Sibert Medal Winners
 
This award is given annually for the best informational books published. For more information on the Sibert Medal, please visit the Association for Library Service to Children website .  
 
2026 Winner
Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert by Sara Andrea Fajardo
Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert
by Sara Andrea Fajardo

What can a potato do? To Peruvian scientist Alberto Salas, they have the power to change the world. Go on the hunt with Alberto for wild potatoes before they go extinct in this playful picture book biography, gorgeously illustrated by Caldecott-honoree Juana Martinez-Neal.
2026 Honors
At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom by Erin Entrada Kelly
At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom
by Erin Entrada Kelly

A biography of the legendary and inspiring Josefina Joey Guerrero: World War II spy, Filipina guerrilla fighter, war hero, Medal of Freedom recipient, leprosy survivor, teacher, and peacemaker.
The History of We by Nikkolas Smith
The History of We
by Nikkolas Smith

The History of We takes what we know about modern human civilization and, through magnificent paintings, creates a tale about our shared beginnings in a way that centers Black people in humankind's origin story.
Previous Years' Winners
These are the Sibert Award winners from 2007 to 2025. For more honor books, please visit the Sibert Medal page. 
 
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall
by Lynn Brunelle

Taking an honest look at the circle of life, this breathtakingly illustrated book follows a whale as she closes her eyes for the last time, sinking to the bottom of the ocean where her enormous body sets the stage for new ecosystems to flourish. 
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
by Nick Day

Transporting readers back to turn-of-the-century Paris where they will bear witness to the heist of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, which made it the most famous artwork in the world, this nonfiction thriller is shot through with stories of crime and celebrity, genius and beauty. 
 
Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration
by Elizabeth Partridge

Weaving together powerful photographs, firsthand accounts, and stunning original art, this important work of nonfiction examines the history, heartbreak, and injustice of the Japanese American incarceration. 
The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice With Art
by Cynthia Levinson
 
A lyrical picture book introduction to the life and achievements of the influential Jewish artist and activist touches on Ben Shahn’s remarkable skills of observation, his witness to his protester father’s banishment, and his commitment to promoting justice through art.
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera
by Candace Fleming

Describes the life of a typical worker bee, as she emerges from her cell, does different jobs around the hive while growing big enough and strong enough to fly, and flies far and wide to search for nectar.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
by Kevin Noble Maillard

This tale celebrates the Native American tradition of sharing fry bread during family meals in a story about family, history, culture, and traditions, both new and old.

 
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science
by Joyce Sidman

A portrait of one of the first naturalists to observe live insects directly describes Maria Merian's life and her groundbreaking work documenting the metamorphosis of the butterfly.
Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride, 1961
by Larry Dane Brimner

Documents the heroic 1961 campaign of the civil rights activists known as the "Freedom Riders," describing their peaceful protests to raise awareness about unconstitutional segregation and the increasing violence they endured as they traveled south. 
March: Book Three
by John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis, one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, joins co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to bring the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today's world. 

This title can be found in the Adult Graphic Novel (GN) section of the library.
Funny Bones: Posada and his Day of the Dead Calaveras
by Duncan Tonatiuh

Presents the life of the Mexican artist, who became famous for his drawings of skeletons in multiple everyday poses which have become identified with the Mexican Day of the Dead.
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus
by Jen Bryant

Examines the life of Peter Mark Roget and his invention of the thesaurus.

 
Parrots Over Puerto Rico
by Susan L Roth

Presents a history of the Puerto Rican parrot and the island of Puerto Rico, discussing the efforts being made to protect and manage the parrot which is an endangered species.
 
Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
by Steve Sheinkin

A dramatic introduction to the international competition to create the first atomic bomb recounts the scientific discoveries that enabled atom splitting, the military intelligence operations that occurred in rival countries and the work of brilliant scientists hidden at Los Alamos. 
 
Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
by Melissa Sweet

A tribute to the first creator of the giant helium balloons that fill the sky during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade traces the work of pioneering artist Tony Sarg, whose innovative "upside-down puppet" creations have become the parade's trademark. 
 
 
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot
by Sy Montgomery

On remote Codfish Island off the southern coast of New Zealand live the last 91 kakapo parrots on earth. Originally this bird numbered in the millions before humans brought predators to the islands. Now on the isolated island refuge, a team of scientists is trying to restore the kakapo population.
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
by Tanya Lee Stone

Provides the story of the thirteen women connected with NASA's Mercury 13 space mission, who braved prejudice and jealousy to make their mark and open the door for the female pilots and space commanders that would soon follow.
We are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
by Kadir Nelson

Rich illustrations capture the excitement and thrills of the glory years of Negro League baseball in the early 1900s, profiling its star athletes, highlighting the challenges faced by the players, and the sacrifices made to live out their dreams and play the game they loved.
The Wall: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain
by Peter Sís

Annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes take readers on an extraordinary journey of how the artist-author's life was shaped while growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, as well as the influence of western culture through the influx of banned books, music, and news, in a powerful graphic memoir.

Forsyth County Public Library
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