American Library Association 2023 Awards - a selection

 

The American Library Association announced their huge number of children's book award winners this week. Many of them probably won't arrive here in Australia, and some will be of more interest to readers in North America and many will be very expensive and so way beyond school library budgets. I am just listing a selection of winners and honour titles and in particular highlighting some books I would like to read and links to other posts on this blog which feature an award winner.  I have changed honor to honour (our spelling here in Australia). 

John Newbery Medal 

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

Newbery Honour Books 

Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango 

The Last Mapmaker Christina Soontornvat 

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee 

Randolph Caldecott Medal 

Hot Dog by Doug Salati 

Caldecott Honour Books 

Ain’t Burned All the Bright illustrated by Jason Griffin, written by Jason Reynolds 

Berry Song by Michaela Goade 

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement illustrated by Janelle Washington, written by Angela Joy 

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise 

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion by Shannon Stocker, illustrated by Devon Holzwarth 

Honour book for young children 

In the Blue by Erin Hourigan 

Middle Grade winner

Wildoak by C.C. Harrington 

Honour books for middle grades

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd 

Honestly Elliott  by Gillian McDunn 

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States

Just a Girl: A True Story of World War II Originally published in Italian as “Una bambina e basta. Raccontata agli altri bambini e basta,” by Lia Levi, illustrated by Jess Mason, translated by Sylvia Notini

Honour Books 

Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War by Mónica Montañés, illustrated by Eva Sánchez Gómez and translated by Lawrence Schimel

Dragonfly Eyes by Cao Wenxuan and translated by Helen Wang

João by a Thread by Roger Mello and translated by Daniel Hahn.  

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge illustrated by Lauren Tamaki 

Sibert Honour Books

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy, illustrated by Janelle Washington 

A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis 

Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie 

The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs by Chana Stiefel, illustrated by Susan Gal 

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book

I Did It! by Michael Emberley

Geisel Honour Books

Fish and Wave by Sergio Ruzzier 

Gigi and Ojiji, by Melissa Iwai

Owl and Penguin by Vikram Madan 

A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.  The award promotes Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit. The award offers three youth categories including Picture Book, Children’s Literature and Youth Literature. 

The Picture Book

From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Rachel Wada 

Honour Book

Nana, Nenek & Nina by Liza Ferneyhough 

The Children’s Literature winner 

Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee 

Honour title

Troublemaker by John Cho and  Sarah Suk