Common Sense Selections

Common Sense recognizes outstanding entertainment with an official seal for quality and impact. Common Sense Selections include age-appropriate media with the potential to spark family conversations, entertain families of all kinds, and have a positive, lasting effect on society.

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Recent Honorees

The Spirit Glass book cover: Asian girl with green lizard on her shoulder center looks into a blue mirror and sees her reflection and a boy ghost staring back at her
BOOK

The Spirit Glass

age 10+

Magical, inventive adventure has ghosts, talks about death.

By: Roshani Chokshi (2023)
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Something Like Home book cover: Girl with red frizzy ponytail snuggles with brown Puppy atop a hill above a city skyline filled with birds
BOOK

Something Like Home

age 10+

Girl faces new home with aunt in gripping novel in verse.

By: Andrea Beatriz Arango (2023)
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Young Love TV show poster: A family of five sits on the stoop in front of their house as the Chicago flag waves above them.
TV

Young Love

age 10+

Family comedy on love and flaws; some cursing, innuendoes.

Network: Max (2023)
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Something, Someday book cover: A young Black boy, wearing a blue shirt, bends to the side as he uses a large red watering can to pour water on a small green plant against a bright yellow background
BOOK

Something, Someday

age 4+

One small act makes a huge impact in poetic picture book.

By: Amanda Gorman (2023)
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The Mona Lisa Vanishes book cover: Large eyes of Mona Lisa above title; mustachioed man hiding Mona Lisa painting in his jacket below title
BOOK

The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity

age 10+

Fun page-turner about famous painting has mystery & history.

By: Nicholas Day (2023)
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She Persisted Pura Belpré book cover: Illustration of a portrait of Pura Belpré in a frame holding an armful of red books; the frame is being help up by three children with various skin tones
BOOK

She Persisted: Pura Belpré

age 6+

Inspiring bio of first Puerto Rican librarian in NYC.

By: Meg Medina (2023)
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The Saint of Second Chances movie poster: Collage of scenes from the documentary, which include white baseballs, a white pig standing on a white base of a green baseball field, and Mike Veeck, the son of Bill Veeck, owner of the Chicago White Sox, faces the camera with his visually-impaired daughter Rebecca as she embraces him around the neck
MOVIE

The Saint of Second Chances

age 14+

Baseball family dynasty docu hits home run; language.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2023)
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Animals Up Close TV show poster: Collage with large image of Bertie Gregory at its center, surrounded by images of animals
TV

Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory

age 8+

Optimistic host, great visuals in educational wildlife docu.

Network: Disney+ (2023)
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What's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon book cover: Digital illustrations of a large, colorful moth and cute green caterpillar
BOOK

What's Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon: And Other Questions About Moths & Butterflies

age 4+

Gorgeous, science-rich intro to butterflies and moths.

By: Rachel Ignotofsky (2023)
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The Artivist book cover: Painted image of a young African American child with curly hair and brown skin holding a paint brush; after painting the book title in yellow paint
BOOK

The Artivist

age 4+

Exceptional illustrations inspire children to be activists.

By: Nikkolas Smith (2023)
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LIFT Movie Poster: A male ballet dancer is mid jump, and a little girl dancer looks at him
MOVIE

LIFT

age 10+

Poignant, inspiring doc about shelter kids who learn ballet.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2023)
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My First Day book cover: A boy stand-up paddling through a blue sky above lush multicolored waves
BOOK

My First Day

age 4+

Boy paddles down Mekong River in stunning journey to school.

By: Phùng Nguyên Quang , Huynh Kim Liên (2021)
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A Horse Named Sky book cover: Brown spotted horse with white mane running across mountain meadow
BOOK

A Horse Named Sky

age 8+

Thrilling, info-rich tale of young mustang in Silver Rush.

By: Rosanne Parry (2023)
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¡Vamos! Let's Go Read book cover: A cartoon cheetah, fox, chicken, and dog sit around a box outside of a library reading books
BOOK

¡Vamos! Let's Go Read!

age 4+

Colorful celebration of books has tons of Spanish vocab.

By: Raul the Third (2023)
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Women of Marvel podcast logo, women superheroes in a collage style background.
PODCAST

Women of Marvel

age 9+

Empowering pod dives deep into women superheroes of Marvel.

Production company: Marvel Studios , SiriusXM (Average run time: 45 minutes)
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Football Must Go On TV show poster: A collapsed cement structure with a football player with orange jacket painted on it.
TV

Football Must Go On

age 13+

Uplifting docuseries about soccer, war, and resilience.

Network: Paramount+ (2023)
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I Will Read to You book cover: Little boy in an animal onesie reads a book with a crowd of friendly monsters behind him under a night sky
BOOK

I Will Read to You

age 4+

Kind boy reads to monsters in gently spooky nighttime tale.

By: Gideon Sterer (2023)
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Movie Poster: The characters stand back to back in front of a field of stars
MOVIE

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

age 13+

Touching 1980s-set coming-of-age drama; language, violence.

In Theaters (Release Year: 2023)
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When Moon Became the Moon book cover: Smiling white moon against a black sky
BOOK

When Moon Became the Moon

age 4+

Charming, friendly intro to the moon and its phases.

By: Rob Hodgson (2023)
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A Million Miles Away movie poster: Michael Peña as migrant worker turned astronaut José Hernández.
MOVIE

A Million Miles Away

age 10+

Positive messages in migrant-turned-astronaut underdog tale.

On DVD/Streaming (Release Year: 2023)
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