Those of you who have ever picked up a children’s picture book most likely have heard of the Caldecott Medal. Books which have been awarded this honor sport a bronze medal on their covers. But what exactly does this medal mean? How does a book earn the Caldecott Medal? Furthermore, who was Caldecott? Well, as I explore books which have won this medal, I hope to answer all of these questions for you. And if I don’t, make sure you let me know.
Randolph J. Caldecott was a high school dropout — not the type of man you would expect to have an award named after him. He loved to draw all his life, but until he captured the fire at the Queen Railway Hotel in Chester, England in 1861, nothing ever came of it. When this picture was published in the Illustrated London News in December 1861, Randolph realized that he could possibly make a career out of drawing. He finally began drawing illustrations for children’s books. Because of his extraordinary talent which gave him much fame even after his death at a young age, the American Library Association (ALA) named an award after him.
The story behind the award itself is very interesting. The Newbery Medal has been awarded by the ALA every year since 1922 for the best American children’s book published the previous year. It was finally decided in the 1930’s that artists who were creating illustrations for children’s books should receive an honor as well. Every year since 1938, the Caldecott Medal has been awarded to the best children’s picture book. Just to make things clear, each award is given for the excellent book from the previous year. For instance, “Animals of the Bible,” which was awarded the first Caldecott Medal in 1938, was published in 1937.
Some books have often been noted as also worthy of receiving the Caldecott Medal, but only one award can be given each year. In such cases, these books were referred to as “runners-up” until 1971 when it was changed to “honor books.” So, in addition to the Caldecott Medal winner, there are also several Caldecott Honor books. Unfortunately, I will only be covering the Caldecott Medal winners. I afraid that if I were to try and cover the Caldecott Honor books as well that it would take entirely too long. However, if you are interested in finding the names of the Honor books, visit the American Library Association’s website.
So, in light of everything I have just said, be on the lookout for my series on the Caldecott Medal. I plan to cover about five books at a time since there is only so much one can say about a picture book. Once I have reviewed all of the Caldecott Medal winners, a series about Newbery Medal winners will follow. Enjoy!