The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, awards the Newbery Medal and Caldecott Medal annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children and the most distinguished American picture book for children. The winners were announced on 23 January.

 

THE NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER

 

This is a novel about an incredible two months for Jack Gantos, whose plans for holiday excitement are shot down when he is ‘grounded for life’ by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews blood at every shock he gets. But plenty of excitement is coming Jack's way once his mom ‘loans’ him out to help an old neighbour with a most unusual chore – typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded this utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launched on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels and possibly murder. 

 

THE NEWBERY MEDAL RUNNERS UP

 

All her life, 10-year-old Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends and the beauty of her own papaya tree. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape and the strength of her own family. This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.

 

Sasha Zaichik has known the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers since the age of six: The Young Pioneer is devoted to Comrade Stalin, the Communist Party, and Communism. A Young Pioneer is a reliable comrade and always acts according to conscience. A Young Pioneer has a right to criticize shortcomings. But now that it is finally time to join the Young Pioneers, the day Sasha has waited for, everything seems to go awry. He breaks a classmate's glasses with a snowball. He accidentally damages a bust of Stalin in the school hallway. And worst of all, his father, the best Communist he knows, was arrested last night. This moving story of a 10-year-old boy's world shattering is a masterpiece.

 

CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER

 

This is a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when a bigger dog destroys her favourite ball. In the tradition of his nearly wordless, and delightful, picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medallist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy, and losing it, can bring. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special. The book is recommended for children from as young as three to the age of six.

 

CALDECOTT MEDAL RUNNERS UP

 

In this clever and dramatically lit picture book, a boy and his family find magic in a summer blackout. After the neighbourhood is covered in darkness, the family feels what it’s like to not be so busy for once. The outage draws them to their building’s roof to explore the star-lit sky and then down to the street for an impromptu street party. But when the electricity is restored, everything can go back to normal... but not everyone likes normal. The author illuminates details and characters with a playful use of light and shadow in his cartoon-style illustrations and through this he delivers a terrific camaraderie-filled adventure. The book is highly recommended for children between the ages of four and eight.

 

From the creator of the bestseller It's a Book comes a timeless story of family history, legacy, and love. Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a farm boy and a child with chickenpox and a soldier and, most of all, an artist. In this captivating picture book, readers follow Grandpa Green's great-grandson into a garden he created. It is a fantastic world where memories are handed down in the fanciful shapes of topiary trees and where imagination recreates things forgotten. In his most enigmatic and beautiful work to date, Lane Smith explores aging, memory, and the bonds of family history and love; it's a stunning picture book that parents and grandparents can share with children for years to come.

 

In his characteristic heart-warming style, Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her, she dreams of a life living with and helping animals, until one day she finds that her dream has come true. One of the world's most inspiring women, Dr Jane Goodall is a renowned humanitarian, conservationist, animal activist, environmentalist and United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a global non-profit organisation that empowers people to make a difference for all living things. With anecdotes taken from Jane Goodall's autobiography, McDonnell makes this true story accessible for the very young, and young at heart.