Newbery and Caldecott Award Differences

The Newbery and Caldecott awards are both very prestigious medals given to outstanding authors and illustrators. However, there are differences between them. The Newbery medal, adopted in 1922 by the American Library Association's Executive Board, was named for the eighteenth-century English influential bookseller, John Newbery. This bronze-colored medal is awarded annually to an author of the "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year." Whether the form of work is poetry, fiction, or non-fiction, committee members are to consider the literary qualities featured within the book such as the interpretation of theme, development of the plot, and should also consider elements like characters, setting, and organization. In addition to the Newbery award, the committee also chooses other quality books for honorable mention.
The Caldecott medal, on the other hand, is awarded annually to the illustrator of "the most distinguished American picture book for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year." This bronze-colored medal, named in honor of nineteenth-century well-known illustrator, Randolph J. Caldecott, originated in 1937 after many people expressed that, like authors of children's books, the artists were deserving of honor as well. The selection committee should consider aspects such as high-quality artistic technique, pictorial interpretation of the story, including the theme, characters, plot, setting, and mood, as well as how well the illustrations recognize a child's audience. In addition to the Caldecott medal, the committee also chooses other quality books for honorable mention.
In my opinion, both Newbery and Caldecott awards are equally impressive. Both awards showcase high-quality children's books. Both literature and illustrations can greatly enhance the overall quality of a book. For example, after reading Caldecott Honor book, When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry, author and illustrator Molly Bang uses combinations of warm and cool colors to depict Sophie's moods. I feel this feature was very effective. Likewise, after reading Newbery Honor book, Rules, I felt the author's development of the theme and characters were phenomenal. While the Newbery and Caldecott medals vary in criteria, both awards have an amazing reputation for distinguished children's books.

Resources:
http://www.ala.org/alsc/newbery.html

http://www.ala.org/alsc/caldecott.html