The Storytellers Foundation · 2026
Meet the 2026 Big Bang Notable Book Award Winners
November 1, 2026 · The Storyteller’s Shelf Podcast
One of our favorite parts of The Storyteller’s Shelf is introducing readers to the people behind the books. Today, we’re sharing our 2026 Big Bang Notable selections: 17 books for children and teens, along with the authors and illustrators who created them.
There’s quite a range on this year’s list. A grandmother’s sword holds a family story. Two neighbors hatch a plan to rescue a dog. And one very enthusiastic king discovers that books are good for more than building towers.
Whether you’re choosing a bedtime read, adding to a classroom shelf, or looking for a novel for a teen, we hope this list gives you a few places to start. We’ve included the reader level alongside each award so you can find the books that fit.
Congratulations to all of this year’s authors and illustrators. Let’s meet the books.
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Browse the 17 books
Board Books
2 books
My Animalitos: A Frida Kahlo Story / Mis animalitos: un cuentito de Frida Kahlo
Platinum · Little Universe · Board book
Written by Monica Brown · Illustrated by John Parra · Translated by Alex Robertson
NorthSouth Books/ Ediciones NorteSur · Ages 0–3 · ISBN 9780735846418
Frida Kahlo’s animal companions introduce little readers to animal names in English and Spanish. John Parra’s illustrations bring the pets, and the artist who loved them, into a book made for small hands.
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Monica Brown
Author
Monica Brown is the author of Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, Waiting for the Biblioburro, and the Lola Levine chapter books. Her work has received Pura Belpré Author Honors and the Américas Award. She lives in Arizona and teaches at Northern Arizona University.
John Parra
Illustrator
John Parra is an illustrator, artist, author, designer, and educator whose children’s books celebrate Latino stories and culture. His work has received Pura Belpré Honors, Golden Kite Awards, and the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award.
Alex Robertson
Translator
Alex Robertson is a bilingual children’s book editor and translator who lives in the Chicago suburbs.
Counting Bugs / Aambe Gindaasdaa Mnidooshag
Gold · Science Spark · Board book
Written by Gretchen Sands-Gamble · Illustrated by Storm Angeconeb
Second Story Press · Ages 0–2 · ISBN 9781772604658
A visit to Mishoomis and Nokomis’ garden becomes a chance to count to ten in English and Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwe. Along the way, children meet the insects that help a garden grow.
Gretchen Sands-Gamble
Author
Gretchen Sands-Gamble is Anishinaabe from Bkejwanong Territory, Walpole Island First Nation. An elementary teacher, artist, and mother, she is passionate about reading, creativity, and helping Indigenous students see their cultures reflected at school.
Storm Angeconeb
Illustrator
Storm Angeconeb is an Ojibwe artist and member of Lac Seul First Nation, Treaty Three Territory. Born and raised in Winnipeg, she has created artwork and murals displayed across the city. She is based in Red Lake, Ontario.
Picture Books
4 books
Poh Poh’s Sword
Bookshelf Pick · Real World Resilience · Picture book
Written by Julia Hune-Brown · Illustrated by Hayley Lowe
Second Story Press · Ages 6–8 · ISBN 9781772604672
Julie watches her grandmother dance with a sword and learns the story behind it. Poh Poh brought that sword across the ocean when she left home, carrying a piece of her past into a new life.
Julia Hune-Brown
Author
Julia Hune-Brown is a Chinese Canadian theater artist, teacher, and author in Toronto. Poh Poh’s Sword grew out of a CBC Radio documentary she made about her grandmother. Her work in community theater has brought her together with communities across Canada.
Hayley Lowe
Illustrator
Hayley Lowe is an illustrator and storyteller living in Vancouver. She works with pencil, charcoal, gouache, and digital media. Away from her desk, she enjoys walking in the forest with family and friends.
The King of Books
Bronze · Laugh Out Loud · Picture book
Written and illustrated by Gina Perry
Macmillan / Feiwel & Friends · Ages 3–5 · ISBN 9781250330123
This king has plenty of books. He builds towers with them and uses them to carry his meals, but reading them hasn’t occurred to him. A Moat Monster gives him a reason to reconsider.
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Gina Perry
Author & illustrator
Gina Perry writes and illustrates children’s books and contributes illustrations to Highlights and High Five magazines. She worked in television and game animation before turning to books. She lives on New Hampshire’s Seacoast with her family and their pug, Hank.
Ritu in the Sun
Silver · Real World Resilience · Picture book
Written by Moniza Hossain · Illustrated by Mercè López
Crown Books for Young Readers · Ages 4–8 · ISBN 9780593806692
Ritu loves being in the sunshine. Her Nani worries it will darken her skin. Their conversation makes room for a young child to question colorism and remind someone she loves that her skin is beautiful, too.
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Moniza Hossain
Author
Moniza Hossain is a Singaporean author of Bengali descent whose children’s books draw on her heritage. She writes picture books and middle grade fiction, teaches English literature, and enjoys painting dragons. She lives in Manchester with her husband.
Mercè López
Illustrator
Mercè López is an illustrator from Barcelona. Her early memories of drawing with one sister and listening to another read The Neverending Story helped introduce her to visual art and storytelling.
Tío Ricky Doesn’t Speak English / Tío Ricky no habla inglés
Bronze · Real World Resilience · Picture book
Written by Maritere R. Bellas · Illustrated by Jayri Gomez
Lil'Libros · Ages 4–8 · ISBN 9781962227261
A bilingual selection for families reading in English and Spanish, with language and family connections at its center.
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Maritere R. Bellas
Author
Maritere R. Bellas is a Puerto Rican author, podcast host, and bilingual and multicultural parenting mentor. She writes parenting books and bilingual children’s stories and co-hosts the Mamás 411 Podcast. She lives in Southern California and enjoys tennis and pickleball.
Jayri Gomez
Illustrator
Jayri Gomez is a Dominican illustrator based in Santo Domingo. She creates colorful worlds and characters for children’s books and enjoys watching horror movies while she works. She shares her home with three cats: Momo, Ginny, and Lilo.
Middle Grade
3 books
The Dog Heist
Gold · Real World Resilience · Middle grade
Written by Dani Jansen
Second Story Press · Ages 9–12 · ISBN 9781772604757
Caleb and Valery don’t start out as friends. A neglected dog gives the two neighbors a shared concern and a risky plan. This is an adventure for readers who understand why a kid might go too far to help an animal.
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Dani Jansen
Author
Dani Jansen is a teacher and writer based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Her debut novel, The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life, received two Goldie awards and was a finalist for the Janet Savage Blachford Prize.
Shy Cat and the Stuff-the-Bus Challenge
Bronze · Real World Resilience · Middle grade graphic novel
Written by Dian Day and Amanda White · Illustrated by Amanda White
Second Story Press · Ages 9–12 · ISBN 9781772604450
Mila loves drawing her Shy Cat comics and spending time with her friend Kit. When trouble at school brings his hunger into view, she begins to understand that behavior doesn’t always tell the whole story.
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Dian Day
Author
Dian Day writes for adults and young readers and is a member of the Hungry Stories Team, a Canadian collaboration of food scholars and activists. Her novels for adults include The Clock of Heaven and The Madrigal. She lives in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
Amanda White
Co-author & illustrator
Amanda White is an artist, writer, and teacher whose work explores the environment, sustainability, and climate. A member of the Hungry Stories Team, she lives in Vancouver and teaches at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
The Song of Orphan’s Garden
Platinum · Galaxy of Imagination · Middle grade
Written by Nicole M. Hewitt
Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends · Ages 8–12 · ISBN 9781250906045
With their world growing colder, Lyriana and her little brother search for a garden where spring still survives. A Giant boy needs refuge, too. Their search unfolds in a fantasy novel told in verse.
Cover art by Maxine Vee
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Nicole M. Hewitt
Author
Nicole M. Hewitt writes middle grade fiction from the Chicago suburbs. She studied theater, taught theater and writing at a homeschool co-op, and worked as a children’s bookseller. She enjoys singing and life with her family and two enthusiastic dogs.
Young Adult
2 books
In the Long Shadows
Silver · Galaxy of Imagination · Young adult
Written by Bear Meawasige
Second Story Press · Ages 12–18 · ISBN 9781772604740
Leaf has been warned away from the ruins in the forest. When she brings home an object left by the vanished invaders, she risks being cast out of her community. Her grandmother’s memories and the land’s history give this fantasy its stakes.
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Bear Meawasige
Author
Bear Meawasige is the pen name of Kurt Wilson, an Ojibwe and Scottish author and member of Serpent River First Nation. He lives in Northern Ontario’s Algoma District, where the landscape and his ancestry inform the worlds he imagines.
Like a Bird
Bookshelf Pick · Real World Resilience · Young adult
Written by Becky Citra
Second Story Press · Ages 12–19 · ISBN 9781772604177
Rachel is finally settling into life in Aspen Lake. She has friends, her horse, and a home that feels like hers. Then nearby wildfires threaten the place she has learned to love.
Becky Citra
Author
Becky Citra is a former teacher who writes books for children. She divides her time between Saltspring Island and a ranch in Bridge Lake, British Columbia. Her love of hiking, kayaking, gardening, and the wilderness often finds its way into her stories.
Early Chapter Books
1 book
Every Little Bit Olive Tran
Gold · Real World Resilience · Early chapter book
Written by Phuong Truong · Illustrated by Christine Wei
Second Story Press · Ages 6–8 · ISBN 9781772604139
Olive is turning ten and looking forward to more independence. But anti-Asian racism in her community leaves her feeling less safe. As she plans her birthday, she tries to work out what kindness can do and what she can do herself.
Phuong Truong
Author
Phuong Truong grew up in Ottawa and now works in book publishing in Toronto. She is the author of Everyone is Welcome and the Olive Tran chapter books, drawing on her love of stories and her hopes for young readers.
Christine Wei
Illustrator
Christine Wei is a Taiwanese Canadian artist based in Vancouver. Her work draws on personal stories, feeling, and the natural world. She explores different materials and perspectives to create illustrations that help readers connect with a story.
Visionary Selections
5 books
Billy and the Sweet Surprise
Visionary · Picture Books
Written by Grandma Deb (Deborah Rechnitz) · Illustrated by Deniel Suarez
Ages 4–6 · ISBN 9798293452743
Billy wants to buy his sister a present, but he has no money. Working toward that gift introduces him to earning, saving, and deciding how to spend.
Grandma Deb (Deborah Rechnitz)
Author
Grandma Deb draws on her financial background and her experience as a grandmother to write about money for children. Her books introduce earning, saving, and spending through stories she hopes will help young readers build confidence with everyday financial decisions.
Deniel Suarez
Illustrator
Deniel Suarez illustrates children’s books with warm, playful artwork. Inspired by the way a single picture can suggest a whole world, he works with authors to bring their characters and stories to young readers.
The Tournament
Visionary · Young Adult
Written by Cynthia Di Filippo Elomaa
Ages 16+ · ISBN 9798218920586
Boxing offers Tony a possible route to college and the Olympic team. His brother’s trouble with a gang threatens that chance, leaving Tony caught between the future he wants and the people who won’t let him move on.
Cynthia Di Filippo Elomaa
Author
Cynthia Di Filippo Elomaa writes picture books and young adult novels and works as a freelance editor and mentor. She studied English literature at Western New England University and began her Nicky picture book series while raising her two sons.
Willow’s Journey
Visionary · Chapter Books
Written by Leisa Fail · Illustrated by Amy Rennie
Storm Publishing · Ages 6–10 · ISBN 9780648625964
Willow is an energetic puppy with a habit of chewing shoes. After several homes don’t work out, she waits for another chance at a shelter. Finding a new family is only the beginning of learning whether she can stay.
Leisa Fail
Author
Leisa Fail is an Australian children’s author who writes about resilience, belonging, and the bond between people and animals. Her love of dogs helped inspire Willow’s Journey. She also created The Adventures of Stormy Normy series.
Amy Rennie
Illustrator
Amy Rennie brings her love of animals to her illustrations. A self-taught artist who has been making art for more than three decades, she enjoys reading, gaming, horse riding, and fostering cats.
How I Hacked the Moon
Visionary · Middle Grade
Written by R.A. Dines
Macky Mountain Press · Ages 9–13 · ISBN 9798998625312
Thirteen-year-old Moon Girl likes the predictable routine at her lunar coding academy. A prank draws her into a group of rebel hackers, and she begins to question the system that has made her feel safe.
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R.A. Dines
Author
R.A. Dines worked in technology and startups before becoming a full-time author and creative. She is interested in where art and technology meet and enjoys reading, writing, coding, and 3D printing with her family outside Boston.
Little Book’s Big Day Out
Visionary · Picture Books
Written by Lacey Braziel · Illustrated by Gin Tran
On The Page Publishing · Ages 4–8 · ISBN 9798999244321
When Little Book accidentally ends up in a book box, he has an unexpected first day of school of his own. Making friends and missing Addie are both part of the adventure.
Lacey Braziel
Author
Lacey Braziel is a picture book author, fiction editor, and mother of two. She writes about the everyday challenges of growing up, with small lessons woven into her stories. Outside writing and family time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and seeing friends.
Gin Tran
Illustrator
Gin Tran is a children’s book illustrator and 2D artist. A graduate of the University of Languages and International Studies, she uses vibrant artwork and imagined worlds to bring stories to life for young readers.
More books and conversations
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A note for the creators
Every winning title is recognized here whether or not its author or publisher purchases an optional award seal license. Thank you for sharing your work with us.