Towner Nominees

Introducing the 2026 Towner Award Nominees!

Click the title to go to a Choice Board!!!

Destiny Finds Her Way: How a Rescued Baby Sloth Learned to be Wild, written and illustrated by Margarita Engle (National Geographic)
A River's Gift, The Mighty Elwha, by Patricia Newman; Illustrated by Natasha Donovan (Millbrook Press)
She Kept Dancing, by Sydney Mesher and Catherine Laudone; Illustrated by Natelle Quek (Feiwel & Friends)
First Aid, by Cody Crane (Scholastic Books)
The Spectacular Science of Buildings: From Ancient Wonders To Modern Megastructures, by Rob Colson; Illustrated by Moreno Chiacchiera (Kingfisher)
Dogs: A History of Our Best Friends, written and illustrated by Lita Judge (Abrams Books)
The Secret Pocket, by Peggy Janicki; Illustrated by Carrielynn Victor (Orca Book Publishers)
Swimming Toward a Dream: Yusra Mardini's Incredible Journey from Refugee to Olympic Swimmer, by Reem Faruqi; Illustrated by Asma Enayeh (Page Street Kids)
Nature is a Sculptor: Weathering and Erosion, written and illustrated by Heather Ferranti Kinser (Millbrook Press)
They Hold The Line: Wildfires, Wildlands, and the Firefighters Who Brave Them, by Dan Paley; Photos by Molly Mendoza (Chronicle Books)

Click the title to go to a Choice Board!!!

Do Bears Poop in the Woods?, by Huw Lewis Jones; illustrated by Sam Caldwell (Thames and Hudson)
The Gardener of Alcatraz, by Emma Bland Smith; illustrated by Jennifer Ely (Charlesbridge)
Good Eating: The Short Life of Krill, by Matt Tilley; illustrated by Dan Tavis (Tilbury House Publishers)
A History of Underwear with Professor Chicken, by Hanna Holt; illustrated by Korwin Briggs (Roaring Book Press)
The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson; illustrated by Stacy Innerst (Abrams Books)
Killer Underwear Invasion: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories, by Elise Gravel (Chronicle Books)
Mega-predators of the Past, by Melissa Stewart; illustrated by Howard Gray (Peachtree)
Splash! Ethelda Bleibtrey Makes Waves of Change, by Elisa Boxer; illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley (Sleeping Bear Press)
Lion Lights, by Richard Turere and Shelly Pollock; illustrated by Sonia Marialuce Possentini (Tilbury House Books)
Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic, by Kelly Crull; photos by Kelly Crull (Milbrook Press)

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Battle of the Butts: The Science Behind Animal Behinds, by Jocelyn Rish; illustrated by David Creighton-Pester (Running Press Kids)
The Little Spacecraft That Could, by Joyce Lapin; illustrated by Simona Ceccarelli (Union Square Kids)
Brains! Not Just A Zombie Snack, by Stacy McAnulty; illustrated by Matthew Rivera (Henry Holt and Co.)
The Magic of Sleep: A Fascinating Guide to the World of Slumber, by Vicki Woodgate (DK Children)
Fourteen Monkeys: A Rain Forest Rhyme, by Melissa Stewart; illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Beach Lane Books)
Scurry! The Truth About Spiders, by Annette Whipple; illustrated by Juanbjuan Oliver and Franco Rivolli (Reycraft Books)
The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee; by Julie Leung; illustrated by Julie Kwon (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
The Water Lady: How Darlene Arviso Helps a Thirsty Navajo Nation, by Alice B. McGinty; illustrated by Shonto Begay (Schwartz & Wade)
I Am Smoke, by Henry Herz; illustrated by Mercè López (Tilbury House Publishers)
Zion Unmatched, by Zion Clark and James S. Hirsch; illustrated by Juanbjuan Oliver and Franco Rivolli
(Candlewick)

Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring, by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Felicia Marshall (Creston Books)
If You Take Away the Otter, by Susannah Buhrman-Deever, illustrated by Matthew Trueman (Candlewick)
Dinosaurs: Fact and Fable: Truths, Myths, and New Discoveries, by Seymour Simon (HarperCollins)
The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal for America, by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Alexandra Bye (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
Eat Your Rocks, Croc!: Dr. Glider’s Advice for Troubled Animals, by Jess Keating, illustrated by Pete Oswald (Orchard Books)
The Pig War: How a Porcine Tragedy Taught England and America to Share, by Emma Bland Smith, illustrated by Alison Jay (Calkins Creek)
Equality’s Call: The Story of Voting Rights in America, by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Magdalena Mora (Beach Lane Books)
Railway Jack: The True Story of an Amazing Baboon, by KT Johnston, illustrated by César Samaniego (Capstone Editions)
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera, by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann (Neal Porter Books)
Your Place in the Universe, by Jason Chin (Neal Porter Books)