Winter break is the perfect time for kids to cozy up with a good book (or a few!). We’ve rounded up some reading lists from the Texas Library Association (TLA) that your students can enjoy during the holidays.

2x2 (Age 2 to second grade)

The 2x2 reading list is a diverse collection of books selected to inspire a love of reading from an early age. Titles include:  

• Boxitects by Kim Smith. Clarion Books.
• Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex. Nancy Paulsen Books.
• I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes. Illustrated by Gordon C. James. Penguin.
• Packs – Strength in Numbers by Hannah Salyer. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
• The Three Billy Goats Buenos by Susan Middleton Elya. Illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez. G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Visit the 2x2 page for activities, resources, and the list of all 20 recommended books for 2021.

Texas Bluebonnet Award (Grades 3–6)

The Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List is released annually with 20 titles geared toward students in grades 3–6. Schools and libraries throughout Texas can participate in the program by encouraging students to read at least five books from the list. In January, students can vote for their favorite title. The author of the winning title receives the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Here’s a sneak peek of the 2022-23 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List:

• Memoirs of a Tortoise by Devin Scillian, illustrated by Tim Bowers. (Sleeping Bear Press, 2020).
• Once Upon a Camel by Kathi Appelt. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2021). 
• Rock by Rock: The Fantastical Garden of Nek Chand by Jennifer Bradbury. Illustrated by Sam Boughton. (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2021).
• Swish! The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters by Suzanne Slade. Illustrated by Don Tate. (Little Brown & Company, 2020).
• Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright. (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic, 2020).

Find the full list here, and learn how to register your school for Texas Bluebonnet Award voting.

Tejas Star (Ages 5–12)

The Tejas Star Reading List is a carefully curated list of Spanish and bilingual titles spanning a variety of genres. Here are just a few titles from the 2021-22 reading list:

• Amigas (The Girls) by Lauren Ace. Illustrated by Jenny Lovlie. Translated by Ana Belén Fletes (Maeva Ediciones, 2019).
• Cachorros del fin del mundo (Animal Babies From The Ends Of The World) by Paula Fernández. Illustrated by Pablo Picyk (Syncretic Press, 2020).
• Imagina (Imagine) by Juan Felipe Herrera. Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Translated by Georgina Lázaro (Candlewick Press, 2020).
• La casa de algún día (The One Day House) by Julia Durango. Illustrated by Bianca Díaz (Charlesbridge, 2020).
• Rescatando palabras: José Alberto Gutiérrez y la biblioteca que creó (Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built) by Angela Burke Kunkel. Illustrated by Paola Escobar. Translated by Teresa Mlawer (Schwartz & Wade Books, 2020).

Check out these additional resources, and find the full 2021-22 Tejas Star reading list here.

Happy reading!