2024 Children’s Book Award Nominees

The OTTER Award

This Washington State award is given yearly to a transitional chapter book for all students in grades K-5.

• Aven Green, Sleuthing Machine by Dusti Bowling
• Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington
• Blast Off! by Andrea J. Loney
• Awesome Orange Birthday by Mitali Banerjee
• My Kingdom of Darkness by Susan Tan
• The Underdogs by Tracey West

Sasquatch Book Award

This Washington State kids’ choice award is given yearly to a 4th-6th grade chapter book.   

• Barakah Beats by Maleeha Siddiqui
• Battle Dragons City of Thieves by Alex London
• Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom by M. Swanson & R. Behr
• The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung
• Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera
• Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzales
• The Great Pet Heist by Emily Ecton
• The Insiders by Mark Oshiro
• A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
• Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing
• Playing the Cards by Varian Johnson
• Starfish by Lisa Fipps

The William C. Towner Award

This Washington State award is given yearly to an informational text for grades 2-6.

• Do Bears Poop in the Woods? by Huw Lewis Jones
• The Gardner of Alcatraz by Emma Bland Smith
• Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill by Matt Tiley
• A History of Underwear with Professor Chicken by Hannah Holt
• Killer Underwear Invasion: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories by Elise Gravel
• Lion Lights: My Invention That Made Peace With Lions by Richard Turere and Shelly Pollock
• Mega-Predators of the Past by Melissa Stewart
• Splash! Ethelda Bleibtrey Makes Waves of Change by Elisa Boxer
• The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson
• Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic by Kelly Crull

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Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award

This Washington State award is given yearly to a picture book for all students in grades K-3.

• Abdul’s Story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
• Because Claudette by Tracey Baptiste
• The Boy Who Loved Maps by Kari Allen
• Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme by Avery Monsen
• Chez Bob by Bob Shea
• Chickadee: Criminal Mastermind by Monica Silvie
• The Creature of Habit by Jennifer E. Smith
• Except Antarctica! by Todd Sturgell
• Friends are Forever by Dane Liu
• Frog vs. Toad by Ben Mantle
• Growing an Artist: The Story of a Landscaper and His Son by John Parra
• Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl Klein
• How to Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab
• Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
• Nigel and the Moon by Antwan Eady
• Powwow Day by Traci Sorrell
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett
• The Very True Legend of the Mongolian Death Worms by Sandra Fay
• A Walk in the Words by Molly Hudson Talbott
• Yoshi and the Ocean by Lindsay Moore

Young Readers Choice Award

This Pacific Northwest Library Association award is given yearly to a Junior Division chapter book for all students in grades 4-6.

• Unplugged by Gordon Korman
• Pony by R.J. Palacio
• The Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm
• Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
• Starfish by Lisa Fipps
• The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
• Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac
• The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda Foody