The guide includes information and activities for each nominated title and is a printable pdf.
New Hampshire children, from preschool to fourth grade, will select the winning picture book when they vote in November 2026.
The deadline for sending in votes is Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 4:30 pm.
Voting materials, including ballots and a link to the online tally sheet, are available on the Ladybug web page.
The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood and LeUyen Pham (Clarion Books, 2024)
There once was a man who loved his tidy home and who didn’t like animals. Then, one day, a cat appeared. The man and the cat both liked napping and watching the rain and eating dinner precisely at six.
Well, maybe this one animal could stay.
Next came a dog . . .
This bighearted and funny tale with delightful artwork from Caldecott Honor artist LeUyen Pham celebrates the joy of embracing new perspectives.
About Deborah Underwood
Deborah Underwood is the author of New York Times bestsellers The Quiet Book, The Loud Book, Here Comes the Easter Cat and Outside In. Deborah grew up in Walla Walla, Washington, but now lives in Northern California with her cat Bella. Her website is: https://www.deborahunderwoodbooks.com/
About LeUyen Pham
LeUyen Pham is a children's book illustrator and author who was born in Saigon, South Vietnam. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California, with her artist husband Alexandre Puvilland, two children and cat named Sardine. She has illustrated and written more than 120 books, including Outside Inside, Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn and Lunar New Year Love Story. Her website is: https://leuyenpham.com/
Activities & Links
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is the last of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award. We will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.
The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Dan Santat (Disney Hyperions, 2025)
Arnold didn't mean for the books to disappear—not exactly. It all started because he liked his book about airplanes best. Why would anyone want to read about tomatoes or ostriches or submarines (ew, the worst!) when they could read about planes, instead?
When Arnold realizes—POOF!—he can make the other books vanish, he goes a little too far. Before he knows it, all the books are gone…including his. Can Arnold figure out how to bring them back before it’s too late?
This book about books celebrates themes of empathy, interconnectedness, and the value of diverse and differing perspectives.
About Joanna Ho
Joanna Ho is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of many children's books, including Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, We Who Produce Pearls, and The Silence that Binds Us, her debut young adult novel, which received the Young Adult Honor for the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. She lives in the Bay Area, where she survives on homemade chocolate chip cookies, outdoor adventures, and dance parties with her kids. Her website is: https://www.joannahowrites.com/
About Caroline Kusin Pritchard
Caroline Kusin Pritchard is the author of Gitty and Kvetch and Where is Poppy, which School Library Journal called “a perfect story for all ages.” She has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Virginia with her family. Her website is: https://carolinekusinpritchard.com/
About Dan Santat
Dan Santat is the National Book Award-winning, Caldecott Medal–winning, and New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and the road trip/time travel adventure Are We There Yet? His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, including Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta series. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and many, many pets. His website is: https://sites.google.com/g.risd.org/dansantat/home
Activities & Links
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We
will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday
throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all
the titles by Labor Day.
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat (Dial Books, 2025)
Why, dear reader, must you NEVER EVER trust fish?
1) They spend all their time in the water where we can’t see them.
2) Some are as big as a bus—that is not okay.
3) We don't know what they're teaching in their "schools."
4) They are likely plotting our doom.
This nature-guide-gone-wrong is a hilarious, off-the-rails exploration of the seemingly innocent animals that live in the water.
About Neil Sharpson
Neil Sharpson lives in Dublin with his wife and their two children. Having written for theater since his teens, Neil transitioned to writing novels in 2017, adapting his play The Caspian Sea into When The Sparrow Falls. A huge fan of animation, Neil writes Unshaved Mouse, a comedic review blog mostly focusing on animated film and comic book movies. His website is: https://unshavedmouse.com/
About Dan Santat
Dan Santat is the National Book Award-winning, Caldecott Medal–winning, and New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator of The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and the road trip/time travel adventure Are We There Yet? His artwork is also featured in numerous picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, including Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta series. Dan lives in Southern California with his wife, two kids, and many, many pets. His website is: https://sites.google.com/g.risd.org/dansantat/home
Activities & Links
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We
will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday
throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all
the titles by Labor Day.
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We
will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday
throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all
the titles by Labor Day.
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We
will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday
throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all
the titles by Labor Day.
Broken by X. Fang (Tundra Books, 2025)
When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama's favorite cup, she's convinced it's the end of the world. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks Mei Mei out of her house? Mei Mei can't face it. But when Mimi, the innocent cat who witnesses her crime, ends up being blamed, the guilt is too much! Mimi's accusing eyes follow Mei Mei until she just can't take it anymore, and the truth comes spilling out.
With vibrant and moody cinematic illustrations and pitch-perfect pacing, X. Fang's newest picture book is filled to the brim with comedic drama and the comforting sweetness of a grandparent's forgiving hug.
About X. Fang
X. Fang is an award-winning illustrator and maker of books for young readers. She was born in Taiwan, raised in Atlanta, Georgia, bounced around Brooklyn and Philly before settling down in Midcoast Maine with her husband and son. Her website is: https://www.xfang.studio/
Activities & Links
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We
will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday
throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all
the titles by Labor Day.
If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen (Rocky Pond Books, 2025)
"My town will be swanky! My town will be swell!
My town will be prized as the best place to dwell!"
Jack has some great ideas for improving the community he lives in. And who better to describe them to than Mayor McKay! As they walk through the park together, Jack eagerly tells the mayor his plans for improving their town.
And what a town he has dreamed up! The zoo is packed with fantastic, Jurassic, and mythical creatures, the mail is delivered by super-fast hover vans, the health clinic travels right to your door, and a parade passes through each and every week. And don't forget the robots! All of Jack's plans include the most exciting and useful serving machines. But best of all, everything is free!
Jack's over-the-top creativity and infectious enthusiasm will inspire budding young inventors. It's a story time romp that you'll want to return to again and again.
About Chris Van Dusen
Chris Van Dusen was born in 1960 in Portland, Maine. He has been writing and illustrating books since 2000 when Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee was published. He lives on the coast of Maine with his wife Lori and a yellow lab named Opal. His website is: https://www.chrisvandusen.com
Activities & Links
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We
will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday
throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all
the titles by Labor Day.
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.
Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025)
A hilarious and thought-provoking picture book about two little cave rock formations who witness the entire history of the world.
DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.
Time flies for two charming little cave nubs, Stalactite and Stalagmite. Over millions of years, creatures and things pass in and out of their cave, everything from a trilobite, an ichthyostega, and a triceratops, to a ground sloth and a bat.
When you are an ageless rock formation, it’s nice to have a friend who’s always there. But what will happen when the two nubs grow enough to finally touch?
About Drew Beckmeyer
Drew Beckmeyer received a Caldecott Honor for his picture book Stalactite & Stalagmite. He is an author-illustrator and schoolteacher based in Los Angeles. He is the author-illustrator of I Am a Tornado, The First Week of School, and The Long Island. He is the illustrator of Dear Wild Child. His website is: https://www.drewbeckmeyer.com/
Activities & Links
Suggestions for Further Reading
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We
will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday
throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all
the titles by Labor Day.
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The award seeks to recognize strong, unique, enduring voices that, throughout long and consistently accomplished careers, have told us something about the American experience.
Patchett is the author of 10 novels, including “The Dutch House” (Pulitzer Prize finalist), “The Patron Saint of Liars,” “Bel Canto,” “Commonwealth” and “Taft,” as well as nonfiction and children’s books. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and received the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. Her books have been translated into more than 30 languages.
For more information about the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, including past winners click here.
About the Book:
"An uncertain near-future. A story of new boundaries drawn between people daily. A not-very brave new world.
Add two children. And a horse.
From a Scottish word meaning a transient moment, a shock, a faint glimpse, Gliff explores how and why we endeavour to make a mark on the world. In a time when western industry wants to reduce us to algorithms and data—something easily categorizable and predictable—Smith shows us why our humanity, our individual complexities, matter more than ever." --Publisher's blurb
"Trey knows how the trick works: His dad gets him into a school full of kids with rich parents. Trey makes friends, and his father makes connections. Soon, there’s the con, where Trey’s dad suckers the other parents into giving him money for one of his schemes. Once the money’s in the bank, Trey, his sister, and their dad go on the run … until they set up somewhere else and start again.
Trey believes his father when he says no one’s getting hurt. After all, these parents have money to spare. Still, Trey’s getting tired of running … and lying … and never having a friend longer than a few months. But how do you get your family to stop lying when your lives depend on it?" --Publisher's blurb
For more information about this award, visit: https://www.nhlibrarians.org/CLNH-Book-Awards
The votes are in and the 2026 Isinglass and Flume Award winners have been announced!
This year's Isinglass (7th and 8th grade) winner is:
Under the Surface by Diana Urban
"Ruby is terrified to cave to her feelings for Sean and risk him crushing her heart.
Sean is pumped to spend a week with Ruby in Paris on their senior class trip, and he’ll wait however long until she’s ready to take things further.
But when Ruby’s best friend sneaks out the first night to meet a mysterious French boy, Ruby goes after her with two classmates, but caves to another temptation: attending mystery boy’s exclusive party in the Paris catacombs, the intricate web of tunnels beneath the city, home to six million long-dead Parisians. Only they never reach the party.
Underground, as something sinister chases them, they get lost in the endless maze of bones, uncovering dark secrets about the catacombs…..and each other. And if they can’t find a way out, they’ll die in the dark beneath the City of Light.
Aboveground, Sean races to find the girl he loves as a media frenzy over the four missing teens begins." -- Publisher's blurb
This year's Flume (9th-12th grade) winner is:
The No-Girlfriend Rule by Christen Randall
"Hollis Beckwith isn’t trying to get a girl—she’s just trying to get by. For a fat, broke girl with anxiety, the start of senior year brings enough to worry about. And besides, she already has a boyfriend: Chris. Their relationship isn’t particularly exciting, but it’s comfortable and familiar, and Hollis wants it to survive beyond senior year. To prove she’s a girlfriend worth keeping, Hollis decides to learn Chris’s favorite tabletop role-playing game, Secrets & Sorcery—but his unfortunate “No Girlfriends at the Table” rule means she’ll need to find her own group if she wants in.
Enter: Gloria Castañeda and her all-girls game of S&S! Crowded at the table in Gloria’s cozy Ohio apartment, the six girls battle twisted magic in-game and become fast friends outside it. With her character as armor, Hollis starts to believe that maybe she can be more than just fat, anxious, and a little lost.
But then an in-game crush develops between Hollis’s character and the bard played by charismatic Aini Amin-Shaw, whose wide, cocky grin makes Hollis’s stomach flutter. As their gentle flirting sparks into something deeper, Hollis is no longer sure what she wants…or if she’s content to just play pretend." -- Publisher's blurb
Please keep encouraging teens to apply for the Flume and Isinglass Committee!
Teen Application Link: https://forms.gle/MRUupeXa4WxNgqYs7
Librarian Application Link: https://forms.gle/3VLKDzaLxtY9NW8o6
Teen Recommendation Link: https://forms.gle/MsTdS3VkirFoH5Yd9
The 2026 nominees for the Ladybug Picture Book Award are:
The first round of Ladybug Picture Book Award voting closed earlier this week and we are ready to move on to round 2.
Eighty-five people weighed in on the long list of nominees and we have eliminated from consideration any title that did not get at least 7 votes. This left us with a shortlist of 18 titles from which NH librarians are invited to vote for the 9 titles that they think should be nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
The Final Round 2026 Ladybug Nomination Survey is now open and will remain open until Sunday, 3/22/2026.
PLEASE NOTE that you can only vote once from your device (phone, computer, whatever you use to browse the web) so don't preview the survey, as you will not be able to go back again to vote.
To help make sure as many people as possible in the NH library community have an opportunity to check out these books before voting for the final nominees, we have linked each of the titles below to a video of the book being read. We did not create any of these videos; they are from a variety of sources. Where there was a version available read by the author, we chose that, otherwise we chose the best depiction of the book that we could find.
2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award Shortlist:
Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe
The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake by Devin Elle Kurtz
Bear and the Three Goldilocks by Patrick Horn and Dan Yaccarino
Broken by X. Fang
Cat Nap by Brian Lies
Cranky, crabby crow (saves the world) by Corey R. Tabor
The Day the Books Disappeared by Joanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard and Dan Santat
Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat
The Humble Pie by Jory John and Pete Oswald
If I Built a Town by Chris Van Dusen
If We Were Dogs by Sophie Blackall
The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood and LeUyen Pham
Never Give a Baby a Library Card by Erin Sandberg and Tom Booth
Old Blue is My Home by Lita Judge
Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird and Andrea Tsurumi
Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale From a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer
The Wild Robot on the Island by Peter Brown
Zip Zap Wickety Wack: A Story About Sharing by Matthew Diffee
