You've heard of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, but have you ever heard of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal? Or the Batchelder Award? How about he Wilder Medal? Click on the link below to find out about these and other medals that are awarded to writers of children's literature.
After you have read about the different types of book awards, test your knowledge by completing this fun crossword puzzle! (Click the link and print the puzzle)
If the American Library Association asked you to create a book award medal, what would it look like? How would an author or illustrator earn the medal? Click on the link to print out a template to design your medal. Don't forget to tell us the name of the medal and how to earn it.
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
The Wilder Award honors 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.
The Batchelder Award is given to the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States.
The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.