Caldecott Medal Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Caldecott Medal

Presented by	Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association
Country	United States
First awarded	1938; 87 years ago (1938)

The Randolph Caldecott Medal, often just called the Caldecott, is a famous award given out every year. It honors the best American picture book for children from the year before. The award goes to the illustrator, the artist who drew the pictures for the book.

The award is given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), which is part of the American Library Association (ALA). The Caldecott and the Newbery Medal are seen as the top two awards for children's books in the United States.

Besides the main Caldecott Medal winner, the committee also picks a few other amazing books. These runners-up are called Caldecott Honor books.

The idea for the award came from Frederic G. Melcher in 1937. He named it after Randolph Caldecott, a famous English illustrator from the 1800s. The medal itself has pictures from Caldecott's own books on it. Winning a Caldecott Medal is a huge honor and can help a book become very popular.

History of the Award
- The Medal's Design
How a Book Wins the Caldecott
- What Makes a Picture Book "Distinguished"?
- The Selection Committee
Famous Winners and Fun Facts
Images for kids
See also

History of the Award

Frederic G. Melcher came up with the idea for the Caldecott Award after the Newbery Medal became successful.

The Caldecott Medal was first suggested in 1937 by Frederic G. Melcher. He was the editor of a magazine called Publishers Weekly. He had already helped create the Newbery Medal for writers in 1921 and thought illustrators deserved their own award. The American Library Association agreed, and the award was created to honor the artist of the "most distinguished picture book of the year."

The award has had some changes over time. At first, the same committee judged both the Newbery and Caldecott awards. In 1971, the runners-up were officially named "Caldecott Honor" books. Since 1980, the Caldecott and Newbery have had their own separate committees to choose the winners.

The Medal's Design

This drawing by Randolph Caldecott from the book The Diverting History of John Gilpin is on the front of the medal.

The award is named after Randolph Caldecott, an English illustrator who was very important in the history of picture books. The medal was designed in 1937 by Rene Paul Chambellan.

The front of the medal shows a famous scene from one of Caldecott's books. It's a picture of a man named John Gilpin riding a runaway horse. The back of the medal shows a scene from the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence", with "four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie." Every winner gets a bronze copy of this special medal.

How a Book Wins the Caldecott

The medal is named for Randolph Caldecott, an English artist. The famous illustrator Maurice Sendak said Caldecott's work was the start of the modern picture book.

To win a Caldecott, a book has to meet certain rules. The artist must be a citizen or resident of the United States. The book must be published first in the U.S. and written in English. The award is for picture books made for kids up to age 14.

What Makes a Picture Book "Distinguished"?

A picture book is more than just a story with pictures. The award's rules say it should be a "visual experience" where the pictures and story work together perfectly. The committee looks for several things:

Artistic Skill: How well are the illustrations drawn, painted, or created?
Storytelling: Do the pictures help tell the story and show its theme?
Mood and Characters: Do the illustrations bring the characters and the mood of the story to life?
Audience: Are the pictures a good fit for young readers?

Honor books are judged by these same high standards. The book's text and design are also considered, as they help make the illustrations even better.

The Selection Committee

A special committee of fifteen people from the ALSC chooses the winner. These members are librarians and experts in children's literature from all over the country. Publishers send them hundreds of books to review each year.

In January, the committee meets to discuss all the nominated books. They vote using a point system. To win, a book needs to get a lot of first-place votes and have more points than any other book. After the winner is chosen, the committee decides which books will receive the Caldecott Honor. The winners are kept secret until they are announced to the public.

Famous Winners and Fun Facts

Winning a Caldecott is a huge achievement. Here are some interesting facts about the winners over the years:

Most Awarded: Marcia Brown holds the record, with three Caldecott Medals and six Honor awards. David Wiesner has also won three Medals.
First Winner: The very first Caldecott Medal was awarded in 1938 to Dorothy P. Lathrop for her book Animals of the Bible.
A Novel Winner: In 2008, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick became the first novel to win the Caldecott. Its story is told through many detailed pictures.
Graphic Novel Honor: This One Summer, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, was the first graphic novel to receive a Caldecott Honor in 2015.
Family Talent: Javaka Steptoe won in 2017 for Radiant Child. His father, John Steptoe, was a two-time Caldecott Honor winner.

Images for kids

Thomas Handforth won the second Caldecott for his book Mei Li.
Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire won the third Caldecott Medal in 1940. They worked together as a team.
Leo Politi (left) won a Caldecott Medal and two honors.
1965 winner Beni Montresor also wrote operas. He said he wanted his work to "astonish and amaze."
Both of Chris Van Allsburg's Caldecott-winning books have been turned into movies.
Ed Young won the 1990 Caldecott for his version of the Chinese tale of Little Red Riding Hood.
David Macaulay won the Medal in 1991 for his book Black and White.
Marla Frazee has received three Caldecott Honors. She also created the book The Boss Baby.
Caldecott winner Dan Santat once turned down a job at Google so he could continue illustrating children's books.
Brian Selznick's book The Invention of Hugo Cabret was the first novel to win the Caldecott.
Mo Willems has won three Caldecott Honors and many other awards for his popular books.
Jillian Tamaki's 2015 winner This One Summer was the first graphic novel to win a Caldecott Honor.
Patrick McDonnell created the comic strip Mutts. He won an honor in 2012 for his book about Jane Goodall.
Erin E. Stead (left) won the 2011 Caldecott for the very first book she illustrated, which was written by her husband, Phillip (right).
Yuyi Morales was the first Latina to receive a Caldecott Honor, for her book Viva Frida.
Illustrator Christian Robinson won a Caldecott Honor for Last Stop on Market Street.
Javaka Steptoe, the 2017 winner, is the son of two-time honors winner John Steptoe.
2015 Caldecott Honor winner Mary GrandPré is famous for illustrating the American editions of the Harry Potter books.
Vashti Harrison won the 2024 Caldecott for her book Big. She was the first Black woman to win the award.
David Wiesner is one of only two illustrators to have won three Caldecott Medals.
In 2013, Jon Klassen won the Caldecott Medal for one book and an Honor for another in the same year.
Kadir Nelson's artwork can be seen in museums like the Smithsonian.
Sophie Blackall is a recent two-time winner of the Caldecott Medal.