What is the Caldecott Medal?

The Caldecott Medal, named after the English illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846-86), has been awarded annually since 1938 “to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the US during the preceding year.”  The winner in the debut year was Helen Dean Fish’s Animals of the Bible, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lethrop.  In subsequent years many books have been honored that have gone on to be regarded as modern classics, among them Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, the winner in 1964.

The Caldecott Medal, named after the English illustrator Randolph Caldecott…