Review of Newbery & Caldecott Awards for 2011

The Newbery & Caldecott awards for children's literature were announced this week (10th January). The Newbery Medal was named after the eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery.  It is presented to the author of the book judged to have made the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. A committee of librarians and literary experts is chosen each year to select the winner and the runners up on behalf of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC); this is a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The books can be works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The author must be a citizen or resident of the United States and the work written for children up to 14 years of age.

The Caldecott Medal was named in honour of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The awards commenced in 1938.

There are also a number of other specialist awards for fiction and non-fiction that were announced on the same day and are outlined at the end of the post.

1. The Newbery Medal and Honour Books

a) Newbery Medal 

The Newbery Medal for best children's book has been awarded to first-time author Clare Vanderpool for the book 'Moon Over Manifest'. Vanderpool lives in Wichita with her husband and four children. Her 346-page novel is set during the Depression and narrated by a motherless 12-year-old girl, Abilene Tucker. Abilene is sent to spend a summer in her father's hometown, Manifest, Kan., where she stumbles on a mystery from in 1918. Vanderpool based the town of Manifest in the book on Frontenac, Kansas where her maternal grandparents grew up.

Her inspiration for the story and its setting is drawn from a line in Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick': 'It is not down in any map; true places never are.'  This inspired her to think about the type of town that "...would be a true place for a 12-year-old girl who's never had a real home?" 

The central character, Abilene Tucker feels abandoned as her father puts her on a train, and sends her to live with one of his friends over summer while he works on the railway. She hops off the train in Manifest (Kansas) with few belongings and tries to find out more about the boy who grew up to be her father. She is under-whelmed by the town of Manifest but there's a twist when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters and reference to a spy called the 'Rattler'. Abilene and some new friends set off on a spy hunt in spite of warnings to "Leave Well Enough Alone.”

Girls and boys aged 10-14 years will love this book.

b) Newbery Honour Books

Four books have been named as Newbery Honour books.

'Turtle in Paradise' by Jennifer L. Holm

Holm is a two-time Newbery Honour winner.  She brings together family lore and American history in this novel that is rich in historical detail, humour, and the setting, 'Key West' (Florida). The year is 1935 and eleven-year-old Turtle's mother gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids. Turtle says goodbye and heads for Key West to stay with some relatives she doesn't even know.

'Heart of a Samurai' by Margi Preus

It is 1841 and a Japanese fishing vessel sinks. Its crew is forced to swim to a small, unknown island, where they are rescued by a passing American ship. Japan’s borders remain closed to all Western nations, so the crew sets off to America, learning English on the way. The 14 year-old Manjiro is determined to learn as much as he can about cultures other than his own as he heads for New England. He returns to Japan many years later as a 'different' person and with a different relationship to his native land.


'Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night' written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Rick Allen. The book is a wonderful mix of poetry and science. The author did similar things in Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow and Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems. In this latest of her books of poetry Sidman invites us to learn about creatures that inhabit the night. The poems are a variety of styles. They introduce us to creatures like the Great Horned Owl, moths and snails, spiders and bats, porcupines and crickets. A wonderful book that will be enjoyed by children aged 6-12 years. Allen's

'One Crazy Summer' by Rita Williams-Garcia.

This is a work of historical fiction that tells the story of three sisters whose father sends them to Oakland (California) in 1968, to meet their mother who abandoned 11-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters Vonetta and Fern before they were old enough to know her. Their mother sends them to a summer camp run by the Black Panthers where they encounter new and challenging ideas.  This is an amusing story centred on the challenges of family life, politics and finding your identity. Appropriate for children 9-12 years.

2.  Caldecott Medal & Honour Books

a) Caldecott Medal

Erin E. Stead has won the 2011 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in 'A Sick Day for Amos McGee', written by Philip C. Stead. Erin Stead's wonderful illustrations are created in woodblock and pencil.

This young husband and wife team has written and illustrated a wonderful picture book about friendly zookeeper Amos McGee. McGee's zoo friends come in all shapes and sizes, but each day he spends time with each of them. He plays chess with the elephant, "who thought and thought before making a move", and has races with the tortoise. He keeps the shy penguin company, and even reads bedtime stories to the owl, "who was afraid of the dark". When Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favour and visit him.

Erin Stead says that her husband wrote the text with her in mind as the illustrator - "It's a quiet book, and I make quiet pictures." In an era dominated by electronic devices, she declared "..I love picture books." And you'll love what the Stead's have created.

b) Caldecott Honour Books

Just two Caldecott honour books were announced.

'Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave' illustrated by Bryan Collier and written by Laban Carrick Hill.  This is the story of Dave an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. Dave was a slave, but he was gifted and combined artistic skill with wonderful poetry, which he carved onto his pots. Laban Carrick Hill has given us a brilliantly simple text that is complemented by Bryan Collier's wonderful earth-toned illustrations. Together, they offer historical insight through a story rich in hope, and celebrating beauty.

'Interrupting Chicken' written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein.  Stein was inspired by a simple joke to write this funny story. It's time for bedtime stories and a reminder from Papa will not stop the little hen from interrupting the story. No matter what the story is - 'Hansel and Gretel', 'Little Red Riding Hood' or 'Chicken Small', she interrupts to try to save the unfortunate characters. Now that it’s the little red chicken’s turn to tell a story, will her yawning papa listen without interruption? This delightfully illustrated story will amuse children aged 2-6 years and engage them till the end.

3. Other Major Awards

a) The 'Printz Award' - This prize for the best young adult novel, was awarded to Paolo Bacigalupi for 'Ship Breaker'. This was the author's first young adult novel. His adult fiction has won major science-fiction awards.

Australian-born Lucy Christopher's novel 'Stolen' was named as a Printz Honour Book. Other honour books in this category were 'Please Ignore Vera Dietz' by A.S. King, 'Revolver' by Marcus Sedgwick and 'Nothing' by Janne Teller.

b) The 'Coretta Scott King' Award - This award recognises African American writers and illustrators of children's books. It was awarded to Rita Williams-Garcia for her book 'One Crazy Summer'.

c) The 'Young Adult Library Services Association' (YALSA) Award - This is a prize for the best work of nonfiction for young adults. It was awarded to Ann Angel for 'Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing'.

d) The 'Pura Belpre Award - This is an award to a Latino or Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of literature for children or youth. It was awarded to 'The Dreamer', written by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Peter Sis.

e) The 'Theodor Seuss Geisel Award' - This is an award for the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English. It was awarded to 'Bink and Gollie' by Kate diCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile.

Full Awards List

The full list of awards is now available HERE