| Year | Call # | Title | Illustrator |
| 2010 | E Pinkney | The Lion and the Mouse | Jerry Pinkney |
| 2009 | E Swanson | The House in the Night | Beth Krommes |
| 2008 | J Fic Selznick | The Invention of Hugo Cabret | Brian Selznick |
| 2007 | E Wiesner | Flotsam | David Wiesner |
| 2006 | E Juster | The Hello, Goodbye Window |
| 2005 | E Henkes | Kitten’s First Full Moon | Kevin Henkes |
| 2004 | E Gerstein | The Man Who Walked Between the Towers | Mordicai Gerstein |
| 2003 | E Rohmann | My Friend Rabbit | Eric Rohmann |
| 2002 | E Wiesner | The Three Pigs | David Wiesner |
| 2001 | J 973 St. George | So You Want to be President? | David Small |
| 2000 | E Taback | Joseph Had a Little Overcoat | Simms Taback |
| 1999 | JB Bentley | Snowflake Bentley | Mary Azarian |
| 1998 | J 398.20943 Zelinsky | Rapunzel | Paul Zelinsky |
| 1997 | J 398.2089924 Wisniewski | Golem | David Wisniewski |
| 1996 | E Rathmann | Officer Buckle and Gloria | Peggy Rathmann |
| 1995 | E Bunting | Smoky Night | David Diaz |
| 1994 | E Say | Grandfather’s Journey | Allen Say |
| 1993 | E McCully | Mirette on the High Wire | Emily Arnold McCully |
| 1992 | E Wiesner | Tuesday | David Wiesner |
| 1991 | J Fic Macaulay | Black and White | David Macaulay |
| 1990 | J 398.20951 Young | Lon Po Po | Ed Young |
| 1989 | E Ackerman | Song and Dance Man | Stephen Gammell |
| 1988 | E Yolen | Owl Moon | John Schoenherr |
| 1987 | E Yorinks | Hey, Al | Richard Egielski |
| 1986 | E Van Allsburg | Polar Express | Chris Van Allsburg |
| 1985 | J 398.22 Hodges | Saint George and the Dragon | Trina Schart Hyman |
| 1984 | JB Bleriot | The Glorious Flight | Alice Provensen |
| 1983 | E Cendrars | Shadow | Marcia Brown |
| 1982 | J Fic Van Allsburg | Jumanji | Chris Van Allsburg |
| 1981 | J 398.245 Lobel | Fables | Arnold Lobel |
| 1980 | E Hall | Ox-Cart Man | Barbara Cooney |
| 1979 | E Goble | The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses | Paul Goble |
| 1978 | E Spier | Noah’s Ark | Peter Spier |
| 1977 | J 960 Musgrove | Ashanti to Zulu | Leo & Diane Dillon |
| 1976 | J 398.20966 Aardema | Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears | Leo & Diane Dillon |
| 1975 | J 398.208997 McDermott | Arrow to the Sun | Gerald McDermott |
| 1974 | J 398.20942 Zemach | Duffy and the Devil | Margot Zemach |
| 1973 | E Mosel | The Funny Little Woman | Blair Lent |
| 1972 | E Hogrogian | One Fine Day | Nonny Hogrogian |
| 1971 | J 398.2096 Haley | A Story, A Story | Gail Haley |
| 1970 | E Steig | Sylvester and the Magic Pebble | William Steig |
| 1969 | J 398.2094 Ransome | Fool of the World and the Flying Ship | Uri Shulevitz |
| 1968 | J 398.8 Emberley | Drummer Hoff | Barbara Emberley |
| 1967 | E Ness | Sam, Bangs & Moonshine | Evaline Ness |
| 1966 | J 784.4 Leodhas | Always Room for One More | Nonny Hogrogian |
| 1965 | E DeRegniers | May I Bring a Friend? | Beni Montresor |
| 1964 | E Sendak | Where the Wild Things Are | Maurice Sendak |
| 1963 | E Keats | The Snowy Day | Ezra Jack Keats |
| 1962 | J 398.20954 Once | Once a Mouse... | Marcia Brown |
| 1961 | J 394.26947 Robbins
(Holiday Collection) | Baboushka and the Three Kings | Nicolas Sidjakov |
| 1960 | E Ets
(Holiday Collection) | Nine Days to Christmas | Marie Hall Ets |
| 1959 | E Chaucer | Chanticleer and the Fox | Barbara Cooney |
| 1958 | E McCloskey | Time of Wonder | Robert McCloskey |
| 1957 | E Udry | A Tree is Nice | Marc Simont |
| 1956 | J 784.4 Frog | Frog Went A-Courtin’ | Feodor Rojankovsky |
| 1955 | J 398.20944 Perrault | Cinderella | Marcia Brown |
| 1954 | E Bemelmans | Madeline’s Rescue | Ludwig Bemelmans |
| 1953 | J Fic Ward | The Biggest Bear | Lynd Ward |
| 1952 | E Lipkind | Finders Keepers | Nicholas Mordvinoff |
| 1951 | J Fic Milhous | The Egg Tree | Katherine Milhous |
| 1950 | J Fic Politi | Song of the Swallows | Leo Politi |
| 1949 | E Hader | The Big Snow | Berta Hader |
| 1948 | E Tresselt | White Snow, Bright Snow | Roger Duvoisin |
| 1947 | E Brown | The Little Island | Leonard Weisgard |
| 1946 | J 398.8 Petersham | The Rooster Crows | Maud Petersham |
| 1945 | J 242.82 Field | Prayer for a Child | Elizabeth Jones |
| 1944 | J Fic Thurber | Many Moons | Louis Slobodkin |
| 1943 | E Burton | The Little House | Virginia Lee Burton |
| 1942 | E McCloskey | Make Way for Ducklings | Robert McCloskey |
| 1941 | J 920 Lawson | They Were Strong and Good | Robert Lawson |
| 1940 | JB Lincoln | Abraham Lincoln | Ingri D’Aulaire |
| 1939 | E Handforth | Mei Li | Thomas Handforth |
| 1938 | J 220.859 Bible | Animals of the Bible | Dorothy Lathrop |
