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Home | 2018 Best Books for Kids from the American Library Association

2018 Best Books for Kids from the American Library Association

ALA Honor Books 2018

It's awards season: we've seen the Grammys and the Golden Globes, and the Oscars take place this Sunday night in Hollywood. But did you know it was awards season for kids' books, too? The American Library Association (ALA) announced the winners of its annual youth media awards for 2018, including the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott medals for children's books.

Since 1922, the John Newbery Medal has been awarded to the author of the most distinguished American children's book by the Association for Library Service for Children (ALSC), a division of the ALA. This year, the Newbury Medal goes to Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly and published by Greenwillow Books. Hello, Universe is a poignant and funny neighborhood story about unexpected friendships, told from four intertwining points of view. Find it at a local Marin library here.

The 2018 runner-up Newbery Honor Books include Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gorden C. James, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, and Piecing Me Together by Rénee Watson.

The ALSC began awarding the Caldecott Medal, named after 19th-century British illustrator Randolph Caldecott, to the artist of the most distinguished children's picture book in 1938. This year's medal winner is Wolf in the Snow, written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Wolf in the Snow tells the wordless story of a girl caught in a blizzard on her way home from school who discovers a wolf cub left behind by its pack. Find it at the library.

The runner-up Caledecott Honor Books for this year are Big Cat, little cat by Elisha Cooper, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, A Different Pond by Bao Phi with illustrations by Thui Bui, and Grand Canyon by Jason Chin.

Find our more about the ALSC 2018 youth media awards and see a complete list of winners at www.ala.org/alsc.