The Caldecott Medal
This has been awarded annually by the American Library Association since 1938 "to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." Like the Newbery, there is one medal winner and usually a number of honor books. Also known loosely as the Caldecott award, winners are likely to stay in print indefinitely due to the Caldecott's prestige.
Links to book titles go to the book's page on Amazon; other links in the listings or below them go to other resources.
Caldecott Medal winners:
- 2012: A Ball for Daisy, by Chris Raschka.
- 2011: A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead.
- 2010: The Lion & the Mouse, written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
- 2009: The House in the Night, by Susan Marie Swanson, illustrated by Beth Krommes.
- 2008: The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick.
- 2007: Flotsam, by David Wiesner. His third Caldecott Medal.
- 2006: The Hello, Goodbye Window, written by Norton Juster, illustrated by Chris Raschka.
- 2005: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.
- 2004: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein.
- 2003: My Friend Rabbit, by Eric Rohmann. The ALA press release praises it as a "lighthearted celebration of a friendship that will last.."
- 2002: The Three Pigs, by David Wiesner. The ALA press release said: "The plot and form of a familiar folktale unravels as the pigs are huffed and puffed off the page and into a new world."
Caldecott Honor books:
- 2012:
- Blackout, by John Rocco.
- Grandpa Green, by Lane Smith.
- Me . . . Jane, by Patrick McDonnell.
- 2011:
- Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, by Laban Carrick Hill, illustrated by Bryan Collier (also a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner).
- Interrupting Chicken, by David Ezra Stein.
- 2010:
- All the World, by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee.
- Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski.
- 2009:
- A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, by Marla Frazee.
- How I Learned Geography, by Uri Shulevitz.
- A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
- Henry's Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
- First the Egg, by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.
- The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, by Peter Sís. Also a Robert F. Sibert Award winner.
- Knuffle Bunny, Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, by Mo Willems.
- 2007:
- Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet, by David McLimans.
- Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson. Also a CSK Honor book.
- 2006:
- Rosa written by Nikki Giovanni, illustrated by Bryan Collier.
- Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth.
- Hot Air: ...the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman.
- Song of the Waterboatman and Other Pond Poems, written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beckie Prange.
- 2005:
- The Red Book by Barbara Lehman.
- Coming on Home Soon, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, written by Jacqueline Woodson.
- Knuffle Bunny, by Mo Willems
- 2004:
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
- What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?, illustrated by Steve Jenkins, written by Robin Page
- Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
- 2003:
- The Spider and the Fly, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, written by Mary Howitt
- Hondo & Fabian by Peter McCarty
- Noah's Ark, by Jerry Pinkney
- 2002:
- Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Doreen Rappaport
- The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, illustrated by Brian Selznick, written by Barbara Kerley
- The Stray Dog by Marc Simont
More information:
- To buy: Caldecott winners and Honor Books: this link leads to a list of those available for purchase at Amazon.com.
- To buy: Caldecott books available at BookCloseouts.com: these are discontinued or otherwise discounted titles (50% or more off list price).
- More information about the Caldecott Medal: this link leads to the official site for the Caldecott, which includes a complete list of past winners.
- Overlooked by the Caldecott?, by Elizabeth Bluemle: Some illustrators who have not been recognized. new
- Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz by Gender, by Elizabeth Bluemle: An interesting analysis.
- Could Randolph Caldecott Win the Caldecott Medal?: An editorial by Anita Silvey from 1986--some time ago, but interesting for the issues discussed.
Children's Book Awards Index page
Newbery
Medal | Coretta Scott King Award
| Lifetime Achievement Awards
| Young Adult Awards
Sibert Informational Book Award
| Pura Belpré Award | Scott
O'Dell Award