The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually, since 1938, 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.
Beside the Caldecott Medal, the committee awards a variable number of citations to worthy runners-up, called the Caldecott Honors or Caldecott Honor Books.
We have compiled here a list of just some of the many Medal and Honor winners.
2020 Caldecott WINNER
2020 Caldecott HONOR
2020 Caldecott HONOR
2020 Caldecott HONOR
2019 Caldecott WINNER
2019 Caldecott HONOR
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2019 Caldecott HONOR
2019 Caldecott HONOR
2018 Caldecott WINNER
2017 Caldecott WINNER
2017 Caldecott HONOR
2017 Caldecott HONOR
2017 Caldecott HONOR
2016 Caldecott WINNER
2016 Caldecott HONOR
2016 Caldecott HONOR
2016 Caldecott HONOR
2016 Caldecott HONOR
2015 Caldecott WINNER
2014 Caldecott WINNER
2014 Caldecott HONOR
The 2013 Caldecott Medal WINNER is This Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press. In this darkly humorous tale, a tiny fish knows it’s wrong to steal a hat. It fits him just right. But the big fish wants his hat back. Klassen’s controlled palette, opposing narratives and subtle cues compel readers to follow the fish and imagine the consequence. “With minute changes in eyes and the slightest displacement of seagrass, Klassen’s masterful illustrations tell the story the narrator doesn’t know,” Caldecott Chair Sandra Imdieke said.
A 2013 Caldecott HONOR goes to Creepy Carrots!, illustrated by local illustrator Peter Brown!!! and written by Aaron Reynolds. Jasper the rabbit loves carrots until he notices they are everywhere. He is convinced they’re coming for him! Pronounced shadows, black borders and shaded edges enhance this ever so slightly sinister tale with a distinctly cinematic feel. This is one serving of carrots children will eagerly devour.
A 2013 Caldecott HONOR goes to Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen and written by Mac Barnett. A selfish archduke threatens to halt a little girl's transformation of a colorless town and steal her box of magical yarn. Klassen's innovative digital technique results in shifts of color that signal character change and critical turns of plot -all done with just the right stitches of humor.
A 2013 Caldecott HONOR goes to Green, illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. In this original concept book, Seeger engages all the senses with her fresh approach to the multiple meanings of “green.” Using thickly-layered acrylics, word pairings and cleverly placed die cuts, she invites readers to pause, pay attention and wonder.
A 2013 Caldecott HONOR goes to One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small and is written by Toni Buzzeo. Energetic line and dizzying perspective combine for a rollicking tale of Father, Elliot and a highly improbable pet (or two). Buzzeo’s text, brimming with sly wordplay, earns its perfect counterpoint in Small’s ink, watercolor and pencil illustrations with chilly details and visual jokes that invite many repeated readings.
A 2013 Caldecott HONOR goes to Sleep Like a Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Mary Logue. Surrounded with dreamlike images of crowns, ornate patterns and repeated visual motifs, her parents coax her into bed. Using mixed media artwork on wood enhanced with computer illustrations, this is a whimsical story with universal appeal.
The 2012 Caldecott Medal WINNER was A Ball for Daisy, written and illustrated by Chris Raschka.
In a wordless book with huge children’s appeal, Chris Raschka gives us the story of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidently destroyed. With brilliant economy of line and color, Raschka captures Daisy’s total (yet temporary) devastation. A buoyant tale of loss, recovery and friendship.
“Chris Raschka’s deceptively simple paintings of watercolor, gouache and ink explore universal themes of love and loss that permit thousands of possible variants,” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Steven L. Herb. A Ball for Daisy holds as many unique stories as there will be young readers and re-readers.
A 2012 Caldecott HONOR went to Grandpa Green, written and illustrated by Lane Smith.
Elaborate topiary sculptures give visual form to memories in a wildly fanciful garden tended by a child and his beloved great-grandfather. Using an inspired palate, Lane Smith invites readers to tour a green lifetime of meaningful moments.
A 2012 Caldecott HONOR went to Blackout, written and illustrated by John Rocco.
A summer’s power outage draws an urban family up to their building’s roof and then down to the street for an impromptu block party. Rocco illuminates details and characters with a playful use of light and shadow in his cartoon-style illustrations. He delivers a terrific camaraderie-filled adventure that continues even when the electricity returns.
A 2012 Caldecott HONOR went to Me… Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell.
Watching the birds and squirrels in her yard, a young girl discovers the joy and wonder of nature. In delicate and precise India ink and watercolor, McDonnell depicts the awakening of a scientific spirit. A perceptive glimpse of the childhood of renowned primatologist Jane Goodall.
The 2011 Caldecott Medal WINNER was A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by Philip C. Stead.
In this tender tale of reciprocity and friendship, zookeeper Amos McGee gets the sniffles and receives a surprise visit from his caring animal friends. Erin Stead’s delicate woodblock prints and fine pencil work complement Philip Stead’s understated, spare and humorous text to create a well-paced, gentle and satisfying book, perfect for sharing with friends. “Endearing, expressive characterization in spare illustrations rendered in muted tones distinguish this timeless picture book. It’s a great day for Amos McGee!” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Judy Zuckerman.
The 2010 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The Lion & the Mouse, illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney. The screech of an owl, the squeak of a mouse and the roar of a lion transport readers to the Serengeti plains for this virtually wordless retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. In glowing colors, Pinkney’s textured watercolor illustrations masterfully portray the relationship between two very unlikely friends.
The 2009 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson. Richly detailed black-and-white scratchboard illustrations expand this timeless bedtime verse, offering reassurance to young children that there is always light in the darkness. Krommes' elegant line, illuminated with touches of golden watercolor, evoke the warmth and comfort of home and family, as well as the joys of exploring the wider world.
The 2008 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. From an opening shot of the full moon setting over an awakening Paris in 1931, this tale casts a new light on the picture book form. Hugo is a young orphan secretly living in the walls of a train station where he labors to complete a mysterious invention left by his father. In a work of more than 500 pages, the suspenseful text and wordless double-page spreads narrate the tale in turns. Neither words nor pictures alone tell this story, which is filled with cinematic intrigue. Black & white pencil illustrations evoke the flickering images of the silent films to which the book pays homage.
The 2007 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Flotsam by David Wiesner. Wiesner is one of two people who have won the Caldecott three times (the most anyone has won). He has, in addition, won two Caldecott Honors.
Flotsam is a cinematic unfolding of discovery. A vintage camera washed up on the beach provides a young boy with a surprising view of fantastical images from the bottom of the sea. From fish-eye to lens-eye, readers see a frame-by-frame narrative of lush marinescapes ebbing and flowing from the real to the surreal. “Telling tales through imagery is what storytellers have done through the ages. Wiesner’s wordless tale resonates with visual images that tell his story with clever wit and lively humor,” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Janice Del Negro.
The 2006 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka and written by Norman Juster. This is a love song devoted to that special relationship between grandparents and grandchild. The kitchen window at Nanna and Poppy's house is, for one little girl, a magic gateway. Everything important happens near it, through it, or beyond it. Told in her voice, her story is both a voyage of discovery and a celebration of the commonplace wonders that define childhood, expressed as a joyful fusion of text with evocative and exuberant illustrations.The world for this little girl will soon grow larger and more complex, but never more enchanting or deeply felt.
The 2005 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes.
The 2004 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, illustrated and written by Mordicai Gerstein. This true story recounts the daring feat of a spirited young Frenchman who walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center twin towers in 1974. His joy in dancing on a thin wire high above Manhattan and the awe of the spectators in the streets far below is captured in exquisite ink and oil paintings that perfectly complement the spare, lyrical text. “Gerstein's skillful compositions and dramatic use of perspective make this a book that literally takes your breath away,” said Caldecott Award Chair Kathy East. “Two ingenious gatefolds and horizontal and vertical framing put the reader high in the air with this daredevil performer and emphasize the vast space between the towers and their astounding height. Gerstein ensures that this extraordinary event is imprinted on readers' minds and creates a powerful, transforming memory.”
The 2003 Caldecott Medal WINNER was My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann. When Mouse lets his best friend, Rabbit, play with his brand-new airplane, trouble isn't far behind. From Caldecott Honor award winner Eric Rohmann comes a brand-new picture book about friends and toys and trouble, illustrated in robust, expressive prints.
The 2002 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The Three Pigs by David Wiesner. This picture book begins placidly (and familiarly) enough, with three pigs collecting materials and going off to build houses of straw, sticks, and bricks. But the wolf’s huffing and puffing blows the first pig right out of the story . . . and into the realm of pure imagination. The transition signals the start of a freewheeling adventure with characteristic David Wiesner effects—cinematic flow, astonishing shifts of perspective, and sly humor, as well as episodes of flight.
Satisfying both as a story and as an exploration of the nature of story, The Three Pigs takes visual narrative to a new level. Dialogue balloons, text excerpts, and a wide variety of illustration styles guide the reader through a dazzling fantasy universe to the surprising and happy ending. Fans of Tuesday’s frogs and Sector 7’s clouds will be captivated by old friends—the Three Pigs of nursery fame and their companions—in a new guise.
The 2001 Caldecott Medal WINNER was So You Want to Be President?, illustrated by David Small, written by Judith St. George. This new version of the Caldecott-winning classic by illustrator David Small and author Judith St. George is updated with current facts and new illustrations to include our forty-second president, George W. Bush. There are now three Georges in the catalog of presidential names, a Bush alongside the presidential family tree, and a new face on the endpaper portraiture.
Hilariously illustrated by Small, this celebration by St. George shows us the foibles, quirks and humanity of forty-two men who have risen to one of the most powerful positions in the world.
The 2000 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback. Joseph had a little overcoat, but it was full of holes—just like this book! When Joseph's coat got too old and shabby, he made it into a jacket. But what did he make it into after that? And after that?
As children turn the pages of this book, they can use the die-cut holes to guess what Joseph will be making next from his amazing overcoat, while they laugh at the bold, cheerful artwork and learn that you can always make something, even out of nothing.
A 2000 Caldecott HONOR went to Sector 7 by David Wiesner. Sector 7 tells the story of a small boy on a class trip to the Empire State Building who is transported by a friendly cloud to Sector 7, a great cloud factory high in the sky. Once there, they conspire with clouds that are bored with their shapes and long for a new way to express their individuality. "Wiesner's striking and dramatic watercolors transform the childhood fantasy of figures in the clouds into an imaginative story without words. He skillfully leads us from reality to fantasy and back again through the use of expressive body language, layered and boxed illustrations, and impeccable pacing and placement."
The 1999 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Snowflake Bentley, Illustrated by Mary Azarian, text by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal. Bentley's enthusiasm for photographing snowflakes was often misunderstood in his time, but his patience and determination revealed two important truths: no two snowflakes are alike; and each one is startlingly beautiful. His story is gracefully told and brought to life in lovely woodcuts, giving children insight into a soul who had not only a scientist's vision and perseverance but a clear passion for the wonders of nature. "Of all the forms of water the tiny six-pointed crystals of ice called snow are incomparably the most beautiful and varied." -- Wilson Bentley.
The 1998 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky.
Surely among the most original and gifted of children's book illustrators, Paul O. Zelinsky has once again with unmatched emotional authority, control of space, and narrative capability brought forth a unique vision for an age-old tale. Few artists at work today can touch the level at which his paintings tell a story and exert their hold.
Zelinsky's retelling of Rapunzel reaches back beyond the Grimms to a late-seventeenth-century French tale by Mlle. la Force, who based hers on the Neapolitan tale Petrosinella in a collection popular at the time. The artist understands the story's fundamentals to be about possessiveness, confinement, and separation, rather than about punishment and deprivation. Thus the tower the sorceress gives Rapunzel here is not a desolate, barren structure of denial but one of esoteric beauty on the outside and physical luxury within. And the world the artist creates through the elements in his paintings the palette, control of light, landscape, characters, architecture, interiors, costumes speaks to us not of an ugly witch who cruelly imprisons a beautiful young girl, but of a mother figure who powerfully resists her child's inevitable growth, and of a young woman and man who must struggle in the wilderness for the self-reliance that is the true beginning of their adulthood.
As ever, and yet always somehow in newly arresting fashion, Paul O. Zelinsky's work thrillingly shows us the events of the story while guiding us beyond them to the truths that have made it endure.
The 1997 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Golem by David Wisniewski.
Retold from traditional sources and accompanied by David Wisniewski's unique cut-paper illustrations, Golem is a dramatic tale of supernatural forces invoked to save an oppressed people. It also offers a thought-provoking look at the consequences of unleashing power beyond human control. The afterword discusses the legend of the golem and its roots in the history of the Jews.
The 1996 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann.
"Besides the beguiling story, the affable illustrations of the smiling Gloria, the accidental mayhem in the background, and the myriad safety tips -- such as 'always pull the toothpick out of your sandwhich' and 'never lick a stop sign in the winter' -- add to the enjoyment. A glorious picture book." -- The Horn Book "Rathmann is a quick rising star in the world of chidren's books. In this book, she again shows her flair for creating real characters, dramatic situations and for knowing what will make young audiences giggle and think." -- Children's Book Review Magazine "Rathman brings a lighter-than-air comic touch to this outstanding, solid-as-a-brick picture book." -- Publisher's Weekly
The 1985 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Saint George and the Dragon, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman with text retold by Margaret Hodges. Set "in the days when monsters and giants and fairy folk lived in England, " this retelling of a classic and well-loved tale (a segment from Spenser's The Faerie Queene) recounts the battle between Saint George and the Dragon - a creature so huge and fearsome that his tail "swept the land behind him for almost half a mile, " and whose "deep jaws gaped wide, showing three rows of iron teeth ready to devour his prey."
The 1963 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snowy Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become a favorite of millions, as it reveals a child's wonder at a new world, and the hope of capturing and keeping that wonder forever.
The 1962 Caldecott Medal WINNER was Once a Mouse, retold and illustrated by Marcia Brown. Brown is one of two people who have won the Caldecott three times (the most anyone has won). She has, in addition, won five Caldecott Honors. She has won the most Caldecott Medals and Honors to date.
In a stunning picture book the artist has illustrated this old fable from India with colored woodcuts which are remarkably fluid in line and dramatic.
The 1943 Caldecott Medal WINNER was The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. The Little House is a poignant story of a cute country cottage that becomes engulfed by the city that grows up around it. The house has an expressive face of windows and doors, and even the feelings of a person, so she's sad when she's surrounded by the dirty, noisy city's hustle and bustle: "She missed the field of daisies / and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight." Fortunately, there's a happy ending, as the house is taken back to the country where she belongs. A classic!
1941 Caldecott WINNER
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Situated on the main street of the historic Delaware Riverfront town of New Hope, Pennsylvania, Farley’s Bookshop and its knowledgeable, experienced staff have endeavored to satisfy the literary tastes of the area inhabitants for over fifty years. Whether you are Bucks County born-and-bred or just stopping by to enjoy the crisp river air and delightful scenery, you will be pleasantly surprised to find the largest and most diverse collection of books-in-print in Bucks County. Farley’s may have competition, but it has few peers. We encourage you to browse our website, but please remember that getting acquainted with our online persona is no substitute for exploring the narrow passageways and teeming shelves of our storefront and discovering that perfect book nestled amongst so many others.
New Hope for American Art is the most comprehensive book ever published on artists from, and surrounding, the New Hope Art Colony (also known as the Pennsylvania Impressionists). This book, with its 612 pages and over 1,000 color plates of artwork include biographies of 165 individual Pennsylvania Impressionists and New Hope Modernists as well as artists from the Philadelphia Ten, a pioneering group of women all educated at Philadelphia art schools.
In this book, you'll find biographies and artwork from such artists as:
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New Hope for American Art was authored, designed and published by James M. Alterman, an expert in the field of Pennsylvania Impressionist and Modernist painting. A longtime collector and owner of two fine art galleries, Alterman wanted to create a user-friendly book intended not only to educate collectors and enthusiasts about this art but to help train one's eye. The book offers valuable tips on how to avoid common mistakes often experienced by new collectors drawn from the author's personal experiences as a collector and fine art dealer.