The ABC’s of Children’s Literature
An Organised Guide to Book Awards and Medals
Once upon a time, when my two sons were in preschool, we three played a game while driving around doing errands. I would name a category and they would have to
figure out things that fell into that category. We would do a ‘round robin’, taking turns, calling specific, category appropriate, items out loud. For example, if I said, “Food” they would name food items. Things like: fish sticks, Cheerios, French toast, spaghetti, and so on. As the boys grew older, I’d make the categories more specific like, “Vegetables.” Again, they would take turn naming all the veggies they could. Then, I would ask them to take turns but name the veggies in alphabetical order so they would start with, “A” (asparagus or avocados) and move onto “B”, (beans, broccoli, beets)“C” (cabbage, celery, carrots) etc. As a mom I was engaging them in conversation, teaching them to categorize things, practicing the alphabet, and last but not least, introducing them to new veggies (we don’t buy rutabaga or radishes but those veggies are helpful when trying to think of an “R” veggie).
Now, in 5th and 6th grades they challenge my limited knowledge with categories like, “NHL Teams”, or “Professional Soccer Players (USA)” The tables have turned and unfortunately, when they pick the category I’m “out” first. But I am learning!
From one clever parent to another, I thought it would be a bit of mental gymnastics to learn about children’s book awards, in alphabetical order of course. Who knows, maybe you’ll play “stump the chump” at your next book club meeting.
Keep reading if you don’t know the difference between the Coretta Scott King and Hans Christian Anderson Awards. Below is a “Reader’s Digest” version of children’s literature awards and medals. I’ve only selected six of many awards and medals; I selected these six because I see them most often at school book fairs and in book stores.
Coretta Scott King Award
This award is given to authors and illustrators of African descent. It recognizes minority authors and came about based on the fact that until 1969 the Newberry and Caldecott had never recognized a person of color.
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott award honors art work in books. Books for children up to age 14 may be considered but winners are mostly for younger readers and pre-readers.
Hans Christian Andersen Award
This award is given to one author and one illustrator biennially for their overall contribution to children’s books. This is a very prestigious award due to the fact that it is a world-wide event.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
An award given to an American author whose books have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature (Dr. Seuss for example) In other words, the recipient of this award has written books that have been read for several generations.
Newbery Medal
This is the most recognized award in the United States. It rewards quality children’s books. Winning this award is the children’s version of having Oprah endorse a book; it is a guarantee that the book will be flying off the shelves.
Parents’ Choice Award
There are 8 categories judged and awarded twice a year. This award means that the books encourage learning while exploring genres such as: fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, etc. The End
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(August 2006) (
