As we continue to confront the pandemic, the annual midwinter conference of the American Library Association was held online. At the tail end of the four-day event, the Youth Media Awards were announced early on a Monday morning in late January. Everyone who was watching this year did so via the live webcast, which means there were probably more participants than ever in the annual pajama contest, intentionally or not! Top prizes were bestowed upon authors and illustrators for their wonderful words and pictures. The Library is pleased to note that we currently hold over 35 of these award-winning titles.

Caldecott Medalist: We Are Water Protectors, illustrated by Michaela Goade and written by Carole Lindstrom
Caldecott Honor: Me and Mama, written and illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera

Newbery Medalist: When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
Newbery Honor:
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly

Michael L. Printz Award: Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
Michael L. Printz Honor:
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Coretta Scott King Author Award: Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson 
Coretta Scott King Author Honor:
King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
Magnificent Homespun Brown, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita and written by Samira Cole Doyon

John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Pura Belpré Award for Illustration: ¡Vamos! Let’s Go to Eat by Raul the Third

Odyssey Audio Honor:
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, read by the author and Melania-Luisa Marte

Schneider Family Children’s Book Award: I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith
Schneider Family Middle Grade Honor: When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medalist: Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Stonewall Book Honor: Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

Geisel Award: See the Cat by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
Geisel Honor:
Ty’s Travels: Zip! Zoom! by Kelly Sterling Lyons, illustrated by Nina Mata

Sydney Taylor Teen Award: Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder

Asian Pacific American Honor: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

YALSA Nonfiction Award Winner: The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

The Children's Literature Legacy Award was bestowed upon Mildred D. Taylor and Kekla Magoon received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. 

Alex Award titles available in both print and ebook:

• Plain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth
• The Impossible First by Colin O’Brady
• Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

The remaining seven books were all added to the Alex Award shelf in the Cloud Library:

• The Kids Are Gonna Ask by Gretchen Anthony
• Kent State by Derf Backderf
• We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry
• Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh
• The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
• Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi

Stayed tuned to our Instagram, Twitter, and monthly new book lists where we will share upcoming award-winning acquisitions for the Children’s and YA libraries. Did you spy a favorite story above that helped sail you through the rocky waters of 2020? Let us know which of these award-winning titles are skyrocketing to the top of your 2021 TBR list. We’d be happy to add them to a book bundle for you!