This Year’s Book Winners

Cynthia Kadohata, author of “Kira-Kira,” and Kevin Henkes, illustrator and author of “Kitten’s First Full Moon,” are the 2005 winners of the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott medals, the most prestigious awards in children’s literature. They were among the award winners announced today by the American Library Association (ALA) during its Midwinter Meeting in Boston. Considered the “Academy Awards” of children’s book publishing, the Newbery and Caldecott medals honor outstanding writing and illustration of works published in the United States during the previous year.
In Kadohata’s winning book, two sisters lie on their backs, watching the stars and repeating the Japanese word for “glittering” – “kira-kira.” Like this quiet opening scene, the tenderly nuanced novel glitters with plain and poignant words that describe the strong love within a Japanese American family from the point of view of younger sister Katie. Personal challenges and family tragedy are set against the oppressive social climate of the South during the 1950s and early 1960s. “Kira-Kira,” is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
“With compelling quietude that makes room for both pathos and humor, this luminous novel takes us on Katie Takeshima’s journey through a childhood punctuated by prejudice, poverty and family tragedy,” said Newbery Award Chair Susan Faust. “Young readers will be drawn into a narrative that radiates hope from the inside out.”
The 2005 Caldecott Medal for illustration is awarded to Henkes for “Kitten’s First Full Moon,” published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Henkes employs boldly outlined organic shapes and shades of black, white and gray with rose undertones on creamy paper to tell a simple story of a kitten who mistakes the moon for a bowl of milk. The moon, the flowers, the fireflies’ lights and the kitten’s eyes create a comforting circle motif. The gouache and colored pencil illustrations project a varied page design that rhythmically paces the spare text. “Thoughtful design, from the front jacket with reflective silver letters to the final image, sustains a completely satisfying read-aloud experience,” said Caldecott Award Chair Betsy Hearne. “Kitten's frustration and eventual triumph—emotions familiar to young children—find artistic expression in a meticulously crafted book with classic appeal.”
Three Newbery Honor Books were named: “Al Capone Does My Shirts,” by Gennifer Choldenko and published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group; “The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights,” by Russell Freedman and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin; and “Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy,” by Gary D. Schmidt and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin.
Three Caldecott Honor Books were named: “The Red Book,” illustrated and written by Barbara Lehman and published by Houghton Mifflin Company; “Coming on Home Soon,” illustrated by E.B. Lewis, written by Jacqueline Woodson and published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group; “Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale,” illustrated and written by Mo Willems and published by Hyperion Books for Children.
The awards are administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the ALA.
Coretta Scott King AwardToni Morrison, author of “Remember: The Journey to School Integration,” and Kadir Nelson, illustrator of “Ellington Was Not a Street,” are the winners of the 2005 Coretta Scott King Awards honoring African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults. Barbara Hathaway, author of “Missy Violet and Me,” is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award winner; and Frank Morrison, illustrator of “Jazzy Miz Mozetta,” is the Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award winner.
“Remember: The Journey to School Integration,” published by Houghton Mifflin Company, is Morrison’s first historical work for young people using archival photographs to take the reader on a journey remembering “the narrow path, the open door and the wide road” to integration.
“What a treasure! Toni’s powerful words combine the experiences of school integration with simple text and archival photographs,” said King Award Chair Chrystal Carr Jeter. “In this easy-to-read book, readers are asked to remember and understand the past, present and future of African Americans in society.”
In “Ellington Was Not a Street,” published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Nelson evokes the feelings of a family album in rich, deep-toned oil paintings which provide a tribute to the legendary African American men whose contributions changed the culture of 20th-century America.
“Nelson’s illustrations effectively depict this era in history known as the Harlem Renaissance,” said Jeter. “They offer an understanding of the relationships among the company of men ‘who changed the world.’” Ntozake Shange’s poem “Mood Indigo” serves as the text of this picture book, while Nelson’s eye for detail of the family setting, facial expressions of the guests, and their physical characteristics are exquisitely rendered.