RDG 350 The Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal are very prestigious awards in the field of children s literature They are both awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children ALSC a division of the American Library Association ALA ALSC 2012 While the Caldecott Medal recognizes superior artwork in children s literature the Newbery Medal is awarded to the book with the highest quality story The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the illustrator of the best picture book of the year with honorable mentions given to one to five runners up Puss in Boots translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown was one of five books to receive the Caldecott Honor in 1953 The original text written in French by Charles Perrault tells the story of a clever cat who given a sack and a pair of boots conspires to make his poverty stricken owner wealthy by tricking a king into thinking that the poor boy is really a great duke When the king and the princess go for a ride in the country Puss runs ahead and convinces people along the way to say that their land and the castle they serve all belong to Puss owner To complete the deception Puss tricks a rich ogre into turning himself into a mouse which Puss then eats Puss is then able to welcome the royal party into the ogre s palace The king thinks that such a wealthy duke would make a good match for his daughter and he consents to the marriage of Puss owner and the princess The princess her new prince and of course Puss all live happily ever after on the ogre s fortune Brown s translation allows the story to flow smoothly in a way that children will readily understand and her colorfully detailed pen and ink illustrations spark children s imaginations and lend personality to the characters The tale itself lacks a very positive moral lesson but the easy translation and vivid pictures make this book an enjoyable read for children and truly worthy of the honor that was bestowed upon it by the Caldecott selection committee The Newbery Medal is awarded to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children Gantos 2012 Like the Caldecott Medal there is one winner per year and one to five honorable mentions For a book to be considered for this award the story must be well written displays a great degree of originality and be beneficial reading for children 14 years old or younger In 1988 the Newbery Medal winner was Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Hatchet follows the story of a young boy stranded in the wilderness and how he learns to survive This book is deeply thought provoking as the main character Brian learns how to be self reliant It is a story of the resourcefulness and persistence of the human spirit made accessible for children Brian naturally hopes for someone to come rescue him but comes to realize that if he is to survive long enough to be rescued he has to work hard think quickly and save himself The character of Brian is believably sketched out with strengths and weaknesses and even a few flaws Children can relate well to him and can follow the storyline through the plausible scenario of the plane crash placing him alone in the middle of nowhere In the end Brian is rescued but is no longer the helpless child he once was Both the Caldecott and Newbery Medals encourage literary exploration and discussion by promoting the very best modern authors and illustrators The shiny metallic award sticker on a book denotes the highest quality literature for children References Gantos J 2012 Welcome to the Newbery Medal Home Page Association for Library Service to Children ALSC ALA Home American Library Association Retrieved October 7 2012 from http www ala org alsc awardsgrants bookmedia newberymedal newberymedal Association for Library Service to Children ALSC 2012 ALA Home American Library Association Retrieved October 7 2012 from http www ala org alsc