Are you familiar with the Newbery and Caldecott award winning books? Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, the Newbery award goes to authors of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. The Caldecott medal is given to the artists who created the most distinguished picture books of the year. This medal was named in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. Here is a list of Newbery and Caldecott Medal winners from 2000-2010:

Newbery Winners

2000 Medal Winner:Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

2001 Medal Winner: A Year Down Yonder by by Richard Peck

2002 Medal Winner: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

2003 Medal Winner: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi

2004 Medal Winner: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo

2005 Medal Winner: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

2006 Medal Winner: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

2007 Medal Winner: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

2008 Medal Winner: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz

2009 Medal Winner: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2010 Medal Winner: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead


Caldecott Winners

2000 Medal Winner: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Simms Taback

2001 Medal Winner: So You Want to Be President? Illustrated by David Small, written by Judith St. George

2002 Medal Winner: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner

2003 Medal Winner: My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann

2004 Medal Winner: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein

2005 Medal Winner: Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

2006 Medal Winner: The Hello, Goodbye Window illustrated by Chris Raschka and written by Norton Juster

2007 Medal Winner: Flotsam by David Wiesner

2008 Medal Winner: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

2009 Medal Winner: The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson

2010 Medal Winner: The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Choosing Newbery and Caldecott award winners are fanstastic ways to encourage not only a variety of reading for your child, but also to explore genres and styles of all types. While grade and reading levels vary, encourage your child to express his or her opinions on these award winners, such as their thoughts on the honors. Have your child list reasons they would deem a book award winning, for either story, pictures or both. Create a book report log for your child to keep reports in for specific Newbery and Caldecott books. Another great idea is to start a homeschool book club using Newbery or Caldecott winners. However you choose to explore these amazing books with your child you are sure to enjoy reading them! The awards, incidentally, date back to 1938, so you are sure to find many more to explore.Look for the Newbery and Caldecott award insignias on your books, and ask your local librarian for additional books from years past. Here are the books listed above, offered for purchase at Amazon: