by Sherrie DeMartino
Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) recognizes the top books, digital media, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults. Among these awards are the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards. This year, the awards were given out on Monday, January 26th, in Chicago.
The John Newbery Medal is given to an author for the most outstanding contribution to American literature for children. This year, the medal was given to Renée Watson, an author from Oregon, for her book titled “All the Blues in the Sky”. Ms. Watson had previously won a Coretta Scott King Award and a Newbery Honor for her young adult novel, “Piecing Me Together,” and her books are inspired by her experiences growing up as a Black girl in the Pacific Northwest.
Another award that you may recognize is the Randolph Caldecott Medal, which is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year’s Medal went to Cátia Chien for her illustrations in the book titled “Fireworks” by Matthew Burgess. Ms. Chien is from Sao Paulo, Brazil and has previously won gold medals from the Society of Illustrators in both New York and Los Angeles.
The Michael L. Printz Award is given for excellence in literature that is written for young adults. The award this year was given to Cynthia Leitich Smith for editing the book titled “Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories.” Ms. Smith is a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation, and she writes fiction for children and teens centered on the lives of modern-day Native Americans.
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given to both an African American author and an illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults. This year’s author winner is Jewell Parker Rhodes for her book titled “Will’s Race for Home”. Through her novels, she strives to inspire social justice, equity, and environmental stewardship.
The illustrator that won the Coretta Scott King Award is R. Gregory Christie for his beautiful artwork in the book titled “The Library in the Woods.” Besides illustrating over 60 books for children, Mr. Christie has designed a Kwanzaa Stamp for the United States Postal Service, designed a poster for the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and had art featured on New York City’s subway cars for a year.
The Adams County Library System will soon own copies of all of these books, so stop by your local branch or visit our website at www.adamslibrary.org to place them on hold.
The Carroll Valley Library is a branch of the Adams County Library System, located at 5685 Fairfield Road. Our phone number is 717-642-6009. Our newly updated hours of operation are: Monday and Thursday 2:00 pm – 7:30 pm; Tuesday and Wednesday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm; and Friday and Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Hope to see you soon!
Sherrie DeMartino is Branch Manager at the Carroll Valley Library