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Rhode Island Children's Book Award

Materials and resources supporting the Rhode Island Children's Book Award (RICBA) that have been developed and curated by the RICBA Committee.

Selection Criteria

  • Titles nominated should be appropriate for grades 3-5.
  • Fiction and non-fiction titles published during the last two years are eligible. Nominated titles must be currently in print.
  • A title listed once may not be nominated again.
  • Only one title per author may be nominated each year.
  • Books by co-authors may be considered.
  • The winning author will be excluded from nomination the following year.
  • All nominated books must have literary value and child appeal.
  • Editors of collected works by other authors may be considered if all works were originally published within the last two years.
  • New adaptations of books published previously will not be considered (e.g. new graphic novel version of a book).
  • Series books, sequels, and prequels will be considered if they can be enjoyed as standalone books by child readers and do not depend on other books in the series to understand the plot, characters, or setting.  
  • Translated books published in the US in the last two years are eligible.
  • The final list should reflect a variety of experiences.  
  • Books that have previously been selected as Kids Reading Across Rhode Island or RI Middle School Book Award selections/nominees will not be considered.
  • The committee reserves the right to remove from consideration, or from the list of final nominees, books by authors with a well-documented history of harassment or assault.  

     
Selection Procedure

  • The committee evaluates books September through February to select 20 nominees for student voting the following February.
  • All committee members and the Advisor nominate books to be considered. Suggestions of book titles are welcome from individuals who have experience working with children in grades 3-5. Suggestions may be sent to the Advisor, Danielle Margarida, at danielle.margarida@olis.ri.gov.
  • Following book evaluation, the committee convenes in March to finalize the list of nominees.
  • The final list of 20 nominees is released in March for student voting the following February.