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Award Winning Children's Books
217 books from 7 lists, 1865 to 2026
The two American medals for young readers reward different things. The Newbery honors the writing and the Caldecott the pictures, and a book almost never wins both. Listing them together gives a parent or a teacher one page covering a century of the best children's books rather than two lists to hold side by side.
Books by prize
One shelf per list, newest first on each. The prize name opens its full list.
- 2026 All the Blues in the Sky
- 2025 The First State of Being
- 2024 The Eyes and the Impossible
- 2023 Freewater
- 2022 The Last Cuentista
- 2021 When You Trap a Tiger
- 2020 New Kid
- 2019 Merci Suárez Changes Gears
- 2018 Hello, Universe
- 2017 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
- 2016 Last Stop on Market Street
- 2015 The Crossover
- 2014 Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
- 2013 The One and Only Ivan
- 2012 Dead End in Norvelt
- 2011 Moon Over Manifest
- 2010 When You Reach Me
- 2008 Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
- 2007 The Higher Power of Lucky
- 2006 Criss Cross
- 2005 Kira-Kira
- 2004 The Tale of Despereaux
- 2003 Crispin: The Cross of Lead
- 2002 A Single Shard
- 2001 A Year Down Yonder
- 2000 Bud, Not Buddy
- 1999 Holes
- 1998 Out of the Dust
- 1997 The View from Saturday
- 1996 The Midwife's Apprentice
- 1995 Walk Two Moons
- 1994 The Giver
- 1993 Missing May
- 1992 Shiloh
- 1991 Maniac Magee
- 1990 Number the Stars
- 1989 Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices
- 1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography
- 1987 The Whipping Boy
- 1986 Sarah, Plain and Tall
- 1985 The Hero and the Crown
- 1984 Dear Mr. Henshaw
- 1983 Dicey's Song
- 1982 A Visit to William Blake's Inn
- 1981 Jacob Have I Loved
- 1980 A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal
- 1979 The Westing Game
- 1978 Bridge to Terabithia
- 1977 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
- 1976 The Grey King
- 1975 M. C. Higgins, the Great
- 1974 The Slave Dancer
- 1973 Julie of the Wolves
- 1972 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
- 1971 The Summer of the Swans
- 1970 Sounder
- 1969 The High King
- 1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
- 1967 Up a Road Slowly
- 1966 I, Juan de Pareja
- 1965 Shadow of a Bull
- 1964 It's Like This, Cat
- 1963 A Wrinkle in Time
- 1962 The Bronze Bow
- 1961 Island of the Blue Dolphins
- 1960 Onion John
- 1959 The Witch of Blackbird Pond
- 1958 Rifles for Watie
- 1957 Miracles on Maple Hill
- 1956 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
- 1955 The Wheel on the School
- 1954 ...And Now Miguel
- 1953 Secret of the Andes
- 1952 Ginger Pye
- 1951 Amos Fortune, Free Man
- 1950 The Door in the Wall
- 1949 King of the Wind
- 1948 The Twenty-One Balloons
- 1947 Miss Hickory
- 1946 Strawberry Girl
- 1945 Rabbit Hill
- 1944 Johnny Tremain
- 1943 Adam of the Road
- 1942 The Matchlock Gun
- 1941 Call It Courage
- 1940 Daniel Boone
- 1939 Thimble Summer
- 1938 The White Stag
- 1937 Roller Skates
- 1936 Caddie Woodlawn
- 1935 Dobry
- 1934 Invincible Louisa
- 1933 Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze
- 1932 Waterless Mountain
- 1931 The Cat Who Went to Heaven
- 1930 Hitty, Her First Hundred Years
- 1929 The Trumpeter of Krakow
- 1928 Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon
- 1927 Smoky the Cowhorse
- 1926 Shen of the Sea
- 1925 Tales from Silver Lands
- 1924 The Dark Frigate
- 1923 The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
- 1922 The Story of Mankind
- 2026 Fireworks
- 2025 Chooch Helped
- 2024 Big
- 2023 Hot Dog
- 2022 Watercress
- 2021 We Are Water Protectors
- 2020 The Undefeated
- 2019 Hello Lighthouse
- 2018 Wolf in the Snow
- 2017 Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
- 2016 Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear
- 2015 The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
- 2014 Locomotive
- 2013 This Is Not My Hat
- 2012 A Ball for Daisy
- 2011 A Sick Day for Amos McGee
- 2010 The Lion & the Mouse
- 2009 The House in the Night
- 2008 The Invention of Hugo Cabret
- 2007 Flotsam
- 2006 The Hello, Goodbye Window
- 2005 Kitten's First Full Moon
- 2004 The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
- 2003 My Friend Rabbit
- 2002 The Three Pigs
- 2001 So You Want to Be President?
- 2000 Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
- 1999 Snowflake Bentley
- 1998 Rapunzel
- 1997 Golem
- 1996 Officer Buckle and Gloria
- 1995 Smoky Night
- 1994 Grandfather's Journey
- 1993 Mirette on the High Wire
- 1992 Tuesday
- 1991 Black and White
- 1990 Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
- 1989 Song and Dance Man
- 1988 Owl Moon
- 1987 Hey, Al
- 1986 The Polar Express
- 1985 Saint George and the Dragon
- 1984 The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot
- 1983 Shadow
- 1982 Jumanji
- 1981 Fables
- 1980 Ox-Cart Man
- 1979 The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
- 1978 Noah's Ark
- 1977 Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
- 1976 Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
- 1975 Arrow to the Sun
- 1974 Duffy and the Devil
- 1973 The Funny Little Woman
- 1972 One Fine Day
- 1971 A Story a Story
- 1970 Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
- 1969 The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
- 1968 Drummer Hoff
- 1967 Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
- 1966 Always Room for One More
- 1965 May I Bring a Friend?
- 1964 Where the Wild Things Are
- 1963 The Snowy Day
- 1962 Once a Mouse
- 1961 Baboushka and the Three Kings
- 1960 Nine Days to Christmas
- 1959 Chanticleer and the Fox
- 1958 Time of Wonder
- 1957 A Tree Is Nice
- 1956 Frog Went A-Courtin'
- 1955 Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper
- 1954 Madeline's Rescue
- 1953 The Biggest Bear
- 1952 Finders Keepers
- 1951 The Egg Tree
- 1950 Song of the Swallows
- 1949 The Big Snow
- 1948 White Snow, Bright Snow
- 1947 The Little Island
- 1946 The Rooster Crows
- 1945 Prayer for a Child
- 1944 Many Moons
- 1943 The Little House
- 1942 Make Way for Ducklings
- 1941 They Were Strong and Good
- 1940 Abraham Lincoln
- 1939 Mei Li
- 1938 Animals of the Bible, A Picture Book
- 2008 The Hunger Games
- 2005 The Book Thief
- 2002 Coraline
- 2000 The Amber Spyglass
- 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- 1952 Charlotte's Web
- 1943 The Little Prince
- 1937 The Hobbit
- 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh
- 1911 The Secret Garden
- 1908 Anne of Green Gables
- 1908 The Wind in the Willows
- 1894 The Jungle Book
- 1883 The Adventures of Pinocchio
- 1883 Treasure Island
- 1880 Heidi
- 1877 Black Beauty
- 1871 Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There
- 1865 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland