| Caldecott Medal: A long time ago, books for children did not have all the interesting and colorful illustrations that they do today. Randolph Caldecott was an illustrator in England in the 1800s. He drew pictures for children's books that were exciting to look at. The Caldecott Medal was named after him. The Caldecott Medal is an award given to an illustrator of children's picture books. Many wonderful picture books are published every year. It is not always easy to decide which book should get the prizes. One book wins a gold medal and 2 or 3 books win a silver medal. A committee of 15 people, who are members of the American Library Association, picks the winner of the Caldecott Medal. The members of the committee read each book and study the pictures. They talk about the illustrations in the book. Are they interesting? Do they help tell the story? Do they stand out from other picture books? The committee must agree on only one book. However, the committee may choose books as “runners-up”. There are called Honor Books. |