CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Custodians of Wonder: Books About Intergenerational Connections
©2026 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Compiled by Katie Kiekhaefer
This booklist was developed by the CCBC librarians to complement the 2026-2027 Go Big Read selection, Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping Them Alive, a work of nonfiction by Eliot Stein that explores remarkable people around the world preserving extraordinary cultural rites.
This particular booklist focuses on intergenerational connections.
Picture Books
Soul Food Sunday
by Bingham, Winsome
Illustrated by C. G. Esperanza.
Abrams, 2021. 40 pages. Ages 4-8
Fish Fry Friday
by Bingham, Winsome
Illustrated by C. G. Esperanza.
Abrams, 2025. 40 pages. 5-9
The Yellow Ao Dai
by Bui, Hanh
Illustrated by Minnie Phan.
Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan, 2023. 36 pages. Ages 3-7
Okra Stew: A Gullah Geechee Family Celebration
by Daise, Natalie
Illustrated by Natalie Daise.
Henry Holt/Macmillan, 2023. 40 pages. Ages 3-7
Kunu's Basket: A Story from Indian Island
by Francis, Lee DeCora
Illustrated by Susan Drucker.
Tilbury House, 2012. 32 pages. Ages 5-9
The Mochi Makers
by Fujimoto-Johnson, Sharon
Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 3-7
Cora Cooks Pancit
by Gilmore, Dorina K. Lazo
Illustrated by Kristi Valiant.
Shen's, 2009. 32 pages. Ages 3-7
Berry Song
by Goade, Michaela
Illustrated by Michaela Goade.
Little, Brown, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 3-7
The First Blade of Sweetgrass: A Native American Story
by Greenlaw, Suzanne and Gabriel Frey
Illustrated by Nancy Baker.
Tilbury House, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 4-7
My Grandma and Me
by Javaherbin, Mina
Illustrated by Lindsey Yankey.
Candlewick, 2019. 32 pages. Ages 4-7
Josie Dances
by Lajimodiere, Denise
Illustrated by Angela Erdrich.
Minnesota Historical Society, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
The Longest, Strongest Thread
by Leitner, Inbal
Illustrated by Inbal Leitner.
Charlesbridge, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 3-6
Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens
by Lilly, Elizabeth
Illustrated by Elizabeth Lilly.
Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 3-7
Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic
by Lo, Ginnie
Illustrated by Beth Lo.
Lee & Low, 2012. 32 pages. Ages 7-10
Rainbow Weaver = Tejedora del arcoíris
by Marshall, Linda Elovitz
Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri.
Lee & Low, 2016. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
Maple Syrup Season
by Purmell, Ann
Illustrated by Jill Weber.
Holiday House, 2008. 32 pages. Ages 5-9
Granddad's Fishing Buddy
by Quigley, Mary
Illustrated by Stephane Jorisch.
Dial, 2007. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
Stitches of Tradition (Gashkigwaaso Tradition)
by Rendon, Marcie R.
Illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley.
HarperCollins/Heartdrum, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
Gus & Me: The Story of My Granddad and My First Guitar
by Richards, Keith and Barnaby Harris, Bill Shapiro
Illustrated by Theodora Richards.
Little, Brown/Megan Tingley Books, 2014. 32 pages. Ages 6-9
On the Trapline
by Robertson, David A
Illustrated by Julie Flett.
Tundra, 2021. 40 pages. Ages 4-8
Just Like Grandma
by Rogers, Kim
Illustrated by Julie Flett.
HarperCollins/Heartdrum, 2023. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
My Baba's Garden
by Scott, Jordan
Illustrated by Sydney Smith.
Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, 2023. 40 pages. Ages 4-8
At the Mountain's Base
by Sorell, Traci
Illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre.
Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2019. 24 pages. Ages 5-9
Raven's Ribbons
by Spillett, Tasha
Illustrated by Daniel Ramirez.
Little, Brown, 2025. 24 pages. 4-9
The Blue Pickup
by Tripplett, Natasha
Illustrated by Monica Mikai.
Harper/HarperCollins, 2024. 40 pages. Ages 4-8
Novels
Butterfly Heart
by Astot, Moa Backe
Translated by Agnes Broome.
Levine Querido, 2025. 175 pages. 12-15
1001 Cranes
by Hirahara, Naomi
Delacorte/Random House, 2008. 230 pages. Ages 10-14
The Kite Fighters
by Park, Linda Sue
Clarion, 2000. 136 pages. Ages 8-11
Root Magic
by Royce, Eden
HarperCollins/Walden Pond, 2021. 336 pages. Ages 8-12
Where Wolves Don't Die
by Treuer, Anton
Levine Querido, 2024. 313 pages. Age 12 and older
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.