I love reading picture books to my kids, especially the award winners. Back before computers my grandma did her research to make sure we had every Caldecott and library award winning picture book for her grandkids at her home.
Award winning picture books are rare gems that come with beautiful stories, illustrations, and messages that we can share with our little ones.
The best part about getting a physical copy is that we can keep them for our grandkids after our own are grown.
Read on for some of the greatest award winning picture books you should have in your library!
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1. Caldecott Medal
- Purpose: Honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
- Awarded By: American Library Association (ALA).
- Famous Winners: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
2024 Medal Winner
Honor Books:
- In Every Life, by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
- Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter, illus. by Molly Mendoza, written by Aida Salazar (Scholastic Press/Scholastic Inc.)
- There Was a Party for Langston, illus. by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey, written by Jason Reynolds (Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum/Simon & Schuster)
- The Truth about Dragons, illus. by Hanna Cha, written by Julie Leung (Henry Holt/Macmillan)
2. Newbery Medal
- Purpose: Recognizes the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
- Awarded By: American Library Association (ALA).
- Famous Winners: Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, The Giver by Lois Lowry.
2024 Medal Winner: The Eyes and the Impossible, by Dave Eggers (Alfred A. Knopf/Random House
Children’s Books/Penguin Random House and McSweeney’s)
2024 Honor Books:
- Elf Dog and Owl Head, by M.T. Anderson, illus. by Junyi Wu (Candlewick)
- Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir, by Pedro Martín (Dial Books/Penguin Random House
![The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen [A Cookbook] [Spiral-bound] Steve Sando and Julia Newberry](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51EoC1c-YIL.jpg)
3. Coretta Scott King Book Awards
- Purpose: Honors outstanding books for children and young adults by African American authors and illustrators.
- Awarded By: American Library Association (ALA).
- Famous Winners: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes.
2024 Illustrator Winner: “An American Story,” illustrated by Dare Coulter, written by Kwame Alexander, and published by Little, Brown and Co., a division of Hachette Book, Inc.
4. Hans Christian Andersen Award
- Purpose: Recognizes a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature.
- Awarded By: International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).
- Famous Winners: Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are).
The 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award winners are Heinz Janisch from Austria for Writing and Sydney Smith from Canada for Illustration.
5. Pura Belpré Award
- Purpose: Honors Latino/Latina writers and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience.
- Awarded By: American Library Association (ALA).
- Famous Winners: Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales
2024 Winners
For Children’s Narrative Medal Winner
Mexikid: A Graphic Memoir, written and illustrated by Pedro Martín (Dial Books)
Honor Books for children’s narration
- Alebrijes, written by Donna Barba Higuera and illustrated by David Álvarez (Levine Querido)
6. Carnegie Medal (UK)
- Purpose: Recognizes an outstanding book for children or young adults published in the UK.
- Awarded By: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).
- Famous Winners: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The 2024 Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration shortlist is (alphabetical by illustrator surname):
- The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker (Walker Books)
- April’s Garden by Catalina Echeverri, written by Isla McGuckin (Graffeg)
- Lost by Mariajo Ilustrajo (Quarto)
- The Wilderness by Steve McCarthy (Walker Books)
- To the Other Side by Erika Meza (Hachette Children’s Group)
- The Midnight Panther by Poonam Mistry (Bonnier Books UK)
- The Bowerbird by Catherine Rayner, written by Julia Donaldson (Macmillan Children’s Books)
- The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage (Walker Books)
7. ALA Notable Children’s Books
- Purpose: Recognizes the best children’s books of the year for their exceptional quality, appeal, and significance in contributing to children’s literature.
- Awarded By: American Library Association (ALA), specifically the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).
- Famous Winners:
- The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael López.
- Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson.
8. Geisel Award (Theodor Seuss Geisel Award)
- Purpose: Honors the most distinguished American book for beginning readers.
- Awarded By: American Library Association (ALA).
- Famous Winners: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems, Fox the Tiger by Corey R. Tabor.
9. National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
- Purpose: Celebrates the best literature in the U.S. for young readers.
- Awarded By: National Book Foundation.
- Famous Winners: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
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