The American Library Association announces:
2021 CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AWARD WINNERS
Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:
WINNER: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
HONOR BOOK: All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
HONOR BOOK: BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Michele Wood
HONOR BOOK: Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
HONOR BOOK: We Dream of Space, written by Erin Entrada Kelly, illustrated by Erin Entrada Kelly & Celia Krampien
HONOR BOOK: A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:
WINNER: We Are Water Protectors, illustrated by Michaela Goade, written by Carole Lindstrom
HONOR BOOK: A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart, illustrated by Noa Denmon, written by Zetta Elliot
HONOR BOOK: The Cat Man of Aleppo, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Irene Latham & Karim Shamsi-Basha
HONOR BOOK: Me & Mama, written and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
HONOR BOOK: Outside In, illustrated by Cindy Derby, written by Deborah Underwood
Coretta Scott King Book Awards recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:
Coretta Scott King Author Book Award
WINNER: Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
HONOR BOOK: All the Days Past, All the Days to Come by Mildred D. Taylor
HONOR BOOK: King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
HONOR BOOK: Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box by Evette Dionne
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Book Award
WINNER: R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, illustrated by Frank Morrison, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
HONOR BOOK: Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, written by Samara Cole Doyon
HONOR BOOK: Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, written by Suzanne Slade
HONOR BOOK: Me & Mama, written and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
WINNER: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
WINNER: Dorothy L. Guthrie is an award-winning retired librarian, district administrator, author and school board member. A respected children’s literature advocate, Guthrie promotes and affirms the rich perspectives of African Americans.
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:
WINNER: Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri
HONOR BOOK: Apple (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth
HONOR BOOK: Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
HONOR BOOK: Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
HONOR BOOK: We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
WINNER (Young Children): I Talk Like a River, written by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith
HONOR BOOK: All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything, written by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Nabi H. Ali
HONOR BOOK: Itzhak: A Boy who Loved the Violin, written by Tracy Newman, illustrated by Abigail Halpin
WINNER (Middle Grades): Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
HONOR BOOK: Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen! by Sarah Kapit
HONOR BOOK: When Stars Are Scattered, written by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed, illustrated by Victoria Jamieson
WINNER (Teens): This Is My Brain in Love by I.W. Gregorio
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award honoring a Latinx illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:
WINNER: ¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat, illustrated and written by Raúl Gonzalez
HONOR BOOK: Sharuko: El Arqueólogo Peruano/Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri, written by Monica Brown
Pura Belpré Author Award honoring a Latinx writer whose children’s books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:
WINNER (Children's): Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
HONOR BOOK: The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
HONOR BOOK: Lupe Wong Won't Dance by Donna Barba Higuera
WINNER (Young Adult): Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez
HONOR BOOK: Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera
HONOR BOOK: We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:
WINNER: Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera, written by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
HONOR BOOK: How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure by John Rocco
HONOR BOOK: Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, written by Suzanne Slade
HONOR BOOK: All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat
STONEWALL BOOK AWARD—MIKE MORGAN & LARRY ROMANS CHILDREN’S & YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE AWARD given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience:
WINNER: We Are Little Feminists: Families by Archaa Shrivastav
HONOR BOOK: Beetle & The Hollowbones by Aliza Layne
HONOR BOOK: Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram
HONOR BOOK: Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
HONOR BOOK: You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson
THEODOR SEUSS GEISEL AWARD for the most distinguished beginning reader book:
WINNER: See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog, written by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
HONOR BOOK: The Bear in My Family by Maya Tatsukawa
HONOR BOOK: Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom! written by Kelly Starling Lyons, illustrated by Nina Mata
HONOR BOOK: What About Worms!? by Ryan T. Higgins
HONOR BOOK: Where’s Baby? by Anne Hunter
WILLIAM C. MORRIS AWARD for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:
WINNER: If These Wings Could Fly by Kyrie McCauley
FINALIST: Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard by Echo Brown
FINALIST: The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
FINALIST: It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood
FINALIST: Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez
YALSA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS:
WINNER: The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming
MILDRED L. BATCHELDER AWARD for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States:
WINNER: Telephone Tales by Gianni Rodari, translated by Antony Shugaar
ASIAN / PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR LITERATURE
The award promotes Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit:
PICTURE BOOK WINNER: Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist, written by Julie Leung, illustrated by Chris Saski
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE WINNER: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE WINNER: This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda
THE SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience:
PICTURE BOOK WINNER: Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail, written by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal
MIDDLE GRADE WINNER: Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
YOUNG ADULT WINNER: Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder