The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (The Bulletin) has announced the 2025 Blue Ribbon awards, its annual selection of the best works in children's and young adult literature. Blue Ribbons are chosen annually by a committee of reviewers for The Bulletin and represent what they believe to be outstanding examples of youth literature.
"It's always interesting to see how lists coalesce around a certain theme, and many of our 2025 Blue Ribbon selections are united by the idea of persistence, with protagonists that refuse to see failure as an option and seek to grow despite the obstacles they face—be it family friction, forest fires, or cheese-thieving dragons," said Kate Quealy-Gainer, editor in chief of The Bulletin.
Forty-seven titles received Blue Ribbons across the categories of Picture Books, Fiction, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, and Poetry, which is new to this year's awards. The full list is available on their website.
"We had quite a few works of poetry we wanted to highlight," said Quealy-Gainer of the new addition. "We want to make sure that we have a diverse range of genre, format, and style, and that we are reflecting the growing trends in the field."
Award selection is a six-month endeavor for The Bulletin committee members, requiring reading an additional 80 Blue Ribbon contenders beyond what they're already reviewing for the monthly issue. Nominations are provided by staff, and then committee members read and discuss the nominated titles before ultimately selecting the winners.
"I am always so grateful for their dedication to the work and their passion for making the list the best it can be," said Quealy-Gainer.
The Bulletin began issuing Blue Ribbon awards in 1990 under then-editor Betsy Hearne with the aim of highlighting works that reviewers felt were particularly excellent. Because children's literature spans a vast arena of genres, topics, and styles, The Bulletin staff opted to create a list of noted titles rather than a single award.
Founded in 1945, The Bulletin is one of the nation's leading children's book review journals for school and public librarians.