Librarians, educators, and children’s book lovers have long-anticipated this year’s crop of Youth Media Award winners!
Chosen by the American Library Association, the 2022 award-winning titles were announced on Monday, January 24 during the first installment of a new virtual conference, LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience. We’ve shared some highlights below.
Watercress, written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin, was awarded the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, as well as the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Embarrassed about gathering watercress from a roadside ditch, a girl learns to appreciate her Chinese heritage after learning why the plant is so important to her parents.
The Last Cuentista, written by Donna Barba Higuera, took home both the John Newbery Award and the Pura Belpré Children’s Author Award for books honoring the Latinx experience. The story follows Petra Pena, a girl who longs to be a storyteller even before she and her family are chosen to carry on the human race on a new planet, and she wakes up to discover only she remembers their past on Earth.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper, was awarded both the Coretta Scott King Author and Illustrator Awards. This nonfiction picture book provides a powerful look at the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history.
Firekeeper’s Daughter, written by Angeline Boulley, won both the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults and the William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens. In the novel, Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother and reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation of a series of drug-related deaths.
Too Bright to See, written by Kyle Lukoff, is the 2022 recipient of the Stonewall Book Awards—Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s Literature Award. In the summer before middle school, eleven-year-old Bug must contend with best friend Moira suddenly caring about clothes, makeup, and boys; a ghost haunting; and the truth about Bug's gender identity.
Apple (Skin to the Core), written by Eric Gansworth, took home the American Indian Youth Literature Award for Young Adults. This memoir of boyhood, family, and identity "shatters the slur" the book takes its title from.
Browse our catalog and 2022 Youth Media Award Winners booklist to find these titles and additional award-winners, including the Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences and Honor book selections for all award categories.
And after you check out a bunch of those books, sign up for the Winter Reading Challenge to log reading minutes and activities, write book reviews, and earn badges as you go.
For a complete list of the award-winners, finalists, and honor titles, visit the blog site of American Libraries Magazine.
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