The start of the new year marks the start of another awards season, with household names like the Golden Globes and the Oscars. But did you know it’s also awards season for children’s books? The American Library Association (ALA) has announced the winners of its annual Youth Media Awards for 2022, including the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott Medals for Children’s Books.
Since 1922, the John Newbery Medal has been awarded to the most distinguished American children’s book author by the Association for Library Service for Children (ALSC), a division of ALA. This year, the Newbury Medal is awarded to The Last Waiter by Donna Barba Higuera. The Last Waiter is a dystopian novel that follows Petra Peña who leaves Earth with her family and a group of others to continue the human race after a comet hits the planet. Find it at a local Marin library.
The Newbery Honor Books 2022 finalists are Red, white and whole by Rajani LaRocca, A snake falls to earth by Darcie Little Badger, Too bright to see by Kyle Lukoff, and Cress by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin.
The ALSC began awarding the Caldecott Medal, named after 19th-century British illustrator Randolph Caldecott, to the most distinguished children’s picture book artist in 1938. This year’s medal winner is Cress by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin. Find it at the library.
The second Caledecott Honor Books this year are Have you ever seen a flower? illustrated and written by Shawn Harris, Mel fell, illustrated and written by Corey R. Tabor, Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacreillustrated by Floyd Cooper and written by Carole Boston Weatherford, and Wonder Walkersillustrated and written by Micha Archer.
To learn more about the 2022 ALSC Youth Media Awards and see the full list of winners, go to www.ala.org.
