GCDS Libraries: Lower Elementary Library: Awards

Children's Book Awards

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually in January by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

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The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander; Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2019-04-02
Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal
A 2020 Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

This poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.

The (Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award is given annually in January to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.

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Stop! Bot! by James Yang (Illustrator)
ISBN: 9780425288818
Publication Date: 2019-07-23
2020 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Winner

In this very young picture book mystery, a little boy out for a walk with his family stops to show a building doorman his new "bot": "I have a bot!" Only he doesn't have it for long, because it floats up out of his hands like an escaped balloon. "Stop! Bot!" Springing to action, the kind doorman runs up to each floor of the building to try and catch it -- along with the help of each floor's resident. But while everything looks normal at first, every floor (and resident) is a little more wacky and unusual than the last! Musicians, baseball players, zoo animals, and finally a very large monkey all play a part -- but will they rescue the Bot before it's too late?!

The Irma Black Award goes to an outstanding book for young children - a book in which text and illustrations are inseparable, each enhancing and enlarging on the other to produce a singular whole. The Irma Black Award is unusual in that children are the final judges of the winning book. The Award is usually presented in April.

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GCDS 2nd grade students participate in the voting for this Award.

The Crayon Man by Natascha Biebow; Steven Salerno (Illustrator)
Publication Date: 2019-03-19
2020 Winner: Celebrating the inventor of the Crayola crayon! This gloriously illustrated picture book biography tells the inspiring story of Edwin Binney, the inventor of one of the world's most beloved toys.