Bank Street’s Center for Children’s Literature has announced the 2025 winners of the Irma Black Award and Cook Prize.

The Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature (Irma Black Award) is awarded annually to "an outstanding book for young children in which text and illustrations are inseparable, each enhancing and enlarging on the other to produce a singular whole."

First and second grade jurors from around the world choose the winner.

This year’s Irma Black Award winner is The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed, illustrated by Hatem Aly (Dial Books for Young Readers).

"It’s so funny my face is tired from laughing," one second grader said.

There are three silver medalists titles: Pedro’s Yo-Yos: How a Filipino Immigrant Came to America and Changed the World of Toys by Rob Peñas, illustrated by Carl Angel (Lee & Low Books); Meena’s Saturday by Kusum Mepani, illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail (Kokila Press); and Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now! by Claudette Colvin and Philip Hoose, illustrated by Bea Jackson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

The Cook Prize honors the best STEM picture book for children ages 8 to 10. Winners are selected by third and fourth grade students.

The 2025 Cook Prize gold medalist is Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin (Holiday House/Neal Porter).

The three silver medal titles are Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Jenn Ely (Astra/Calkins Creek); The Iguanodon’s Horn by Sean Rubin (HarperCollins/Clarion Books); and Yasmeen Lari, Green Architect: The True Story of Pakistan’s First Woman Architect by Marzieh Abbas, illustrated by Hoda Hadadi (HarperCollins/Clarion Books).

More than 11,000 children in the United States, Europe, and Asia voted on the awards.

“These youth choice awards help children to become better and more observant readers, sharpen deliberation, advocacy, public speaking skills, and critical thinking,” says Cynthia Weill, director of the Center for Children’s Literature. “They are a catalyst, helping children develop a love of reading and becoming lifelong readers.”

Acceptance videos from the Cook Prize winners can be found on the Bank Street website. Irma Black Award winner videos will post by May 28.