
  • Texas Bluebonnet Award
  • Virginia Young Readers Award
Dreamers
  • ALA Notable Children's Book, 2019
  • Amazon Best Book
  • Anna Dewdney Read Together Honor Book
  • Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
  • Boston Globe Best Book of the Year
  • Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon
  • Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year
  • Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award Honor
  • Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, 2019
  • The Horn Book Fanfare
  • Instant New York Times Bestseller
  • JCLC Author Award recipient by REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and
  • Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking
  • Junior Library Guild Selection
  • Kirkus Prize Finalist
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Book
  • National Indie Bestseller List
  • New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Book
  • NPR Best Book of the Year
  • One Book, One San Diego Selection, 2019
  • Original Art Exhibiton
  • Publishers Weekly Best Book
  • Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner, 2019
  • Read Across Texas Statewide Program
  • Salon.com Best Book of the Year
  • School Library Journal Best Book
  • Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year
  • Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, 2019
  • The Washington Post Best Book of the Year
Find a Cow Now!
  • 2012 Parents' Choice Fun Stuff™ Award
Fish Had a Wish
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of the Year
  • Kirkus Reviews Top 25 Children's Books List
Freaky Fast Frankie Joe
  • IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award
  • Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
  • Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List
  • Kansas William Allen White Award Master List
  • Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List
  • Missouri Mark Twain Readers Award Nominee
  • Nebraska Golden Sower Award, Intermediate Nominee
  • South Carolina Children's Book Award Master List
Freedom Summer
  • ALA Notable Children's Book
  • Bank Street Best Books of the Year
  • Booklist Editors' Choices, Books for Youth
  • Golden Kite Award Winner
  • NCSS-CBC Carter G. Woodson Honor Book
  • NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
  • Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book for Young Readers
Freedom Walkers
  • Freedom Walkers won the first ever Cybils Award in Nonfiction!
  • ABC Best Books for Children
  • ALA Best Book for Young Adults
  • ALA Notable Children’s Book
  • Book Links Best New Book for the Classroom
  • Carter G. Woodson Book Award, NCSS
  • CCBC Choice
  • Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
  • Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
  • Cybils Nonfiction Award Winner, MG/YA (first ever awarded)
  • Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (Bank Street College)
  • The Horn Book Fanfare List - Nonfiction
  • INDIANA Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee
  • IRA Notable Book for a Global Society
  • IRA Teachers' Choice
  • James Madison Book Award Honor Book
  • Jane Addams Peace Association Honor Book Award for Older Children
  • Junior Library Guild Premier Selection
  • Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice
  • NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens
  • NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
  • NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
  • New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
  • New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
  • Once Upon a World Book Award (Museum of Tolerance)
  • Parents' Choice Recommended
  • RHODE ISLAND Children's Book Award Nominee
  • San Francisco Chronicle Book Review Best Books of the Season
  • School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • Society of School Librarians International (SSLI) Honor Book Award
Hanukkah Bear
  • Winner of the 2013 National Jewish Children's Book Award in the category of Illustrated Children's Book Louis Posner Memorial Award.
Here in Harlem
  • ALA Best Book for Young Adults
  • ALA Notable Children’s Book
  • The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
  • Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
  • IRA Notable Book for a Global Society
  • Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice
  • New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
  • Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) Nonfiction Honor List
Jazz
  • TIME magazine’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time
  • A Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration Honor Book
  • An ALA Notable Children's Book
  • Publishers Weekly 100 Best Books of the Year
  • Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award
  • The first-ever Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
  • and many more!
Look Up!
  • Awarded an Opera Prima Honor at the Bologna Book Fair.
New Shoes
  • 2016 NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor Book for Outstanding Fiction for Children
  • 2016 NAACP Image Awards Nominee
  • 2016 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winner—Books for Younger Readers Category
Noodleheads See the Future
  • A 2018 Geisel Honor Winner!
Out of Shadows
  • 2010 Costa Children's Book Award
Pizza Mouse
  • Junior Library Guild Selection
Plants Feed Me
  • Booklist Top 10 Crafts and Gardening Book
Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World
  • Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
  • Green Earth Book Award Honor
  • IRA Teachers' Choice
  • John Burroughs Riverby Award
  • Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List
  • New York Public Library Summer Reading Challenge List, 2015
Rain Makes Applesauce
  • 1965 Caldecott Honor Book
  • The New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books
  • TIME magazine’s 100 Best Children’s Books of All Time
Roller Derby Rivals
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Information Picture Book of 2014
See Me Run
  • A 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Honor Book
Super Women
  • A 2018 NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12
The Carbon Diaries 2015
  • School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • Grand Prize Winner of the Green Book Festival!
The Cat with the Yellow Star
  • ALA Notable Children’s Book
  • IRA Notable Book for a Global Society
  • Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year
  • NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People—Selector’s Choice
  • Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
  • American Jewish Libraries Notable Book
  • New York Public Library Children’s Books 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing.
The Devil’s Intern
  • YALSA 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2014
The Dollhouse Murders
  • Winner of nine child-voted state awards!
  • Alabama Young Reader's Choice Award
  • California Young Reader Medal
  • Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award
  • Iowa Children's Choice Award
  • Missouri Mark Twain Award
  • New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
  • Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award
  • Texas Bluebonnet Award
  • Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award
The Fruits We Eat
  • An NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12
The Naked Mole-Rat Letters
  • Mark Twain Award Master List
  • Sequoyah Children’s Book Award Master List
  • Volunteer State Book Award Mast Reading List (Gr. 6-8)
  • William Allen White Children’s Book Award Master List (Gr. 6-8)
The Pumpkin Book
  • International Reading Association (IRA) IRA Teachers' Choice
  • National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)-Children's Book Council (CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children
The Safest Lie
  • Association of Children’s Librarians of Northern California (ACL) Distinguished Book
  • Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
  • A National Jewish Book Awards Finalist
The Sloppy Copy Slipup
  • A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
  • Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List
  • Garden State Children's Book Award Master List
The Word Eater
  • Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award
  • Georgia Children’s Book Award Nominee
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee
  • Minnesota Maud Hart Lovelace Award Master List
  • New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award Master List
  • Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Reading List
  • Washington Sasquatch Reading Award Nominee
The Wright Brothers
  • Newbery Honor Book
There’s a Frog in My Throat!
  • ALA Notable Children's Book
  • Bank Street Best Book of the Year
  • Booklist Editors' Choice
  • Book Links Lasting Connection
  • Cuyahoga County Public Library "Children's Books to Read and Own" Pick
Tiptoe Tapirs
  • 2016 ALA Notable's Children Book
Tomie dePaola’s The Popcorn Book
  • A Reading Rainbow Book
Tomie dePaola’s The Quicksand Book
  • An ALA Notable Book
Tugboat
  • Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year
  • Pennsylvania Center for the Book Baker’s Dozen: The Best Children’s Books for Family Literacy
  • Society of Illustrator’s Annual Show
Vietnam
  • VOYA Nonfiction Honor List
  • Booklist Best Book of the Year Youth Nonfiction
  • Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
  • School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year, Outstanding Merit
  • Patterson Prize for Books for Young People Honor Book, The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College
  • Eureka! Book Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Readers, Silver/Honor Award, California Reading Association
Wanted…Mud Blossom
  • Winner, Edgar Allan Poe Award
  • An ALA Notable Book for Children
  • Horn Book Fanfare Selection