The Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal

I thought I would begin with a few awards that are given out to children’s stories. The first one, The Caldecott Medal.

The Caldecott Medal began in 1937 recognizing the previous year’s most distinguished American picture book for children. Named for Randolph Caldecott, the award is given to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). The ALSC is a division of (American Library Association) ALA.

Randolph Caldecott was an English illustrator, March 22, 1846-February 12, 1886. Recognized for his illustrations by the Royal Academy, he greatly influenced illustrations in children’s books during the nineteenth century.

Besides the medal winners, there are also runner up winners as well, Caldecott Honor books.

In order to be considered for the Caldecott Medal, the artist must be a US citizen or resident. The illustrations must be original to the book. The book must be published in the United States and in English. The book also must have been published in the preceding year.

K. Chesterton wrote in a Caldecott picture book that he presented to a young friend:

This is the sort of book we like

  (For you and I are very small),

With pictures stuck in anyhow,

  And hardly any words at all.

. . .

You will not understand a word

  Of all the words, including mine;

Never you trouble; you can see,

  And all directness is divine—

Stand up and keep your childishness:

  Read all the pedants’ screeds and strictures;

But don’t believe in anything

  That can’t be told in coloured pictures.

I know I personally have many favorite children’s books that have been awarded the Caldecott Medal. As a child, searching through the library at school on Library Day, I would look for the little honor sticker indicating its glory.  This told me as a young child, that the book truly was considered to be a great book.

Here is a list of all the Caldecott Medal winners from 1938 ~ present. Why does it start in 1938 and not 1937? Because it has to be a book published in the preceding year. Look for that little sticker and enjoy. BPP

Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 – Present

• 2016: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, illustrated by  Sophie Blackall, written by Lindsay Mattick (Little, Brown/Hachette)
• 2015: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.)
• 2014: Locomotive by Brian Floca (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
• 2013: This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (Candlewick Press)
• 2012: A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.)
• 2011: A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead (Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
• 2010: The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown and Company)
• 2009:  The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson (Houghton Mifflin Company)
• 2008: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic)
• 2007: Flotsam by David Wiesner  (Clarion)
• 2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka, written by Norton Juster (Michael di Capua/Hyperion)
• 2005: Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollinsPublishers)
• 2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein (Roaring Brook Press/Millbrook Press)
• 2003: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann (Roaring Brook Press/Millbrook Press)
• 2002: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin)
• 2001: So You Want to Be President?, illustrated by David Small, written by Judith St. George (Philomel Books)
• 2000: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback (Viking)
• 1999: Snowflake Bentley, illustrated by Mary Azarian, written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (Houghton)
• 1998: Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky (Dutton)
• 1997: Golem by David Wisniewski (Clarion)
• 1996: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam)
• 1995: Smoky Night, illustrated by David Diaz; text: Eve Bunting (Harcourt)
• 1994: Grandfather’s Journey, illustrated by Allen Say; text: edited by Walter Lorraine (Houghton)
• 1993: Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully (Putnam)
• 1992: Tuesday by David Wiesner (Clarion Books)
• 1991: Black and White by David Macaulay (Houghton)
• 1990: Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young (Philomel)
• 1989: Song and Dance Man, illustrated by Stephen Gammell; text: Karen Ackerman (Knopf)
• 1988: Owl Moon, illustrated by John Schoenherr; text: Jane Yolen (Philomel)
• 1987: Hey, Al, illustrated by Richard Egielski; text: Arthur Yorinks (Farrar)
• 1986: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
• 1985: Saint George and the Dragon, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman; text: retold by Margaret Hodges (Little, Brown)
• 1984: The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot by Alice & Martin Provensen (Viking)
• 1983: Shadow, translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown; original text in French: Blaise Cendrars (Scribner)
• 1982: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
• 1981: Fables by Arnold Lobel (Harper)
• 1980: Ox-Cart Man, illustrated by Barbara Cooney; text: Donald Hall (Viking)
• 1979: The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble (Bradbury)
• 1978: Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier (Doubleday)
• 1977: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon; text: Margaret Musgrove (Dial)
• 1976: Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon; text: retold by Verna Aardema (Dial)
• 1975: Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott (Viking)
• 1974: Duffy and the Devil, illustrated by Margot Zemach; retold by Harve Zemach (Farrar)
• 1973: The Funny Little Woman, illustrated by Blair Lent; text: retold by Arlene Mosel (Dutton)
• 1972: One Fine Day, retold and illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian (Macmillan)
• 1971: A Story A Story, retold and illustrated by Gail E. Haley (Atheneum)
• 1970: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (Windmill Books)
• 1969: The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship, illustrated by Uri Shulevitz; text: retold by Arthur Ransome (Farrar)
• 1968: Drummer Hoff, illustrated by Ed Emberley; text: adapted by Barbara Emberley (Prentice-Hall)
• 1967: Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness (Holt)
• 1966: Always Room for One More, illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian; text: Sorche Nic Leodhas, pseud. [Leclair Alger] (Holt)
• 1965: May I Bring a Friend?, illustrated by Beni Montresor; text: Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (Atheneum)
• 1964: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
• 1963: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
• 1962: Once a Mouse, retold and illustrated by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
• 1961: Baboushka and the Three Kings, illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov; text: Ruth Robbins (Parnassus)
• 1960: Nine Days to Christmas, illustrated by Marie Hall Ets; text: Marie Hall Ets and Aurora Labastida (Viking)
• 1959: Chanticleer and the Fox, illustrated by Barbara Cooney; text: adapted from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales by Barbara Cooney (Crowell)
• 1958: Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
• 1957: A Tree Is Nice, illustrated by Marc Simont; text: Janice Udry (Harper)
• 1956: Frog Went A-Courtin’, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky; text: retold by John Langstaff) (Harcourt)
• 1955: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper, illustrated by Marcia Brown; text: translated from Charles Perrault by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
• 1954: Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans (Viking)
• 1953: The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward (Houghton)
• 1952: Finders Keepers, illustrated by Nicolas, pseud. (Nicholas Mordvinoff); text: Will, pseud. [William Lipkind] (Harcourt)
• 1951: The Egg Tree by Katherine Milhous (Scribner)
• 1950: Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi (Scribner)
• 1949: The Big Snow by Berta & Elmer Hader (Macmillan)
• 1948: White Snow, Bright Snow, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin; text: Alvin Tresselt (Lothrop)
• 1947: The Little Island, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard; text: Golden MacDonald, pseud. [Margaret Wise Brown] (Doubleday)
• 1946: The Rooster Crows by Maud & Miska Petersham (Macmillan)
• 1945: Prayer for a Child, illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones; text: Rachel Field (Macmillan)
• 1944: Many Moons, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin; text: James Thurber (Harcourt)
• 1943: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton)
• 1942: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (Viking)
• 1941: They Were Strong and Good , by Robert Lawson (Viking)
• 1940: Abraham Lincoln by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire (Doubleday)
• 1939: Mei Li by Thomas Handforth (Doubleday)
• 1938: Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop; text: selected by Helen Dean Fish (Lippincott)