Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal is an award presented annually to the artist who illustrated the most distinguished children’s picture book in America during the previous year. The coveted award has been presented to illustrators who are citizens or residents of the United States since 1938. It is named for a nineteenth-century British illustrator whose work was also chosen as the artwork embossed on the medal. In addition to the annual winner, the selection committee frequently nominates up to half a dozen Caldecott Honor Books, which are runners-up for the award. American bookseller and magazine editor Frederic G. Melcher came up with the idea for both the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Award, which honors excellence in writing children’s literature.

Background

In 1921, the Children’s Librarians’ Section of the American Library Association voted to create an award for the best children’s book published during the previous year. Its purpose was to encourage the creation of quality and creative literature for children. The award was given for the first time in 1922 and was named the Newbery Award, after the British author and publisher John Newbery. Newbery is considered the “father of children’s literature” because he was the first to write and publish books intended for children.

The Newbery Award became the first award given specifically for children’s literature. Over the next decade and a half, there was a growing awareness of the role that the pictures in these books played in their quality and appeal. In light of this, the American Library Association approved a companion award to the Newbery in 1937. The new award would recognize the work of an illustrator who created the most distinguished illustrations for a picture book in the previous year. The award was presented for the first time in 1938.

The new award was named the Caldecott Medal in honor of Randolph J. Caldecott. Caldecott was a British-born illustrator who was considered one of the top three children’s book illustrators of his day, along with Kate Greenaway and Walter Crane. After learning Crane was unable to illustrate his annual Christmas books in 1877, British printer and engraver Edmund Evans asked Caldecott to take over the task, launching his career as a children’s illustrator.

Caldecott’s interest in art began during his boyhood in the English countryside near the town of Chester. He spent a great deal of time outside and kept a sketchbook of the animals, buildings, and scenery near his hometown. Caldecott left school when he was fifteen to work for the Whitchurch and Ellesmere Bank. That same year, his drawing of a devastating fire at a hotel was published in Illustrated London News along with his eyewitness description of the event.

Following this success, Caldecott attended night classes at the Manchester School of Art while continuing to work in banking. He had other articles and artwork published in local newspapers and eventually in magazines. By the time he was twenty-six, he was selling his drawings consistently enough that he gave up his banking career, moved to London, and began drawing for magazines on commission. Caldecott also began doing larger commissioned artwork and branched out into watercolors.

In 1877, he accepted a request to draw two children’s books to be released just before Christmas. These works, The House That Jack Built and The Diverting History of John Gilpin, were very successful. Children eagerly awaited the new books each Christmas, and Caldecott created two new titles each year until his sudden death in 1886 just before he turned forty.

Caldecott dealt with a number of serious health issues but continued to draw throughout his life. He also wrote many of his own rhymes to accompany his illustrations. In addition to the books released each Christmas season, he produced an illustrated collection of twelve books of nursery rhymes that sold more than 867,000 copies and earned him international acclaim.

Overview

The Caldecott Medal was designed in 1937 by American sculptor Rene Paul Chambellan, who also designed the Newbery Award. Chambellan chose an illustration from Caldecott’s The Diverting History of John Gilpin for one side of the bronze Caldecott Medal. The other side is inscribed with the winner’s name and the year of the award, along with a notation that the award is given by the Children’s and School Librarians Sections of the American Library Association. The winner receives the medal in a cherrywood presentation and display box.

Originally, the members of the committee that determined the Newbery Award were also responsible for choosing the Caldecott Medal winner. The original rules for the award allowed a book to win only one of the awards, and the committee determined whether a book would be considered for its writing or its illustrations. In 1977, forty years after the creation of the award, the Board of Directors of the American Library Association for Library Service to Children removed the restriction on a book receiving both awards. In 1980, the association began having separate committees determine the winners of each award.

From the start, the association rules allowed the committees for both awards to choose runners-up as a way of recognizing other exceptional writing or artwork in children’s literature. Nearly every year, several books received this recognition. In 1971, the terminology was changed to “honor books.”

During the first decades of the twenty-first century, the Caldecott retained its reputation as one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature. However, the award received criticism for the occasional lack of diversity among nominees and recipients. However, by the 2020s, observers noticed an improvement in this situation, with people of color making up a more significant number of winners and nominees. At that point, some critics also proposed expanding the scope of eligibility to include authors outside the United States.

The choice to have the award decided by librarians was intentional. Award originator Melcher envisioned the award as a way to encourage excellent literature written and illustrated by Americans for American children. Having librarians choose the winners was a way to eliminate any hint of commercialism in the decision-making process. However, books that win the Caldecott Medal, along with those that win the Newbery Award, generally see a significant increase in sales and revenue because of the recognition. This makes the Caldecott Medal the most significant award given to American illustrators of children’s books.

Bibliography

“The John Newbery Medal.” Association for Library Service to Children, www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/aboutnewbery/aboutnewbery. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

Kennedy, Elizabeth. “The Randolph Caldecott Medal Current and Past Winners.” ThoughtCo, 29 June 2017, www.thoughtco.com/randolph-caldecott-medal-winners-626870. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

Maughan, Shannon. “A Short History of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals.” Publishers Weekly, 2 Dec. 2011, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/49729-and-the-winner-is.html. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

“Randolph Caldecott, Legend of Children’s Literature.” Tavistock Books, blog.tavbooks.com/?p=697. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

“The Randolph Caldecott Medal.” Association for Library Service to Children, www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/aboutcaldecott/aboutcaldecott. Accessed 22 Mar. 2023.

“Randolph Caldecott Papers.” University of Southern Mississippi, www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/degrum/public‗html/html/research/findaids/caldecot.htm. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

Shafer, Susan. “What Is the Caldecott Medal?” ASJA Confidential, 11 May 2016, www2.asja.org/theword/2016/05/11/what-is-the-caldecott-medal/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

“Who Was Randolph Caldecott?” Randolph Caldecott.org, www.randolphcaldecott.org.uk/who.htm. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.