A national committee of people concerned with the quality of children's book and their social values is responsible for making the choices each year. Books may be submitted by the publishers themselves or requested by the committee. Books for preschool through high school ages are eligible. This includes translations or titles published in English in other countries. In 1993, a picture book category was added to the award.
Announcement of the award is made every fall on the anniversary of Jane Addams' birth, September 6. The award-winning author receives a hand-illuminated scroll, silver seals are placed on the book jacket by the publisher. Honor books are also chosen and honor scrolls given in recognition.
The Hans Christian Anderson Award is presented every two years to one author and one illustrator in recognition of his or her body of work.
This year, 1998, Anderson Award winners were announed on April 2. The author award went to Katherine Paterson. Other finalists were Ruskin Bond and Brian Dole.
The illustrator award was presented to Tomi Ungerer (France). Other finalists were Dick Bruna (Netherlands) and Binette Schroeder (Germany).
The Laura Ingalls Wilder award is presented once every three years to an author or illustrator for an entire body of work. This year it was presented to Russel Freedman. Other winners have included Virginia Hamilton and Marcia Brown.
The Margeret A. Edwards Award for Outstanding Literature for Young Adults is awarded to an author for lifetime achievement in writing for teenagers. It is given to an author whose work helps teenagers to better understand themselves and their world. The 1998 winner was Madeleine L"Engle. Gary Paulsen was the winner in 1997 and Judy Blume the winner in 1996.
Winners of the first Alex Awards honoring the best adult books for teenagers have been announced by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The fiction titles selected are: The Secret Family:Twenty-four Hours Inside the Nysterious Worlds of Our Minds and Bodies by David Bodanis, What Girls Learn by Karin Cook and Snow In August by Pete Hamill
Non-fiction titles: Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America by Rebecca Carroll. The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger.
Go To Page: 1 2
