It’s that time of year again!! In January, we learned about the 2023 winners of the Youth Media Awards and have caught up on all of that reading. Now it’s time to start thinking about what might win the 2024 awards- Please keep an eye out for books that meet the criteria of excellent illustrations for the Caldecott award:
- Excellence of execution in the artistic technique employed
- Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme, or concept
- Appropriateness of style of illustration to the story, theme, or concept
- Delineation of plot, theme, characters, setting, mood, or information through the pictures
- Excellence of presentation in recognition of a child audience
If you come across a wonderful new book published by a citizen or resident of the U.S. in 2023, please suggest it to the 2024 Caldecott Committee, chaired by Kathie Meizner. We are busy reading as many books as we can and we do not want to miss any of the best ones. Keep in mind that authors and publishers may not suggest their own books. You can submit your anonymous suggestions here on this ALSC form by October 15, 2023.
Stephanie Saggione is a school librarian in Delaware. She has been teaching for 23 years and loves to celebrate children’s books. Recently, she chaired Delaware’s committee to select the Blue Hen Book Award nominees. She is currently serving as the Administrative Assistant for the 2024 Caldecott Committee.