According to the ALA (2007), the Caldecott Award is a yearly award given "...to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." Created in response to the Newbery Award, the Caldecott Award was created to encourage good artistic endeavors in children's literature.
Although the Newbery Award originated first, it is not more important than the Caldecott Award. Nor is the Caldecott Award more important than the Newbery Award. Both are important in guaranteeing that children have worthwhile books to read, so that they develop of lifetime love of reading.
When I first started to read, I often chose my books based upon the illustrations. The books with the best, most interesting illustrations caught my attention, and those were the ones I read. As I read more and more books, I recognized that some of the books I chose had medals on their covers, so I started looking for more books with these medals. Not until I learned about Caldecott Medals in grade school, did I understand that others appreciated the artwork as much as I did.
As I became older, I became a better reader. As I learned about the Newbery Awards in school, I continued looking for books with medals. Afterall, the Caldecott Award-winning books had not failed me. For me, the medals on the front of the book meant that this was a good book. Being an avid reader, I wanted to read good books. The medals just made finding good books easier for me.
References
American Library Association. (2007). About the Caldecott Award. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/aboutcaldecott/aboutcaldecott.htm.
American Library Association. (2007). About the Newbery Award. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/aboutnewbery/aboutnewbery.htm.
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