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Rhode Island Children's Book Award

 

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RICBA Book Sets

The Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS) in partnership with the RI Center for the Book (RICfB) is offering book sets of the 2026 RI Children Book Award nominees to school libraries planning to participate in voting for the 2026 award in March - April 2026. Due to the limited number of book sets available, OLIS and RICfB may not be able to fulfill all requests and priority will be given to school libraries that demonstrate need. 

Book sets are only available to school libraries, and the application may only be submitted by a school librarian. If your school does not have a librarian and you wish to apply on behalf of your school, please contact Danielle Margarida. If your library received a set of 2025 RICBA nominees and your school did not participate in 2025 voting you are not eligible to apply for a 2026 book set.

School libraries that accept and receive a book set are required to conduct RICBA voting at their school March - April 2026 and must submit the voting results to OLIS by the April voting deadline. Failure to participate in voting will exclude a school library from receiving a book set in future years.

Please submit your application online by Monday, September 8. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance status by September 15. Book sets will be shipped to schools early October.

School librarians can apply here August 18-September 8.

Please contact Danielle Margarida with any questions.

2025 Winner and 2026 Nominees

The 2025 Rhode Island Children's Book Award winner is The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran, illustrated by Michelle Pereira. This year 8,774 students from 103 schools and public libraries voted for their favorite 2025 nominee. Check out the Award Winners and Nominees page for more details, including the breakdown of votes and the list of 2026 nominees.

RI Childrens Book Award

About

Beginning in 2018, children in grades 3 to 5 have the opportunity to vote on their favorite book from a ballot of 20 selections nominated for the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award by a panel of librarians, reading specialists and teachers. Children vote as part of their class or with their local public library. The award began in 1990 as a joint project of the Rhode Island State Council of the International Reading Association, the Rhode Island Library Association, and the Rhode Island Educational Media Association, under the coordination of the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services. Today, the Rhode Island Children's Book Award is co-sponsored by the School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI), the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA), and the Rhode Island Center for the Book at the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICFB), and is advised by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS).Three public youth services librarians, three members of SLRI, and three members of RICFB are each chosen to each serve three year terms on the committee.

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