| Raschka, Chris | 2012 |
| A Ball for Daisy | |
| Stead, Philip Christian | 2011 |
| A Sick Day for Amos McGee | |
| Pinkney, Jerry | 2010 |
| The Lion & the Mouse | |
| Krommes, Beth | 2009 |
| The House in the Night | |
| Selznick, Brian | 2008 |
| The Invention of Hugo Cabret | |
| Wiesner, David | 2007 |
| Flotsam | |
| Raschka, Chris | 2006 |
| The Hello, Goodbye Window | |
| Henkes, Kevin | 2005 |
| Kitten's First Full Moon | |
| Gerstein, Mordicai | 2004 |
| The Man Who Walked Between the Towers | |
| Rohmann, Eric | 2003 |
| My Friend Rabbit | |
| Wiesner, David | 2002 |
| The Three Pigs | |
| Small, David | 2001 |
| So You Want To Be President? | |
| Taback, Simms | 2000 |
| Joseph Had a Little Overcoat | |
| Azarian, Mary | 1999 |
| Snowflake Bentley | |
| Zelinsky, Paul | 1998 |
| Rapunzel | |
| Wisniewski, David | 1997 |
| Golem | |
| Rathmann, Peggy | 1996 |
| Officer Buckle and Gloria | |
| Diaz, David | 1995 |
| Smoky Night | |
| Say, Allen | 1994 |
| Grandfather's Journey | |
| McCully, Emily Arnold | 1993 |
| Mirette on the High Wire | |
| Wiesner, David | 1992 |
| Tuesday | |
| Macaulay, David | 1991 |
| Black and White | |
| Young, Ed | 1990 |
| Lon Po Po: A Red Riding Hood Story From China | |
| Gammell, Stephen | 1989 |
| Song and Dance Man | |
| Schoenherr, John | 1988 |
| Owl Moon | |
| Egielski, Richard | 1987 |
| Hey, Al | |
| Van Allsburg, Chris | 1986 |
| The Polar Express | |
| Hyman, Trina Schart | 1985 |
| Saint George and the Dragon | |
| Provensen, Alice | 1984 |
| The Glorious Flight | |
| Brown, Marcia | 1983 |
| Shadow | |
| Van Allsburg, Chris | 1982 |
| Jumanji | |
| Lobel, Arnold | 1981 |
| Fables | |
| Cooney, Barbara | 1980 |
| Ox-Cart Man | |
| Goble, Paul | 1979 |
| The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses | |
| Spier, Peter | 1978 |
| Noah's Ark | |
| Dillon, Leo | 1977 |
| Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions | |
| Dillon, Leo | 1976 |
| Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears | |
| McDermott, Gerald | 1975 |
| Arrow to the Sun | |
| Zemach, Margot | 1974 |
| Duffy and the Devil | |
| Lent, Blair | 1973 |
| The Funny Little Woman | |
| Hogrogian, Nonny | 1972 |
| One Fine Day | |
| Haley, Gail E. | 1971 |
| A Story, a Story: An African Tale | |
| Steig, William | 1970 |
| Sylvester and the Magic Pebble | |
| Shulevitz, Uri | 1969 |
| The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship | |
| Emberley, Ed | 1968 |
| Drummer Hoff | |
| Ness, Evaline | 1967 |
| Sam, Bangs, and Moonshine, | |
| Hogrogian, Nonny | 1966 |
| Always Room For One More | |
| Montresor, Beni | 1965 |
| May I Bring a Friend? | |
| Sendak, Maurice | 1964 |
| Where the Wild Things Are | |
| Keats, Ezra Jack | 1963 |
| The Snowy Day | |
| Brown, Marcia | 1962 |
| Once a Mouse: A Fable Cut in Wood | |
| Sidjakov, Nicolas | 1961 |
| Baboushka and the Three Kings | |
| Ets, Marie Hall | 1960 |
| Nine Days to Christmas | |
| Cooney, Barbara | 1959 |
| Chanticleer and the Fox | |
| McCloskey, Robert | 1958 |
| Time of Wonder | |
| Simont, Marc | 1957 |
| A Tree is Nice | |
| Rojankovsky, Feodor | 1956 |
| Frog Went A Courtin | |
| Brown, Marcia | 1955 |
| Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper | |
| Bemelmans, Ludwig | 1954 |
| Madeline's Rescue | |
| Ward, Lynd | 1953 |
| The Biggest Bear | |
| Nicolas | 1952 |
| Finders Keepers | |
| Milhous, Katherine | 1951 |
| The Egg Tree | |
| Politi, Leo | 1950 |
| Song of the Swallows | |
| Hader, Berta | 1949 |
| The Big Snow | |
| Duvoisin, Roger | 1948 |
| White Snow, Bright Snow | |
| Weisgard, Leonard | 1947 |
| The Little Island | |
| Petersham, Maud | 1946 |
| The Rooster Crows | |
| Jones, Elizabeth Orton | 1945 |
| Prayer For a Child | |
| Slobodkin, Louis | 1944 |
| Many Moons | |
| Burton, Virginia Lee | 1943 |
| The Little House | |
| McCloskey, Robert | 1942 |
| Make Way For Ducklings | |
| Lawson, Robert | 1941 |
| They Were Strong and Good | |
| D'Aulaire, Ingri | 1940 |
| Abraham Lincoln | |
| Handforth, Thomas | 1939 |
| Mei Li | |
| Lathrop, Dorothy | 1938 |
| Animals of the Bible | |