On Monday, January 28, the Youth Media Awards were announced. Comprising the Caldecott, Newbery, and other major awards, these awards honor the best books published for children and young adults. So who are the winners for this year?
Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:
Caldecott Honor Books
[[nid:3939]] (Check out our
review of
Alma and How She Got Her Name!)
Newberry Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:
(Meg Medina is only the second writer of Latinx background to have won the Newberry Medal since it was established in 1922.)
Newbery Medal Honor Books
(One of our librarians named this one of her
favorite YA books of 2018!)
Also of note are the Coretta Scott King Awards and the Pura Belpré medal, which recognize African-American and Latinx authors and illustrators.
Diverse books are vital; I for one am very glad to see that Latinx and African American writers are among among the major medal winners noted above.
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Pura Belpré Medal for Illustrator
For a review of Dreamers, and other books by Yuyi Morales, check out our library blog. Included among the Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor books is Islandborn, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Díaz. I will admit that I am very excited about these particular winners. :)
Pura Belpré Medal for Author
Although I have not written about it for our library blog, this was perhaps the best book I read in 2018. I had not felt so seen by a book in a long time. Therein lies one of the most powerful things about books: they help us to see and be seen. What will you find in one of these books? For a complete list of all Youth Media Award winners, check out
this link.
