The Young Hoosier Book Award Program encourages self-selected reading among elementary and middle school/junior high students. Teachers, librarians, and students from all across Indiana vote on their favorite recent books. This program is run by the Indiana Library Federation (ILF). Check out the list of the 2023–2024 Picture Book nominees! Recommended for ages 5–8.
Compiled by:
Jon S.
J 612.82 Mca
Delicious brains! A zombie chef struggles with not eating her favorite food—brains! Along the way, she learns all about our most important wrinkly organ.
Ej She
Now open: Bob the alligator’s new restaurant! There’s only one catch—it's located on his snout! Can the birdies resist visiting this new dining experience, or, can Bob resist them?
Ej Mic
Dakota is a mouse living in a museum who searches for treasures each night. Follow her adventures as she collects treasures for her own museum!
Ej Ho
A young Asian girl notices her eyes don’t look like her friends. That’s when she discovers how special her eyes really are.
Ej Cru
Imagine waking up and discovering that part of you has been switched with something silly! Join Deer and his friends as they discover how they were.
Ej Bie
An alien unicorn, Bubble07, is given an important mission on Earth—should he and his fellow unicorns invade? To decide he poses as a stuffed animal in a young Earthling Daughter’s home.
Ej Mor
Skateboard fanatic Epic must find his way around his new neighborhood to make new friends. He discovers the secret is to just be YOU!
Ej Hem
Uh-oh! What happened to Squirrel’s beautiful leafy tree? Who could be stealing his leaves?
Ej Ste
Just outside the city is a fairground. After everyone has left for the night, the animals take their turns having fun!
J 594.32 Ray
Look at this one inch long sea slug species as it crawls slowly across the ocean floor. Learn some amazing facts, like how it can crawl upside down and how it protects itself from predators.
Ej Hig
Norman the porcupine and Mildred the tree are best friends until one day the unexpected happens. What did Norman do?
Ej May
When Alice won an enormous basket of lollipops, she was so excited! Then, came the decision of how to share them. Oh no!
Ej Bai
Princess book? Dinosaur book? What kind of book is this? Will the princesses and dinosaurs ever decide?
J-ER Lar
Series: See the Cat
This is Max the dog. Max is NOT a cat! So why does the book keep telling readers to “see the cat”? These three stories show how bothered Max really is.
Ej Rah
In her old school, Aria had a bench to sit on. Now she must sit on the floor which makes her leg hurt. Using her ingenuity, she resolves to have a bench again.
Ej Joh
Jeff the bear knows there’s something wrong—he just can’t figure out what people are talking about until his BFF Anders the rabbit clues him in.
Ej Jef
The girl who lives here has never seen a ghost. What do they look like? White with holes for eyes? Can you even see them? Turn the pages as you help her search her haunted house for them.
J-ER Wal
Series: Tiny Tales
Wanting to fit in, a little slug goes on a quest to find a shell like the others. How difficult can it be to just be like everyone else?
Ej Fay
Bigfoo, Chupacabra, and Mongolian Death Worms? Is it true that Beverly, Trevor, Neville, and Kevin are really deadly creatures?
Ej Fra
When a young witch discovers the spell for a true friend requires the fur of a teddy bear, how will she convince Lilly to give up her bear?