Caldecott Award

• The Caldecott Medal is given out each year by the Association for Library Service to Children, a part of the American Library Association, to the artist of the best American picture book for children.

• Announced at the midwinter meeting – end of January.

History of the Award

• – Fredric Melcher – (1879-1963)– A publisher – loved books– Suggested to the American Library

Association that a special award be created to honor excellence in children’s picture books.

– 15 years earlier the same was suggested for Newbery Books

– Picture books should not compete for the Newbery Award

History of the Award…cont.

• Randolph Caldecott- 1846-1886

• The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of English illustrator Randolph Caldecott who lived in the 1800’s.

The Illustration on the Medal

• This is a book he illustrated called “John Gilpin’s Ride.” The medal looks like the pictures from this book.

• The illustration shows John Gilpin astride a runaway horse, accompanied by squawking geese, braying dogs, and startled onlookers

Designer of the Award

• Rene Chambellan– American Sculpter – born in West

Hoboken, NJ– designed the

Caldecott and the Newbery Award-(award given to the Author)

Caldecott Award• Given to the artist of “the most distinguished

American picture book for children published in the United States during the preceding year. It is a bronze medal with the winner’s name and the date engraved on the back.

• Fifteen Librarians who work with children’s books are chosen to be on the Caldecott committee. They read hundreds and hundreds of books so they can decided which one is the best!

• The first Caldecott Medal was presented in 1938 to Dorothy Lathrop for her book, Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book.

• Medium: black and white lithographs

• 2009 Caldecott Winner– Author: Susan Marie

Swanson– Illustrator: Beth

Kromes– Medium used –

scratchboard and watercolor.

• 2008 Caldecott Winner

– Author/Illustrator: Brian Selznick

– Medium used – pencil

• 2007 Caldecott Winner

– Author/Illustrator: David Wiesner

– Medium used – watercolor

2006 Caldecott Winner

• Author: Norman Juster

• Illustrator: Chris Raschka

• Medium: Watercolor

2005 Caldecott Winner• Author/Illustrator:

Kevin Henkes• Medium: Gouache

(method of painting), colored pencil

• 2004 Caldecott Winner

• Author/Illustrator:– Mordecai Gerstein

• Medium: Ink and oil paintings

2003 Caldecott Winner

• Author/Illustrator: Eric Rohman

• Medium: Colored prints

• 2002 Caldecott Winner

• Author/Illustrator: David Wiesner

• Medium: Watercolor

• 2001 Caldecott Winner

• Author: Judith St. George

• Illustrator: David Small

• Medium: Watercolor, pen and ink, pastel

2000 Caldecott Winner

• Author/Illustrator:

Sims Taback

• Medium: Gouache, watercolor, collage, pencil, and ink as well as die cutting

1999 Caldecott Winner• Author: Jacqueline

Briggs Martin• Illustrator: Mary

Azarian• Medium: Woodcut,

watercolor

1998 Caldecott Winner

• Author/Illustrator:

Paul Zelinsky

• Medium: watercolor, acrylic, oil paint

1997 Caldecott Winner• Author/Illustrator:

David Wisniewski• Medium: Papercut

collage

1996 Caldecott Winner

• Author/Illustrator: Peggy Rathman

• Medium: Watercolor

1995 Caldecott Winner

• Author: Eve Bunting

• Illustrator: David Diaz

• Medium: Collage

Some books each year were called “runners-up”. In 1971, that term was changed to “honor books”.

These medals look like the award except they are silver instead of bronze.

Honor books have great pictures too!

“Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” by Mo Willems was an Honor book in 2004.

“The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins” was an Honor book in 2002.

Books which have won the Caldecott Medal or an honor medal use pictures to help tell the story, and the pictures are really good!

Look for a Caldecott today.

Glossary

• Medium– means what kind of artwork/how the artwork

was made

• Lithograph– an image produced by etching the image onto

a flat surface, then copying the etched surface by applying ink (or the equivalent) to it and pressing another material against it

Bibliography/Sources •Amazon.com, book images.

•Allen County Indiana Public Library, 2007 Mock Caldecott Election

•American Library Association Caldecott Awards.

•Caldecott Winner and Honor Books 1938-2005.

•Huck, Charlotte S. Children’s Literature in the Elementary School. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2001.•In the Artist's Studio by Paul O. Zelinsky.

• http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mussm:@field(NUMBER+@band(sm1879+15981))

• http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/melcher.html

• http://www.randolphcaldecott.org.uk/who.htm