The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children". The Newbery and the Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. Books selected are widely carried by bookstores and libraries, the authors are interviewed on television, and master's theses and doctoral dissertations are written on them. Named for John Newbery, an 18th-century English publisher of juvenile books, the winner of the Newbery is selected at the ALA's Midwinter Conference by a fifteen-person committee. The Newbery was proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1921, making it the first children's book award in the world. The physical bronze medal was designed by Rene Paul Chambellan and is given to the winning author at the next ALA annual conference. Since its founding there have been several changes to the composition of the selection committee, while the physical medal remains the same.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The Caldecott and Newbery Medals are considered the most prestigious American children's book awards. Beside the Caldecott Medal, the committee awards a variable number of citations to runners-up they deem worthy, called the Caldecott Honor or Caldecott Honor Books.
Kate Seredy was a Hungarian-born writer and illustrator of children's books. She won the Newbery Medal once, the Newbery Honor twice, the Caldecott Honor once, and Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. Most of her books were written in English, which was not her first language. Seredy seems to be unknown in her native Hungary, despite the fact that her story of the Good Master, and the sequel set in World War I are intensely about Hungary.
Irene Hunt was an American children's writer known best for historical novels. She was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal for her first book, Across Five Aprils, and won the medal for her second, Up a Road Slowly. For her contribution as a children's writer she was U.S. nominee in 1974 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition available to creators of children's books.
Rachel Lyman Field was an American novelist, poet, and children's fiction writer. She is best known for the Newbery Award–winning Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. Field also won a National Book Award, Newbery Honor award and two of her books are on the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award list.
Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo.
The Wanderer is a children's novel by Sharon Creech, published in 2000. It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and named a Newbery Honor book.
The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles is a children's book by Padraic Colum, a retelling of Greek myths. The book, illustrated by Willy Pogany, was first published in 1921 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1922. The central myth retold is that of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece and the aftermath. Woven into it are other myths, including the myths of Persephone and Prometheus, told by the poet Orpheus during the voyage.
A Daughter of the Seine: The Life of Madame Roland is a biography written for children by Jeanette Eaton. It recounts the life story of Marie-Jeanne Roland de la Platière, an influential figure in the French Revolution. Born in relative obscurity, she became a prominent Girondist and was executed in one of Robespierre's purges. The biography was first published in 1929 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1930.
Mountains Are Free is a children's historical novel by Julia Davis Adams set in Switzerland in the 14th century. It retells the legend of William Tell and the Swiss struggle against the Habsburgs from the viewpoint of an orphan boy. The novel, illustrated by Theodore Nadajen, was first published in 1930 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1931.
The Railroad to Freedom: A Story of the Civil War is a children's book by Hildegarde Swift. It is a fictionalized biography of Araminta Ross telling of her life in slavery and her work on the Underground Railroad. The book, illustrated by James Daugherty, was first published in 1932 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1933.
Young Walter Scott is a fictionalized biography of the early life of Walter Scott by Elizabeth Janet Gray, set in Edinburgh in the late eighteenth century. Illustrated by Kate Seredy, it was first published in 1935 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1936.
Winterbound is a children's novel by Margery Williams. It is a family story set in a Connecticut farmhouse during the Great Depression. Nineteen-year-old Kay and sixteen-year-old Garry are in charge of the house and their younger siblings while their parents are away during the winter. The novel, illustrated by Kate Seredy, was first published in 1936 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1937.
Young Mac of Fort Vancouver is a children's historical novel by Mary Jane Carr. Set in 1832, it recounts the adventures of Donald McDermott, a young mixed-blood fur trader. The novel, illustrated by Richard Holberg, was first published in 1940 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1941.
Wonderful Year is a children's novel by Nancy Barnes with illustrations by Kate Seredy. Wonderful Year was published in 1946 by publisher Julian Messner. It describes a year in the life of the Martin family, including 11-year-old Ellen, who moved from Kansas to a fruit ranch in Colorado. This work of children's literature was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1947.
Story of the Negro by Arna Bontemps is a children's history book published by Knopf in 1948. It was the first African-American authored book to receive a Newbery Honor.
New Land: A Novel for Boys and Girls is a children's novel by Sarah Lindsay Schmidt. It was first published in 1933, and it was a Newbery Medal Honor recipient in 1934.
Lauren Wolk is an American author, poet and editor. Born in Baltimore, she studied English literature at Brown University graduating in 1981.
Hello, Universe is a 2017 novel written by Erin Entrada Kelly. The novel is told from the perspectives of four middle school students as one of them becomes trapped in a well. Hello, Universe won the 2018 Newbery Medal.
Veera Hiranandani is an American writer of children's books. Her novel The Night Diary received a Newbery Honor in 2019.
