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Children's Collection

Guide for the Children's Collection at the Cal Poly Humboldt Library

Children's Literature Awards

  • Aesop Prize and Aesop Accolades The Aesop Prize and Aesop Accolades are conferred annually by the Children’s Folklore Section of the American Folklore Society upon English language books for children and young adults, both fiction and nonfiction.
  • ALA Notable Children's Books Best of the Best of children's books on the Notable Children's Books list.
  • Alex Award The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.
  • Amelia Bloomer Book List An annual annotated book list of well-written and well-illustrated books with significant feminist content, intended for young readers (ages birth through 18).
  • American Indian Youth Literature Award The American Indian Youth Literature Award was created as a way to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians.
  • Americas Award The Américas Award is given in recognition of U.S. works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction (from picture books to works for young adults) published in the previous year in English or Spanish that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States.
  • Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature The goal is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit. Awards are given for Picture Book and Youth Literature.
  • Batchelder Award This award, established in Mildred L. Batchelder's honor, is a citation awarded to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.
  • Best STEM Books K-12 "Reading science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) trade books is the perfect way for students to develop literacy skills while learning STEM content. Building upon a strong legacy of several decades of recommending outstanding science trade books, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) appointed a judging panel that has selected its second annual list of Best STEM Books..."
  • Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards are among the most prestigious honors in the field of children’s and young adult literature. Winners are selected in three categories: Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction. Two Honor Books may be named in each category.
  • Caldecott Medal 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.
  • Carter G. Woodson Book Award In 1974, National Council for the Social Studies established the Carter G. Woodson Book Award for the most distinguished social science books appropriate for young readers that depict ethnicity in the United States.
  • Charlotte Zolotow Award Books The Charlotte Zolotow Award is given annually for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States in the preceding year.
  • Children's Africana Book Award The Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) annually honors outstanding authors and illustrators of children's books about Africa published in the United States.
  • Coretta Scott King Award The Coretta Scott King Award is given to African American authors and illustrators for outstanding contributions to literature for children and young adults.
  • Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award The Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award was initiated in 2000 to recognize authors, illustrators, and publishers of high quality fictional and biographical children, intermediate, and young adult books that appropriately portray individuals with developmental disabilities.
  • Ezra Jack Keats Book Award The Ezra Jack Keats Book Award was established in 1985 to recognize and encourage authors and illustrators new to the field of children's books.
  • Geisel Award The Geisel Award is given annually 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.
  • Golden Kite Award The Golden Kite Award, presented by the society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, is given for excellence in the field of children’s books.
  • Indiana Center for the Book The Indiana Center for the Book promotes interest in reading, writing, literacy, libraries, and Indiana's literary heritage by sponsoring events and serving as an information resource at the state and local level. The Center supports both the professional endeavors and the popular pursuits of Indiana's residents toward reading and writing.
  • Jane Addams Children's Book Award The Jane Addams Children's Book Awards are given annually to the children's books published the preceding year that effectively promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and all races as well as meeting conventional standards for excellence.
  • Laura Ingalls Wilder Award The Wilder 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.
  • Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Annual award for the best book of children's poetry published in the United States.
  • Margaret A. Edwards Award The Margaret A. Edwards Award, established in 1988, honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.
  • May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award The Arbuthnot award honors an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature, of any country, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site.
  • Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
  • National Book Award for Young People's Literature The National Book Award is given to writers by writers honoring the year’s best work in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. There is a specific award given for young people's literature.
  • NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children Given by the National Council of Teachers of English to honor a living American poet for his or her aggregated work for children ages 3-13.
  • Newbery Medal 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.
  • Notable Books for a Global Society Award Books A special interest group of the International Reading Association; for the promotion of the educational use of chidren's books by focusing on recently published children's literature.
  • Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Books selected for this list are written primarily for children in grades K-8. The selection committee looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, and have a pleasing format and, when appropriate, illustrations that enrich the text. The Notable Trade Books for Young People list is published each year as an insert to the May/June issue ofSocial Education. The most current issue requires a member login; past issues are available online without a login. note: NCSS Members Only for Current List
  • Orbis Pictus Award The Orbis Pictus Award is an annual award for promoting and recognizing excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children.
  • Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 "The books that appear in these lists were selected as outstanding children’s science trade books by a book review panel appointed by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)."
  • Parents Choice Awards "Established in 1978, Parents’ Choice is the nation's oldest nonprofit guide to quality children's media and toys."
  • Pura Belpre Award The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
  • Schneider Family Book Award The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences
  • Scott O'Dell Award The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual award to a meritorious historical fiction book published in the previous year for children or young adults.
  • Sibert Informational Book Medal The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award.
  • Stonewall Honor Books in Children's and Young Adult Literature The Stonewall Honor Books in Children's and Young Adult Literature are annual LGBTQ focused titles.  
  • The Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature recognize diverse authors whose works feature diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way.

Finding books by award lists

Children and Young Adult book awards include lists of the very best in their field or subject.  Awards exist for diverse children and young adult literature such as LGBTQ fiction and nonfiction awards, Latino/a fiction and nonfiction awards, and African American fiction and nonfiction awards, and there are even awards for format, such as audio book award winners.  To see more award lists check out ALSC, the Association for Library Service to Children.