Every year in the fall, teachers, librarians, parents, children, and others who love children's books begin wondering and debating about who will receive Caldecott and Newbery medals for books published that year. The Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal are the two most highly regarded awards for children's literature in the United States. The suspense ends in late January when the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announces the winners.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal is awarded by the ALSC to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. To be honored a book must have been published in the U.S. during the preceding year, and the artist must be a U.S. citizen or resident. This annual award has been presented every year since 1938. It is named after Randolph Caldecott, a 19th century English illustrator, who was known for his picture book illustrations. You will find cover art and descriptions of each of the 2003 Caldecott Medal and Honor Books winners on the Caldecott Medal website. There is also information on each of the 2002 winners and a printable list of all of the Caldecott Medal winners since 1938.
The 2002 and 2003 Caldecott Award Winners
The 2003 Caldecott Medal for illustration was awarded to Eric Rohmann for "My Friend Rabbit" (compare prices), published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of The Millbrook Press. According to the ALA's news release,
- In the book, Mouse shares his brand-new toy airplane with his friend Rabbit, and no one can predict the disastrous-but hilarious-results. When the airplane lands in a tree, the chaos only builds as Rabbit drags, pushes and carries the whole neighborhood, including Elephant, Hippo, and Crocodile, to the rescue. It's a lighthearted celebration of a friendship that will last - even if whatever Rabbit does and wherever he goes, trouble follows.
Three Caldecott Honor Books were named: "The Spider and the Fly," illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, written by Mary Howitt and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; "Hondo & Fabian," illustrated and written by Peter McCarty and published by Henry Holt & Company LLC; and "Noah's Ark," illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney and published by SeaStar Books, a division of North-South Books Inc.
The 2002 Caldecott Medal winner was David Wiesner, illustrator and author of "The Three Pigs," published by Houghton Mifflin Company/Clarion Books. The 2002 Caldecott Honor Books were "Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Doreen Rappaport, and published by Hyperion Books for Children/Jump at the Sun; "The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins: An Illuminating History of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins, Artist and Lecturer," illustrated by Brian Selznick, written by Barbara Kerley, and published by Scholastic Press; and "The Stray Dog," illustrated and written by Marc Simont and published by HarperCollins.
