The Caldecott Medal has been awarded each year since 1938 to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. It is awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
2017 Winner:
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
by Javaka Steptoe
Recommended Age: 6
2016 Winner:
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear
by Lindsay Mattick, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Recommended Age: 4
2015 Winner:
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
by Dan Santat
Recommended Age: 4
2014 Winner:
Locomotive
by Brian Floca
Recommended Age: 5
2013 Winner:
This Is Not My Hat
by Jon Klassen
Recommended Age: 3
2012 Winner:
A Ball for Daisy
by Chris Raschka
Recommended Age: 2
Also: New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2011
2011 Winner:
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
by Philip C. Stead, Illustrated by Erin E. Stead
Recommended Age: 4
Also: New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2010
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
2010 Winner:
The Lion and the Mouse
by Jerry Pinkney
Recommended Age: 3
2009 Winner:
The House in the Night
by Susan Marie Swanson, Illustrated by Beth Krommes
Recommended Age: 4
2008 Winner:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures
by Brian Selznick
Recommended Age: 10
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
2007 Winner:
Flotsam
by David Wiesner
Recommended Age: 5
2006 Winner:
The Hello, Goodbye Window
by Norton Juster, Illustrated by Chris Raschka
Recommended Age: 2
2005 Winner:
Kitten's First Full Moon
by Kevin Henkes
Recommended Age: 2
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
2004 Winner:
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
2003 Winner:
My Friend Rabbit
by Eric Rohmann
Recommended Age: 3
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
2002 Winner:
The Three Pigs
by David Wiesner
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
2001 Winner:
So You Want to Be President?
by Judith St. George, Illustrated by David Small
Recommended Age: 8
2000 Winner:
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
by Simms Taback
Recommended Age: 5
1999 Winner:
Snowflake Bentley
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, Illustrated by Mary Azarian
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: Top 20 Science and Nature Books for Young Children
Also: What We Read: Winter and Snow
1998 Winner:
Rapunzel
by Paul O. Zelinsky
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Memoria Press 3rd Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: Top 20 Beautifully Illustrated Fairy Tales
1997 Winner:
Golem
by David Wisniewski
Recommended Age: 12
1996 Winner:
Officer Buckle and Gloria
by Peggy Rathmann
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
1995 Winner:
Smoky Night
by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by David Diaz
Recommended Age: 8
1994 Winner:
Grandfather's Journey
by Allen Say
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mater Amabilis Kindergarten Book List for Ages 5-6
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: Japan
1993 Winner:
Mirette on the High Wire
by Emily Arnold McCully
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: What We Read: France
1992 Winner:
Tuesday
by David Wiesner
Recommended Age: 6
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
1991 Winner:
Black and White
by David Macaulay
Recommended Age: 9
1990 Winner:
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young
Recommended Age: 8
Also: Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: What We Read: China
1989 Winner:
Song and Dance Man
by Karen Ackerman, Illustrated by Stephen Gammell
Recommended Age: 3
Also: What We Read: Music
1988 Winner:
Owl Moon
by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by John Schoenherr
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Memoria Press Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: Picture Books for Minor Holidays
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
1987 Winner:
Hey, Al
by Arthur Yorinks, Illustrated by Richard Egielski
Recommended Age: 4
1986 Winner:
The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: Top 25 Christmas Picture Books
1985 Winner:
Saint George and the Dragon
Retold by Margaret Hodges, Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Top 20 Beautifully Illustrated Fairy Tales
Also: What We Read: England
1984 Winner:
The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot
by Alice & Martin Provensen
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: What We Read: France
1983 Winner:
Shadow
Translated and Illustrated by Marcia Brown
Recommended Age: 11
1982 Winner:
Jumanji
by Chris Van Allsburg
Recommended Age: 9
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: National Book Award Children's Book Winners
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
1981 Winner:
Fables
by Arnold Lobel
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Former Sonlight Books
1980 Winner:
Ox-Cart Man
by Donald Hall, Illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Memoria Press Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
1979 Winner:
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
by Paul Goble
Recommended Age: 5
1978 Winner:
Noah's Ark
by Peter Spier
Recommended Age: 4
Also: National Book Award Children's Book Winners
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4
1977 Winner:
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
by Margaret Musgrove, Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
Recommended Age: 4
1976 Winner:
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Retold by Verna Aardema, Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 6-8 Literature Package
Also: Reading Roadmaps Kindergarten
Also: What We Read: West Africa
1975 Winner:
Arrow to the Sun
by Gerald McDermott
Recommended Age: 3
1974 Winner:
Duffy and the Devil
Retold by Harve Zemach, Illustrated by Margot Zemach
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
1973 Winner:
The Funny Little Woman
Retold by Arlene Mosel, Illustrated by Blair Lent
Recommended Age: 5
1972 Winner:
One Fine Day
by Nonny Hogrogian
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Memoria Press Junior Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
1971 Winner:
A Story A Story
by Gail E. Haley
Recommended Age: 6
Also: What We Read: Central Africa
1970 Winner:
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
by William Steig
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 6-8 Literature Package
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
1969 Winner:
The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
Retold by Arthur Ransome, Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: What We Read: Russia
1968 Winner:
Drummer Hoff
Adapted by Barbara Emberley, Illustrated by Ed Emberley
Recommended Age: 3
1967 Winner:
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
Recommended Age: 7
Also: Memoria Press 2nd Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
1966 Winner:
Always Room for One More
by Sorche Nic Leodhas, Illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian
Recommended Age: 6
1965 Winner:
May I Bring a Friend?
by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, Illustrated by Beni Montresor
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Top 10 Books for Toddlers
1964 Winner:
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
1963 Winner:
The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
Recommended Age: 2
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Before Five in a Row Book List for Ages 3-4
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Top 10 Books for Toddlers
Also: What We Read: Winter and Snow
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in 20th Century Children’s Book Treasury)
1962 Winner:
Once a Mouse
Retold and Illustrated by Marcia Brown
Recommended Age: 4
1961 Winner:
Baboushka and the Three Kings
by Ruth Robbins, Illustrated by Nicolas Sidjakov
Recommended Age: 4
Also: 12 Books to Read During the Twelve Days of Christmas
1960 Winner:
Nine Days to Christmas
by Marie Hall Ets and Aurora Labastida, Illustrated by Marie Hall Ets
Recommended Age: 5
1959 Winner:
Chanticleer and the Fox
Adapted and Illustrated by Barbara Cooney
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Memoria Press 3rd Grade Read-Aloud Program
1958 Winner:
Time of Wonder
by Robert McCloskey
Recommended Age: 4
Also: What We Read: Summer and the Beach
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Make Way for McCloskey: A Robert McCloskey Treasury)
1957 Winner:
A Tree Is Nice
by Janice Udry, Illustrated by Marc Simont
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Memoria Press Kindergarten Read-Aloud Program
Also: My Father's World Kindergarten Literature Collection
1956 Winner:
Frog Went A-Courtin'
Retold by John Langstaff, Illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky
Recommended Age: 4
1955 Winner:
Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
by Marcia Brown
Recommended Age: 4
1954 Winner:
Madeline's Rescue
by Ludwig Bemelmans
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
1953 Winner:
The Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
Recommended Age: 7
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: Veritas Press 1st Grade Literature
1952 Winner:
Finders Keepers
by William Lipkind, Illustrated by Nicholas Mordvinoff
Recommended Age: 5
1951 Winner:
The Egg Tree
by Katherine Milhous
Recommended Age: 5
1950 Winner:
Song of the Swallows
by Leo Politi
Recommended Age: 6
1949 Winner:
The Big Snow
by Berta & Elmer Hader
Recommended Age: 6
Also: Memoria Press 2nd Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: What We Read: Winter and Snow
1948 Winner:
White Snow, Bright Snow
by Alvin Tresselt, Illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
1947 Winner:
The Little Island
by Margaret Wise Brown, Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Memoria Press 1st Grade Read-Aloud Program
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 4-5 Literature Package
Also: What We Read: Summer and the Beach
1946 Winner:
The Rooster Crows
by Maud & Miska Petersham
Recommended Age: 3
1945 Winner:
Prayer for a Child
by Rachel Field, Illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones
Recommended Age: 1
Also: Before Five in a Row Book List for Ages 3-4
1944 Winner:
Many Moons
by James Thurber, Illustrated by Louis Slobodkin
Recommended Age: 4
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
1943 Winner:
The Little House
by Virginia Lee Burton
Recommended Age: 5
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Moving Beyond the Page Age 6-8 Literature Package
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Mike Mulligan and More)
1942 Winner:
Make Way for Ducklings
by Robert McCloskey
Recommended Age: 3
Also: Amazon's 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Mater Amabilis Pre-K Book List for Ages 4-5
Also: Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Grades K-3
Also: My Father's World Kindergarten Literature Collection
Also: New York Public Library’s List of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know
Also: Reading Roadmaps 1st Grade
Also: TIME: The 100 Best Children's Books of All Time
Also: Sonlight Preschool Book List for Ages 3-4 (in Make Way for McCloskey: A Robert McCloskey Treasury)
1941 Winner:
They Were Strong and Good
by Robert Lawson
Recommended Age: 10
Also: Five in a Row Book List for Ages 4-8
Also: Memoria Press 3rd Grade Read-Aloud Program
1940 Winner:
Abraham Lincoln
by Ingri & Edgar Parin d’Aulaire
Recommended Age: 9
1939 Winner:
Mei Li
by Thomas Handforth
Recommended Age: 10
1938 Winner:
Animals of the Bible
by Helen Dean Fish, Illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop
Recommended Age: 9