The Newbery and Caldecott Awards!

Each year, the American Library Association announces two important awards: The Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal. The Newbery is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The Caldecott is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. It is a great honor for an author/book to win a Newbery or Caldecott.

The winners were announced on Jan. 15. They were:

Newbery Winner:

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

Newbery Honor Books:

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Winner:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Caldecott Honor Books:

Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Ellen Levine

First the Egg, written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, written and illustrated by Peter Sís

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, written and illustrated Mo Willems

These books are sure to be wonderful to read! If you have read one of these books, post a comment and let us know what you thought of it!

The Enormous Egg

Oliver Butterworth was much more of an educator than a children's author--he taught English at the Hartford (Connecticut) College of Women for 43 years.

He was 40 years old when he wrote his first children’s book, The Enormous Egg. At that time, the tradition in children’s literature was to use much repetition of words to teach children to read (like “Dick and Jane” books). Butterworth thought this was boring for kids. He said, “I thought if I could write a book that sounded like a 12-year-old talking, then children would like it.” He was right! But even he was surprised by the enormous popularity of the book.

His book, "The Enormous Egg," was a huge success and has become a classic in children’s literature. It was first published in 1956 and remains a popular children's book today.