Big Tree is a children's novel written and illustrated by Mary and Conrad Buff. In the book a personified 5,000-year-old giant sequoia tells its life story. [1] The novel was first published in 1946 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1947. [2] It may have been inspired by the Wawona Tree.
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.
Kate Seredy was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She won the Newbery Medal once, the Newbery Honor twice, the Caldecott Honor once, and the 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.
Paula Fox was an American author of novels for adults and children and of two memoirs. For her contributions as a children's writer she won the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1978, the highest international recognition for a creator of children's books. She also won several awards for particular children's books including the 1974 Newbery Medal for her novel The Slave Dancer; a 1983 National Book Award in category Children's Fiction (paperback) for A Place Apart; and the 2008 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for A Portrait of Ivan (1969) in its German-language edition Ein Bild von Ivan.
Miss Hickory is a 1946 novel by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey that won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1947.
Elizabeth Wright Enright Gillham was an American writer of children's books, an illustrator, writer of short stories for adults, literary critic and teacher of creative writing. Perhaps best known as the Newbery Medal-winning author of Thimble Summer (1938) and the Newbery runner-up Gone-Away Lake (1957), she also wrote the popular Melendy quartet. A Newbery Medal laureate and a multiple winner of the O. Henry Award, her short stories and articles for adults appeared in many popular magazines and have been reprinted in anthologies and textbooks.
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.
Hello the Boat! is a children's historical novel by Phyllis Crawford. Set in 1817, it follows the journey of a store-boat down the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. The novel, illustrated by Edward Laning, was first published in 1938 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1939.
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.
Justin Morgan Had a Horse is an American children's historical novel by Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis and published by Wilcox & Follett of Chicago in 1945. It concerns the real figures of Justin Morgan and his bay stallion Figure, who lived in Vermont in the late eighteenth century. It was a runner-up for the Newbery Medal in 1946.
The Moved-Outers is a 1945 children's novel written by Florence Crannell Means and illustrated by Helen Blair. The book received a Newbery Honor and the Bank Street Children's Book Award in 1946.
Bhimsa, the Dancing Bear is a children's novel by Christine Weston. Set in contemporary India, it follows the adventures of two boys, David and Gopali, as they roam the country with a dancing bear. The first edition was illustrated by Roger Duvoisin. The novel was first published in 1945 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1946.
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.
The Heavenly Tenants is a children's fantasy novel by William Maxwell. The Marvell family farm in Wisconsin is visited by the living signs of the zodiac; meanwhile, the constellations associated with them disappear from the sky. The story was illustrated by Ilonka Karasz and published by Harper & Brothers in 1946. It was a runner-up for the 1947 Newbery Medal.
The Avion My Uncle Flew is a children's novel by Cyrus Fisher, a pseudonym of Darwin Teilhet. The plot concerns an American boy who uncovers a mystery while visiting his uncle in post-war France. The novel was first published in 1946 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1947.
Pancakes-Paris is a children's novel by Claire Huchet Bishop. Set in Paris a few months after the end of World War II, it follows Charles's quest to makes crepes for his little sister for Mardi Gras. The novel, illustrated by Georges Schreiber, was first published in 1947 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1948.
Li Lun, Lad of Courage is a children's novel by Carolyn Treffinger. Set on an island off the coast of China, it tells the story of a boy who tries to survive and grow rice on a barren mountain after being banished from his village. The novel, illustrated by Kurt Wiese, was first published in 1947 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1948.
Tree of Freedom is a children's historical novel by Rebecca Caudill. It is a pioneer story set in Kentucky at the time of the American Revolutionary War. The novel, illustrated by Dorothy Morse, was first published in 1949 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1950.
Red Sails to Capri is a children's historical novel by Ann Weil. It tells the story of the rediscovery of Capri's Blue Grotto in 1826. The novel, illustrated by C. B. Falls, was first published in 1952 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1953.
Margarita Engle is a Cuban American poet and author of many award-winning books for children, young adults and adults. Most of Engle's stories are written in verse and are a reflection of her Cuban heritage and her deep appreciation and knowledge of nature. She became the first Latino awarded a Newbery Honor in 2009 for The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom. She was selected by the Poetry Foundation to serve from 2017 to 2019 as the sixth Young People's Poet Laureate. On October 9, 2018, Margarita Engle was announced the winner of the 2019 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature. She was nominated by 2019 NSK Prize jury member Lilliam Rivera. Her 2024 book, Wild Dreamers, was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
Mildred DeLois Taylor is a Newbery Award-winning American young adult novelist. She is best known for her novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, part of her Logan family series.