Tae Keller and Michaela Goade win prestigious Newbery and Caldecott medals, respectively, while Daniel Nayeri takes the Printz Award for Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) on a day when women dominated, sweeping the Newbery and Caldecott awards.
There was no cheering crowd, but the pandemic couldn’t stop children’s literature’s biggest day, even as it upended the publishing world over the last year.
The Caldecott Medal went to We Are Water Protectors illustrated by Michaela Goade, who made history becoming the first BIPOC woman and first Indigenous illustrator to win the prestigious award. When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller won the Newbery Medal, and, rounding out the big three, was Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri, which won the Printz Award. The winners were announced during a virtual ceremony for the 2021 Youth Media Awards.
Keller also won the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Children's Literature Award for When You Trap a Tiger.
It was a huge day for women creators, who swept the Newbery and Caldecott medals.
Author Christina Soontornvat had two books among the five Newbery honors with All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team and A Wish in the Dark. All Thirteen also was named a Robert F. Sibert Medal honor title and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.
Author Candace Fleming won two awards for two different titles, earning the Sibert for Honeybee and the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults for The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh.
READ: SLJ Reviews of the 2021 Youth Media Awards
Graphic novels continued to stake their claim as a force to be reckoned as Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang was a Printz Honor title, Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in the YA category, and When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed received two honors. Beetle and the Hollowbones was also among the graphic novels recognized, as it earned a Stonewall honor title.
Kacen Callendar's King and the Dragonflies also had a good day as an honor title for the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Stonewall Award.
This was the first year the Pura Belpré committee included a young adult category. The inaugural winner was Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez. ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat by Raul Gonzalez won the Belpré Award for Illustraion, and Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros won for text.
The Coretta Scott King Author Award went to Jacqueline Woodson for Before the Ever After, and Frank Morrison won the CSK Illustrator Award for R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Tracy Deonn received the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award for Legendborn.
Read the full list of YMA winners and honorees from the American Library Association press release below.
ALA announces 2021 Youth Media AwardsCHICAGO - The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, digital media, video and audio books for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits taking place virtually from Chicago, Illinois. A list of all the 2021 award winners follows John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature: Five Newbery Honor Books also were named: “BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Michele Wood and published by Candlewick Press; “Fighting Words,” written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House; “We Dream of Space,” written by Erin Entrada Kelly, illustrated by Erin Entrada Kelly and Celia Krampien and published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; “A Wish in the Dark,” written by Christina Soontornvat and published by Candlewick Press. Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children: Four Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “The Cat Man of Aleppo,” illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Irene Latham & Karim Shamsi-Basha and published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House; “Me & Mama,” illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera and published by Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; “Outside In,” illustrated by Cindy Derby, written by Deborah Underwood and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Coretta Scott King Book Awards recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults: Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award: Three King Author Honor Books were selected: “King and the Dragonflies,” written by Kacen Callender, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; “Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box,” written by Evette Dionne, published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award: Three King Illustrator Honor Books were selected: “Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration,” illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, written by Samara Cole Doyon and published by Tilbury House Publishers; “Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks,” illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, written by Suzanne Slade and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS; “Me & Mama,” illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera and published by Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement: Dorothy L. Guthrie is the winner of the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. Dorothy L. Guthrie is an award-winning retired librarian, district administrator, author and school board member. A respected children’s literature advocate, Guthrie promotes and affirms the rich perspectives of African Americans. Her work, “Integrating African American Literature in the Library and Classroom,” inspires educators with African American literature. Guthrie founded the first African American museum in her home, Gaston County, NC.
“Dragon Hoops,” created by Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien and published by First Second Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group; “Every Body Looking,” by Candice Iloh and published by Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House; “We Are Not Free,” by Traci Chee and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience: Two honor books for young children were selected: “Itzhak: A Boy who Loved the Violin,” written by Tracy Newman, illustrated by Abigail Halpin and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams. “Show Me a Sign,” written by Ann Clare LeZotte and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., is the winner for middle grades (ages 11-13). Two honor books for middle grades were selected: “Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!,” written by Sarah Kapit and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, and “When Stars Are Scattered,” written by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, illustrated by Victoria Jamieson, color by Iman Geddy and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. “This Is My Brain in Love,” written by I.W. Gregorio and published by Little Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, is the winner for teens (ages 13-18). No honor book for teens was selected.
Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences: “Black Sun,” by Rebecca Roanhorse, published by Saga Press/Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster “The House in the Cerulean Sea,” by TJ Klune, published by Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan “The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice - Crossing Antarctica Alone,” by Colin O’Brady, published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster “Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio,” by Derf Backderf, published by Abrams Comicarts “The Kids Are Gonna Ask,” by Gretchen Anthony, published by Park Row Books, an imprint of Harlequin, a division of HarperCollins Publishers “The Only Good Indians,” by Stephen Graham Jones, published by Saga Press/Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster “Plain Bad Heroines,” by emily m. danforth, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins “Riot Baby,” by Tochi Onyebuchi, published by Tordotcom, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, adivision of Macmillan “Solutions and Other Problems,” by Allie Brosh, published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster “We Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel,” by Quan Barry, published by Pantheon Books, a division of Penguin Random House
Children’s Literature Legacy Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children’s lives and experiences. The 2021 winner is Mildred D. Taylor, whose award-winning works include "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” the 1977 Newbery Medal winner and a Coretta Scott King (CSK) Author honor; "The Land," the 2002 CSK Author Award winner; "The Road to Memphis," the 1991 CSK Author Award winner; “All the Days Past, All the Days to Come”; and “The Gold Cadillac,” among other titles. Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults: The 2021 winner is Kekla Magoon. Her books include: “X: A Novel,” co-written by Ilyasah Shabazz and published by Candlewick Press; “How It Went Down,” published by Henry Holt and Co. Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group; “The Rock and the River” and “Fire in the Streets,” both published by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States: “Telephone Tales” is the 2021 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in Italian as “Favole al telefono,” the book was written by Gianni Rodari, illustrated by Valerio Vidali, translated by Antony Shugaar and published by Enchanted Lion Books. One Honor Book also was selected: “Catherine’s War,” published by HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, written by Julia Billet, illustrated by Claire Fauvel and translated from French by Ivanka Hahnenberger. Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States:
“Fighting Words,” produced by Karen Dziekonski for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio, written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and narrated by Bahni Turpin; “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” produced by Robert Van Kolken for Hachette Audio, written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi and narrated by Jason Reynolds with an introduction by Ibram X. Kendi; “When Stars Are Scattered,” produced by Kelly Gildea & Julie Wilson for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio, written by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed and narrated by Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdi and a full cast.
"The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez," written by Adrianna Cuevas and published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, and "Lupe Wong Won’t Dance," written by Donna Barba Higuera and published by Levine Querido. "Furia,” written by Yamile Saied Méndez, is the Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award winner. The book is published by Algonquin Young Readers, an imprint of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.
“How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure,” written and illustrated by John Rocco, published by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House; “Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks,” written by Suzanne Slade, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS; and “All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team,” written by Christina Soontornvat, published by Candlewick Press. The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award is given to a digital media producer that has created distinguished digital media for an early learning audience. The 2021 Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award winner is “The Imagine Neighborhood,” produced by Committee for Children. One honor title was named: “Sesame Street Family Play: Caring for Each Other,” produced by Sesame Workshop.
Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience: “We Are Little Feminists: Families,” written by Archaa Shrivastav, designed by Lindsey Blakely and published by Little Feminist, is the 2021 recipient of the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award.
Four Honor Books were selected: “Darius the Great Deserves Better,” written by Adib Khorram and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC; “Felix Ever After,” written by Kacen Callender and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; “You Should See Me in a Crown,” written by Leah Johnson and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book is “See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog,” written by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka and published by Candlewick Press.
Four Geisel Honor Books were named: “Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom!” written by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Nina Mata and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; “"What About Worms!?” written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group; “Where’s Baby?” written and illustrated by Anne Hunter and published by Tundra Books of Northern New York, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, a Penguin Random House Company.
William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens: “If These Wings Could Fly,” written by Kyrie McCauley, is the 2021 Morris Award winner. The book is published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Four other books were finalists for the award: “The Black Kids,” written by Christina Hammonds Reed and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; “It Sounded Better in My Head,” written by Nina Kenwood and published by Flatiron Books, Macmillan Publishers; “Woven in Moonlight,” written by Isabel Ibañez and published by Page Street Publishing.
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:
“The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival,” written by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan and published by Bloomsbury YA; “How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity's Greatest Adventure,” written and illustrated by John Rocco and published by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House; "You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Democracy and Deliver Power to the People,” written by Elizabeth Rusch and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. The award promotes Asian/Pacific American cultureand heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit. The award offers three youth categories including Picture Book, Children’s Literature and Youth Literature. The award is administered by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association. This year’s winners include: The Picture Book winner is “Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist,” written by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Sasaki and published by Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. The committee selected one Picture Book honor title: “Danbi Leads the School Parade,” written and illustrated by Anna Kim and published by Viking Children's Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. The Children’s Literature winner is “When You Trap a Tiger,” written by Tae Keller and published byRandom House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. The committee selected one children’s literature honor title: “Prairie Lotus,” written by Linda Sue Park and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The Youth Literature winner is “This Light Between Us,” written by Andrew Fukuda and published by Tor Teen. The committee selected one Youth Literature honor title: “Displacement,” written by Kiku Hughes and published by First Second, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.
This year’s Gold Medalists include: in the Picture Book category, “Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail,” by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal and published by Charlesbridge; in the Middle Grades category, “Turtle Boy,” by M. Evan Wolkenstein and published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC; and in the Young Adult category, “Dancing at the Pity Party,” written and illustrated by Tyler Feder and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Sydney Taylor Book Award Silver Medalists include: in the Picture Book category, “I Am the Tree of Life: My Jewish Yoga Book,” by Mychal Copeland, illustrated by André Ceolin and published by Apples and Honey Press, an imprint of Behrman House, and “Miriam at the River,” by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Khoa Le and published by Kar-Ben Publishing, a division of Lerner Publishing Group; in the Middle Grades category, “No Vacancy,” by Tziporah Cohen and published by Groundwood Books; “Anya and the Nightingale,” by Sofiya Pasternack and published by Versify, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; and “The Blackbird Girls,” by Anne Blankman and published by Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House LLC; and in the Young Adult category, “They Went Left,” by Monica Hesse and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit www.ala.org/yma. ### |
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