Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books

During the month of January, I always teach my students about Newbery and Caldecott medal books. For those of you who do not know, the Newbery and Caldecott awards are the Academy Awards of the children's literature world. Every year in January, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) gives out the awards to an American children's author (Newbery) and an American children's book illustrator (Caldecott). The 2017 awards were announced this month in Atlanta and the winners are:

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill for the Newbery Award

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

I can't wait to share these two books with our students at Spring Valley. Right now, I am reading 

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear (winner of the Caldecott Medal in 2016) and one of my all time favorites, The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (winner of the Newbery Medal in 1987)

For more information about Newbery and Caldecott medal books, check out ALSC website for all of the past winners from 1922 and 1938, respectively.