New York, N.Y.–(January 7, 2026)–The Jane Addams Peace Association is delighted to announce 11 finalist titles under consideration for the 2026 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award in the Chapter Book category. Please find them listed at the conclusion of this release.
The Jane Addams Peace Association will announce winning and honor books from among these finalists on January 19, 2026. Awards will be presented to the winning and honored authors and illustrators on June 26th at 5:30pm at the Hull House Museum, preceded by a Hull House Tour at 4:30pm in Chicago. Since 1953, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award has annually recognized “children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.” A national committee of members with passion for and expertise in children’s literature and social justice is responsible for making the choices each year.
We believe that these books, and others like them, can open up conversations between children and their adults: teachers, librarians and caregivers, about what is happening in the world around them and how they can be changemakers in their own families and communities. We hope that promoting our final contenders in this way will serve to highlight a greater number of excellent children’s books that can deepen understanding of peace and justice.
A special thanks to the Hastings Peace & Justice Fund for their generous support of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for many years.
2026 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Finalists for Chapter Books
A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Robert Alvarez. María Dolores Águila. Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan.
A World Worth Saving. Kyle Lukoff. Dial Books/Penguin.
Creaky Acres: A Graphic Novel. Calista Brill and Nilah Magruder. Kokila/Penguin Random House.
Every Little Bit Olive Tran. Phuong Truong. Second Story Press.
How The Word Is Passed: A Reckoning of the History of Slavery Across America. Clint Smith, adapted for young readers by Sonja Cherry-Paul. Little Brown Books.
Maeve Mulvaney Has Had Enough. Kelly Mangan. Holiday House.
The Pecan Sheller. Lupe Ruiz-Flores. Lerner.
Radiant. Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. Dutton Books for Young Readers/Penguin.
The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze. Derrick Barnes. Viking Books for Young Readers/Penguin.
The Strongest Heart. Saadia Faruqi. HarperCollins.
Words Matter: The Story of Hans and Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Resistance. Anita Fitch Pazner and Sophie Casson. House of Anansi Press.