New children’s books win awards
The American Library Association on January 22 announced the winners of the most prestigious awards for children’s and young adult literature. Several of the winning stories show characters facing societal pressures and finding a stronger version of themselves.
A young girl coping with judgments about her weight and a teenager left to care for a younger sibling are among the heroes of the past year’s top-ranked children’s books. So too is Johannes, a dog who helps animals work together to make the best of life amid changes in the park where they live.
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott was established in 1938 to honor the most distinguished American picture books for children.
Vashti Harrison, whose story Big won the 2024 award, says she sought to create a character so lovable it could break down biases readers may not know they had.
Harrison’s character, who is nameless, endures judgments about her weight and lives in a world of ever-tightening spaces until she pushes outward, in an act of self-acceptance, to make room for herself.
Newbery Medal
The Newbery was established in 1922 to award “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”
The 2024 winner — The Eyes & The Impossible, by writer Dave Eggers and illustrator Shawn Harris — gives a dog named Johannes a voice as he patrols the park where he lives and aids various animal species as they face pressures.
— American Libraries (@amlibraries) January 22, 2024
Coretta Scott King Book Award
The Coretta Scott King Book Award, established in 1969, honors children’s books that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. This year, the author award — named for the late peace activist Coretta Scott King, who was the wife of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. — was bestowed on Ibi Zoboi, an immigrant to the U.S. from Haiti.
Zoboi’s book, Nigeria Jones, is the story of a young girl raised in a Philadelphia family steeped in the rituals of an African diaspora movement. Nigeria’s life changes when her mother disappears and she is forced to care for her younger brother.
The awards are a big deal to the winners. According to Publisher’s Weekly, the library association’s awards bring interviews and appearances for the authors/illustrators and a bump in sales for their books.
Perhaps most important, the awards bring affirmation to artists toiling in a fairly solitary profession. “The Caldecott buoyed me up and encouraged me, and makes me even more proud that I can continue doing the thing I most love doing, which is making books for children,” said Brian Selznick, a 2008 Caldecott Medal winner.