Our Favorite Award-Winning
Kids’ Books
by the Brightly Editors
The American Library Association’s annual awards for children’s and young adult books are a great place to find excellent reads for kids. But there are quite a lot of award-winning titles to choose from, with the ALA giving out numerous awards every year! That’s why we’ve pulled our favorite Newbery Award winners, Caldecott winners, Coretta Scott King Award winners, Pura Belpré Award winners, and Printz Award winners from over the years. From stunning picture books to moving YA reads, these are the ones we recommend reading.
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Caldecott Medal Winners
Named after a prominent 19th-century English illustrator, the Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist of the most outstanding American picture book for kids.
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Watercress
Also available from: This Is Not My Hat
Also available from: A Ball for Daisy
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So You Want to Be President?
Also available from: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Also available from: Officer Buckle and Gloria
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Mirette on the High Wire
Also available from: Song and Dance Man
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Ox-Cart Man
Also available from: Noah's Ark
Also available from: Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
Preorder from: -
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Also available from: Arrow to the Sun
Also available from: The Funny Little Woman
Also available from: The Snowy Day
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Time of Wonder
Also available from: Madeline's Rescue
Also available from: The Little Island
Also available from: Make Way for Ducklings
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They Were Strong and Good
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Newbery Medal Winners
Established in 1922, the Newbery Medal is given each year to the author of the most notable American children’s book.
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The Eyes and the Impossible
Also available from: When You Trap a Tiger
Also available from: Merci Suárez Changes Gears
Also available from: Last Stop on Market Street
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Moon over Manifest
Also available from: When You Reach Me
Also available from: A Year Down Yonder
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Bud, Not Buddy
Also available from: The Westing Game
Also available from: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
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Summer of the Swans
Also available from: Secret of the Andes
Also available from: Amos Fortune, Free Man
Also available from: The Door in the Wall
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The Twenty-One Balloons
Also available from: Miss Hickory
Also available from: Rabbit Hill
Also available from: Adam of the Road
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The White Stag
Also available from: Roller Skates
Also available from: Shen of the Sea
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The Coretta Scott King Book Awards
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the determination of his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, to continue his work. The award is given to African American authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult books.
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Standing in the Need of a Prayer
Also available from: Before the Ever After
Also available from: What Is Given from the Heart
Also available from: The Stuff of Stars
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Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
Also available from: The Stars Beneath Our Feet
Also available from: March: Book Three
Also available from: The Sun Is Also a Star
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Brown Girl Dreaming
Also available from: Bronx Masquerade
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Miracle's Boys
Also available from: Bud, Not Buddy
Also available from: The Middle Passage
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The Creation
Also available from: Soul Looks Back in Wonder
Also available from: The Dark-Thirty
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The Road to Memphis
Also available from: Mirandy and Brother Wind
Also available from: The Friendship
Also available from: The People Could Fly
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The Patchwork Quilt
Also available from: Let the Circle Be Unbroken
Also available from: The Young Landlords
Also available from: Escape To Freedom
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Pura Belpré Award Winners
Established in 1996, this award is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator annually. It honors those whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latinx cultural experience.
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Lucky Broken Girl
Also available from: La Princesa and the Pea
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Juana and Lucas
Also available from: Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
Also available from: Return to Sender
Also available from: The Tequila Worm
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Before We Were Free
Also available from: Chato and the Party Animals
Also available from: -
Chato's Kitchen
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