Book challenges and awards
Caldecott Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
The Caldecott Medal honors the most distinguished American picture book for children, judged on the illustrations. These are the ten most recent medal books, newest first, with the year the medal was awarded.
Titles, illustrators, authors and years copied from ALSC's Caldecott Medal and Honor Books list (PDF dated 2026) and the ALA Caldecott page, 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.
Fireworks
Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia Chien · Ages 4-8
2026 medal.
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Chooch Helped
Andrea L. Rogers, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz · Ages 4-8
2025 medal.
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Big
Vashti Harrison · Ages 4-8
2024 medal. A child hears the word big used in different ways. Also on Common Sense Media's must-read list.
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Hot Dog
Doug Salati · Ages 3-7
2023 medal. A dog finds relief from a summer city. Written and illustrated by Salati.
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Watercress
Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin · Ages 5-8
2022 medal. A girl is embarrassed by the wild greens her parents gather by the roadside. Also a 2022 Newbery honor.
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We Are Water Protectors
Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade · Ages 4-8
2021 medal. An Ojibwe girl stands against a pipeline.
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The Undefeated
Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson · Ages 6-10
2020 medal. A poem to Black American history. Also a 2020 Newbery honor.
Watch for: Names slavery, lynching and police violence in verse.
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Hello Lighthouse
Sophie Blackall · Ages 4-8
2019 medal. A lighthouse keeper's life across the years.
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Wolf in the Snow
Matthew Cordell · Ages 3-6
2018 medal. A wordless picture book about a girl and a lost wolf pup.
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Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Javaka Steptoe · Ages 5-9
2017 medal. A picture-book biography of Basquiat as a child.
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More lists
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.
Caldecott Medal winners from 1980 to 2016 that are still shelf favorites
Older Caldecott winners are the ones many families already own.
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.
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.