Honor books are literary works that have been chosen for their outstanding contributions to literature. There are a wide variety of book awards in the U.S. and throughout the world. Some award books are chosen by writers, illustrators, editors, or publishers, and many are chosen by adults. Others are selected by committee or by individuals for a specific criteria. The honor books presented here are those that have been awarded the Newbery Award for outstanding children's literature, the Caldecott Medal for outstanding picture books, or the Sequoyah Children's Book Award for literature.
Each year the Newbery Medal is awarded by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children's books published the previous year. In 1921, Frederic G. Melcher proposed to the American Library Association that a medal be given for the most distinguished children's book of the year. The Newbery Award became the first children's book award in the world. It is named for the eighteenth-century English book-seller John Newbery.
Some members ALA became concerned that quality children's picture books were not being considered for the Newbery Award. In response to that concern, the ALA created the Caldecott Medal. The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The first Caldecott medal was given in 1938.
The first [Oklahoma] Sequoyah Children's Book Award was
given in April, 1959, making the award the third oldest children's choice award
in the nation. This award is a students' choice award. It is given
annually, usually as an event at the Oklahoma Library Association's Annual
Conference. The Oklahoma Library Association named the award after Sequoyah,
inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. His statue is one of the two
representing Oklahoma in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The information above was gathered from the award groups' websites
[www.ala.org/alsc/caldecott.html] [www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html] and [www.oklibs.org/sequoyah/]