Each year, the American Library Association awards outstanding children’s books from the previous year with a variety of medals. Often, the medals you find on books for children are associated with these awards. You’ve probably seen these before, but been unsure of what they signify. To help you make sense of them, we’ve provided an image of each medal below and a description of the award. We’ve also listed all the winners for 2018. Happy reading!
John Newbery Medal
This is one of the oldest, most recognizable awards for books for young readers. It is awarded to “the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
2018 Winner
Hello Universe by Erin Estrada Kelly
2018 Honor Books
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
Randolph Caldecott Medal
Like the Newbery, the Caldecott has been around for a while and is very recognizable. Although the text or story in Caldecott books is often wonderfully done, this medal is an illustrator award given to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.”
2018 Winner
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
2018 Honor Books
Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut illustrated by Gordon C. James, written by Derrick Barnes
A Different Pond illustrated by Thi Bui, written by Bao Phi
Grand Canyon by Jason Chin
Coretta Scott King Awards
These three awards—Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award, Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award, and Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award—are given out to commemorate the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and honor his wife, Coretta Scott King. These are awarded “to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.”
2018 Winner: Author
Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
2018 Honor Books: Author
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
2018 Winner: Illustrator
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets illustrated by Ekua Holmes
2018 Honor Books: Illustrator
Crown: An Ode to a Fresh Cut illustrated by Gordon C. James, written by Derrick Barnes
Before She Was Harriet: The Story of Harriet Tubman illustrated by James E. Ransome, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome
2018 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award Winners
Author: The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore
Illustrator: Mama Africa! How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song illustrated by Charly Palmer, written by Kathryn Erskine
Michael L. Printz Award
While most of these awards are given to books written for a younger audience, this award is given out to “a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.”
2018 Winner
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
2018 Honor Books
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman
Schneider Family Book Award
Each year, one children’s book, one middle grade (ages 8-12) book, and one young adult book wins this award. It goes to “a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.”
2018 Young Children Winner
Silent Days, Silent Dreams by Allen Say
2018 Middle Grade Winner
Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green
2018 YA Winner
You’re Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
This award is presented to an author or illustrator “whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.”
2018 Winner
Author Jacqueline Woodson
Margaret A. Edwards Award
This award is essentially a lifetime achievement award for contributions to young adult literature, specifically honoring “an author’s work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.”
2018 Winner
Angela Johnson
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
This award is given to “an American publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.”
2018 Winner
The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius, translated from Swedish by Peter Graves
2018 Honor Books
Malala: Activist for Girls’ Education by Raphaële Frier and Aurélia Fronty, translated from French by Julie Cormier
When a Wolf is Hungry by Christine Naumann-Villemin and Kris Di Giacomo, translated from French by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
You Can’t Be Too Careful! by Roger Mello, translated from Portuguese by Daniel Hahn.
Pura Belpré Awards
This award is presented each year 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.”
2018 Winner: Illustrator
La Princesa and the Pea illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, written by Susan Middleton Elya
2018 Honor Books: Illustrator
All Around Us illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, written by Xelena González
Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos illustrated by John Parra, written by Monica Brown
2018 Winner: Author
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
2018 Honor Books: Author
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya
The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
While the majority of these awards are given to works of fiction, this medal is awarded to “the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English.
2018 Winner
Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner
2018 Honor Books
Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, June Jo Lee, and Man One
Grand Canyon by Jason Chin
Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask about Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw and Matt
Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem by Patricia Newman
Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award
This award is given out each year to a book “of exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.”
2018 Winners
Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
2018 Honor Books
As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
In honor of Dr. Seuss, this award is given to an author and illustrator for their work for “the most distinguished American book for beginning readers
2018 Winner
Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder
2018 Honor Books
I See a Cat by Paul Meisel
King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dori Hillestad Butler and Nancy Meyers
My Kite Is Stuck! And Other Stories by Salina Yoon
Noodleheads See the Future by Tedd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, Mitch Weiss, and Tedd Arnold
Snail & Worm Again by Tina Kügler
William C. Morris Award
This award is presented to “a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.”
2018 Winner
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
2018 Honor Books
Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Devils Within S. F. Henson
Saints and Misfits by S. K. Ali
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
These awards are given to “the best nonfiction book published for young adults.”
2018 Winner
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman
2018 Finalists
#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women edited by Mary Beth Leatherdale and Lisa Charleyboy
Eyes of the World: Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and the Invention of Modern Photojournalism by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin W. Sandler
