This Year's Awards

American Library Association announces literary award winners

(SAN ANTONIO) The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books and video for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio.

A list of all the 2006 literary award winners follows:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature

“Criss Cross,” written by Lynne Rae Perkins, is the 2006 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: “Whittington” by Alan Armstrong, illustrated by S.D. Schindler and published by Random House; “Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and published by Scholastic Nonfiction, an imprint of Scholastic; “Princess Academy” by Shannon Hale, published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books; and “Show Way” by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott and published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children

“The Hello, Goodbye Window,” illustrated by Chris Raschka, is the 2006 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Norton Juster and published by Michael di Capua Books, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children.

Four Caldecott Honor Books also were named: “Rosa,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Nikki Giovanni and published by Henry Holt and Company; “Zen Shorts,” written and illustrated by Jon J. Muth and published by Scholastic Press; “Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride,” written and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman, An Anne Schwartz Book from Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon & Schuster; “Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems,” illustrated by Beckie Prange, written by Joyce Sidman and published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults

“Looking for Alaska,” written by John Green, is the 2006 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Dutton Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.

Four Printz Honor Books also were named: “Black Juice” by Margo Lanagan, published by EOS, an imprint of HarperCollins; “I Am the Messenger” by Markus Zusak, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books; “John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, a Photographic Biography” by Elizabeth Partridge, published by Viking, a member of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.; and “A Wreath for Emmett Till,” written by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Philippe Lardy and published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults

“Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue,” written by Julius Lester, is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children.

Three King Author Honor Books were selected: “Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl” by Tonya Bolden, published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers; “Dark Sons” by Nikki Grimes, published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children; and “A Wreath for Emmett Till,” written by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Philippe Lardy and published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award

“Rosa,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Nikki Giovanni and published by Henry Holt and Company.

One King Illustrator Honor Book was selected: “Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan” by R. Gregory Christie, published by Lee and Low Books.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award

“Jimi & Me,” written by Jaime Adoff, is the Steptoe winner. The book is published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children.

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience

“Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart,” illustrated by Raul Colón, is the Belpré Illustrator Award winner. The book was written by Pat Mora and published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House.

Three Belpré Illustrator Honor Books for illustration were selected: “Arrorró, Mi Niño: Latino Lullabies and Gentle Games,” selected and illustrated by Lulu Delacre and published by Lee & Low Books, Inc.; “César: ¡Sí, Se Puede!Yes, We Can!” illustrated by David Diaz, written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and published by Marshall Cavendish; and “My Name Is Celia/Me Llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/La Vida de Celia Cruz,” illustrated by Rafael López, written by Monica Brown and published by Luna Rising, a bilingual imprint of Rising Moon.

Pura Belpré (Author) Award

“The Tequila Worm,” written by Viola Canales, is the Belpré Author Award winner. The book is published by Wendy Lamb Books, a division of Random House.

Three Belpré Author Honor Books were named: “César:¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!,” by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, “Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart” by Pat Mora, and “Becoming Naomi León” by Pam Muñoz Ryan and published by Scholastic Press.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

“Dad, Jackie, and Me” written by Myron Uhlberg, illustrated by Colin Bootman and published by Peachtree Press, wins the award for children ages 0 to 10.

Kimberly Newton Fusco is the winner of the middle-school (ages 11-13) award for “Tending to Grace,” published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is “Under the Wolf, Under the Dog,” written by Adam Rapp and published by Candlewick Press.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book

“Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas,” written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Suçie Stevenson is the Seuss Award winner. The book is published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Four Geisel Honor Books were named: “Hi! Fly Guy” by Tedd Arnold and published by Cartwheel Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; “A Splendid Friend, Indeed” by Suzanne Bloom and published by Boyds Mills Press; “Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa” by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Betsy Lewin and published by Harcourt, Inc.; and “Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day” by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Ann Schweninger and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2006 Edwards Award winner. Her books include: “I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This,” and its sequel, “Lena;” “From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun,” “If You Come Softly” and “Miracle’s Boys.”

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children

“Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley,” written by Sally M. Walker, is the Sibert Award winner. The book is published by Carolrhoda Books, Inc., a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

One Sibert Honor Book was named: “Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow,” written by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and published by Scholastic Nonfiction, an imprint of Scholastic.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video

Michael Sporn, of Michael Sporn Animation, Inc., and Paul Gagne and Melissa Reilly, of Weston Woods Studios, producers of “The Man Who Walked Between the Towers,” are the Carnegie Medal winners. The video is based on the book by Mordicai Gerstein and is narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal, with music by Michael Bacon.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States

Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., is the Batchelder Award winner for “An Innocent Soldier.” Originally published in German in 2002 as “Der Russländer,” the book was written by Josef Holub and translated by Michael Hofmann.

Two Batchelder Honor Books also were selected: “Nicholas,” published by Phaidon Press Limited and “When I Was a Soldier,” published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences

“Midnight at the Dragon Café,” written by Judy Fong Bates and published by Counterpoint.
“Upstate,” written by Kalisha Buckhanon and published by St Martins
“Anansi Boys,” written by Neil Gaiman and published by William Morrow & Company
“As Simple as Snow,” written by Gregory Gallaway and published by Putnam
“Never Let Me Go,” written by Kazuo Ishiguro and published by Alfred A. Knopf
“Gil’s All Fright Diner,” written by A. Lee Martinez, published by Tor
“The Necessary Beggar,” written by Susan Palwick and published by Tor
“My Jim,” written by Nancy Rawles and published by Crown
“Jesus Land: A Memoir,” written by Julia Scheeres, and published by Counterpoint
“The Glass Castle: A Memoir,” written by Jeannette Walls and published by Scribner

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site

Kevin Henkes will deliver the 2007 lecture. Henkes has published seven novels and more than 20 picture books, as well as a number of board books for young children.

Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children’s experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit the ALA Web site at www.ala.org.