Award Winners
American Indian Youth Literature Award
The AIYLA identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America. Books selected to receive the award present Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity.
Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Caldecott Medal is the most highly regarded honor for children’s book illustration in the United States. Named for nineteenth-century illustrator Randolph Caldecott, it is given to honor the artist of “the most distinguished American picture book for children” each year. The winner may be an author-illustrator, or an artist who illustrates the work of others. The list of award winners and honor books reads like a who’s-who of American children’s book illustrators and provides a marvelous starting point for exploring the rich and wonderful world of picture books.
Coretta Scott King Award Winners
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. Administrated by the American Library Association, this award recognizes the work of African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. The focus is primarily on books that demonstrate an appreciation for African American culture and history and that embody the values of peace and universal human rights that Dr. and Mrs. King fought so courageously to promote. The list of past award winners, dating back to the first award given in 1970, provides a wonderful resource for discovering a wide array of brilliant African American writers and illustrators.
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award recognizes exceptional books for beginning readers published in the United States. The award is given annually to one or more author and illustrator, and is administrated by the American Library Association. Created in 2006, this relatively new award was named for Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, to celebrate his amazing body of work and to encourage the creation of new books that capture the hearts and imagination of budding readers.
The Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature, often known as The Irma Black Award, holds a special place in the heart of Packer’s Lower School because, since 2009 our students have been a part of the judging process. The award, given annually to a picture book, is sponsored by the Bank Street College of Eduction. The final judges of the contest are first and second grade students from participating schools around the country. Students judge the book on the story, illustrations, and overall quality and interest.
The Newbery Medal is the worlds’ s oldest children’s book award, and it is considered by many to be the most distinguished honor given for achievement in children’s literature. Founded in 1922 and named for English bookseller John Newberry, the Newberry Medal is awarded annually to a children’s book published the pervious year. Administrated by the American Library Association the award honors outstanding books for young readers and is traditionally given to novels for middle grade readers. The list of past winners and honor books provides a kind of historical surgery of the great giants of children’s literature as well as some less remembered treasures.
The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
Schneider Family Book Award Winners
The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal Winners
The Sibert Award honors the most distinguished informational book published in English in the preceding year for its significant contribution to children’s literature.
The Stonewall Book Award Winners
The Stonewall Book Awards are presented to English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.