Caldecott and Newbery award winners

The Caldecott Medal winner

The Lion and the Mouse written and illustrated

by Jerry Pinkney

Little, Brown and Company Books, 2009.

The award winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney immediately grabs readers in this version of the classic tale from Aesop. One look at the cover proves a picture is worth a thousand words. The almost wordless narrative follows the action of the lion's capture and his rescue by the mouse as the watercolor and colored pencil illustrations take young readers deep into the African Serengeti. For ages 4 to 8 years old.

Caldecott Honor books

All the World

written by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrations by Marla Frazee

Beach Lane Books, 2009.

In a book reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's bedtime lullaby, Goodnight Moon, Scanlon and Frazee captured a cozy look at summer in a child-centered world. The pencil and watercolor illustrations show a multicultural family at the beach, farmer's market, following them from day to night. The rhyming couplets blend with Frazee's pictures like a favorite song. For ages 5-9.

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors

by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.

In spring, "red sings from treetops, each note dropping like a cherry into my ear." Young readers discover the magic of each season's colors, from crushed purple berries and blue water, to pink, warm fingers against cold cheeks. Sidman's evocative prose and Zagarenski's rich palettes are another winning collaboration from the creators of This is Just to Say. For ages 4 to 8.

Newbery Medal winner

When You Reach Me

by Rebecca Stead

Wendy Lamb Books, 2009.

In this story set in the 1970s, Miranda's Mom is selected to appear on the game show, The $20,000 Pyramid. But strange notes appear in their apartment and Miranda, a fan of the novel A Wrinkle in Time, believes they are from a time traveler. This intriguing mystery pulls readers in and takes them through time and space. For ages 11 to 14.

Newbery Honor books

Claudette Colvin:

Twice Toward Justice

by Phillip Hoose

Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2009.

Nine months before Rosa Parks made history Claudette Colvin was arrested and jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a bus. This is her story. For age 12 and up.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

by Jacqueline Kelly

Henry Holt and Company, 2009.

Calpurnia Tate's future seems nonexistent at the turn of the 20th century in this coming of age novel about girls, science and reaching for the stars. For ages 11 to 14.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

by Grace Lin

Little Brown and Company Books for Young Readers, 2009.

Minli leaves her mountain home and learns the true meaning of joy in this Chinese folktale. For ages 9 to 12.

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

The Blue Sky Press, 2009.

This Civil War story is filled with Homer's tall tales, as well as the horrors of war, the injustice of slavery and the definition of bravery. For ages 9 to 12. The winners were announced for the newest Caldecott and Newbery awards, the Oscars of children's literature. by Sharon Zoumbaris

Source: Tidewater Parent Magazine