Newbery Award Books

Newbery Award books are known as the best of children’s literature. The John Newbery Medal is given by the American Library Association to the author of the best contribution to children’s literature. This prestigious award, and the honor of being runner up, has been bestowed to some of the best loved authors of all time, including:

• Jean Craighead George
• Elizabeth Yates
• Scott O Dell
• Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Lois Lowry
• Carol Ryrie Brink
• Holling C. Holling

The Newbery was the first children’s literary award and has been given to authors since 1922. A Newbery Honor list is made up of the books that were runners up to the award book. Choosing books from either of these lists is an easy way to find excellent books for your child.

The award was named for John Newbery. Newbery published children’s books in the 1700s, a time when few books were written for children. He hired authored to write books as well as writing them himself. His dedication to children’s literature contributed significantly to the development of children’s books over the next century.

The  criteria for Newbery Award books is simple but effective:

• The book must be in English and published the previous year.
• The author must reside in the United States.
• It must be a children’s book.
• It must be a significant contribution to literature.
• It must not be part of a multimedia event.
• The contents of the book must be excellent (i.e.: books are not awarded solely on the merit of the author)

The award is not without its critics, however. There are those that believe that Newbery books are too difficult for today’s children, and lack interest for them.

John Beach, associate professor of literacy education at St. John’s University stated that "the Newbery has probably done far more to turn kids off to reading than any other book award in children's publishing." (It is this author’s opinion that the statement is more of a sad reflection on the state of American education that the Newbery Award itself.)

You can find a complete list of all the Newbery Award winners and Newbery Honor books at the official Newbery Website. Many of the oldest books are still in print and surprisingly, many have been made into movies. This is a testimony to the durability and value of these stories.

Here are some of the most well known and well loved titles:

1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow

1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years

1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven

1936: Caddie Woodlawn

1941: Call It Courage

1949: King of the Wind

1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins

1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

1978: Bridge to Terabithia

1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw

1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall

1992: Shiloh

1999: Holes

2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread

2010: When You Reach Me

Choosing Newbery Award books and Newbery Honors books will not always mean that you have a book that your child will love. There are many different genres, styles, and types of books on this list. It does whittle down the possibilities to a manageable few. Not just another award, Newbery has been around for nearly 100 years; a source list that you can trust.

Reading opens your child’s mind to possibilities. Lots of books encourage reading. While there are those that feel a child should be encouraged to read no matter what the venue there seems to be little benefit from that. Simple comic books and cereal boxes are not going to develop the thinking skills that a good quality chapter book will. It is like stating that a child should be able to eat whatever she wants as long as she is eating something. A diet of Cocoa Puffs and Milky Way bars would soon result in extremely poor health.

Encourage your child to read all kinds of materials. Read aloud as a family, and choose good books for the healthiest minds.