children's books

2013 Caldecott, Newbery Awards Announced

Photo: The Caldecott Medal

The American Library Association announced the winners of the Caldecott and Newbery Medals today, honoring the best books for children. (The ALA actually announced winners for a bunch of awards, but those two are the big ones.) The Caldecott, which recognizes picture books, went to This Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. It’s the story of an ambitious tiny fish that steals a hat from a much larger creature, and it’s sort of a follow-up to Klassen’s popular — and droll and charming — I Want My Hat Back. The Newbery, for children’s literature, went to Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan, a middle-grade book about a lonely, artistic gorilla living in a cage in a shopping center. You know, another one of those arty-gorilla stories.

2013 Caldecott, Newbery Awards Announced