Book award season is upon us, and we’re as excited as you are. Here is why you should check out this year’s Newbery, Caldecott, and Coretta Scott King award-winning books.

On Monday, January 30, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the winners of the 2023 Youth Media Awards. The Youth Media Awards annually bestows awards to creative and original works of literature for children and teens in several award categories. These include the prestigious Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, and Coretta Scott King Book Award. 

Award Criteria

Award-winning titles are renowned for their quality. Most book lovers might remember first hearing about these awards in elementary school, and the distinguished award seals added to the covers certainly help these winning books stand out on shelves. But what do each of these distinguished awards represent? When the ALA announced the 2023 award winners they specified,

• The Randolph Caldecott Medal awards the “most distinguished American picture book for children.”
• The John Newbery Medal selects the “most outstanding contribution to children’s literature.”
• The Coretta Scott King award recognizes “an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.”

2023 winners

The book Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson received both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Book Award. 

The children’s picture book Hot Dog by Doug Salati won the Caldecott Medal.

Praise for winning titles

The St. Joe County Public Library is home to a dedicated team of Children and Youth Librarians. What do staff have to say about this year’s winners?

• “What Doug Salati accomplishes with Hot Dog is one of my favorite feats in all of picture books: illustrations that tell a clear, nuanced, and heartfelt story without needing a word of text (though the book’s text is also good).”
  – Alexander Hess-Waldron, Youth Associate Librarian
• “Hot Dog is a book you can enjoy even without the words.  Salati’s detailed illustrations reveal a story that many of us have experienced: the draw of a cool sea breeze when faced with the hustle and bustle of life.”
  – Emily Assenmacher, Early Literacy Librarian

You can find Freewater, Hot Dog, and additional Youth Media Awards winners at the Library.