A large display in the hallway outside the DPS library shows the 16 books that students selected as nominees for their Mock Book Awards.
It was a big day for children’s books on Monday as the American Library Association announced its Youth Media Awards in New Orleans, which includes prestigious awards such as the Caldecott Medal, the Newbery Medal and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.
Mary Fellows, a former Caldecott judge, speaks to DPS students about the Caldecott Medal voting process on November 15, 2022.
It was a big day for students at Donald P. Sutherland Elementary School, too, as they watched the awards during Library and compared the results to their own Mock Book Awards during a class activity.
It marked the culmination of a three-month long project in which students in grades 3-5 read books considered for the awards, learned about the selection process and created their own school-wide vote.
In the hallway outside the library, a large display shows the 16 books that DPS students selected as nominees for their Mock Book Awards. All students in the school were invited to vote for the Caldecott winner, and the book “Hot Dog” by Doug Salati received the most votes with 138.
As 3rd graders watched the awards show on Monday morning, and “Hot Dog” was chosen as the Caldecott winner, the students erupted in applause.
“The students get so invested in this project,” said DPS Library Media Specialist Peg O’Connor. “It is wonderful to see them reading and hear them discussing their favorite books, authors and illustrators with each other.”
DPS students celebrate during the announcement of the Caldecott Medal winner.
“Picking the winner was such a great finish for us this year,” she continued. “We have always picked one or two honors, but this year was a record at DPS for selecting winners and honors.”
In addition to voting for “Hot Dog,” DPS students had four other books in their Mock Book Awards nominees that were recognized in the Youth Media Awards including: “Knight Owl” by Christopher Denise, “Choosing Brave” by Angela Joy and illustrated by Janelle Washington, “A Seed Grows” by Antoineette Portis, and “Ain’t Burned All the Bright” by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Jason Griffin.
ALA Youth Media Awards
Randolph Caldecott Medal (Best Picture Book)
The Randolph 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.
- “Hot Dog” by Doug Salati (winner)
- “Ain’t Burned All the Bright,” illustrated by Jason Griffin, written by Jason Reynolds
- “Berry Song,” illustrated and written by Michaela Goade
- “Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement,” illustrated by Janelle Washington, written by Angela Joy
- “Knight Owl,” illustrated and written by Christopher Denise
John Newbery Medal (Best Story)
The Newbery Medal 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.
- “Freewater” by Amina Luqman-Dawson (winner)
- “Iveliz Explains It All,” written by Andrea Beatriz Arango
- “The Last Mapmaker,” written by Christina Soontornvat
- “Maizy Chen’s Last Chance,” written by Lisa Yee
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award (Best Easy Reader)
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year. The winner(s), recognized for their literary and artistic achievements that demonstrate creativity and imagination to engage children in reading, receives a bronze medal.
- “I Did It!” by Michael Emberley (winner)
- “Fish and Wave,” written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
- “Gigi and Ojiji,” written and illustrated by Melissa Iwai
- “Owl and Penguin,” written and illustrated by Vikram Madan
- “A Seed Grows,” written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis
Robert F. Sibert Medal (Best Nonfiction Book)
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.
- “Seen and Unseen” written by Elizabeth Partridge and illustrated by Lauren Tamaki (winner)
- “Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement,” written by Angela Joy and illustrated by Janelle Washington
- “A Seed Grows,” written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis
- “Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott,” written by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
- “The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs,” written by Chana Stiefel and illustrated by Susan Gal