Early Childhood Care & Education

Caldecott Medal - The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. 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.

Geisel Award - The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, established in 2004, is given annually (beginning in 2006) to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children's literature known as beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year.

Coretta Scott King Author Awards - Designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. Both and author and illustrator award is given.

The Newbery Medal - This medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the most distinguished American literature for children. Most of these books are for older (grades 3 - 7) children and are in the Juvenile section, not the Children's section.

Robert F. Sibert Award - The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal honors the most distinguished informational book published in English in the preceding year for its significant contribution to children's literature.

Schneider Family Book Awards - The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. There are three age groups for this award: middle school, teen, and young children. The winner for Young Children is listed.

Pura Belpre - The award is named after Pura Belpre, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpre Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.  It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.

Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award - Recognizes authors, illustrators, and publishers of high quality fictional and biographical children, intermediate, and young adult books that authentically portray individuals with developmental disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and Down Syndrome. This award is a collaborative work by members of the Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD), of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Every even year, an award is presented to an author and illustrator (if appropriate) of a children's picture book, an intermediate, and/or a young adult book that includes appropriate portrayals of individuals with developmental disabilities.