The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award® was established in 1989 to promote and recognize excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children.

Book cover of Border crossings
2024

Border Crossings

by Collard, Sneed B.
Call Number: x 599.7 C697
Book cover for Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky
2023

Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky

by Brew-Hammond, Nana Ekua
Call Number: x 535 B847

Grades: 1 - 4: This informational picture book weaves together art, science, and history to tell a complex story of the color blue. Gorgeous illustrations by Daniel Minter depict the varying blues of nature, as well as the historical attempts to reproduce these vivid hues for human consumption. Brew-Hammond celebrates these artistic and technological innovations, but does not ignore the costs and repercussions to the people whose labor made them possible.

Book cover for Nina: A Story of Nina Simone
2022

Nina: A Story of Nina Simone

by Todd, Traci N
Call Number: x 92 S598To
Book cover for Between the Lines
2019

Between the Lines

by Wallace, Sandra Neil
Call Number: x 92 B261Wa folio
Book cover for Grand Canyon
2018

Grand Canyon

by Chin, Jason
Call Number: x 979 C5385
Book cover for Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White
2017

Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White

by Sweet, Melissa
Call Number: x 92 W583Sw

Grades 3 - 7

This biography of the author of beloved classics Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan, is gorgeously illustrated, full of photos and quotes, endlessly interesting, and just plain fun to look at.

 
Book cover for Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans
2016

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

by Brown, Don
Call Number: 976.32 N55Br

A graphic-novel take on the devastation, both from the hurricane and from government infrastructure, about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The book is painterly in its drawings as it depicts the horrors of the victims’ lives, with a touch of hope at the end with the rebuilding of New Orleans. Recommended for those teenagers looking to see how communities and government can work or not.

 
Book cover for A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin
2014

A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

by Bryant, Jennifer
Call Number: x 92 P665Br
Book cover for Monsieur Marceau
2013

Monsieur Marceau

by Schubert, Leda
Call Number: x 92 M313Sc
Book cover for Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring
2011

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring

by Greenberg, Jan
Call Number: x 92 G741Gr
Book cover for The Secret World of Walter Anderson
2010

The Secret World of Walter Anderson

by Bass, Hester
Call Number: xz
Book cover for Amelia: The Legend of the Lost Aviator
2009

Amelia: The Legend of the Lost Aviator

by Tanaka, Shelley
Call Number: x 92 E12Ta
Book cover for M.L.K.: Journey of a King
2008

M.L.K.: Journey of a King

by Bolden, Tonya
Call Number: x 92 K53Bol
Book cover for Quest for the Tree Kangaroo
2007

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo

by Montgomery, Sy
Call Number: x 599.2 M788
Book cover for Children of the Great Depression
2006

Children of the Great Depression

by Freedman, Russell
Call Number: x 973.9 F853
Book cover for York's Adventures With Lewis and Clark
2005

York's Adventures With Lewis and Clark

by Blumberg, Rhoda
Call Number: x 978 B658-1
Book cover for An American Plague
2004

An American Plague

by Murphy, Jim
Call Number: x 616.9 M978
Book cover for When Marian Sang
2003

When Marian Sang

by Ryan, Pam Muñoz
Call Number: x 92 A548Ry
Book cover for Black potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850
2002

Black potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850

by Bartoletti, Susan Campbell
Call Number: x 941.5 B292 2005
Book cover for Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush California
2001

Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush California

by Stanley, Jerry
Call Number: x 979 S788

Recounts the history of African Americans in California during the Gold Rush while focusing on the life and work of Mifflin Gibbs.

Book cover for Through My Eyes
2000

Through My Eyes

by Bridges, Ruby
Call Number: x 370 B851
Book cover for Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
1999

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World

by Armstrong, Jennifer
Call Number: x 999 A736
Book cover for An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly
1998

An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly

by Pringle, Laurence
Call Number: x 595 P957-5
Book cover for Leonardo da Vinci
1997

Leonardo da Vinci

by Stanley, Diane
Call Number: x 92 L581St
Book cover for The Great Fire
1996

The Great Fire

by Murphy, Jim
Call Number: x 977 M978
Book cover for Safari Beneath the Sea
1995

Safari Beneath the Sea

by Swanson, Diane
Call Number: x 570.91 S972
Book cover for Across America on an Emigrant Train
1994

Across America on an Emigrant Train

by Murphy, Jim
Call Number: x 973.8 M978
Book cover for Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh
1992

Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh

by Burleigh, Robert
Call Number: x 629.13 B961
Book cover for Franklin Delano Roosevelt
1991

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

by Freedman, Russell
Call Number: x 92 R7792Fr
Book cover for The Great Little Madison
1990

The Great Little Madison

by Fritz, Jean
Call Number: x 92 M182Fr