Caldecott Vs. Newbery Award Winners

During this course, I have read several Caldecott and Newbery Award Winners.  However, throughout my education career and training, I have actually been far more familiar with Newbery books than I have Caldecott books.  Prior to this course, if asked the question, "Which is a better award--Newbery or Caldecott," I would have definitely said, "Newbery, of course!"  Now, I'm not so sure.

First of all, according to the American Library Assocation's  (ALA) website, "The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children" (ALA website, 2011, Newbery Award List section).   Therefore, one can see that earning this award is a great achievement and includes such all time greats as my favorite book and the best book I have ever read, The Witch of Blackbird Pond.  Still, whether this award is better than the Caldecott Award is up for debate, but I don't really think so. 

Again, according to the ALA, "The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually 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" (ALA website, 2011, Caldecott Award List section).  As I have discovered by reading several picture books during this semester, pictures can tell a story without ever using a single written word.  In fact, sometimes picture books can actually stimulate one's imagination more than written words because readers are actually making up the story as they go from what they interpret from the pictures.  Therefore, just like Newbery books, Caldecott books honor extraordinary storytellers, even though one story is told through words and the other, through illustrations. Therefore, I see the awards as being very equal; one being just as honorable as the other.

Works Cited

American Library Association.  (ALA).  (2011).  Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/.