I recently checked back in with Donalyn Miller and Jennifer LeGarde’s Starred Spreadsheet and added more picture books to my 2025-2026 School Year Award Winning and Multiple-Journal Starred books. In order to be added to my list, a book needs to have received a star review from 5 or 6 journals.
The House That Floated by Guojing
Multiple Starred Reviews
“Residing on an isolated cliff in a tiny red house, a couple spend their days fishing, dreaming, and watching the seasons pass. Soon they’re joined by a new companion, a baby whom they nurture year by year, sharing their love for moonlit nights and dolphin watching. As enchanting as their life is, the water that surrounds them is slowly, steadily rising, threatening to swallow their home, once far above sea level. With bravery and trust, the trio build a raft and transport their dwelling to higher ground, where waiting inhabitants hoist it into a peaceful green meadow. This enticing story is told wordlessly, with painterly landscapes providing the perfect setting for tender, intuitive interactions among a small cast of characters.(Picture book. 4-8)” (Source: Kirkus Reviews)
Find It at a Library Near You on WorldCat
Island Storm by Brian Floca and illustrated by Sydney Smith
Multiple Starred Reviews
“While their parent collects laundry that has flown off the line, the children—presumably siblings—walk away. “Now take my hand / and we’ll go see / the sea before the storm.” At first that seems the beginning and ending of their adventure as they stand on worn stones watching the waves “SMASH on the rocks and EXPLODE into spray.” Then something compels the kids to continue. “You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on,” the author repeats in what feels like a chant. Only too late do the siblings realize that they’ve gone too far; they race for home through the rapidly approaching dark and rain, toward light and warmth and their relieved parent…The power of nature captivates and compels in this phenomenal tale of pushing limits.(Picture book. 4-8)” (Source: Kirkus Reviews)
Find It at a Library Near You on WorldCat
A Place for Us by James Ransome
Multiple Starred Reviews
“At the end of the school day, a mother picks up her son from school. Parent and child..hug before stopping for a meal at a fast-food restaurant. At dusk, the pair walk to the local library, where the boy does his homework and the mother reads a novel.. At closing time, the librarian comes to turn out the lights. After exiting the library, parent and child walk to a park, where they talk, and the youngster plays in the fall leaves. In the dark, the two settle down on a bench with the city lights and skyline as backdrop. While the child sleeps, his head resting in his mother’s lap, she remains vigilant throughout the night…Readers of this empathetic tale will come away resolved to work toward a world in which all people’s needs are met. Thought-provoking, heartbreaking, and moving. (Picture book. 4-8)” (Source: Kirkus Reviews)
Find It at a Library Near You on WorldCat
Fireworks by Matthew Burgess and illustrated by Cátia Chien
Multiple Starred Reviews
“As the book opens, the brown-skinned, dark-haired youngsters explain that “in the summer, the sun rises between buildings on our block to greet us at breakfast and it beats warmer and brighter when we venture out across steamy city sidewalks.” At noon, relief arrives as the children gleefully run through the water sprayed by a fire hydrant. On their way to a local bodega, they wind their way through a park before devouring ruby-red pieces of watermelon. Words dance across the page (“Shooka-shooka shooka-shooka”) as the kids move to the sounds of salsa music. Back at home, Grandma cooks dinner for the children, and as night falls, the youngsters scale a “rickety ladder” to the rooftop, where they wait until…“POP!” Fireworks rain down in a literal explosion of colors and words cascading over silhouetted images of the kids…A radiant celebration of all things summer. (Picture book. 4-7)” (Source: Kirkus Reviews)
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