ALA Book Awards

Time again for the most exciting day in the children's lit year -- announcement of the ALA Children's Book Awards.

Awards to be announced today are: Alex Awards for the best adult books that appeal to teen audience

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video

Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children

Coretta Scott King Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate sensitivity to "the true worth and value of all beings"

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books are published in the U.S. and have, over a period of years, made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States

Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature

Odyssey Award for audiobook excellence

Pura Belpre Award for a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work "best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth"

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the outstanding book for beginning reader

William C. Morris Award honors a book written for young adults by a first-time, previously unpublished author. The first award will be given in 2009

I'm going to try to get in on the webcast and post the winners as announced. Later, I will add links and pictures to those entries.

As y'all know, I suck at predicting winners. I would love to see The GUardian by Julius Lester recognized. I am pretty confident that We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson will at LEAST get an Honor, but more likely, the Caldecott (and Coretta Scott King). WOuldn't be a bit surprised to see The Hunger Games honored in some way. And really hoping that The Underneath is *not* on any lists (though I really think it will be).

Only a few more hours!