Resources for Judging

Award-Specific Criteria and Information:

• Randolph Caldecott Medal
• John Newbery Medal
• Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

Helpful Resources for Evaluating Children’s Books 

Awarding Caldecott Presentation, 2026, Josie Schneider, Kansas City Public Library Youth Services Manager

Videos:

• Awards Diversity and Inclusion Discussion with Kathleen T. Horning– This discussion took place at the 2015 ALA conference in San Francisco with Kathleen Horning and the 2016 Chairs of the ALSC Awards and Notable Children’s Lists Committees. 
• These recordings are part of the Bill Morris Seminar that took place at ALA Midwinter in Denver 2018. 
  • Book Discussion 101  
  • The Search for Distinguished Committee Work and Responsibility 
  • ALSC Awards Committee Experiences 

Books:

• Bang, Molly. Picture This: How Pictures Work. Chronicle Books, 2016. Presentation on composition and visual storytelling elements of illustrated children’s books. Excellent resource for Caldecott 
• Horning, Kathleen T. From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. The gold standard in how to review and evaluate children’s books. 

Articles:

• For all awards: 
  • Derman-Sparks, Louise. “Guide to Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books.” Social Justice Books: A Teaching For Change Project, 2016. https://socialjusticebooks.org/guide-for-selecting-anti-bias-childrens-books/  Defines biases and how to identify and better evaluate children’s literature. 
  • Smith, Vicky. “Considering the Criteria: Addressing Book Discussion Guidelines in the Twenty-First Century.” The Horn Book, October 2, 2019, https://www.hbook.com/story/considering-the-criteria-addressing-book-discussion-guidelines-in-the-twenty-first-century. A critique of commonly accepted book discussion guidelines, offering suggestions on how these guidelines might be modified to ensure discussions reflect the diversity of the populations we serve. 
• For Newbery: 
  • Edinger, Monica. “Top 10 Things You May Not Know about the Newbery Award.” Nerdy Book Club (January 27, 2013). https://nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/top-ten-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-newbery-award-by-monica-edinger/. A quick and easy guide to the Newbery selection process. 
  • Gauch, Patricia Lee. “What Makes a Good Newbery Novel.” The Horn Book (July 1, 2011). https://www.hbook.com/story/what-makes-a-good-newbery-novel. One librarian’s thoughts on the characteristics Newbery winners share. Her thought exercise is one that committee members might do well to undertake as they begin their terms. 
  • Hartz, Taylor. 2022. Review of 100 Years of the Newbery Medal: A Look at the Legacy—and Future—of This Distinguished Award for Children’s Books. American Libraries, June 1, 2022. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2022/06/01/100-years-of-the-newbery-medal/. A look at where the Newbery has been, recent trends, and what might be expected in the future. 
  • Horning, Kathleen T. “The Search for the Distinguished.” The Horn Book (June 18, 2012). https://www.hbook.com/story/the-search-for-distinguished. A reminder that the Newbery is given each year to the most distinguished children’s book, not the most popular. Includes an excellent discussion of past winners and Newbery history.  
  • Horning, Kathleen T. “Secrecy and the Newbery Medal.” The Horn Book (July 6, 2011). https://www.hbook.com/story/secrecy-and-the-newbery-medal. A history of the various ways in which the winner of the Newbery has been announced, along with a discussion of the tradition of secrecy. 
  • Toth, Anita. “What It Takes to Choose a Newbery Medal Winner.” Published February 9, 2021. https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/what-it-takes-choose-newbery-medal-winner. An interview with a librarian who served on the 2021 Newbery committee. An in-the-trenches discussion about what committee members can expect over the course of their term.