2026 Monarch Book Award | Oak Park Public Library

Author

Description

When a kindergarten class arrives for the first day at school, they are greeted only by the words "Mr. S" on the chalkboard and a delicious-looking sandwich, resulting in merry mayhem as the kids wonder if the sandwich is their teacher.

2) Negative cat

Author

Blackall, Sophie

Description

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"Max isn't a typical cat, but his loving owner still sees the best in him"-- Provided by publisher.

3) Yoshi, sea turtle genius: a true story about an amazing swimmer

Author

Cox, Lynne

Description

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"A picture book about a sea turtle named Yoshi who has traveled further than any other living animal"-- Provided by publisher.

4) Sydney & Taylor explore the whole wide world

Author

Davies, Jacqueline

Series

Sydney and Taylor volume 1

Description

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"Sydney is a skunk and Taylor is a hedgehog, but no matter how odd the pairing may seem, their friendship comes naturally. They live happily in their cozy burrow . . . until the day Taylor gets his Big Idea to go see the Whole Wide World. From mountains taller than a hundred hedgehogs, valleys wider than a thousand skunks, to the dangers that lie in the human world, Sydney and Taylor wanted to see it all. With a map and a dream, they bravely set off,...

5) Knight owl

Author

Denise, Christopher

Series

The Knight Owl

Description

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After achieving his dream of becoming a knight, a small owl protects the castle from a hungry dragon.

6) Beneath

Author

Doerrfeld, Cori

Description

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Finn is in a bad mood, so his grandfather takes him on a walk in the forest, and tells him about all the things that are beneath the surface of plants and animals--and even people.

7) Thunder and Cluck: Friends do not eat friends

Author

Esbaum, Jill

Series

Thunder and Cluck volume 1
Ready-to-read graphics. Level one Star reader!

Description

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Big, scary, and hungry Thunder the dinosaur wants to chase and chomp Cluck, a small but brave dinosaur, but Cluck has decided that they will be friends.

8) We are definitely human

Author

Fang, X

Description

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"When three mysterious visitors from "Europe" crash-land in Mr. Li's field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their "car". No, there's nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they "make business", "play sportsball" and "wear hat". As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach...

9) The red jacket

Author

Holt, Bob

Description

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Bob loves his red jacket. The red jacket makes him feel swanky cool. The red jacket makes other seagulls notice him and even speak to him. But when a wave washes it away, will Bob lose his cool and his newfound friends, too?

10) Hamsters make terrible roommates

Author

Klein, Cheryl B

Description

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"Henry is desperate for a little peace and quiet from his extremely chatty roommate Marvin, and after Henry finally loses his cool, these hamsters must find ways to compromise and live together"-- Provided by publisher.

11) The flower garden

Author

Kurilla, Renée

Description

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After planting a seed packet in the backyard, things don't go as expected for best friends Anna and Tess. They fall asleep in the sun and wake up to blooms as tall as buildings! Did the seeds really grow that fast? All is explained when Anna and Tess meet May, a little garden gnome whose magic is responsible for the transformation. The girls are May's size now, and they follow her through the flower garden and into May's underground gnome home--discovering...

12) Butt or face? : can you tell which end you're looking at?

Author

Lavelle, Kari

Series

Butt or Face?

Description

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"Move over, Jeopardy, Family Feud, and The Price Is Right - this book will be your new favorite laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts family game! In Butt or Face, weird animals are introduced with a close-up photo. Kids must guess: are they seeing seeing ... um ... err ... the bottom or the top? Readers will learn about animals like Cuban Dwarf Frogs, whose backsides look like a pair of eyes, and the Mary River Turtle, which not only has a unique face,...

13) Time to make art

Author

Mack, Jeff

Description

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When a little girl asks meaningful questions about creating art, her questions are answered by a diverse group of artists throughout time and history, in this inspiring picture book that encourages young readers to see the artist in themselves.

14) Bathe the cat

Author

McGinty, Alice B

Description

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Dad has posted a list of chores for the family to do before grandma comes, including bathing the cat; but the cat does not want a bath, so she mixes up the instructions, and soon the family is mowing the floor, vacuuming the lawn, mopping the baby--and the house is in chaos.

15) Who's afraid of the light?

Author

McGregor, Anna

Description

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"Fergus lives down in the deepest, darkest depths of the sea and is scared of just one thing ... the light! Come on a trip to the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. There are many fascinating creatures that call it home. There's nothing to be afraid of ... is there? From the award-winning creator of Anemone is Not the Enemy and A Pair of Pears and an Orange comes this spooky, funny adventure with a surprise twist that you literally won't see coming....

16) Just snow already!

Author

McWilliam, Howard

Description

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Nothing is as fun as snow, except maybe all the craziness happening right outside this little boy's window! Will he even notice? When the forecast calls for snow, one little boy is thrilled. He keeps peeking outside to see if it's snowing - but he only looks up! His single-minded focus on the sky makes him completely miss the increasingly comical chaos occurring outside his door, which includes a monster truck, a firetruck, escaped monkeys, and carousing...

17) Home is calling: the journey of the monarch butterfly

Author

Pryor, Katherine

Description

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"An illustrated story written from the point of view of monarch butterflies as they search for food and fly through storms during their annual migration"-- Provided by publisher.

18) The world's best class plant

Author

Scanlon, Liz Garton

Description

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"A class that is terribly disappointed in their lack of a class pet discovers that having a class plant is the best thing ever." -- Provided by publisher.

19) Claude: the true story of a white alligator

Author

Smith, Emma Bland

Description

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"A nonfiction picture book about Claude the albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences"-- Provided by publisher.

20) Homegrown

Author

Wiley, DeAnn

Description

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A young Black girl, with the help of her Mama and Granny, learns that home isn't just a place but rather a reflection of people who support and love one another.