Book challenges and awards
Caldecott Medal winners from 1980 to 2016 that are still shelf favorites
Older Caldecott winners are the ones many families already own. These sixteen medal books span 1980 to 2016, including a few that are hard to put down at bedtime.
Chosen from the Caldecott Medal winners in ALSC's complete list (2026 PDF), keeping those still in print. The year is the medal year, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
Ox-Cart Man
Donald Hall, illustrated by Barbara Cooney · Ages 4-8
1980 medal. A farm family's year in New England.
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Fables
Arnold Lobel · Ages 5-8
1981 medal. Twenty short animal fables.
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Jumanji
Chris Van Allsburg · Ages 5-9
1982 medal. A board game brings jungle animals into the house.
Watch for: Some children find the pictures scary.
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The Polar Express
Chris Van Allsburg · Ages 4-8
1986 medal. A Christmas Eve train ride to the North Pole.
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Owl Moon
Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr · Ages 3-7
1988 medal. A girl and her father look for owls at night.
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Black and White
David Macaulay · Ages 7-10
1991 medal. Four stories told at once, in a style children have to puzzle out.
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Tuesday
David Wiesner · Ages 4-8
1992 medal. Frogs fly on lily pads at night; nearly wordless.
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Officer Buckle and Gloria
Peggy Rathmann · Ages 3-7
1996 medal. A safety officer and his dog.
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Snowflake Bentley
Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Mary Azarian · Ages 5-9
1999 medal. A real Vermont farmer photographs snowflakes.
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Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Simms Taback · Ages 3-7
2000 medal. A die-cut picture book based on a Yiddish folk song.
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The Three Pigs
David Wiesner · Ages 4-8
2002 medal. The pigs step out of their story.
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The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
Mordicai Gerstein · Ages 5-9
2004 medal. The true tale of a 1974 wire walk between the World Trade Center towers.
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Kitten's First Full Moon
Kevin Henkes · Ages 2-5
2005 medal. A kitten mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk.
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Flotsam
David Wiesner · Ages 4-8
2007 medal. A wordless book about a camera that washes ashore.
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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick · Ages 9-12
2008 medal. A long book told partly in pictures, about an orphan in a Paris train station.
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A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead · Ages 3-7
2011 medal. A zookeeper's animal friends visit him when he is ill.
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More lists
Caldecott Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
The Caldecott Medal honors the most distinguished American picture book for children, judged on the illustrations.
Newbery Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
The Newbery Medal goes each year to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children, chosen by a committee of librarians.
Newbery Honor Books, 2023 to 2026
Honor books are the runners-up the Newbery committee also names.
Newbery Medal winners worth reading before middle school
Newbery winners go back to 1922, and many older ones feel dated.
Caldecott Honor Books, 2022 to 2026
Honor books are the Caldecott committee's runners-up, and many of them are the ones children ask to hear again.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winners, 2019 to 2026
The Geisel Award goes to the best book for beginning readers each year.
Geisel Honor Books, 2023 to 2026
The Geisel committee also names honor books, which is where many of the funniest early readers show up.
Coretta Scott King and Pura Belpré awards, 2026 winners and honors
The Coretta Scott King Awards honor Black authors and illustrators; the Pura Belpré Awards honor Latino authors and illustrators.