Caldecott, Newbery and Other Children's Book Awards

Selections from the 2014 American Library Association Awards

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

“Locomotive,” illustrated by Brian Floca, is the 2014 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Brian Floca. Atheneum, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. 

A richly detailed visual exploration of America’s early railroads that examines the sounds, speed, and strength of the fledgling transcontinental locomotives and the experiences of pioneering travelers.

Brian Floca

Brian Floca was born and raised in Temple, Texas. He graduated from Brown University and received his MFA from the School of Visual Arts.

While at Brown, Brian was able to take classes at the neighboring Rhode Island School of Design, including one class with author and illustrator David Macaulay. Studies with Macaulay led to an introduction to the author Avi, which in turn led to Brian's illustrating Avi's graphic novel City of Light, City of Dark, published by Richard Jackson at Orchard Books.

He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Three Caldecott Honor Books also were named:

“Journey,” written and illustrated by Aaron Becker and published by Candlewick Press;

“Flora and the Flamingo,” written and illustrated by Molly Idle and published by Chronicle Books

“Mr. Wuffles!” written and illustrated by David Wiesner and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

 John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

“Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures,” written by Kate DiCamillo, is the 2014 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Candlewick Press.

Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic Flora Belle Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and flight after being revived.

What a zany bunch of characters! Very clever, comic writing--"I laughed, I cried"--I did laugh out loud a lot in this tale and I did also find it very moving--it was a touching, warm-hearted wildly comic adventure. Leon

Kate DiCamillo

I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Clermont, Florida, and currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I write for both children and adults and I like to think of myself as a storyteller.

Here are a few more facts about me: I am short. And loud. I hate to cook and love to eat. I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt to three lovely children (Luke, Roxanne, and Max) and one not so lovely dog (Henry).

I think of myself as an enormously lucky person: I get to tell stories for a living.

Four Newbery Honor Books also were named:

“Doll Bones,” written by Holly Black. Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster

“The Year of Billy Miller,” written by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow, HarperCollins Publishers;

“One Came Home,” written by Amy Timberlake. Alfred A. Knopf, Random House

“Paperboy,” written by Vince Vawter. Delacorte Press, Random House

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

“P.S. Be Eleven,” written by Rita Williams-Garcia, is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

The Gaither sisters return to Brooklyn, where they adapt to new feelings of independence while managing changes large and small, from Pa’s new girlfriend to a very different Uncle Darnell’s return from Vietnam.

Rita Williams-Garcia

“I was born in Queens, N.Y, on April 13, 1957. My mother, Miss Essie, named me ‘NoMo’ immediately after my birth. Although I was her last child, I took my time making my appearance. I like to believe I was dreaming up a good story and wouldn’t budge until I was finished. Even now, my daughters call me ‘Pokey Mom’, because I slow poke around when they want to go-go-go.

“I learned to read early, and was aware of events going on as I grew up in the 60s. In the midst of real events, I daydreamed and wrote stories. Writing stories for young people is my passion and my mission.”

She recently served on the National Book Award Committee for Young People’s Literature and is on faculty at Vermont College MFA Writing for Children and Young People.

Three King Author Honor Books were selected:

“March: Book One,” written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Top Shelf Productions;

“Darius & Twig,” written by Walter Dean Myers. Amistad, HarperCollins Publishers;

“Words with Wings,” written by Nikki Grimes. WordSong, an imprint of Highlights.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award:

“Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Daniel Beaty. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 

A boy wakes up one morning to find his father gone. At first, he feels lost. But his father has left him a letter filled with advice to guide him through the times he cannot be there.

Bryan Collier

Bryan Collier grew up in Pocomoke, Maryland, on the lower Eastern Shore of the state, the youngest of six children. As a teenager he began to paint the world around him – the bay, ducks, water, and marshland.

In 1985 Bryan won first place in a Congressional Competition, and his art was displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Later that year he was awarded a scholarship to Pratt Institute in New York City and graduated with honors with a bachelor of fine arts degree in 1989.

Soon after this he made the decision to focus his time and attention on illustrating children’s books. It was not easy getting his art published; Bryan tried for seven years before he got his break with the publication of his book, Uptown.

One King Illustrator Honor Book was selected:

“Nelson Mandela,” illustrated and written by Kadir Nelson and published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award:

“When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop,” illustrated by Theodore Taylor III, is the Steptoe winner. The book is published by Roaring Brook Press. 

An introduction to pioneering DJ Clive Campbell describes how he devised new ways of playing music between dance songs, sharing insight into his youth in 1970s Jamaica and the Bronx, and how his musical achievements helped counter gang violence. 

Theodore Taylor III

My name is Theodore Taylor III, born in Roanoke, Virginia and currently living and working in Washington, D.C. 

I studied illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University. My skills include drawing, graphic design, web design, photography and casual beat making. I also happen to be a pizza connoisseur.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

“Midwinterblood,” written by Marcus Sedgwick, is the 2014 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. 

Seven linked vignettes of passion and love unfold on a Scandinavian island inhabited throughout various time periods by Vikings, vampires, ghosts, and a curiously powerful plant that resembles a dragon.

Marcus Sedgwick

Marcus Sedgwick was born in East Kent in the South-east of England. He now divides his time between a small village near Cambridge and the French Alps.

Alongside a 16-year career in publishing he established himself as a widely-admired writer of YA fiction.

Marcus was Writer in Residence at Bath Spa University for three years, and has taught creative writing at Arvon and Ty Newydd.

He has illustrated some of his books, and has provided wood-engravings for private press publications.

Four Printz Honor Books also were named:

“Eleanor & Park,” written by Rainbow Rowell and published by St. Martin’s Griffin (Macmillan);

“Kingdom of Little Wounds,” written by Susann Cokal and published by Candlewick Press;

“Maggot Moon,” written by Sally Gardner, ill by J Crouch and published by Candlewick Press; 

“Navigating Early,” written by Clare Vanderpool. Delacorte Books, Random House, Penguin

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States:

“Mister Orange” is the 2014 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in Dutch in 2011 as “Mister Orange,” the book was written by Truus Matti, translated by Laura Watkinson, and published by Enchanted Lion Books. 

In 1943 New York City, Young Linus Muller makes deliveries for his family grocery store while his brother is fighting in Europe and strikes up a friendship with an artist who he calls Mr. Orange because he can’t remember his foreign name.

Truus Matti

Truus Matti (b. 1961) has worked as an editor and production coordinator at a number of different publishing houses. As she wanted to develop her own stories, she applied to study at the Rietveld Academy, where she created stories in the form of films and animation. 

Over time, her focus shifted to writing: Vertrektijd (Departure Time, 2007) was her debut as a novelist. She lives in Netherlands.

Three Batchelder Honor Books also were selected:

“The Bathing Costume or the Worst Vacation of My Life,” written by Charlotte Moundlic, illustrated by Olivier Tallec, translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick, Enchanted Lion Books;

“My Father’s Arms Are a Boat,” written by Stein Erik Lunde, illustrated by Øyvind Torseter, translated by Kari Dickson, and published by Enchanted Lion Books;

“The War Within These Walls,” written by Aline Sax, illustrated by Caryl Strzelecki, translated by Laura Watkinson, and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:

“Niño Wrestles the World,” illustrated by Yuyi Morales, is the Belpré Illustrator Award winner.  The book was written by Yuyi Morales and published by Roaring Brook Press.

Lucha Libre champion Niño has no trouble fending off monstrous opponents, but when his little sisters awaken from their naps, he is in for a no-holds-barred wrestling match that will truly test his skills.

Yuyi Morales

I was born in the city of flowers, Xalapa, Mexico, where the springs came out from the sand, or so the story says.

Once I was a child, but I spent most of that time thinking about extraterrestrials and waiting for them to come in their UFO to take me away.

I tried to be a psychic; I wanted to move things with my mind. I practice to be an acrobat too—and broke many things at home. Then I grew and became an artist and a writer. Oh, well.

When I grow old I dream in becoming a professional liar. You know, those kind of people that tell stories and everybody goes, “Ahh, Ohh!"

Three Belpré Illustrator Honor Books were selected:

“Maria Had a Little Llama / María Tenía una Llamita,” illustrated and written by Angela Dominguez and published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC;

“Tito Puente: Mambo King / Rey del Mambo,” illustrated by Rafael López, written by Monica Brown and published by Rayo, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers;

“Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale,” illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. 

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:

“Parrots over Puerto Rico,” written by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore, and illustrated by Susan L. Roth, is the Sibert Award winner. The book is published by LEE & LOW BOOKS, Inc. 

Presents a history of the Puerto Rican parrot and the island of Puerto Rico, discussing the efforts being made to protect and manage the parrot which is an endangered species.

Susan L. Roth (on the left)

Born: New York City

Childhood: Madison, Wisconsin

Young adult: San Francisco Bay area, California

Adult and Present: Washington, D.C.; Bethesda, MD; Baltimore, MD; New York City

M.A.: 1968, Mills College, Oakland, California; Printmaking, Art History

Married, three children, two grandchildren

Author/Illustrator of over 40 books

Primary artistic medium: collage

Cindy Trumbore (on the right)

Cindy Kane Trumbore began writing children's books in 1999, publishing four nonfiction books for classrooms with Modern Curriculum Press and a fantasy novel for grades 2-5, The Genie in the Book, in 2004. Her award-winning picture book, The Mangrove Tree, which she co-wrote with Susan L. Roth, with collages by Susan L. Roth, was also published by Lee and Low (May 2011).

Four Sibert Honor Books were named:

“A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin,” written by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House

“Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard,” written and illustrated by Annette LeBlanc Cate and published by Candlewick Press;

“Locomotive,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing;

“The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius,” written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck 

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers:

“The Watermelon Seed,” written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, is the Geisel Award winner. The book is published by Disney Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group. 

An endearing little crocodile accidentally swallows a watermelon seed and envisions worst-case scenarios, from vines sprouting from his ears to his crocodile skin turning pink.

Greg Pizzoli

Greg Pizzoli is an author, illustrator and screen printer from Philadelphia.

His first picture book, The Watermelon Seed, was published by Disney*Hyperion Books in 2013. Greg has more books in the works with Disney*Hyperion, Viking, Candlewick, and FSG.

Greg's work has been featured in Communication Arts, 3x3 Illustration Annuals and he's won two Portfolio Honor Awards from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

After college, Greg spent two years as a full-time volunteer in AmeriCORPS from 2005-2006. In 2009, he received his MFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he now teaches.

He recently gave up drinking (as much) coffee.

His screenprinted works have been exhibited in the United States, Canada, Spain and The Netherlands. His hand-printed artist books are in various collections throughout the country, including The Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Three Geisel Honor Books were named:

“Ball,” written and illustrated by Mary Sullivan and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company;

“A Big Guy Took My Ball!” written and illustrated by Mo Willems and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group;

“Penny and Her Marble,” written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes and published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

“Charm & Strange,” written by Stephanie Kuehn, is the 2014 Morris Award winner. The book is published by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, a division of Macmillan.

Exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy and harboring a secret dread that he will turn into a vicious wolf just like his father, Andrew struggles with violent impulses and battles painful memories of a fateful summer that led to his isolation.

Stephanie Kuehn

I grew up in Berkeley, California, which is a quirky sort of a place with a ton of wonderful bookstores. My very first job was working in one of those bookstores, and I’ve been a freakishly avid reader for as long as I can remember. Back then, some of the books that had the greatest impact on my life were young adult novels, and now, as an adult, I’ve found my own passion in writing books for teens.

Other passions of mine include mental health advocacy, social justice, and sports of all kinds. When I’m not writing or reading (or studying for graduate school), I’m usually outside running or playing with my family. I currently live in Northern California with my husband, three kids, and our menagerie of pets. Life is loud, joyous, and filled with animal hair.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my last name is pronounced keen. I know! I don’t get it either.

Four other books were finalists for the award:

“Sex & Violence,” written by Carrie Mesrobian and published by Carolrhoda LAB, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group

“Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets,” written by Evan Roskos and published by Houghton Mifflin, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

“Belle Epoque,” written by Elizabeth Ross and published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books

“In the Shadow of Blackbirds,” written by Cat Winters and published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults: 

“The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi,” written by Neal Bascomb, is the 2014 Excellence winner. The book is published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc. 

Recounts how, sixteen years after the end of World War II, a team of undercover Israeli agents captured the Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann, in a remote area of Argentina and brought him to trial in Israel for crimes committed during the Holocaust.

Neal Bascomb

Born in Denver, CO 1971Raised in St. Louis, MO. Product of public schools and many hours on the ice rink playing hockey.Graduated from Miami University (Oxford, OH). Phi Beta Kappa with a dual degree in Economics and English Literature.Worked first as a journalist in London and Dublin. Moved to New York where he became an editor at St. Martin's Press, followed by another stint overseas as a columnist for a Parisian magazine. Turned to writing books full-time in 2000.Published four books in the years since.

       Bascomb's books have been optioned for film, featured in several documentaries, and been translated in over ten languages. He has also written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times.Lives in Philadelphia, PA with his wife and two daughters.

Four other books were finalists for the award:

“Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design,” written by Chip Kidd and published by Workman Publishing Company

“Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II,” written by Martin W. Sandler and published by Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.

“Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles, America’s First Black Paratroopers,” written by Tanya Lee Stone and published by Candlewick Press

“The President Has Been Shot! The Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” written by James L. Swanson and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.