CanLit for LittleCanadians: Awards: January 2013

Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) honours books for young people with several long-established awards: the Newberry Medal, the Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Awards. But these distinctions are only three of the Youth Media Awards presented annually at the ALA's midwinter meeting. Although the American Library Association is based in the U.S., it occasionally selects titles by Canadian authors and illustrators, hence its inclusion here.

Last night the ALA announced its book awards at its meeting in Seattle. And several Canadian authors and illustrators were honoured.

WINNER of the Randolph Caldecott Medal

for the most distinguished American picture book for children

This is Not My Hat

by Jan Klassen

Candlewick Press

One of five Caldecott Honor Books

Extra Yarn

Illustrated by Jan Klassen

Written by Marc Bennett

Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins

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One of four Honor Books for the

Michael L. Printz Award

for excellence in literature written for young adults

The White Bicycle

by Beverley Brenna

Red Deer Press

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WINNER of the William C. Morris Award
for a debut book published by a first time author writing for teens

Seraphina
by Rachel Hartman
Random House Children's Books

Complete details and the press release for the ALA Youth Media Awards is available at their website here.

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FYI:
The full roster of ALA awards include:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature
Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults
Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences
Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video
Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature
Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States
Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States
Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
Pura Belpré (Author) Award honoring a Latino writer whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children
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
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book
William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults, ages 12 – 18

Each year, the United States Board of Books for Young People (USBBY) compiles its Outstanding International Books (OIB) List of books that, while published or distributed in the U.S., originated or were first published outside of the USA. These books are "deemed most outstanding of those published" in the previous year (http://www.usbby.org/list_oibl.html) and, not surprisingly, a number of Canadian books have earned this honour.

Congratulations

to the following Canadian books for young people

for inclusion on

the 2013 USBBY Outstanding International Books List: