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The American Library Association announced the winners of its annual children’s literature awards today at the group’s mid-winter conference in San Antonio, with Lynne Rae Perkins taking home the Newberry Award for “most outstanding contribution to children’s literature” for her novel Criss Cross, a gentle, humorous series of interwoven vignettes about a group of young friends facing the end of childhood, published by Greenwillow/HarperCollins.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the “most distinguished American picture book for children” goes to The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka, written by Norton Juster, and published by Michael di Capua/Hyperion. Window, geared to young children, tells the story of a child’s visit to her grandparents’ house and a picture window where “love and magic happens.”
The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults goes to Looking for Alaska, the first novel by John Green, published by Dutton Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue, written by Julius Lester, published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children, is the Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award winner recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults. Rosa, illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Nikki Giovanni and published by Henry Holt and Company.
The Pura Belpré Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience goes to Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart, illustrated by Raul Colón. The book was written by Pat Mora and published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House. The Tequila Worm, written by Viola Canales, is the Belpré Author Award winner. The book is published by Wendy Lamb Books, a division of Random House.
The first annual Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book goes to Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas, written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Suçie Stevenson, and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2006 Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. Her books include: I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This, and its sequel, Lena; From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun, If You Come Softly and Miracle’s Boys.
More awards and honors mentions are available on the ALA site.
