Children's Literature: for the Education Student

Almost from its inception, ALAN has given the ALAN Award to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. The recipient may be a publisher, author, librarian, scholar, editor, or servant to the organization. Each year, an honoree is chosen by the Executive Board and receives the ALAN Award at the annual ALAN breakfast, which is held early morning Saturday during the NCTE Convention. A list of past honorees is listed below.

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.

The Coretta Scott King Book 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 Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYRA) is a program co-sponsored by the Office of Library Media and the Florida Association for Media in Education (FAME). Started in 1984 this reading motivation program for students in grades 3-8 is designed to entice students to read high interest, contemporary literature for personal enjoyment. The long term goal of the program is to nurture lifelong readers who will continue to read for information needs and personal pleasure.

GCBA is an organization committed to rewarding, recognizing and promoting excellence in children’s literature. The Georgia Children's Book Award was established in 1968 by Sheldon Root, a Professor in the Department of Language Education at the University of Georgia to foster a love of reading, and to introduce children to books of literary excellence.

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998 and became an official ALA award in 2002.

List of Nevada Young Readers' Awards recipients.

The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year.

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.