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.
To print a CCBC booklist, click on a list below and then use your browser’s “Print” command.
Custodians of Wonder: Books About Bridge Building
©2026 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Compiled by Merri Lindgren
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 bridge building.
See also Custodians of Wonder: Books About Intergenerational Connections.
Physical Bridge Building
Crossings: Extraordinary Structures for Extraordinary Animals
by Duffield, Katy S.
Illustrated by Mike Orodan.
Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster, 2020. 40 pages. Ages 6-10
Reaching Across the Sky: A Celebration of Bridges
by Hale, Christy
Illustrated by Christy Hale.
Christy Ottaviano Books/Little, Brown, 2026. 41 pages. Ages 5-10
So Happy!
by Henkes, Kevin
Illustrated by Anita Lobel.
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2005. 32 pages. Ages 4-7
What Can You Do with a Rock?
by Miller, Pat Zietlow
Illustrated by Katie Kath.
Sourcebooks, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 3-7
Golden Gate: Building the Mighty Bridge
by Partridge, Elizabeth
Illustrated by Ellen Heck.
Chronicle, 2024. 49 pages. Ages 5-10
Someone Builds the Dream
by Wheeler, Lisa
Illustrated by Loren Long.
Dial/Penguin Random House, 2021. 40 pages. Ages 4-7
Literal and Metaphorical Bridge Building
Journey of the Midnight Sun
by Afzal, Shazia
Illustrated by Aliya Ghare.
Orca, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 3-6
Baby Goes to Market
by Atinuke,
Illustrated by Angela Brooksbank.
Candlewick, 2017. 32 pages. Ages 2-4
My Two Border Towns
by Bowles, David
Illustrated by Erika Meza.
Kokila/Penguin Random House, 2021. 32 pages. Ages 5-8
Orris and Timble: The Beginning (#1)
by DiCamillo, Kate
Illustrated by Carmen Mok.
Candlewick, 2024. 72 pages. Ages 5-8
We Are Definitely Human
by Fang, X.
Illustrated by X. Fang.
Tundra, 2024. 48 pages. Ages 4-8
Take Back the Block
by Giles, Chrystal D.
Random House, 2021. 229 pages. Ages 8-12
Field Trip to the Moon
by Hare, John
Illustrated by John Hare.
Holiday House/Margaret Ferguson Books, 2019. 40 pages. Ages 5-9
Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
by Hillery, Tony
Illustrated by Jessie Hartland.
Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster, 2020. 32 pages. Ages 6-9
Book Uncle and Me
by Krishnaswami, Uma
Illustrated by Julianna Swaney.
Groundwood, 2016. 149 pages. Ages 7-10
Rez Kid
by Landry, Andrea
Illustrated by Isabella Fassler.
Kids Can, 2025. 32 pages. 7-10
Mango, Abuela, and Me
by Medina, Meg
Illustrated by Angela Dominguez.
Candlewick, 2015. 32 pages. Ages 4-8
Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All
by Miller, Chanel
Illustrated by Chanel Miller.
Penguin Random House/Philomel, 2024. 145 pages. Ages 7-10
The All-Together Quilt
by Rockwell, Lizzy
Illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell.
Knopf/Penguin Random House, 2020. 32 pages. Ages 5-8
¡Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge
by the Third, Raul
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Versify, 2021. 40 pages. Ages 3-8
Luli and the Language of Tea
by Wang, Andrea
Illustrated by Hyewon Yum.
Holiday House/Neal Porter Books, 2022. 32 pages. Ages 3-7
The Words We Share
by Wong, Jack
Illustrated by Jack Wong.
Annick, 2023. 40 pages. Ages 5-10
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.