What is the Caldecott Medal? It's an annual award from the Association for Library Service to Children, a branch of the American Library Association, that honors the best children's picture book published in the previous year. The association is the same group that decides the annual Newbery Medal, an award for the best children's literary book.
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal was named after 19th century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. It was proposed to the American Library Association in 1937 by Frederic G. Melcher, the man who also proposed the successful Newbery Medal for children's literature in 1922. The Caldecott Medal was created as a way to recognize the contribution of artists who were not recognized under the Newbery Medal.
Only one Caldecott Medal is awarded each year. It is a bronze medal with the date and winner's name on the back. However, there are also Caldecott Honor Books awards that are given to runner-ups for the annual medal. These are silver seals with the words "Caldecott Honor Book" on the front. Winners of the medal or seal are then free to use the image as a seal on their books to let consumers know of the award.
Caldecott Medal Rules
Caldecott Medal candidates must be a citizen or resident of the US. It does not matter if they authored the book or not, as long as they are responsible for the artwork. The book under consideration must be published in the US and specifically created for children. A single book can win both the artistic Caldecott medal and its sister award, the literary Newbery medal.
Caldecott Medal Winners
The first Caldecott medal was awarded in 1938 to "Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book," illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop. The book uses verses from the King James version of The Bible and has realistic, though slightly dreamy, pictures of different animals.
Some of the most popular Caldecott medal books include "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak, "Jumanji" by Chris Van Allsburg and "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg. "Where the Wild Things Are" tells of a boy's adventure into a land of lovable monsters. "Jumanji" is a tale of an animal-filled adventure that starts with a magical board game. "The Polar Express" is a Christmas story about a magical train that takes children to visit the North Pole.
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