Books for Children & Families
New Books for Children
Ready Readers
For children that are getting ready to read independently, the Youth Services Department has a large collection of Ready Readers to choose from! Find books by popular authors, books that feature favorite characters, and books exploring nonfiction topics. In an effort to standardize the many leveling systems that vary across publishers, we curate each book in our collection and assign a reading level based on our color-coded literacy criteria.
Learn more1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Reading Challenge
The Tinley Park Public Library has joined hundreds of other libraries in an initiative to promote early literacy in young children called 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.
With this program, parents are encouraged to read to their children starting at a young age in order to develop important skills for school as well as to provide a unique bonding experience between parent and child.
learn moreExplore children's award books & other curated recommendations
Read the best of the best as determined annually by authors, critics, librarians, and teachers. Also, explore more curated recommendations from a variety of sources.
The award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
This medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
This medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
The Monarch list of nominees is designed to encourage children to read critically and become familiar with children's books, authors, and illustrators.
The Bluestem list of nominees is designed for students in grades 3–5 who are ready for longer titles than found on the Monarch list, but not quite ready for the sophistication of some of the Rebecca Caudill titles.
The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award is an annual award given to the author of the book voted most outstanding by students in grades 4–8 in participating Illinois schools. The award is named in honor of Rebecca Caudill who lived and wrote in Urbana, Illinois for nearly 50 years. The award is given in recognition for her literary talent and the universal appeal of her books which have touched the hearts of many children and young adults.
A curated collection of exemplary books, recordings, apps, websites, and more for children from the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
Get book recommendations for all ages. Searchable by title, author, genre, or plot. You can also get recommendations based on your preferences, find reviews, and get book discussion guides. A Tinley Park Public Library card is needed to access this resource.