'The Eyes and the Impossible' Wins the Newbery, 'Big' Earns Caldecott, and 'The Collectors: Stories' Takes the Printz Award at 2024 Youth Media Awards

Read about the winners and honorees of the top awards along with more news and reactions to the 2024 Youth Media Awards announcements.

 

This story will be updated throughout the day with quotes and reactions from across the children's publishing world.


The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, illus. by Shawn Harris, won the prestigious Newbery Medal, and Big by Vashti Harrison was named the 2024 Caldecott Medal winner during Monday’s Youth Media Awards (YMA) ceremony at ALA's LibLearnX in Baltimore. Harrison is the first Black woman to win the coveted Caldecott.

"The art in Big grabbed our attention from the start—it is beautiful and powerful," said Caldecott committee chair Kathie Meizner. "The committee felt its combination of strong story and captivating illustration was absolutely outstanding."

It wasn't an easy decision, though.

"As often happens, the decision-making was intense and emotional, and it involved loving books that didn’t win—but that we will always love," said Meizner. "We had wonderful, amazing, excellent, exceptional picture books this year."

Harrison also received a Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor for Big.

"Go BIG! You are beautiful," tweeted e.E. Charlton-Trujillo, who was among the authors of the Printz Award winner, The Collectors: Stories, which was edited by A.S. King and includes stories by M.T. Anderson, Charlton-Trujillo, A.S. King, David Levithan, Cory McCarthy, Anna-Marie McLemore, G. Neri, Jason Reynolds, Randy Ribay, and Jenny Torres Sanchez. It is the first anthology to win the Printz. King previously won the 2020 Printz as the author of Dig. She is the first person to win the Printz twice.

The Collectors win was just one surprise on the annual day of celebration for the children's literature world. Before the ceremony kicked off, 2013 Newbery winner Katherine Applegate tweeted, "When I got 'the call' from the Newbery committee, I think my first words were, 'Are you sure?' Lots of lives are going to change today. I'm so excited for this year's winners. #ALAyma"

Four books earned Caldecott honor titles: In Every Life, illustrated and written by Marla Frazee; Jovita Wore the Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter, illustrated by Molly Mendoza, written by Aida Salazar; There Was a Party for Langston, illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey, written by Jason Reynolds; and The Truth About Dragons, illustrated by Hanna Cha, written by Julie Leung.

"I’m so happy for everyone! Definitely my bros, @wjpumphrey and @jpumphrey!" Reynolds tweeted. "But I HAVE to give a special shoutout to the homie @VashtiHarrison. She’s a genius. Been one."

Five books were named Newbery honor titles: Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson; Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson; MexiKid: A Graphic Memoir by Pedro Martín; Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow; and The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri.

The four Printz Honor titles were: Fire from the Sky by Moa Backe Åstot, translated by Eva Apelqvist; Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow; The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption by Shannon Gibney; and Salt the Water by Candice Iloh.

It was a big day for MexiKid, which not only earned a Newbery Honor but also won both the Pura Belpré Author and Illustrator Awards, as well as an Odyssey Honor for the audiobook. Other authors and titles that received multiple honors include Big (Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Honor); The Truth About Dragons (Caldecott Honor and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Picture Book winner); Simon Sort of Says (Newbery honor and Schneider Family Book Award middle grade honor); Carole Boston Weatherford (two Coretta Scott King Author honors, for How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee and Kin: Rooted in Hope); Rez Ball by Byron Graves (William C. Morris Award and the American Indian Youth Literature YA Award); Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes by Traci N. Todd, illustrated by Shannon Wright (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and Sibert Honor); Jonathan Nelson (illustrated both picture books that shared the American Indian Youth Literature picture book award: Forever Cousins by Laura Goodluck and A Letter to Bob by Kim Rogers); Michaela Goade (American Indian Youth Literature picture book Honors for Berry Song and Remember); and Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song (Schneider Family Book Award for young children winner and Theodor Seuss Geisel Award honor).

The Coretta Scott King Author Award went to Ibi Zoboi for Nigeria Jones, while Dare Coulter received the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for An American Story by Kwame Alexander. Jade Adia (There Goes the Neighborhood) and Briana Mukodiri Uchendu (We Could Fly) were awarded the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for author and illustrator, respectively.

The Stonewall Award winners were Cross My Heart and Never Lie by Nora Dåsnes in the Children category and Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian for Young Adult.

For a full list of winners and honor titles, click on the ALA press release below.

 

 

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