The Monarch Award: Illinois’ K-3 Readers’ Choice Award

The Monarch Award is designed to encourage children to read critically and become familiar with children’s books, authors, and illustrators. The program is open to all K-3 age children in Illinois. More information about this award can be found on the AISLE website.
Click on the titles below to view the primary source pairings:
Be Kind, Written by Pat Zietlow Miller, Illustrated by Jen Hill
Can I Be Your Dog? Written and Illustrated by Troy Cummings
Cute as an Axolotl, Written by Jess Keating, Illustrated by David DeGrand
Douglas, You’re a Genius, Written and Illustrated by Ged Adamson ‘
Drawn Together, Written by Minh Lê, Illustrated by Dan Santat
Dreamers, Written and Illustrated by Yuyi Morales
The Good Egg, Written by Jory John, Illustrated by Pete Oswald
How to Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps, Written by Nicola Winstanley, Illustrated by John Martz
If Sharks Disappeared, Written and Illustrated by Lily Williams
King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats, Written by Dori Hillestad Butler, Illustrated by Nancy Meyers
Let the Children March, Written by Monica Clark-Robinson, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
My Papi Has a Motorcycle, Written by Isabel Quintero, Illustrated by Zeke Peña
A Normal Pig, Written and Illustrated by K-Fai Steele
Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, Written by Anika Denise, Illustrated by Paola Escobar
The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal, Written and Illustrated by Nick Seluk
Thank You, Omu! Written and Illustrated by Oge Mora
The Undefeated, Written by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Under My Hijab, Written by Hena Khan, Illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel
What If… Written by Samantha Berger, Illustrated by Mike Curato
What Is Chasing Duck? Written and Illustrated by Jan Thomas