Caldecott Books

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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133 Items found Print
Active Filters: Trade Paperback
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
by Leo Lionni
Reissue from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1970 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$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)
Always Room for One More
by Sorche Nic Leodhas
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-3rd grade
1966 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$10.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Amazing Bone
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1977 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Anansi the Spider
by Gerald McDermott
1st edition from Henry Holt and Company
for 2nd-3rd grade
1973 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Anatole
by Eve Titus
Reprint from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1957 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Anatole and the Cat
by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone
Reprint from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1958 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Andy and the Lion
by James Daugherty
from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1939 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Arrow to the Sun
by Gerald McDermott
Reprint from Puffin Books
1975 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Ashanti to Zulu
by Margaret Musgrove, Leo & Diane Dillon
from Puffin Books
Word Books for 2nd-5th grade
1977 Caldecott Medal winner
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.99
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Sandpiper Books
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Bill Peet
by Bill Peet
from Houghton Mifflin
Biography for 4th-8th grade
1990 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99
Castle
by David Macaulay
from Graphia
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$16.99
Cathedral
by David Macaulay
from Houghton Mifflin
Architecture for 4th-8th grade
1974 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.99
Chair For My Mother
by Vera B. Williams
from HarperCollins
Family Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1983 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Chanticleer and the Fox
by Barbara Cooney
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
1959 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Cinderella
by Marcia Brown (translator)
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1955 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Crow Boy
by Taro Yashima
from Puffin Books
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1956 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Desert Is Theirs
by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
1976 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Duffy and the Devil
by Harve Zemach
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
1974 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Duke Ellington
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-6th grade
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
Egg Tree
by Katherine Milhous
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-2nd grade
1951 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Emperor and the Kite
by Jane Yolen
from Putnam Juvenile
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1968 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
by Arthur Ransome
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1969 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$24.99
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
Frederick
by Leo Lionni
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
1968 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Frederick
by Leo Lionni
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade
1968 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Free Fall
by David Wiesner
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1989 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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)
Frog Went A-Courtin'
by John Langstaff
from HMH Books for Young Readers
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Funny Little Woman
by Arlene Mosel & Blair Lent
Reissue from Puffin Books
1973 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.99
Gardener
by Sarah Stewart & David Small
from Sunburst Book
Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
by Paul Goble
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Native American Legends for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1979 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Glorious Flight
by Martin & Alice Provensen
from Puffin Books
Historical Non-Fiction/Picture Books for 1st-3rd grade
1984 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
by James Marshall
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 2nd grade
1989 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Golem
by David Wisniewski
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 7th-9th grade
1997 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Hansel and Gretel
by Rika Lesser & Paul Zelinsky
from Putnam Juvenile
for 1st-2nd grade
1985 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Hansel and Gretel
by Rika Lesser & Paul Zelinsky
from Sandcastle Books
for 1st-2nd grade
1985 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Have You Seen My Duckling?
by Nancy Tafuri
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1985 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Hawk, I'm Your Brother
by Byrd Baylor, illustrated by Peter Parnall
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-5th grade
1977 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Hey, Al
by Arthur Yorinks
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1987 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Hide and Seek Fog
by Alvin Tresselt, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Mulberry Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1966 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Hush!
by Minfong Ho & Holly Meade
Reprint from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
1997 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
In the Forest
by Marie Hall Ets
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1945 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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)
Inch by Inch
by Leo Lionni
from Dragonfly Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
1961 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
It Could Always Be Worse
by Margot Zemach
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
It Could Always Be Worse
by Margot Zemach
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Jambo Means Hello
by Muriel Feelings, Tom Feelings (Illustrator)
from Puffin Books
Alphabet Books for Preschool-1st grade
1975 Caldecott Honor Book
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.99
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
Just Me
by Marie Hall Ets
Later Printing from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1966 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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
Little House
by Virginia Lee Burton
from Sandpiper Books
Personification Stories for Preschool-3rd grade
1943 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Little Island
by Margaret Wise Brown, Leonard Weisgard
from Dragonfly Books
Picture Books for Preschool-2nd grade
1947 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Red Riding Hood
by Trina Schart Hyman, retelling Grimm
from Holiday House
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1984 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Lon Po Po
by Ed Young
from PaperStar Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1990 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Madeline's Rescue
by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction, Rhyming Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1954 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Man Who Walked Between the Towers
by Mordicai Gerstein
from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
2004 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99
Many Moons
by James Thurber & Louis Slobodkin
from Harcourt
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-3rd grade
1944 Caldecott medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 $4.50 (2 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)
Martin's Big Words
by Doreen Rappaport
Reprint from Hyperion Press
for 1st-3rd grade
2002 Caldecott Honor Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
May I Bring a Friend?
by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Preschool-1st grade
1965 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Mirette on the High Wire
by Emily Arnold McCully
from PaperStar Books
Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1993 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Moja Means One
by Muriel Feelings, Tom Feelings
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-1st grade
1972 Caldecott Honor Book
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
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)
Most Wonderful Doll in the World
by Phyllis McGinley
from Scholastic Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1951 Caldecott Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present
by Charlotte Zolotow
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
1963 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.95
My Friend Rabbit
Reissue from Square Fish Publishing
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Noah's Ark
by Peter Spier
from Dell Publishing
Bible Stories for Preschool-2nd grade
1978 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
On Market Street
by Arnold Lobel & Anita Lobel
from Greenwillow Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1982 Caldecott Honor Book
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
Once a Mouse
by Marcia Brown
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1962 Caldecott Medal Winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
One Fine Day
by Nonny Hogrogian
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3d grade
1972 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Paddle-to-the-Sea
by Holling C. Holling
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Caldecott Honor Book
in BFB Holling Geography (Location: HISCUR-BFG)
$13.99
Peppe the Lamplighter
by Elisa Bartone
from William Morrow & Company
Family Stories for 1st-3rd grade
1994 Caldecott Honor book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
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)
Pocketful of Cricket
by Rebecca Caudill
from Henry Holt and Company
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1965 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Prayer for a Child
by Rachel Field
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-3rd grade
1945 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
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
Rain Drop Splash
by Alvin Tresselt
from HarperCollins
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1947 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Rapunzel
by Paul Zelinsky
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade
1998 Caldecott Medal winner
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Raven
by Gerald McDermott
from Harcourt Children's Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
1994 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Relatives Came
by Cynthia Rylant
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Nursery-2nd grade
1986 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Rooster Crows
by Maud & Miska Petersham
Fir from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-4th grade
1946 Caldecott Medal winner
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$7.99
Rumpelstiltskin
by Paul O. Zelinsky
from Puffin Books
1987 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Saint George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
from Little, Brown & Company
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-3rd grade
1985 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Henry Holt and Company
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Trumpet Club
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Seven Blind Mice
by Ed Young
from Puffin Books
1993 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.50 (3 in stock)
Shadow
by Marcia Brown
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales & Fables for 3rd-5th
1983 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Smoky Night
by Eve Bunting
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
1995 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Snow
by Uri Shulevitz
from Square Fish Publishing
for Adult
1999 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.99
Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm
by Brothers Grimm, translated by Randall Jarrell and illustrated by Nancy Ekholm Burkert
Sunburst Edition, 1987 from Square Fish Publishing
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1973 Caldecott Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$9.99
Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
from Puffin Books
Poetry for Kindergarten-2nd grade
1963 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
So You Want To Be President?
by Judith St. George
Reprint from Philomel Books
for 2nd-5th grade
2001 Caldecott Medal winner
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Song and Dance Man
by Karen Ackerman
from Dragonfly Books
for 1st-3rd grade
1989 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99
Starry Messenger
by Peter Sis
from Square Fish Publishing
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1997 Caldecott Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.99
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