Children's illustrated books are a celebration of beauty, design, pattern, color, style, art, and story. Young children take pleasure in hearing a story read out loud, and thrill to the storytelling appeal of the artist's pictures. A significant element of the market for children's picture books is the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Award. Each year an illustrated children's book determined to be the most "distinguished" in terms of excellence and appeal to children is chosen as winner of the Caldecott Award Medal. This award has a venerable history dating back to 1937 when it was established to honor children's book illustrators. The previously created similar Newbury Award was established for writers of the most distinguished children's books.
The Caldecott Award was established in 1937 at the suggestion of Frederic G. Melcher who was co-editor of Publishers Weekly in New York City and founder of Children's Book Week - a man known for championing excellence in children's literature. It was at Melcher's suggestion also that the Newbury Award be set up in 1921. Ironically enough, though Caldecott himself was English, the Caldecott Award is reserved for books published in the U.S. during the previous year. A branch of the American Library Association (ALA) called the Association for Library Service to Children chooses a committee of fifteen members to make the final Caldecott Award selection. The committee chooses an unspecified number of honor awards as well.
Who is Randolph Caldecott?
The man who lends his name to this eminent award, Randolph Caldecott, grew up in the Shropshire countryside of England in the late 1800s. Around 1878 he began to work on the illustrations for nursery rhymes, poems, and stories that made him famous. No one before him had drawn such humorous animals or such reckless figures. His illustrations are indeed lovely, inspired, and original creations. His paintings are vigorous and expressive, showing lots of detail and displaying lots of action. His work owes much to the bold experiments going on in color printing at that time due to the efforts of master engraver Edmund Evans. Together with fellow artists Kate Greenaway and Walter Crane, Caldecott veritably ushered in a new era in children's picture books.
How is "Distinguished" Defined?
The Caldecott Award committee is given certain criteria for the daunting task of choosing the winning book. The criteria include originality and excellence of the illustrations, and the creation of a work that presents children with a noteworthy visual experience. They consider how the art is integral to the text and storyline of the book. In short, they must consider the many meanings of the word "distinguished." The ALA Web site lists the following criteria:
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