There are many awards of which educators should be aware, and here are just a few:

THE ORBIS PICTUS AWARD FOR

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION FOR

CHILDREN

Through the National Council of Teachers of English, the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, the first award dedicated to children's literature, promotes through recognition excellence in the writing of children’s nonfiction literature. The award was aptly named for Orbis Pictus, the first picture book for children which was created by John Amos Comenius.

The 2013 RECIPIENT WAS:

Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words,

by Leda Schubert and illustrated by Gerard DuBois, published by the Roaring Brook Press

The 2013 HONOR BOOKS WERE:

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard, by Loree Griffin Burns and photography by Ellen Harasiomonwicz, published by Henry Holt & Company.

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, by Robery Byrd and published by Dial Books for Young Readers

The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity, by Elizabeth Rusch, and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

We’ve Got a Job: The 1962 Birmingham Children’s March, by Cynthia Levinson, published by Peachtree Publishers.

THE 2013 RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

A Black Hole is NOT a Hole, by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano and illustrated by Michael Carrol, published by Charlesbridge Publishing

Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Frienship, by Russell Freedman, published by Clarion Books.

The Amazing Harry Kellar: Great American Magician, by Gail Jarrow, published by Calkins Creek.

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust, by Doreen Rapppaport, published by Candlewick Press.

The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs: A Scientific Mystery, by Sandra Markle, published by Millbrook Press.

Chuck Close: Face Book, by Chuck Close, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers

Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt’s Treasured Books¸by Karen Legget Abouraya and

illustrated by Susan L. Roth, published by Dial Books for Young readres

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle, by Claire A. Nivola, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Visit the website by simply clicking ORBIS PICTUS!

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SCOTT O'DELL

AWARD

FOR HISTORICAL

FICTION

Scott O'Dell, an author best known for his creation of Island of the Blue Dolphins, established this annual award in 1982 in order to honor and authors of historical fiction and, through recognition and a monetary award, encourage new authors to focus on historical fiction.

The 2013 RECIPIENT:

Chickadee, by Louise Erdrich,

published by Harper

Other winners:

2012: Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos,

published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

2011: One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams Garcia,

published by Amistad

2010: The Storn in the Barn, by Matt Phelan,

published by

To learn more about the Scott O'Dell Award, simply click HERE

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THE JOHN NEWBERY

AWARD

Named after an English bookseller from the eighteenth century, the John Newbery Award was the first award for children's books and is awarded to recognize the most distinguished American children's literature book. According to the Association for Library Service to Children, the purpose of the award is "to encourage original creative work in the filed of books for children. To emphasize to the public that contributions to the literature for children deserve similar reconigtion to poetry, plays, or novels. To give those librarians, who make it their life work to serve children's reading interests, an opportunity to encourage good writing in this field."

The 2013 RECIPIENT:

The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate,
published by HarperCollins Children's Books

The 2013 HONOR BOOKS:

Splendors and Glooms, by Larua Amy Schlitz,
published by Candlewick

Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous
Weapon, by Steve Sheinkin,
published by Flash Point / Roaring Brook Press

Three Times Lucky, by Shelia Turnage,
published by Dial / Penguin Young Readers Group

To learn more about the Newbery Award, click HERE!

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THE SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD

This award, donated

by Dr. Katherine Schneider, is an honor bestowed upon authors or illustrators for books which "embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences." There are three awards awarded annually to those books in the "Teen," "Middle School" and "Children's" categories.

The 2012 RECIPIENTS IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CATEGORY WERE:

Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures,

by Brian Selznick, published by Scholastic Press

close to famous, by Joan Bauer, pubished by Viking

The 2012 RECIPIENT IN THE TEEN CATEGORY WAS:

The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen,

published by Alfred A. Knopf

No awards were given in 2012 in the "Children's" category.

To learn more about the Schneider Family Book Award, click HERE!

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THE CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD

photo from biography.com

These awards are given to the African American authors and illustrators of

children and young adult

books. The books selected to be honored must demonstrate an appreciation of the culture of African Americans and the universal human values of The award was named for Coretta Scott King and the courage she demonstrated and her tenacity to continue the work of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The 2013 Author Award Winner:

Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America,

published by Disney/Jump at the Sun Books

2013 Illustrator Award Winner

Bryan Collier, illustrator of

I, Too, Am America,

published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

2013 Author Honor

Jacqueline Woodson, author of

Each Kindness, illustrated by E.B. Lewis,

published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, author of

No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and

Work of Lewis Micheaux,
illustrated by R. Gregory Christie,
published by Carolrhoda Lab

2013 Illustrator Honor

Christopher Myers, illustrator and author of

H.O.R.S.E., published by Egmont USA

Kadir Nelson, illustrator of

I Have a Dream: Marting Luther King, Jr.,

published by Schwartz & Wade Books

For more information on the Coretta Scot King Book Award, click HERE!

THE THEODOR SEUSS GEISEL AWARD

Named after the beloved Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), this award honors the authors and illustrators of American books for the children who have just begun to read, and was published in the English language and in the United States of America

The 2013 AWARD WINNER:

Up, Tall and High, written and illustrated

by Ethan Long,

published by the Roaring Brook Press

The 2013 HONOR BOOKS WERE:

Let's Go for a Drive, written and illustrated by Mo Willems,

published by Hyperion Books for Children

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons,

written by Erick Litwin, created and illustrated by James Dean,

published by HarperCollins Children's books

Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover, written and illustrated by Cece Bell,

published by Candlewick Press

To learn more about the Geisel Award, click HERE!

THE JANE ADDAMS AWARD

Since 1953, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award has been given to children's books which promote social justice, peace, world community as well as sexual and racial equality, while meeting traditional standards for excellence.

The 2013 WINNER -

BOOKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN:

The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed

Families,

by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore,

illustrated by Susan L. Roth,

published by Lee & Low

The 2013 WINNER -

BOOKS FOR OLDER CHILDREN:

Sylvia & Aki, by Winifred Conkling,
published by Tricycle Press

The 2013 HONOR BOOKS

YOUNGER CHILDREN:

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts about Peace,
written and illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines, Laura Amy Schlitz,
published by Macmillan

Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend,
written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud,
illustrated by John Holyfield,
published by Candlewick Press

The 2013 HONOR BOOKS

OLDER CHILDREN:

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans,
written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson,
published by Batzer & Bray

Inside Out & Back Again,

written by Thanhha Lai,

published by Harper

For more information about Jane Addams Awards, click HERE!

THE BATCHELDER AWARD

The Batchelder Award is awarded

to books considered to be

outstanding... and published in a

language other than English

and in any country other than

America, and translated into English for

publication in the USA!

2013 Award

My Family for the War,

written by Anne C. Voorhoeve, translated by Tammi Reichel (Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. )

2013 Honor Books

A Game for Swallows:

To Die, To Leave, To Return, written and illustrated by Zeina Abirached, and translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe, a division of Lerner Publishing Group)

Son of a Gun,

written by Anne de Graaf, and translated by the author (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co)

For more information about the Batchelder Award, click HERE

THE RAINBOW BOOK LIST

"The Rainbow Book List is a joint project of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association. The Rainbow Book List presents an annual bibliography of quality books with significant and authentic GLBTQ content, which are recommended for people from birth through eighteen years of age."

FROM http://glbtrt.ala.org/rainbowbooks/about

This organization offers a long list of titles, highlighting the TOP TEN of the Year.

To view the complete list for 2013, please click HERE!

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THE CALDECOTT BOOK AWARD

This award is given to the most distinguished American picture book for children.

2013 Medal Winner

This Is Not My Hat,
written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press.

2013 Honor Books

Creepy Carrots!,
illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Extra Yarn,
illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett and published by Balzer + Bray

Green,
illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and published by Neal Porter Books

One Cool Friend,
illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo and published by Dial Books for Young

Sleep Like a Tiger,
illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

for more information, click HERE

THE PURA BELPRE AWARD

This award is presented to Latino/Latina writers and illustrators for work which portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding piece of children's literature

2013 Author Award Winner

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz,
published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

2013 Illustrator Award Winner

Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert,
illustrated by David Diaz,
written by Gary D. Schmidt, and published by Clarion Books

2013 Author Honor Books

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, by Sonia Manzano, published by Scholastic Press

for more information, click HERE

THE AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH

LITERATURE AWARD

This award was created to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians which present American Indians in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts.

2013 WINNERS LIST