These two awards are the highest honors a children's book can receive in the U.S. The Caldecott Medal is given to the artist of "the most distinguished American picture book for children." The Newbery goes to the author of "the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
That's a lot of words to say that these awards are given to books that are great!
This year the winner of the Caldecott Medal is This Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. The Newbery went to Katherine Applegate for her middle-grade novel The One and Only Ivan.
What do these two books share, besides being great? They both tell their stories from an animal's point of view.
In This Is Not My Hat, a small fish says, "This hat is not mine. I just stole it." The One and Only Ivan begins with the lines, "Hello. I am Ivan. I am a gorilla."
Writing a story from an animal's point of view helps us understand and care about animals. How does a fish think? What does a gorilla wonder about?
Try writing an "I" story from an animal's point of view. It could be a fish, a gorilla, a cat, a dog, or your favorite animal. Maybe it's a three-toed sloth or a yellow-spotted salamander.
And don't forget to check out this year's Newbery and Caldecott Award winners!
