
Award Winners


2021 Winner:
When You Trap a Tiger
by Tae Keller
Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother.
Some stories refuse to stay bottled up...
When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal--return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health--Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger.
2021 Honor Books
All Thirteen
by Christina Soontornvat
BOX
by Carol Boston Weatherford
Fighting Words
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
We Dream of Space
by Erin Entrada Kelly
A Wish in the Dark
by Christina Soontornvat
Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
2021 Winner:
We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrome
Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all... When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people's water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth's most sacred resource. Inspired by the many indigenous-led movements across North America, this bold and lyrical picture book issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth's water from harm and corruption.

2021 Honor Books
A Place Inside Me
by Zetta Elliott
The Cat Man of
Aleppo
by Irene Latham, Karim Shamsi-Basha
Me & Mama
by Cozbi A. Cabrera
Outside In
by Deborah Underwood

Geisel Medal
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal honors the author and illustrator of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature known as beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year.
2021 Winner:
See the Cat: Three Stories about a Dog
by David LaRochelle
What happens when the book gets it wrong? Max is not a cat-- Max is a dog! But much to his dismay, this book keeps instructing readers to "see the cat." How can Max get through to the book that he is a dog? In a trio of stories for beginning readers, author David LaRochelle introduces the excitable Max, who lets the book know in irresistibly emphatic dialogue that the text is not to his liking. Illustrator Mike Wohnoutka hilariously depicts the pup's reactions to the narrator and to the wacky cast of characters who upend Max's-- and readers' --expectations as the three stories build to an immensely satisfying conclusion
2021 Honor Books
The Bear in my Family
by Maya Tatsukawa
What About Worms!?
by Ryan T. Higgins
Where's Baby?
by Anne Hunter

Coretta Scott King Book Award
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
2021 Author Winner:
Before the Ever After
by Jacqueline Woodson
ZJ's friends Ollie, Darry and Daniel help him cope when his father, a beloved professional football player, suffers severe headaches and memory loss that spell the end of his career.
2021 Illustrator Winner:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
illustrated by Frank Morrison
Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The daughter of a pastor and a gospel singer, her musical talent was clear from her earliest days in her father's Detroit church. Aretha sang with a soaring voice that spanned more than three octaves. Her incredible talent and string of hit songs earned her the title "the Queen of Soul." This Queen was a multi-Grammy winner and the first female inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And there was even more to Aretha than being a singer, songwriter, and pianist: she was an activist, too. Her song "Respect" was an anthem for people fighting for civil rights and women's rights. With words that sing and art that shines, this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Queen of Soul deserves"

Pura Belpré Award
Pure Belpré Award honors a Latino writer and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate Latino cultural experience.
2021 Author Winner:
Efrén Divided
by Ernesto Cisneros
While his father works two jobs, seventh-grader Efrén Nava must take care of his twin siblings, kindergartners Max and Mia, after their mother is deported to Mexico. Includes glossary of Spanish words.
2021 Illustrator Winner:
¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat
illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez
Little Lobo returns to share his love of food and wrestling in this delicious follow-up to Vamos! Let's Go to the Market from Pura Belpré Medal-winning illustrator Raúl the Third.
In this new Vamos! title, Let's Go Eat, Little Lobo is excited to take in a show with wrestling star El Toro in his bustling border town. After getting lunch orders from The Bull and his friends to help prepare for the event, Little Lobo takes readers on a tour of food trucks that sell his favorite foods, like quesadillas with red peppers and Mexican-Korean tacos. Peppered with easy-to-remember Latin-American Spanish vocabulary, this glorious celebration of food is sure to leave every reader hungry for lunch!
Jam-packed with fun details and things to see, the Vamos! books are perfect for fans of Richard Scarry and Where's Waldo?