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C H A P T E R 2 :
Elements of Quality Children’s Literature

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books. Like the Newbery, the Caldecott Medal is awarded by the ALSC. The first 
gold Caldecott Medal was awarded in 1938 to Dorothy Lathrop for her illustrations 
in Animals of the Bible (Fish). Two honor books were also named the first year, and 
one or more honor books have been recognized each year since. The guidelines for 
the Caldecott winner also require that the book be published in the United States in 
the preceding year and that the illustrator be a citizen or permanent resident of the 
United States. However, the illustrator need not be the author of the book. Gold 
foil or printed medallions also adorn the book jackets or covers of Caldecott win-
ners, and silver medallions indicate honor books. Look for the words “Caldecott 
Medal” to distinguish this award from the Newbery Medal because the medallions 
are similar. 
To date, several hundred books have won Newbery, Caldecott, and honor book 
awards—too many to name in this textbook. Many of the early winners would not 
appeal to children today. Additionally, some recent Newbery winners are geared 
more for adolescents than for children. Therefore, I have included the names of 
award-winning books that would appeal to elementary school children in the ap-
propriate genre chapters.
Integrating Literature and Technology 
Association for Library Services to Children: www.ala.org/ala/alsc
This website provides comprehensive, up-to-date lists of award-winning books. Type 
the award name in the “Search” textbox and click “Search.” This site also has a link to 
the ALSC “Great Web Sites for Kids,” which has the following categories: animals, the 
arts, history and biography, literature and languages, reference desk, mathematics and 
computers, sciences, and social sciences. All main categories have subcategories to refine 
your search further. The next time your children need to write a report, have them start 
by looking for information at this site. 
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal 
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal 
In 1954 Laura Ingalls Wilder was the first recipient of the award that bears her 
name. Wilder authored the series of books based on her life in the American frontier 
known as the Little House books. This award is given to an author or illustrator 
who, like Wilder, has made a lasting contribution to children’s literature through her 
or his body of work. The ALSC also sponsors this award. The winners of the Wilder 
Medal, now given every two years, are shown in the following list. 
•
Laura Ingalls Wilder (1954)
•
Clara Ingram Judson (1960)
•
Ruth Sawyer (1965)
•
E. B. White (1970)
•
Beverly Cleary (1975)
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