Rhode Island Children's Book Award
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Join the RICBA Committee
The Rhode Island Children's Book Award committee is seeking four new members to serve a three year term, 2025-2028. Prospective members should have experience working with youth in grades 3-5 and knowledge of current children's literature.
Please complete the application below by Monday, June 16. Applicants will be notified at the end of June regarding their application status for the term beginning in September 2025 and ending in June 2028. Please feel free to share this application with anyone you think may be interested.
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.
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.
Additional Reading Programs
- RI Middle School Book Award -children's choice award for youth in grades 6-8
- RI Teen Book Award - young adult choice award for teens in grades 9-12
- RI Latino Books Award - celebrated each May and promotes books by and for Latinos