Caldecott Books - Exodus Books

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Click here for a complete list of Caldecott Medalists and Honor Books, organized by year with ratings, FLAWS, and links to book reviews.

In 1921, Frederic G. Melcher suggested the introduction of a children's book award prize. Adults had their literary prizes, he argued. Why not kids? Are not children's books worthy of serious consideration and applause? he might have urged, standing before the august assembly of the American Library Association's Executive Board, right arm flung across his chest, Hendrik Willem van Loon's The Story of Mankind clutched tightly in his left hand. What about the children?

The persons associated with the aforementioned Board thought Melcher was right and the Newbery Medal was born, but 15 years later he realized he hadn't gone far enough. What about the illustrators of children's books? he thought, snoozing at his desk late one evening. The television was not yet on to keep him awake because there was not yet television. What about the illustrators? The thought plagued him, it got into his bones, and again he took his case before the magisterial Executive Board.

Yes, they agreed, the writers are duly recognized; let also the illustrators be touted and awarded for their efforts! And so it was, in A.D. 1937 that the Caldecott Award was conceived and brought forth, an award for the best children's picture book of the year, named for famed 19th-century British illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott. Books that deserved attention but failed to attain the rank of single very best picture book of the year were to be given honorable mention.

Melcher's heroic efforts were not for naught. The Caldecott Award has consistently gone to books with beautiful, engaging, and/or very fun illustrations, even in recent years. Of course, there are plenty of wonderful picture books that are on no Caldecott list, either as winners or honorably mentioned (to whom, no one is quite sure), and the award is only given to books written and published in the United States of America. But the flame of quality diversion for children continues to burn brightly, and we thank ol' Freddy for his indefatigable efforts, and for the kindness of the Board's acceptance of them.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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Caldecott Medal winners and Honor books
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Nursery (Ages 2-4)

	1 is One by Tasha Tudor from Little Simon for Nursery-Preschool 1957 Caldecott Honor Book in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD) $8.99
	Alphabatics by Suse MacDonald Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks for Nursery-1st grade 1987 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson from Puffin Books for Nursery-2nd grade 1996 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Child's Good Night Book by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Jean Charlot from HarperCollins for Nursery-Kindergarten 1944 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert 1^st edition from HarperCollins for Nursery-1st grade 1990 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert 1^st edition from HarperCollins for Nursery-1st grade 1990 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley from Simon and Schuster for Nursery-2nd grade 1968 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.99
	Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis from Candlewick Press 2017 Caldecott Honor Medal in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Ella Sarah Gets Dressed by Margaret Chodos-Irvine 1^st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers for Nursery-Kindergarten 2004 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Finding Winnie The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick First Edition from Little, Brown & Company for Nursery-2nd grade 2016 Caldecott Winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle from Chronicle Books for Nursery-Kindergarten 2014 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Flora and the Peacocks by Molly Idle from Chronicle Books for Nursery-Kindergarten 2014 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night by Peter Spier from Dragonfly Books for Nursery-1st grade 1962 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Freight Train by Donald Crews from Mulberry Books for Nursery-Kindergarten 1979 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Freight Train by Donald Crews from Greenwillow Books for Nursery-Kindergarten 1979 Caldecott Honor Book in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD) $9.99
	Gone Wild An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans from Bloomsbury Publishing for Nursery-Preschool 2007 Caldecott Honor Book in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD) $9.99
	Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine from Scholastic Press for Nursery-1st grade 2008 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, Illustrated by Kadir Nelson from Scholastic Press for Nursery-1st grade 2008 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Hosie's Alphabet by Hosea, Tobias and Lisa Baskin, illustrated by Leonard Baskin from Viking Press for Nursery-2nd grade 1973 Caldecott Honor Book in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson from HMH Books for Young Readers for Nursery-1st 2009 Caldecott Medal winner in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
	In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming from Henry Holt and Company Word Books for Nursery-Kindergarten 1994 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.00 (2 in stock)
	John Henry by Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney from Puffin Books for Nursery-2nd grade 1995 Caldecott Honor book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	John Henry by Julius Lester & Jerry Pinkney from Dial Press for Nursery-2nd grade 1995 Caldecott Honor book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood & Don Wood Reprint from Sandpiper Books for Nursery-1st grade 1986 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99
	King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood & Don Wood Reprint from Scholastic Inc. for Nursery-1st grade 1986 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney from Little, Brown & Company for Nursery-1st 2010 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	Marguerite de Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes by Marguerite de Angeli from Doubleday & Company for Nursery-2nd grade 1955 Caldecott Honor Book in Mother Goose & Nursery Rhymes (Location: PIC-MG) $9.00 (5 in stock)
	Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry from HarperCollins for Nursery-1st grade 1943 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry from HarperCollins for Nursery-1st grade 1943 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	More More More, Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams from Greenwillow Books for Preschool-2nd grade 1991 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.99
	More More More, Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams from Scholastic Inc. for Preschool-2nd grade 1991 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Play with Me by Marie Hall Ets from Puffin Books for Nursery-1st grade 1956 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99 $2.00 (1 in stock)
	Puss In Boots by Charles Perrault & Fred Marcelino from Square Fish Publishing for Nursery-2nd grade 1991 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.75
	Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant from Aladdin Paperbacks for Nursery-2nd grade 1986 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski from Houghton Mifflin for Nursery-2nd grade 2013 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Storm Book by Charlotte Zolotow from HarperCollins for Nursery-3rd grade 1953 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	Swimmy by Leo Lionni from Dragonfly Books for Nursery-1st grade 1964 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99
	The Judge An Untrue Tale by Harve Zemach from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Nursery-1st grade 1970 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	The Judge An Untrue Tale by Harve Zemach from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Nursery-1st grade 1970 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback Illustrated from Viking Press for Nursery-2nd grade 1998 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel from Chronicle Books 2017 Caldecott Honor book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $16.99
	Truck by Donald Crews from Scholastic Inc. Picture-only Books for Nursery-Preschool 1981 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $1.50 (1 in stock)
	Truck by Donald Crews from Greenwillow Books Picture-only Books for Nursery-Preschool 1981 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Umbrella by Taro Yashima Reprint from Puffin Books for Nursery-1st grade 1959 Caldecott Honor book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $7.99

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