• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • FAQ
    • Disclosure and Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Community
  • Books
    • Books for Children by Age
    • Book Lists
    • Holiday Books and Activities
  • Reading Ideas
    • Babies
    • Toddlers
    • Preschoolers
    • Kindergarteners & Early Elementary
  • Writing Ideas
  • Parental Involvement: Building Partnerships
  • Start Here!
    • WELCOME TO THE GROWING BOOK BY BOOK COMMUNITY
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
    • FAQ
      • Disclosure and Privacy Policy
  • Shop
  • Home
  • Book Lists
    • Books for Children by Age
    • Book Lists
    • Holiday Books and Activities
  • Book Activities
  • Early Literacy
    • Alphabet Activities
    • Circle Time Activities
    • Phonological Awareness Activities

Growing Book by Book

  • Family Involvement
    • Start a Family Dinner Book Club
  • Start Here
  • Store
discovering with babies playing with toddlers exploring with preschoolers building with beginning readers

Bring joy and play into children's lives through books.

Yes, please!
Home » All categories » Award Winning Children’s Books

Award Winning Children’s Books

January 17, 2022 •

Sharing is caring!

102 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
CALDECOTT AWARD WINNING BOOKS

Each year begins with two of the biggest and well known children’s books awards being awarded.  Those two biggies are the Caldecott and the Newbery.  But, did you know that there are also many other awards given to children’s books throughout the year too?  Welcome to my series on award winning children’s books where I’ll introduce you to some amazing book awards and award winning books for kids.

CALDECOTT AWARD WINNING BOOKS

Children’s Book Awards

There are lots of different children’s books awards given out each year by organizations, newspapers, bloggers,and more.  This ongoing series will look at some of the different awards relevant to early childhood education.

Today we are looking at the most well-known children’s book award- The Caldecott Award.  And, then I’ll feature other posts celebrating other awards.  See those below.

Awards Celebrating Diversity: Ezra Jack Keats Award, Coretta Scott King Award, Schneider Family Book Award, Pura Belpré Award, American Indian Youth Literature Awards, and Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

 

Subject Specific Awards: Mathical Book Prize, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, and Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

 

Early Childhood Focus Awards: CLEL Bells, Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year, and Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

 

More Children’s Book Awards: Cybils Awards, Bookstagang, and Children’s Choices List (coming Friday)

 

What is the Caldecott Award?

The Caldecott Award has been around a long time.  The first book to recevie the award in 1938 was Four and Twenty Blackbirds illustrated by Robert Lawson.

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

American Library Association

The focus of this award is on the illustrations. The winners are chosen by committees of the Association for Library Service to Children.  They committees look at the following criteria.

  1. Excellence of execution in the artistic technique employed;
  2. Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme, or concept;
  3. Appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme or concept;
  4. Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood or information through the pictures;
  5. Excellence of presentation in recognition of a child audience.

Some Books That Have Won the Caldecott Award

Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Here are a some of the books that have been awarded the Caldecott Award over the years.  I especially like these for using in an early childhood setting.

Outside In by Deborah Underwood and Cindy Derby (2021 Honor Book)

Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris and LeUyen Pham(2020 Honor Book)

2019 was an amazing year of winners that are appropriate for young children.

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall(2019 Winner)

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez (2019 Honor Book)

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin (2019 Honor Book)

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora (2019 Honor Book)—> Also, see my Thank You, Omu! Book Activities.

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James (2018 Honor Book)

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel (2017 Honor Book)

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (2015 Winner)

Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo (2015 Honor Book)

You can see all the winners HERE.

Caldecott Ideas to Do With Students

Holding a mock Caldecott with kids is always fun to do in January before the award is announced.  Children read some of the top contenders, discuss, and vote for their favorite.  Then, they compare to the winners in late January or early February.  You can even watch the awards live online.   Here is printable you can use for voting from Some the Wiser.

Highlight those Caldecott winners in the library with this neat idea from the Book Wrangler.  He places award winning markers inside books to highlight winners on the shelf.

I hope you enjoy sharing these books with children.

Did you get your free list of Books Kids Will Beg You to Read?

Get It

Sharing is caring!

102 shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: All categories, Book Lists

About Jodie Rodriguez

Jodie Rodriguez is a mom of two young boys and an early childhood/elementary educator with over 20 years of experience. Jodie's passion is helping parents, teachers, librarians and anyone else interested in nurturing and reaching ALL of our youngest growing readers.

What can we help you find?

Subscribe to Growing Book by Book

lead magnet for growing book bybook
Welcome to Growing Book by Book!  Learn about the creator, Jodie Rodriguez.

Find More

alphabet activities
book lists for children
circle time button

Set Up for Circle Time Success

month by month circle time songs


Copyright ©2025, Growing Book by Book. All Rights Reserved. Custom design by Pixel Me Designs | Privacy Policy