LibGuides: Caldecott Medal: 2020s

2020-2029

2020s

To see the complete list of winners and honor books please click here.

Winner

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander; Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)
Call Number: Juv 811.6 ALE

ISBN: 9781328780966

Publication Date: 2019-04-02

Originally performed for ESPN's The Undefeated, this poem is a love letter to black life in the United States. It highlights the unspeakable trauma of slavery, the faith and fire of the civil rights movement, and the grit, passion, and perseverance of some of the world's greatest heroes. The text is also peppered with references to the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and others, offering deeper insights into the accomplishments of the past, while bringing stark attention to the endurance and spirit of those surviving and thriving in the present. Robust back matter at the end provides valuable historical context and additional detail for those wishing to learn more.

Honor Books

Bear Came Along by Morris, Richard T. ; LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)
Call Number: PS MOR (Preschool fiction)

ISBN: 9780316464475

Publication Date: 2019-06-04

An assortment of animals living separate lives discover they need each other when they have a chance encounter on a river.
The Double Bass Blues by Loney, Andrea J. ; Rudy Gutierrez
Call Number: Easy LON

ISBN: 9781524718527

Publication Date: 2019-10-22

After school orchestra practice, young Nic carries his double bass through rough neighborhoods to his grandfather's home, where he and Grandaddy Nic play jazz music with friends, delighting the neighbors.
Going Down Home with Daddy by Lyons, Kelly Starling ; Daniel Minter (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy LYO

ISBN: 9781561459384

Publication Date: 2019-04-01

Alan looks forward to the annual family reunion at the farm where Daddy grew up, but everyone is supposed to share something special and Alan worries about arriving with empty hands.

WINNER

We Are Water Protectors by Lindstrom, Carole ; Michaela Goade (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy LIN (Easy Fiction)

ISBN: 9781250203557

Publication Date: 2020-03-17

Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all... When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people's water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth's most sacred resource. Inspired by the many indigenous-led movements across North America, this bold and lyrical picture book issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth's water from harm and corruption.

HONOR BOOKS

Me and Mama by Cozbi A. Cabrera (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy CAB (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9781534454217

Publication Date: 2020-08-25

For a little girl on a rainy day, the best place to be is with Mama.
The Cat Man of Aleppo by Karim Shamsi-Basha; Irene Latham; Yuko Shimizu (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy B ALJ (Easy biography)

ISBN: 9781984813787

Publication Date: 2020-04-14

The Caldecott Honor-winning true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, who in the midst of the Syrian Civil War courageously offered safe haven to Aleppo's abandoned cats. Aleppo's city center no longer echoes with the rich, exciting sounds of copper-pot pounding and traditional sword sharpening. His neighborhood is empty except for the many cats left behind. Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay. He can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.
A Place Inside of Me : a poem to heal the heart by Zetta Elliott; Noa Denmon (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy ELL (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780374307417

Publication Date: 2020-07-21

Illustrations and easy-to-read text express a child's awareness of being filled with deep emotions, from joy to sorrow and anger to compassion, but above all, love.

WINNER

Watercress by Andrea Wang; Jason Chin (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy WAN (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780823446247

Publication Date: 2021-03-30

Embarrassed about gathering watercress from a roadside ditch, a girl learns to appreciate her Chinese heritage after learning why the plant is so important to her parents.

HONOR BOOKS

Have You Ever Seen a Flower? illustrated & written by Shawn Harris
Mel Fell illustrated & written by Corey R. Tabor
Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre illustrated by Floyd COpper, written by Carol Boston Weatherford
Wonder Walkers illustrated & written by Micha Archer

Have You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn Harris (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy HAR (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9781452182704

Publication Date: 2021-05-04

A child experiences a flower by seeing its colors, smelling its fragrance, and imagining a tiny world within it.
Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy TAB (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780062878014

Publication Date: 2021-02-02

Readers will delight in turning their book sideways and upside down to follow Mel on her journey from downward fall to triumphant flight in this tale of self-confidence and taking a leap of faith. An especially enjoyable and satisfying read-aloud! Sometimes, you might fall down, down, down, before you learn to fly up, up, up...
Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford; Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)
Call Number: Juv 976.6 WEA (Juvenile nonfiction)

ISBN: 9781541581203

Publication Date: 2021-02-02

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, an armed mob looted homes and businesses as Black families fled. The police did nothing to protect Greenwood, and as many as three hundred African Americans were killed, most buried in unmarked graves. Thousands were left homeless. No official investigation occurred until seventy-five years later. Unspeakable helps young readers understand the events of the Tulsa, Oklahoma race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history.
Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer (Illustrator)
Call Number: Easy ARC (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780593109649

Publication Date: 2021-03-30

Two curious children go for a walk, asking imaginative questions about the natural beauty that surrounds them.

WINNER: Hot Dog illustrated & written by Doug Salati

Hot Dog by Doug Salati
Call Number: Easy SAL (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780593308431

Publication Date: 2022-05-24

A summery picture book about mindfulness, featuring an overheated--and overwhelmed--canine in need of sea, sand, and fresh air.

HONOR BOOKS

Ain't Burned All the Bright illustrated by Jason Griffin, written by Jason Reynolds
Berry Song illustrated & written by Micahela Goade
Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement illustrated by Janelle Washington, written by Angela Joy
Knight Owl illustrated & written by Christopher Denise

Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds; Jason Griffin (Illustrator)
Call Number: YA F REY-J (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9781534439467

Publication Date: 2022-01-11

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin, had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW. And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.
Berry Song by Michaela Goade
Call Number: EASY GOA (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780316494175

Publication Date: 2022-07-19

As a young Tlingit girl collects wild berries over the seasons, she sings with her Grandmother as she learns to speak to the land and listen when the land speaks back.
Choosing Brave : how Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy; Janelle Washington (Illustrator)
Call Number: JUV B TIL (Juvenile biography)

ISBN: 9781250220950

Publication Date: 2022-09-06

The story of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement.
Knight Owl by Christopher Denise
Call Number: Easy DEN (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780316310628

Publication Date: 2022-03-15

After achieving his dream of becoming a knight, a small owl protects the castle from a hungry dragon.

WINNER

Big by Vashti Harrison

Big by Vashti Harrison
Call Number: EASY HAR (Easy fiction)

ISBN: 9780316353229

Publication Date: 2023-05-02

Praised for acting like a big girl when she is small, as a young girl grows, "big" becomes a word of criticism, until the girl realizes that she is fine just the way she is.

HONOR BOOKS

In Every Life by Marla Frazee
Jovita Wore Pants: the Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter illustrated by Molly Mendoza ; written by Aida Salazar
There Was a Party for Langston illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey ; written by Jason Reynolds
The Truth About Dragons illustrated by Hanna Cha ; written by Julie Leung

In Every Life by Marla Frazee (Illustrator)
Call Number: EASY FRA

ISBN: 9781665912488

Publication Date: 2023-02-07

A picture book celebrating both the highs and lows that everyone experiences in the course of a life.
Jovita Wore Pants : the story of a Mexican freedom fighter by Aida Salazar; Molly Mendoza (Illustrator)
Call Number: EASY B VAL (Easy biography)

ISBN: 9781338283419

Publication Date: 2023-03-07

Jovita didn't want to cook and clean like her sisters, and she especially didn't want to wear the skirts her abuela gave her. She wanted to race her brothers and climb the tallest mesquite trees in Rancho Palos Blancos, ride horses, and wear pants! When her father and brothers joined the Cristeros War to fight for the right to practice religion, she wanted to help. She wasn't allowed to fight, but that didn't stop her from observing how her father strategized and familiarizing herself with the terrain. When tragedy struck, she did the only thing that felt right to her--cut her hair, donned a pair of pants, and continued the fight, commanding a battalion who followed her without question. Jovita Wore Pants is the story of a trailblazing revolutionary who fought for her freedom, told by her great niece, bestselling author Aida Salazar, and illustrated by Molly Mendoza.
There Was a Party for Langston by Jason Reynolds; Jerome Pumphrey (Illustrator); Jarrett Pumphrey (Illustrator)
Call Number: EASY B HUG

ISBN: 9781534439443

Publication Date: 2023-10-03

A celebration of Langston Hughes and African American authors he inspired, told through the lens of the party held at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1991.
The Truth about Dragons by Julie Leung; Hanna Cha (Illustrator)
Call Number: EASY LEU

ISBN: 9781250820587

Publication Date: 2023-08-15

In a mix of Eastern and Western mythologies, a mother tells her child about two forests inhabited by different, but equally enchanting dragons that coexist within the child's heart.

WINNER

Chooch Helped illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz ; written by Andrea L. Rogers

Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers; Rebecca Lee Kunz (Illustrator)
Call Number: PS ROG / EASY ROG

ISBN: 9781646144549

Publication Date: 2024-10-08

Chooch Helped is a universal story of an older sibling learning to make space for a new child, told with grace by Andrea L. Rogers and stunning art from Rebecca Lee Kunz showing one Cherokee family practicing their cultural traditions.

HONOR BOOKS

Home in a Lunchbox illustrated & written by Cherry Mo
My Daddy is a Cowboy illustrated by C.G. Esperanza ; written by Stephanie Seales
Noodles on a Bicycle illustrated by Gracie Zhang ; written by Kyo Maclear
Up, Up, Ever Up! : Junko Tabei : a Life in the Mountains illustrated by Yuko Shimizu ; written by Anita Yasuda

Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo (Illustrator)
Call Number: EASY MO

ISBN: 9780593661345

Publication Date: 2024-06-11

After moving to America from Hong Kong, Jun feels isolated at her new school but discovers a sense of home in the familiar foods and flavors she finds in her lunchbox.
My Daddy Is a Cowboy : a picture book by Stephanie Seales; C. G. Esperanza (Illustrator)
Call Number: EASY SEA

ISBN: 9781419760815

Publication Date: 2024-06-11

While a young Panamanian American girl and her father share "just-us" time on an early morning horseback ride around their town, he tells her cowboy stories and she realizes she is a cowboy too.
Mi Papá Es un Cowboy = My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie SEALES; C. G. ESPERANZA (Illustrator)
Call Number: EASY SEA SPA

ISBN: 9798890982469

Publication Date: 2024-12-03

Antes del amanecer, una nina y su papa cepillan sus caballos y salen a recorrer juntos las calles de una ciudad que despierta lentamente. Mientras trotan, Papa cuenta historias de vaqueros, de amistad y orgullo. La pequena descubre que ella tambien se siente fuerte y acompanada mientras monta a caballo, como los cowboys. Ella tambien es uno de ellos. Escrito de manera reflexiva y lirica por Stephanie Seales, este album ilustrado tiene las vibrantes ilustraciones de C. G. Esperanza, galardonado con los premios Coretta Scott King y Pura Belpre por sus trabajos previos.

Caldecott Medal

2020s

Winner

Honor Books

WINNER

HONOR BOOKS

WINNER

HONOR BOOKS

Have You Ever Seen a Flower? illustrated & written by Shawn Harris

Mel Fell illustrated & written by Corey R. Tabor

Unspeakable : the Tulsa Race Massacre illustrated by Floyd COpper, written by Carol Boston Weatherford

Wonder Walkers illustrated & written by Micha Archer

WINNER: Hot Dog illustrated & written by Doug Salati

HONOR BOOKS

Ain't Burned All the Bright illustrated by Jason Griffin, written by Jason Reynolds

Berry Song illustrated & written by Micahela Goade

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement illustrated by Janelle Washington, written by Angela Joy

Knight Owl illustrated & written by Christopher Denise

WINNER

Big by Vashti Harrison

HONOR BOOKS

In Every Life by Marla Frazee

Jovita Wore Pants: the Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter illustrated by Molly Mendoza ; written by Aida Salazar

There Was a Party for Langston illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey ; written by Jason Reynolds

The Truth About Dragons illustrated by Hanna Cha ; written by Julie Leung

WINNER

Chooch Helped illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz ; written by Andrea L. Rogers

HONOR BOOKS

Home in a Lunchbox illustrated & written by Cherry Mo

My Daddy is a Cowboy illustrated by C.G. Esperanza ; written by Stephanie Seales

Noodles on a Bicycle illustrated by Gracie Zhang ; written by Kyo Maclear

Up, Up, Ever Up! : Junko Tabei : a Life in the Mountains illustrated by Yuko Shimizu ; written by Anita Yasuda