CCBC Choices 2024 -- Primary School (ages 5-8)

The Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison compiles a yearly list of excellent books for young readers.

Showing 1 - 20 of 35  There are a total of 151 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for 365.
Notes:
Concept Books;4-7
Description:
"This unique take on a concept book will introduce young readers to numbers both big and small, and give them the tools to understand all of the time that passes by in mysterious and exciting ways each year. It takes the Earth 365 days to spin around the sun. But what does that actually look like? Find out in this fun numerical breakdown of a whole entire wonderful year!"--
Book cover for Autumn Peltier, water warrior.
Notes:
Contemporary People, Places, and Issues;5-9
Description:
"Indigenous women have always worked tirelessly to protect our water -- keeping it pure and clean for the generations to come. Yet there was a time when their voices and teachings were nearly drowned out, leaving entire communities and environments in danger and without clean water. But then came Grandma Josephine and her great-niece, Autumn. Speak for the water. Sing for the water. Dance for the water. With moving lyricism and arresting illustrations,...
Book cover for A beautiful house for birds.
Author:
Notes:
Concept Books;3-5
Description:
"Olivia wants to make a colorful birdhouse for summer. She starts painting a pattern of stripes on the roof but then oops!—messes up. Now what? Explore patterns in this playful story about creative problem-solving." --
Book cover for The book of turtles.
Notes:
Science, Technology, and the Natural World;5-9
Description:
"This tribute to one of the most diverse, fascinating, and beloved species on the planet (turtles) speaks to the diversity and wisdom of these long-lived reptiles." --
Book cover for Can I recycle this?.
Notes:
Contemporary People, Places, and Issues;7-10
Description:
"Can I Recycle This? skips over preaching and platitudes common to books on environmentalism and instead gets right to the real information that kids need. It takes readers through every step of the recycling process, from the moment that they throw an item in the bin to its journey through the recycling machinery and on its way to its new life. It gives kids the answers and resources they need to be far better informed than their parents, many of...
Book cover for Chasing the sun.
Notes:
Science, Technology, and the Natural World;5-10
Description:
"An Arctic tern can fly as many as 50,000 miles in its annual migration, and as this bird chases summer across the hemispheres, it sees more sunlight than any other living thing. In this luminous celebration of such astonishing aerial feats, author and visual artist Timothy Musso charts the migratory path of an Arctic tern family with intricately designed woodcut illustrations that propel the reader along as a partner on a most incredible journey....
Book cover for Día de Muertos números =.
Notes:
Concept Books;3-6
Description:
"Count up to ten in this bilingual picture book celebrating Día de Muertos / Day of the Dead from... author-illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh."-- Cuenta hasta diez en este libro bilingüe que celebra el Día de los Muertos.
Book cover for Darwin's super-pooping worm spectacular.
Notes:
Science, Technology, and the Natural World;4-8
Description:
"Learn the funny and fascinating story of Charles Darwin and the groundbreaking discoveries that resulted from his love of the humble worm in this hilarious, illustrated children's book." -- Publisher marketing.
Book cover for The fire of stars.
Notes:
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir;8-12
Description:
Astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne was the first person to discover what burns at the heart of stars. But she didn't start out as the groundbreaking scientist she would eventually become. She started out as a girl full of curiosity, hoping one day to unlock the mysteries of the universe. With lyrical, evocative text by Kirsten W. Larson and extraordinary illustrations by award-winning illustrator Katherine Roy, this moving biography powerfully...
Book cover for From here to there.
Notes:
Picture Books;5-8
Description:
"One day, Anna's friend Zane sends her an invitation to come over to play, and inside the envelope is a map. But why is Zane's house in the middle and Anna's on the edge? Anna decides to make her own map, and before long, Dad and even Whiskers the cat are in on the fun. From routes to scale, symbols, and points of view, join Anna and her dad as they explore the wonderful world of maps!" --
Book cover for Gertie.
Notes:
Historical People, Places, and Events;4-8
Description:
"In 1945, against the backdrop of WWII, a soon-to-be-mama duck builds a nest in a precarious spot in the city of Milwaukee. Soon, news outlets around the world are carrying the hopeful story of the plucky duck"--
Book cover for Glitter everywhere!.
Notes:
Historical People, Places, and Events;6-10
Description:
"An informative picture book about the origins and present day uses of -- and obsession with -- glitter"--
Book cover for Good books for bad children.
Notes:
The Arts;6-10
Description:
"'Ursula Nordstrom was a grown-up who never forgot what it was to be a child.' The girl who'd always loved to read would grow up to work in the Department of Books for Boys and Girls at Harper & Brothers Publishers. Soon she was editing books by Margaret Wise Brown and E. B. White, discovering new talent like John Steptoe and Maurice Sendak, and reinventing what a book for children should be. 'Children want to be seen,' she'd tell her writers. 'Not...
Book cover for Great Carrier Reef.
Notes:
Science, Technology, and the Natural World;7-10
Description:
This incredible story brings young readers along on the journey of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany—the Mighty O—as it gets stripped down to a steel shell for a new life below the waves. After 25 years of service, launching more aircraft than any other carrier of its time, the ship found a new mission as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida. The Mighty O was prepped and reefed by a team of more than 150 scientists, engineers, and technicians....
Book cover for The green piano.
Notes:
The Arts;5-8
Description:
"Growing up in a Blue Ridge mountain town, little Roberta didn't have fancy clothes or expensive toys . . . but she did have music. And she dreamed of having her own piano. When her daddy spies an old, beat-up upright piano in a junkyard, he knows he can make his daughter's dream come true. He brings it home, cleans and tunes it, and paints it a grassy green. And soon the little girl has an instrument to practice on, and a new dream to reach for--one...
Book cover for Holding her own.
Notes:
The Arts;8-12
Description:
"When Jackie Ormes sees an opportunity, she takes it. She's a journalist, cartoonist, fashionista, philanthropist, and activist -- and she wants to use her artistry to bring joy and hope to Black people everywhere. But in post-World War II America, Black people are still being denied their civil rights, and Jackie has a dilemma: How can her art remain true to her signature Jackie joy, while also staying honest about the inequalities Black people have...
Book cover for How do you spell unfair?.
Notes:
Historical People, Places, and Events;6-9
Description:
A true story of determination and groundbreaking achievement follows eighth grade African American spelling champion MacNolia Cox, who left Akron, Ohio, in 1936 to compete in the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., only to be met with prejudice and discrimination.
Book cover for Moving the Millers' Minnie Moore Mine Mansion.
Author:
Notes:
Historical People, Places, and Events;4-8
Description:
It all started when John 'Minnie' Moore built a mine in Idaho and sold it to Englishman Henry Miller. Then Henry married a local lass named Annie and built her a mansion, hence the 'Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion.' After Henry died and Annie was hoodwinked—losing all but the mansion—she and her son took to raising pigs in the yard, as some are wont to do. But the town wanted those pigs out. Who could have guessed that Annie and her crew...
Book cover for My indigo world.
Author:
Notes:
The Arts;5-9
Description:
"With lavish mixed-media art including watercolor painting and hand-dyed textiles, debut author-illustrator Rosa Chang pays tribute to the science and art of growing the indigo plant and making indigo dye. Woven throughout is a poetic tribute to the colorblue, Chang's favorite since her girlhood in Korea, and an appreciation of the indigo plant as a valued source of blue dye in cultures around the world. Informative back matter tells more about the...
Book cover for Not a monster.
Notes:
Science, Technology, and the Natural World;4-10
Description:
An axolotl may look like one, but it is certainly Not a Monster. This curious creature, made popular by Minecraft, is actually a salamander that will never lose its gills or fins. Not a Monster explores the traits of the axolotl, the Aztec origin myth about the species, and the way pollution is affecting its natural habitat: the canals of Xochimilco in Mexico City.