Caldecott Medal Winners

--by Hanje Richards


The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. It was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Together with the Newbery Medal, it is the most prestigious American children's book award.


Criteria for the award:

--The book must be published in English in the United States during the preceding year.

--The illustrations must be original work.

--The artist must be a citizen or resident of the United States.

--The book must be considered for the artistic technique employed; pictorial interpretation of story; appropriateness of style of illustration to the story; delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting mood or information through the pictures; and recognition of a child audience.


--The book must display respect for children's understandings, abilities, and appreciations.

--The book must be a self-contained entity, not dependent on other media for its enjoyment.

The Copper Queen Library now has a section comprised of the Caldecott Medal Winners we own. Any library employee will be happy to show you where it is.



Some of the titles that we have in our Caldecott Medal Winners Collection include Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bmelmans, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.



These and many other beautifully illustrated children’s books can be found by browsing the Caldecott Medal Winners section at the Copper Queen Library or by doing a search for "Caldecott" under “words or phrase” in the Copper Queen Library database.