Kids & Parents

The Results Are In: The ALA Youth Media Awards

Picture of Brenda Murphy
by Brenda
02.03.17

At the end of each year I become an amateur pollster.

I survey people to help me predict the winner of an election for which I am not even a registered voter.

American Library Association Youth Media Awards
My candidates are books (and their authors). The election is for the American Library Association Youth Media Awards. The awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media. Committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts choose the winners.

This year I predicted that March: Book Three, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin would win an award.

I was wrong.

The book actually won an amazing FOUR awards: Coretta Scott King Award, Robert F. Sibert Award , Michael L. Printz Award, and YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

Take a look to see which of these honored books you might enjoy sharing with your children.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

written by Kelly Barnhill

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature.

Radiant Child

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat

illustrated and written by Javaka Steptoe

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. This book also received the Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award, recognizing an African-American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.

Lowriders to the Center of the Earth

Lowriders to the Center of the Earth

illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez
written by Cathy Camper

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.

Juana & Lucas

Juana & Lucas

written and illustrated by Juana Medina

Pura Belpré (Author) Award honoring a Latino writer whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.

March: Book Three

March: Book Three 

written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin
illustrated by Nate Powell

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African-American author of outstanding books for children and young adults. This book also received the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults; the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children; and the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

We Are Growing

We Are Growing: A Mo Willems’ Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! Book 

written by Laurie Keller

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book.