Learning About Books and Children

which have been established for various purposes, provide
criteria for what experts consider to be the best
in children’s literature. Such awards have helped counteract
the judgment of the marketplace by focusing attention
on beautiful and worthwhile books. In an age
of mass production, they have stimulated artists, authors,
and publishers to produce books of distinction
and have helped children’s literature achieve a worthy
status.
The award books are not always popular with children.
However, most of the awards are based not on
popularity but on recognized excellence. They were
never intended to rubber-stamp the tastes of children;
they were intended to raise them. Children’s reactions
to books are signifi cant, and many awards, particularly
state awards, are voted on by children. However,
popularity of a book, whether for children or for adults,
is not necessarily a mark of distinctive writing or artistic
achievement. How many best-sellers win a Pulitzer
Prize for literature? Because there are now so many
awards in so many categories of children’s literature,
only the best-known ones will be discussed here.
American Library Association Awards
The American Library Association (ALA) is home for
some of the most coveted awards in children’s literature.
Among them are the Newbery and Caldecott medals.
The John Newbery Medal, established in 1922, is
the oldest award for children’s books in the United
States. It is named for John Newbery, a British publisher
and bookseller of the eighteenth century. Appropriately
called the “father of children’s literature,” he
was the fi rst to publish books expressly for children.
The Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the
most distinguished contribution to American literature
for children published in the preceding year. Although
the award is occasionally given to a book with
outstanding illustrations, such as Nancy Wil lard’s A
Visit to William Blake’s Inn, with pictures by Alice
and Martin Provensen, the Newbery Medal honors
the quality of the writing. Many age ranges are represented,
but most of the Newbery Medal books are
for able, mature readers. Frequently children need to
hear these books read aloud and discuss them with an
adult before they develop a taste for their excellence.
The Randolph J. Caldecott Medal is named in honor
of a great English illustrator of the nineteenth century,
Randolph Caldecott. Caldecott was well known
for his sprightly picture books depicting the country
life of England. The Caldecott Medal, established in
1938, is awarded to the most distinguished American
picture book for children chosen from those fi rst published
in the United States during the previous year.
The text should be worthy of the illustrations, but the
award is made primarily for the artwork.
Although authors and illustrators of color have
been recipients of both the Newbery and Caldecott
awards, in the latter part of the twentieth century efforts
were made to establish awards that especially
recognized people of color. In 1970 the fi rst Coretta
Scott King Award was given to Martin Luther King,
Jr.: Man of Peace by Lillie Patterson. The award recognizes
an African American author and African American
illustrator of books that are outstandingly inspirational
and promote understanding and appreciation
of the cultures of all people. Established in 1996, the
Pura Belpré Award is presented to a Latino/Latina
writer and illustrator whose works best portray, affi
rm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience in a
work of literature for children and youth.
Students of children’s literature would do well to acquaint
themselves with some of these medal-winning
books and their authors and illustrators. The Honor
Books for each award are also worth knowing. Because
the selection for the awards must be limited to
books published during one year, the quality of the
award books varies; certain years produce a richer
harvest than others. A more extensive list of children’s
book awards, and information on how to search for
state awards, is presented in Appendix A.
Yuyi Morales, illustrator of Marisa Montes’s Los Gatos
Black on Halloween, has won several Pura Belpré Awards
for a Latino/a writer/illustrator who celebrates the Latino
cultural experience. Cover of Los Gatos Black by Marisa Montes
and Yuyi Morales. Copyright © 2008 by Marisa Montes and Yuyi
Morales. Reprinted by permission of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
Chapter One Knowing Children’s Literature 23