I cannot begin to list all the children’s books awards here, but I wanted to highlight the ones that I think are the most relevant and helpful to third culture kids. Although I have not read all the award-winning books from each award below, I have read all the Caldecott and Newbery Award winners, so if you have questions about a particular book, please let me know. Also, I usually tag these awards on my librarything.com so if you are searching for specific awards, just search under “tags” or type the award in the search box. If you are browsing through books at book sales, look for the award images below to identify these award winning books. They are usually highlighted in gold or silver on the title page.
Asian/Pacific American Award (http://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards)
The goal of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit. There are six category awards: Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Young Adult, Children’s, and Picture Book. Only the last three are highlighted here.
The Batchelder Award
The Batchelder Award is given to the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States.
This award honors Mildred L. Batchelder, a former executive director of the Association for Library Service to Children, a believer in the importance of good books for children in translation from all parts of the world. First awarded in 1968.
This is a great list of books to browse through (I found the best place to find the full list is at wikipedia)
Caldecott Medal (ala.org)
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Andrew Carnegie Medal http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/greenaway/
The Carnegie Medal is also a British literary award that annually recognizes an outstanding book for children and young adults. The medal is awarded by CLIP: The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. It was established by in 1936, in memory of the great Scottish-born philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). Carnegie was a self-made industrialist who made his fortune in steel in the USA. His experience of using a library as a child led him to resolve that “if ever wealth came to me that it should be used to establish free libraries.” Carnegie set up more than 2800 libraries across the English speaking world and, by the time of his death, over half the library authorities in Great Britain had Carnegie libraries.
Christopher Award
First presented in 1949, the Christopher Awards were established by Christopher founder Father James Keller to highlight books and other media that “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” Their goal is to encourage men, women and children to pursue excellence in creative arenas that have the potential to influence a mass audience positively. Their award include books for young people with awards given to four different age levels: ages 6-8, ages 9-10, ages 11-12, and young adult.
Christy Awards
This is a yearly award for fictional books written with a Christian worldview. Although there are no awards for children’s books, there is a yearly young adult award. The Christy Awards are named in honor of Catherine Marshall and her novel Christy.
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards (ala.org)
These awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.
The Geisel Award (ala.org)
This award, in honor of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers (early readers) published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
Hans Christian Andersen Awards http://www.ibby.org/
The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children’s books. Every other year IBBY presents the Andersen Award to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature.
Kate Greenaway Medal http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/greenaway/
The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognizes “distinguished illustration in a book for children.” It was established in 1955 and named after a popular nineteenth century artist and illustrator. The medal is awarded by CLIP: The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.
Middle East Book Award (http://www.meoc.us/meoc/book-awards)
Established in 1999, the Middle East Book Award recognizes quality books for children and young adults that contribute meaningfully to an understanding of the Middle East and its component societies and cultures. Books are judged on the authenticity of their portrayal of a Middle Eastern subject, as well as on characterization, plot, and appeal for the intended audience. For this award, the Middle East is defined as the Arab World, Iran, Israel, Turkey, and Afghanistan. Awards are given in three categories: Picture Books, Youth Literature, and Youth Nonfiction.
John Newbery Medal ala.org
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. For more information, I have written a blog post about my favorite Newbery Medal books What is the Newbery Award? Favorite Newbery Award Winners
Pura Belpré Award ala.org
The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.
Michael L. Printz Award ala.org
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.
Schneider Family Book Award
Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
The Robert F. Sibert Award (ala.org)
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award. For the best and most user friendly list, go to wikipedia’s The Robert F. Sibert Medal.
Wilder Award (ala.org)
The Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.
Kid's Books Without Borders 