2024
Winners!
The Caldecott Medal
Given to the illustrator of the
most distinguished picture book!
(Some of) The 2024 Caldecott Contenders….
And the Winner is…
Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Honor Books
The Newbery Medal
Given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Newbery Medal
Newbery Honor Books
Gr 5. & Up (perhaps better for m.s.)
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal
Given to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished book for beginning readers
Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal
Geisel Honor Books
More About the Caldecott Winners
This book is a meditation on gratitude, full of intricate symbolism. Frazee explains in a note that she was inspired by a "call-and-response version of a Jewish baby-naming blessing" she heard at a Christian church decades ago. The text is made up of seven lines, all but the last composed of seven words each. Seven is a significant number in Judaism, and structuring the text in this way is a subtle acknowledgement of that faith tradition. Each of the seven lines is presented on a spread with a series of small illustrations, vignettes that represent each idea. Following each is a wordless spread featuring a sprawling landscape peopled by small figures. Each line has a thematic color, and the palettes of the wordless spreads combine the colors to link the concepts. The characters are diverse in every sense of the word, representing a myriad of families and lived experiences. While the book's brevity is appropriate for a read-aloud, children will want to examine the illustrations closely.
More About the Caldecott Winners
"Jovita didn't want to cook and clean like her sisters, and she especially didn't want to wear the skirts her abuela gave her. She wanted to race her brothers and climb the tallest mesquite trees in Rancho Palos Blancos, ride horses, and wear pants! When her father and brothers joined the Cristeros War to fight for the right to practice religion, she wanted to help. She wasn't allowed to fight, but that didn't stop her from observing how her father strategized and familiarizing herself with the terrain. When tragedy struck, she did the only thing that felt right to her--cut her hair, donned a pair of pants, and continued the fight, commanding a battalion who followed her without question . . . the story of a trailblazing revolutionary who fought for her freedom, told by her great niece . . ."--Provided by publisher. Includes author's note.
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Reynolds and the Pumphrey brothers take readers on a dazzling journey through Langston Hughes’ legacy. “There was a party for Langston at the library. / A jam in Harlem to celebrate the word-making man— // Langston, the king of letters.” And what a party! When Langston writes, words move, they collide, they big bang into the very atoms of connection. On shelves in the background, fellow Black writers and poets peer out from the spines of their books, looking on in delight as Langston’s “word-children” Maya Angelou and Amiri Baraka whirl with joy and inspiration, their own word-making mastery a credit to Langston’s legacy. Inspired by a joyous photo of Angelou and Baraka snapped in 1991 at the opening of the Langston Hughes Auditorium at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Reynolds sets a syncopated pace with his debut picture book, delivering not only a celebratory dance of a biography, but a primer in Hughes’ own jazz poetry. Not missing a beat and laying down one all their own, the Pumphrey brothers’ illustrations incorporate verses from Hughes’ poems and other words he set into motion to create a thrumming visual landscape where meaning takes literal flight. This book demonstrates that Hughes’ work is the epitome of what words can be.
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An unforgettable lyrical picture book that celebrates biracial identity from the award-winning author of Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist.
Lean in close,
my darling bao bei,
and I will whisper
a most precious secret
about a powerful magic
that lives inside you.
Brought to life with lavish and ornate illustrations, The Truth About Dragons follows a young child on a journey guided by his mother's bedtime storytelling. He quests into two very different forests, as his two grandmothers help him discover two different, but equally enchanting, truths about dragons. Eastern and Western mythologies coexist and enrich each other in this warm celebration of mixed cultural identity.
More About the Newbery Winners
From the Publisher
A magical realistic middle grade debut about the origin story of the Inupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition.��As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping--the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.��Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger's Feast - which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Inupiaq. It's the story of how Inupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition.
More About the Newbery Winners
From the Publisher
A magical realistic middle grade debut about the origin story of the Inupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition.��As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping--the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.��Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger's Feast - which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Inupiaq. It's the story of how Inupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition.
More About the Newbery Winners
"This is the tale of an exciting journey along the Silk Road with a young Monk and his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called "Seller of Dreams." The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants. While that talking did save Monkey's life, it has left a lot of people furious with Samir--furious enough to hire assassins. Monkey decides to try and save Samir from the attempts on his life--as a way to pay off his debt! If he can save Samir six times, he'll be a free man...but will they all survive that long?"-- Provided by publisher.
More About the Newbery Winners
From the Publisher
A magical realistic middle grade debut about the origin story of the Inupiaq Messenger Feast, a Native Alaskan tradition.��As his family prepares for winter, a young, skilled hunter must travel up the mountain to collect obsidian for knapping--the same mountain where his two older brothers died. When he reaches the mountaintop, he is immediately confronted by a terrifying eagle god named Savik. Savik gives the boy a choice: follow me or die like your brothers. What comes next is a harrowing journey to the home of the eagle gods and unexpected lessons on the natural world, the past that shapes us, and the community that binds us.��Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson is part cultural folklore, part origin myth about the Messenger's Feast - which is still celebrated in times of bounty among the Inupiaq. It's the story of how Inupiaq people were given the gift of music, song, dance, community, and everlasting tradition.
More About the Geisel Winners
Henry, a boy on the autism spectrum (first introduced in the 2019 picture book A Friend for Henry), likes everything about school. Life in Classroom Ten is entirely predictable. Mrs. Tanaka posts the schedule for the week, and Henry can count on having Music on Wednesdays, Free Choice every Thursday, and Share Time on Fridays. So when Mrs. Tanaka announces that the class will hold a special parade on the upcoming Friday in place of Share Time, Henry responds with dismay. All week, Henry objects, but to no avail. On the big day, Henry hands his teacher his Quiet Card and enters the classroom closet to regroup. There, he encounters classmate Samuel, who is unhappy about the parade for a different reason. Henry finds a solution to Samuel’s discomfort, a way to keep Friday as a time to share, and a comfortable place for himself in the parade. The ending of this short chapter book, heavily illustrated and with a format and content to appeal to new readers, is as satisfying as Bailey’s understanding prose and Song’s gentle, friendly illustrations. Henry is an extremely sympathetic hero -- relatable and authentic.
More About the Geisel Winners
Besties Worm and Caterpillar share lessons on friendship in this graphic novel for early readers. While pink and purple Worm tends to notice what the two pals have in common, green and orange Caterpillar is fast to point out that they’re not the same. They may both be afraid of birds, but Caterpillar loves leaves while Worm eats dirt. Worm crawls on their belly, but Caterpillar has legs (16 of them!). Keen readers will understand quickly why Caterpillar is concerned—Worm says they’re best friends “because we are the same!” and Caterpillar knows that things are bound to change. In fact, as Caterpillar spins their chrysalis, Worm is already worrying about their altered buddy. And by the time Caterpillar is ready to emerge, they fret that Worm may no longer like them. When Caterpillar (now Butterfly) pops out, Worm is initially afraid, but with care and trust, Worm is able to accept and love Butterfly for who they’ve always been. Worm learns along with readers that love is not a surface-level emotion and that true connections bind us deeply to each other. The art is joyful, colorful, and expressive, with emotions reading perfectly on the cartoon insects' faces. Overall, it’s an appealing read with a message of acceptance that caregivers will be able to easily apply to real life. Warm and delightful, this tale will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.