Newbery VS Caldecott: Who Wins?

The Newbery Award and Caldecott Award are both prestigious in their own manner. The Newbery Award was established to honor authors. According to the American Library Association website (2009), "The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year." There is one winner but others may be honored as well. When I think of a Newbery book, I think of a well-written book. This is the type of book that I am going to want to pick up and read because it is going to be great. If it is receiving such a wonderful award, it should be fantastic.

Then there is the Caldecott Award. The Caldecott Award was established to honor illustrators. According to the American Library Association website (2009), "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." I love looking at Caldecott winners because they offer such an interesting display of art. When I open a Caldecott winner the anticipation sweeps off of me and I wander through the pages, letting my imagination run wild. Most of these books are completed so creatively, it makes me wish that I could be artistic myself.

I couldn't say that one of these awards is more prestigious than the other. Both awards are honoring a work of art. One is written word, the other is visual art; however, both are art. To say one honor was more important or better than the other would discredit the work of the author or illustrator. To create a book sometimes you need an author, sometimes you need an illustrator, and sometimes you need both. However, you can create quality literature with either, so they should both have a defined honor that they are able to receive.