# Caldecott Medal

The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The Caldecott and Newbery Medals are considered the most prestigious American children's book awards. Besides the Caldecott Medal, the committee awards a variable number of citations to runners-up they deem worthy, called the Caldecott Honor or Caldecott Honor Books.
The Caldecott Medal was first proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1937. The award was named after English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Unchanged since its founding, the medal, which is given to every winner, features two of Caldecott's illustrations. The awarding process has changed several times over the years, including the use of the term "Honor" for the runner-ups beginning in 1971. There have been between one and five honor books named each year.
To be eligible for a Caldecott, the book must be published in English, in the United States first, and be drawn by an American illustrator. An award committee decides on a winner in January or February, voting using a multi-round point system. The committee judges books on several criteria to meet the Caldecott's goal of recognizing "distinguished illustrations in a picture book and for excellence of pictorial presentation for children."
Winning the award can lead to a substantial rise in books sold. It can also increase the prominence of illustrators. Illustrator and author Marcia Brown is the most recognized Caldecott illustrator, having won three medals and having six honor books. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of minority characters and illustrators recognized. However, this is something which has fluctuated over the history of the award.

## History

The Caldecott was suggested in 1937 by Frederic G. Melcher, former editor of Publishers Weekly, following the establishment of the Newbery Medal in 1921.$^{:1}$ The American Library Association adopted Melcher's suggestion of awarding a medal to the illustrator "who had created the most distinguished picture book of the year." According to children's literature expert Leonard S. Marcus, the award helped draw American artists into the field of children's books.
The award has been tweaked over the years, with the most recent changes in 2009. When the award was founded, books could be considered either for the Newbery or the Caldecott, with the same committee judging both awards. The committee noted other books of merit, which were frequently referred to as runner-ups. In 1971, these books were formally named Caldecott Honor books, with this name applied retroactively. In 1977, books became eligible for both awards and, beginning with the 1980 award, separate committees for each award were formed. Until 1958, a previous winner could win again only by unanimous vote of the committee, and it was only in 1963 when joint winners were first permitted.$^{:2}$

### Medal

The award is named for Randolph Caldecott, a nineteenth-century English illustrator. Rene Paul Chambellan designed the Medal in 1937. The obverse scene is derived from Randolph Caldecott's front cover illustration for The Diverting History of John Gilpin (Routledge, 1878, an edition of the 1782 poem by William Cowper), which depicts John Gilpin astride a runaway horse. The reverse is based on "Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie", one of Caldecott's illustrations for the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence".
Each illustrator receives a bronze copy of the medal, which, despite being awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), lists Children's Librarian's Section, the original awarding group, for historical reasons.$^{:3}$$^{:8}$

## Eligibility and criteria

A picture book, according to the award criteria, provides "a visual experience. A picture book has a collective unity of storyline, theme, or concept, developed through the series of pictures" that constitute the book. The Medal is "for distinguished illustrations in a picture book and for excellence of pictorial presentation for children". Specifically, the illustrations are judged on their artistic technique, interpretation of the book's story and theme, the fit between the illustrations and the story and themes, the precision of depiction of elements of the book, like characters and mood, and how well the illustrations serve their targeted audience. Honor books need to fulfill the same criteria. The book must be self-contained, independent of other media for its enjoyment. Components other than illustration, including the book's text or overall design, may be considered as they affect the overall effectiveness of the book's illustrations.
To be eligible for the Caldecott, the artist must be a US citizen or resident, the book must have been published in English, in the United States first, or simultaneously in other countries. Picture books for any audience up to the age of 14 may be considered. In December 2019, children's literature expert Leonard S. Marcus suggested that the Caldecott had achieved its mission in the US and the award should be expanded so children's book illustrations from anywhere in the world be considered.

## Selection process

The committee that decides on the Caldecott Award winner comprises fifteen members of ALSC. Seven members are elected by the entire ALSC membership and eight, including the chairperson, are appointed by the ALSC President. Members are chosen based on their experience. Consideration is also done to ensure a diversity of libraries (e.g. public and school, small and large), and geographical areas are represented as well.$^{:7}$ Publishers send copies of books to the committee; in 2009, each member received more than 700. However, a book does not need to be sent to the committee to be considered.$^{:27}$ Instead, to help identify possible contenders, committee members formally nominate seven books in three rounds over the year, and less formally recommend others.
At ALSC's annual midwinter meeting, held in late January or early February, the committee will discuss the nominations and hold a vote on the winner.$^{:8}$ When voting, committee members list their first place, second place, and third place selections. Each vote is assigned a point value, with first place votes receiving four points, second place three points, and third place two points. The winner must receive at least eight first place votes and be at least eight points ahead of the second-place finisher.$^{:38}$ After a winner is selected, the committee can decide whether to award any honor books. They may be chosen from runner-ups to the winner, or be selected in a separate ballot.$^{:39}$ The winner and honor books are kept secret until they are publicly announced, with the committee calling the winning illustrators the morning of the announcement.$^{:40}$
In 2015, K. T. Horning of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Cooperative Children's Book Center proposed to ALSC that old discussions of the Newbery and Caldecott be made public in the service of researchers and historians. This proposal was met with both support and criticism by former committee members and recognized authors. As of 2020, no change has been made.

## Impact and analysis

The Caldecott and Newbery awards have historically been considered the most important children's book awards. Anita Silvey, children's book author, editor, and critic, suggests they might even be the most important book awards, saying that "no other award has the economic significance of the Newbery and Caldecott". According to Silvey, a Caldecott winner can have sales increased from 2,000 to 100,000–200,000. Silvey also credits the Caldecott for helping to establish Bradbury Press and Roaring Brook Press as important publishers. It can also be an important recognition for authors. According to Leonard Marcus, Where the Wild Things Are's recognition brought its author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak, to national prominence.
A 1999 study on the reading levels of Caldecott recipients suggested that most winners were written at the elementary age level, with the average reading level having decreased over time. A 2007 study of Caldecott recipients found that the prevalence and importance of female characters had risen and fallen several times over the history of the Caldecott. It also found that, unlike recipients of the Pura Belpré Award and Coretta Scott King Award, the behaviors of male and female characters remained distinct and adhered to traditional gender norms. A different 2007 study, by one of the same authors, also found an increase in the number of minority characters following a 1965 critique by Nancy Larrick, however the number of minorities had fallen by the 2000s. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of minority characters and illustrators recognized. The Horn Book Magazine editor Martha Parravano has noted how rarely non-fiction books, especially non-fiction books about science, are recognized by the Caldecott.

## Recipients

In 1938, Dorothy P. Lathrop’s illustrations for Animals of the Bible won her the inaugural Caldecott Medal, awarded for the year’s “most distinguished American picture book for children.”
Winners and Honor Books :
| Year | Illustrator | Book | Award |
| 1938 | Dorothy P. Lathrop | Animals of the Bible | Winner |
| 1938 | Robert Lawson | Four and Twenty Blackbirds | Honor |
| 1938 | Boris Artzybasheff | Seven Simeons: A Russian Tale | Honor |
| 1939 | Thomas Handforth | Mei Li | Winner |
| 1939 | James Daugherty | Andy and the Lion | Honor |
| 1939 | Clare Turlay Newberry | Barkis | Honor |
| 1939 | Laura Adams Armer | The Forest Pool | Honor |
| 1939 | Wanda Gág | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Honor |
| 1939 | Robert Lawson | Wee Gillis | Honor |
| 1940 | Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire | Abraham Lincoln | Winner |
| 1940 | Berta and Elmer Hader | Cock-a-Doodle Doo | Honor |
| 1940 | Ludwig Bemelmans | Madeline | Honor |
| 1940 | Lauren Ford | The Ageless Story | Honor |
| 1941 | Robert Lawson | They Were Strong and Good | Winner |
| 1941 | Clare Turlay Newberry | April's Kittens | Honor |
| 1942 | Robert McCloskey | Make Way for Ducklings | Winner |
| 1942 | Maud and Miska Petersham | An American ABC | Honor |
| 1942 | Velino Herrera | In My Mother's House | Honor |
| 1942 | Holling C. Holling | Paddle-to-the-Sea | Honor |
| 1942 | Wanda Gág | Nothing at All | Honor |
| 1943 | Virginia Lee Burton | The Little House | Winner |
| 1943 | Mary and Conrad Buff | Dash and Dart | Honor |
| 1943 | Clare Turlay Newberry | Marshmallow | Honor |
| 1944 | Louis Slobodkin | Many Moons | Winner |
| 1944 | Elizabeth Orton Jones | Small Rain: Verses From The Bible | Honor |
| 1944 | Arnold E. Bare | Pierre Pidgeon | Honor |
| 1944 | Berta and Elmer Hader | The Mighty Hunter | Honor |
| 1944 | Jean Charlot | A Child's Good Night Book | Honor |
| 1944 | Plato Chan | The Good-Luck Horse | Honor |
| 1945 | Elizabeth Orton Jones | Prayer for a Child | Winner |
| 1945 | Tasha Tudor | Mother Goose | Honor |
| 1945 | Marie Hall Ets | In the Forest | Honor |
| 1945 | Marguerite de Angeli | Yonie Wondernose | Honor |
| 1945 | Kate Seredy | The Christmas Anna Angel | Honor |
| 1946 | Maud and Miska Petersham | The Rooster Crows | Winner |
| 1946 | Leonard Weisgard | Little Lost Lamb | Honor |
| 1946 | Marjorie Torrey | Sing Mother Goose | Honor |
| 1946 | Ruth Gannett | My Mother Is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World | Honor |
| 1946 | Kurt Wiese | You Can Write Chinese | Honor |
| 1947 | Leonard Weisgard | The Little Island | Winner |
| 1947 | Leonard Weisgard | Rain Drop Splash | Honor |
| 1947 | Jay Hyde Barnum | Boats on the River | Honor |
| 1947 | Tony Palazzo | Timothy Turtle | Honor |
| 1947 | Leo Politi | Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street | Honor |
| 1947 | Marjorie Torrey | Sing in Praise: A Collection of the Best Loved Hymns | Honor |
| 1948 | Roger Duvoisin | White Snow, Bright Snow | Winner |
| 1948 | Marcia Brown | Stone Soup | Honor |
| 1948 | Dr. Seuss | McElligot's Pool | Honor |
| 1948 | Georges Schreiber | Bambino the Clown | Honor |
| 1948 | Hildegard Woodward | Roger and the Fox | Honor |
| 1948 | Virginia Lee Burton | Song of Robin Hood | Honor |
| 1949 | Berta and Elmer Hader | The Big Snow | Winner |
| 1949 | Robert McCloskey | Blueberries for Sal | Honor |
| 1949 | Helen Stone | All Around the Town | Honor |
| 1949 | Leo Politi | Juanita | Honor |
| 1949 | Kurt Wiese | Fish in the Air | Honor |
| 1950 | Leo Politi | Song of the Swallows | Winner |
| 1950 | Lynd Ward | America's Ethan Allen | Honor |
| 1950 | Hildegard Woodward | The Wild Birthday Cake | Honor |
| 1950 | Marc Simont | The Happy Day | Honor |
| 1950 | Dr. Seuss | Bartholomew and the Oobleck | Honor |
| 1950 | Marcia Brown | Henry Fisherman | Honor |
| 1951 | Katherine Milhous | The Egg Tree | Winner |
| 1951 | Marcia Brown | Dick Whittington and His Cat | Honor |
| 1951 | Nicholas Mordvinoff | The Two Reds | Honor |
| 1951 | Dr. Seuss | If I Ran the Zoo | Honor |
| 1951 | Helen Stone | The Most Wonderful Doll in the World | Honor |
| 1951 | Clare Turlay Newberry | T-Bone, the Baby Sitter | Honor |
| 1952 | Nicholas Mordvinoff | Finders Keepers | Winner |
| 1952 | Marie Hall Ets | Mr. T. W. Anthony Woo | Honor |
| 1952 | Marcia Brown | Skipper John's Cook | Honor |
| 1952 | Margaret Bloy Graham | All Falling Down | Honor |
| 1952 | William Pène du Bois | Bear Party | Honor |
| 1952 | Elizabeth Olds | Feather Mountain | Honor |
| 1953 | Lynd Ward | The Biggest Bear | Winner |
| 1953 | Marcia Brown | Puss in Boots | Honor |
| 1953 | Robert McCloskey | One Morning in Maine | Honor |
| 1953 | Fritz Eichenberg | Ape in a Cape: An Alphabet of Odd Animals | Honor |
| 1953 | Margaret Bloy Graham | The Storm Book | Honor |
| 1953 | Juliet Kepes | Five Little Monkeys | Honor |
| 1954 | Ludwig Bemelmans | Madeline's Rescue | Winner |
| 1954 | Robert McCloskey | Journey Cake, Ho! | Honor |
| 1954 | Jean Charlot | When Will the World Be Mine? | Honor |
| 1954 | Marcia Brown | The Steadfast Tin Soldier | Honor |
| 1954 | Maurice Sendak | A Very Special House | Honor |
| 1954 | A. Birnbaum | Green Eyes | Honor |
| 1955 | Marcia Brown | Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper | Winner |
| 1955 | Marguerite de Angeli | Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes | Honor |
| 1955 | Tibor Gergely | Wheel on the Chimney | Honor |
| 1955 | Helen Sewell | The Thanksgiving Story | Honor |
| 1956 | Feodor Rojankovsky | Frog Went A-Courtin' | Winner |
| 1956 | Marie Hall Ets | Play With Me | Honor |
| 1956 | Taro Yashima | Crow Boy | Honor |
| 1957 | Marc Simont | A Tree Is Nice | Winner |
| 1957 | Marie Hall Ets | Mr. Penny's Race Horse | Honor |
| 1957 | Tasha Tudor | 1 Is One | Honor |
| 1957 | Paul Galdone | Anatole | Honor |
| 1957 | James Daugherty | Gillespie and the Guards | Honor |
| 1957 | William Pène du Bois | Lion | Honor |
| 1958 | Robert McCloskey | Time of Wonder | Winner |
| 1958 | Don Freeman | Fly High, Fly Low | Honor |
| 1958 | Paul Galdone | Anatole and the Cat | Honor |
| 1959 | Barbara Cooney | Chanticleer and the Fox | Winner |
| 1959 | Antonio Frasconi | The House that Jack Built: La Maison Que Jacques A Batie | Honor |
| 1959 | Maurice Sendak | What Do You Say, Dear? | Honor |
| 1959 | Taro Yashima | Umbrella | Honor |
| 1960 | Marie Hall Ets | Nine Days to Christmas | Winner |
| 1960 | Adrienne Adams | Houses from the Sea | Honor |
| 1960 | Maurice Sendak | The Moon Jumpers | Honor |
| 1961 | Nicolas Sidjakov | Baboushka and the Three Kings | Winner |
| 1961 | Leo Lionni | Inch by Inch | Honor |
| 1962 | Marcia Brown | Once a Mouse | Winner |
| 1962 | Peter Spier | Fox Went out on a Chilly Night: An Old Song | Honor |
| 1962 | Maurice Sendak | Little Bear's Visit | Honor |
| 1962 | Adrienne Adams | The Day We Saw the Sun Come Up | Honor |
| 1963 | Ezra Jack Keats | The Snowy Day | Winner |
| 1963 | Bernarda Bryson | The Sun Is a Golden Earring | Honor |
| 1963 | Maurice Sendak | Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present | Honor |
| 1964 | Maurice Sendak | Where the Wild Things Are | Winner |
| 1964 | Leo Lionni | Swimmy | Honor |
| 1964 | Evaline Ness | All in the Morning Early | Honor |
| 1964 | Philip Reed | Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes | Honor |
| 1965 | Beni Montresor | May I Bring a Friend? | Winner |
| 1965 | Marvin Bileck | Rain Makes Applesauce | Honor |
| 1965 | Blair Lent | The Wave | Honor |
| 1965 | Evaline Ness | A Pocketful of Cricket | Honor |
| 1966 | Nonny Hogrogian | Always Room for One More | Winner |
| 1966 | Roger Duvoisin | Hide and Seek Fog | Honor |
| 1966 | Marie Hall Ets | Just Me | Honor |
| 1966 | Evaline Ness | Tom Tit Tot | Honor |
| 1967 | Evaline Ness | Sam, Bangs & Moonshine | Winner |
| 1967 | Ed Emberley | One Wide River to Cross | Honor |
| 1968 | Ed Emberley | Drummer Hoff | Winner |
| 1968 | Leo Lionni | Frederick | Honor |
| 1968 | Taro Yashima | Seashore Story | Honor |
| 1968 | Ed Young | The Emperor and the Kite | Honor |
| 1969 | Uri Shulevitz | The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship | Winner |
| 1969 | Blair Lent | Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky | Honor |
| 1970 | William Steig | Sylvester and the Magic Pebble | Winner |
| 1970 | Ezra Jack Keats | Goggles! | Honor |
| 1970 | Leo Lionni | Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse | Honor |
| 1970 | Robert Andrew Parker | Pop Corn & Ma Goodness | Honor |
| 1970 | Brinton Turkle | Thy Friend, Obadiah | Honor |
| 1970 | Margot Zemach | The Judge: An Untrue Tale | Honor |
| 1971 | Gail E. Haley | A Story a Story | Winner |
| 1971 | Blair Lent | The Angry Moon | Honor |
| 1971 | Arnold Lobel | Frog and Toad Are Friends | Honor |
| 1971 | Maurice Sendak | In the Night Kitchen | Honor |
| 1972 | Nonny Hogrogian | One Fine Day | Winner |
| 1972 | Arnold Lobel | Hildilid's Night | Honor |
| 1972 | Janina Domanska | If All the Seas Were One Sea | Honor |
| 1972 | Tom Feelings | Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book | Honor |
| 1973 | Blair Lent | The Funny Little Woman | Winner |
| 1973 | Gerald McDermott | Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti | Honor |
| 1973 | Leonard Baskin | Hosie's Alphabet | Honor |
| 1973 | Nancy Ekholm Burkert | Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs | Honor |
| 1973 | Tom Bahti | When Clay Sings | Honor |
| 1974 | Margot Zemach | Duffy and the Devil | Winner |
| 1974 | Susan Jeffers | Three Jovial Huntsmen | Honor |
| 1974 | David Macaulay | Cathedral | Honor |
| 1975 | Gerald McDermott | Arrow to the Sun | Winner |
| 1975 | Tom Feelings | Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book | Honor |
| 1976 | Leo and Diane Dillon | Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears | Winner |
| 1976 | Peter Parnall | The Desert Is Theirs | Honor |
| 1976 | Tomie dePaola | Strega Nona | Honor |
| 1977 | Leo and Diane Dillon | Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions | Winner |
| 1977 | William Steig | The Amazing Bone | Honor |
| 1977 | Nonny Hogrogian | The Contest | Honor |
| 1977 | M. B. Goffstein | Fish for Supper | Honor |
| 1977 | Beverly Brodsky McDermott | The Golem: A Jewish Legend | Honor |
| 1977 | Peter Parnall | Hawk, I'm Your Brother | Honor |
| 1978 | Peter Spier | Noah's Ark | Winner |
| 1978 | David Macaulay | Castle | Honor |
| 1978 | Margot Zemach | It Could Always Be Worse | Honor |
| 1979 | Paul Goble | The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses | Winner |
| 1979 | Donald Crews | Freight Train | Honor |
| 1979 | Peter Parnall | The Way to Start a Day | Honor |
| 1980 | Barbara Cooney | Ox-Cart Man | Winner |
| 1980 | Rachel Isadora | Ben's Trumpet | Honor |
| 1980 | Chris Van Allsburg | The Garden of Abdul Gasazi | Honor |
| 1980 | Uri Shulevitz | The Treasure | Honor |
| 1981 | Arnold Lobel | Fables | Winner |
| 1981 | Ilse Plume | The Bremen-Town Musicians | Honor |
| 1981 | Molly Bang | The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher | Honor |
| 1981 | Joseph Low | Mice Twice | Honor |
| 1981 | Donald Crews | Truck | Honor |
| 1982 | Chris Van Allsburg | Jumanji | Winner |
| 1982 | Stephen Gammell | Where the Buffaloes Begin | Honor |
| 1982 | Anita Lobel | On Market Street | Honor |
| 1982 | Maurice Sendak | Outside Over There | Honor |
| 1982 | Alice and Martin Provensen | A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers | Honor |
| 1983 | Marcia Brown | Shadow | Winner |
| 1983 | Vera B. Williams | A Chair for My Mother | Honor |
| 1983 | Diane Goode | When I Was Young in the Mountains | Honor |
| 1984 | Alice and Martin Provensen | The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot | Winner |
| 1984 | Trina Schart Hyman | Little Red Riding Hood | Honor |
| 1984 | Molly Bang | Ten, Nine, Eight | Honor |
| 1985 | Trina Schart Hyman | Saint George and the Dragon | Winner |
| 1985 | Paul O. Zelinsky | Hansel and Gretel | Honor |
| 1985 | Nancy Tafuri | Have You Seen My Duckling? | Honor |
| 1985 | John Steptoe | The Story of Jumping Mouse: A Native American Legend | Honor |
| 1986 | Chris Van Allsburg | The Polar Express | Winner |
| 1986 | Stephen Gammell | The Relatives Came | Honor |
| 1986 | Don Wood | King Bidgood's in the Bathtub | Honor |
| 1987 | Richard Egielski | Hey, Al | Winner |
| 1987 | Ann Grifalconi | The Village of Round and Square Houses | Honor |
| 1987 | Suse MacDonald | Alphabatics | Honor |
| 1987 | Paul O. Zelinsky | Rumpelstiltskin | Honor |
| 1988 | John Schoenherr | Owl Moon | Winner |
| 1988 | John Steptoe | Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters | Honor |
| 1989 | Stephen Gammell | Song and Dance Man | Winner |
| 1989 | Allen Say | The Boy of the Three-Year Nap | Honor |
| 1989 | David Wiesner | Free Fall | Honor |
| 1989 | James Marshall | Goldilocks and the Three Bears | Honor |
| 1989 | Jerry Pinkney | Mirandy and Brother Wind | Honor |
| 1990 | Ed Young | Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China | Winner |
| 1990 | Bill Peet | Bill Peet: An Autobiography | Honor |
| 1990 | Lois Ehlert | Color Zoo | Honor |
| 1990 | Jerry Pinkney | The Talking Eggs: A Folktale from the American South | Honor |
| 1990 | Trina Schart Hyman | Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins | Honor |
| 1991 | David Macaulay | Black and White | Winner |
| 1991 | Fred Marcellino | Puss in Boots | Honor |
| 1991 | Vera B. Williams | "More More More," Said the Baby: Three Love Stories | Honor |
| 1992 | David Wiesner | Tuesday | Winner |
| 1992 | Faith Ringgold | Tar Beach | Honor |
| 1993 | Emily Arnold McCully | Mirette on the High Wire | Winner |
| 1993 | Lane Smith | The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales | Honor |
| 1993 | Ed Young | Seven Blind Mice | Honor |
| 1993 | Carole Byard | Working Cotton | Honor |
| 1994 | Allen Say | Grandfather's Journey | Winner |
| 1994 | Ted Lewin | Peppe the Lamplighter | Honor |
| 1994 | Denise Fleming | In the Small, Small Pond | Honor |
| 1994 | Gerald McDermott | Raven: A Trickster Tale From The Pacific Northwest | Honor |
| 1994 | Kevin Henkes | Owen | Honor |
| 1994 | Chris Raschka | Yo! Yes? | Honor |
| 1995 | David Diaz | Smoky Night | Winner |
| 1995 | Jerry Pinkney | John Henry | Honor |
| 1995 | Paul O. Zelinsky | Swamp Angel | Honor |
| 1995 | Eric Rohmann | Time Flies | Honor |
| 1996 | Peggy Rathmann | Officer Buckle and Gloria | Winner |
| 1996 | Stephen T. Johnson | Alphabet City | Honor |
| 1996 | Marjorie Priceman | Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin | Honor |
| 1996 | Brian Pinkney | The Faithful Friend | Honor |
| 1996 | Janet Stevens | Tops & Bottoms | Honor |
| 1997 | David Wisniewski | Golem | Winner |
| 1997 | Holly Meade | Hush!: A Thai Lullaby | Honor |
| 1997 | David Pelletier | The Graphic Alphabet | Honor |
| 1997 | Dav Pilkey | The Paperboy | Honor |
| 1997 | Peter Sís | Starry Messenger | Honor |
| 1998 | Paul O. Zelinsky | Rapunzel | Winner |
| 1998 | David Small | The Gardener | Honor |
| 1998 | Christopher Myers | Harlem | Honor |
| 1998 | Simms Taback | There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly | Honor |
| 1999 | Mary Azarian | Snowflake Bentley | Winner |
| 1999 | Brian Pinkney | Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra | Honor |
| 1999 | David Shannon | No, David! | Honor |
| 1999 | Uri Shulevitz | Snow | Honor |
| 1999 | Peter Sís | Tibet Through the Red Box | Honor |
| 2000 | Simms Taback | Joseph Had a Little Overcoat | Winner |
| 2000 | Trina Schart Hyman | A Child's Calendar | Honor |
| 2000 | David Wiesner | Sector 7 | Honor |
| 2000 | Molly Bang | When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry | Honor |
| 2000 | Jerry Pinkney | The Ugly Duckling | Honor |
| 2001 | David Small | So You Want to Be President? | Winner |
| 2001 | Christopher Bing | Casey at the Bat | Honor |
| 2001 | Betsy Lewin | Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type | Honor |
| 2001 | Ian Falconer | Olivia | Honor |
| 2002 | David Wiesner | The Three Pigs | Winner |
| 2002 | Brian Selznick | The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins | Honor |
| 2002 | Bryan Collier | Martin's Big Words: the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | Honor |
| 2002 | Marc Simont | The Stray Dog | Honor |
| 2003 | Eric Rohmann | My Friend Rabbit | Winner |
| 2003 | Tony DiTerlizzi | The Spider and the Fly | Honor |
| 2003 | Peter McCarty | Hondo & Fabian | Honor |
| 2003 | Jerry Pinkney | Noah's Ark | Honor |
| 2004 | Mordicai Gerstein | The Man Who Walked Between the Towers | Winner |
| 2004 | Margaret Chodos-Irvine | Ella Sarah Gets Dressed | Honor |
| 2004 | Steve Jenkins and Robin Page | What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? | Honor |
| 2004 | Mo Willems | Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! | Honor |
| 2005 | Kevin Henkes | Kitten's First Full Moon | Winner |
| 2005 | Barbara Lehman | The Red Book | Honor |
| 2005 | E. B. Lewis | Coming on Home Soon | Honor |
| 2005 | Mo Willems | Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale | Honor |
| 2006 | Chris Raschka | The Hello, Goodbye Window | Winner |
| 2006 | Bryan Collier | Rosa | Honor |
| 2006 | Jon J. Muth | Zen Shorts | Honor |
| 2006 | Marjorie Priceman | Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride | Honor |
| 2006 | Beckie Prange | Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems | Honor |
| 2007 | David Wiesner | Flotsam | Winner |
| 2007 | David McLimans | Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet | Honor |
| 2007 | Kadir Nelson | Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom | Honor |
| 2008 | Brian Selznick | The Invention of Hugo Cabret | Winner |
| 2008 | Kadir Nelson | Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad | Honor |
| 2008 | Laura Vaccaro Seeger | First the Egg | Honor |
| 2008 | Peter Sís | The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain | Honor |
| 2008 | Mo Willems | Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity | Honor |
| 2009 | Beth Krommes | The House in the Night | Winner |
| 2009 | Marla Frazee | A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever | Honor |
| 2009 | Uri Shulevitz | How I Learned Geography | Honor |
| 2009 | Melissa Sweet | A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams | Honor |
| 2010 | Jerry Pinkney | The Lion & the Mouse | Winner |
| 2010 | Marla Frazee | All the World | Honor |
| 2010 | Pamela Zagarenski | Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors | Honor |
| 2011 | Erin E. Stead | A Sick Day for Amos McGee | Winner |
| 2011 | Bryan Collier | Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave | Honor |
| 2011 | David Ezra Stein | Interrupting Chicken | Honor |
| 2012 | Chris Raschka | A Ball for Daisy | Winner |
| 2012 | John Rocco | Blackout | Honor |
| 2012 | Lane Smith | Grandpa Green | Honor |
| 2012 | Patrick McDonnell | Me... Jane | Honor |
| 2013 | Jon Klassen | This is Not My Hat | Winner |
| 2013 | Peter Brown | Creepy Carrots! | Honor |
| 2013 | Jon Klassen | Extra Yarn | Honor |
| 2013 | Laura Vaccaro Seeger | Green | Honor |
| 2013 | David Small | One Cool Friend | Honor |
| 2013 | Pamela Zagarenski | Sleep Like a Tiger | Honor |
| 2014 | Brian Floca | Locomotive | Winner |
| 2014 | Aaron Becker | Journey | Honor |
| 2014 | Molly Idle | Flora and the Flamingo | Honor |
| 2014 | David Wiesner | Mr. Wuffles! | Honor |
| 2015 | Dan Santat | The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend | Winner |
| 2015 | Lauren Castillo | Nana in the City | Honor |
| 2015 | Mary GrandPré | The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art | Honor |
| 2015 | Jon Klassen | Sam and Dave Dig a Hole | Honor |
| 2015 | Yuyi Morales | Viva Frida | Honor |
| 2015 | Melissa Sweet | The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus | Honor |
| 2015 | Jillian Tamaki | This One Summer | Honor |
| 2016 | Sophie Blackall | Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear | Winner |
| 2016 | Bryan Collier | Trombone Shorty | Honor |
| 2016 | Kevin Henkes | Waiting | Honor |
| 2016 | Ekua Holmes | Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement | Honor |
| 2016 | Christian Robinson | Last Stop on Market Street | Honor |
| 2017 | Javaka Steptoe | Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat | Winner |
| 2017 | Vera Brosgol | Leave Me Alone! | Honor |
| 2017 | R. Gregory Christie | Freedom in Congo Square | Honor |
| 2017 | Carson Ellis | Du Iz Tak? | Honor |
| 2017 | Brendan Wenzel | They All Saw a Cat | Honor |
| 2018 | Matthew Cordell | Wolf in the Snow | Winner |
| 2018 | Elisha Cooper | Big Cat, little cat | Honor |
| 2018 | Gordon C. James | Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut | Honor |
| 2018 | Thi Bui | A Different Pond | Honor |
| 2018 | Jason Chin | Grand Canyon | Honor |
| 2019 | Sophie Blackall | Hello Lighthouse | Winner |
| 2019 | Juana Martinez-Neal | Alma and How She Got Her Name | Honor |
| 2019 | Grace Lin | A Big Mooncake for Little Star | Honor |
| 2019 | Brian Lies | The Rough Patch | Honor |
| 2019 | Oge Mora | Thank You, Omu! | Honor |
| 2020 | Kadir Nelson | The Undefeated | Winner |
| 2020 | LeUyen Pham | Bear Came Along | Honor |
| 2020 | Rudy Gutierrez | Double Bass Blues | Honor |
| 2020 | Daniel Minter | Going Down Home with Daddy | Honor |
| 2021 | Michaela Goade | We Are Water Protectors | Winner |
| 2021 | Noa Denmon | A Place Inside of Me | Honor |
| 2021 | Yuko Shimizu | The Cat Man of Aleppo | Honor |
| 2021 | Cozbi A. Cabrera | Me & Mama | Honor |
| 2021 | Cindy Derby | Outside In | Honor |
| 2022 | Jason Chin | Watercress | Winner |
| 2022 | Shawn Harris | Have You Ever Seen a Flower? | Honor |
| 2022 | Corey R. Tabor | Mel Fell | Honor |
| 2022 | Floyd Cooper | Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre | Honor |
| 2022 | Micha Archer | Wonder Walkers | Honor |
| 2023 | Doug Salati | Hot Dog | Winner |
| 2023 | Jason Griffin | Ain't Burned All the Bright | Honor |
| 2023 | Michaela Goade | Berry Song | Honor |
| 2023 | Janelle Washington | Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmitt Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement | Honor |
| 2023 | Christopher Denise | Knight Owl | Honor |
| 2024 | Vashti Harrison | Big | Winner |
| 2024 | Marla Frazee | In Every Life | Honor |
| 2024 | Molly Mendoza | Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter | Honor |
| 2024 | Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey | There Was a Party for Langston | Honor |
| 2024 | Hanna Cha | The Truth About Dragons | Honor |
| 2025 | Rebecca Lee Kunz | Chooch Helped | Winner |
| 2025 | CG Esperanza | My Daddy is a Cowboy | Honor |
| 2025 | Gracey Zhang | Noodles on a Bicycle | Honor |
| 2025 | Cherry Mo | Home in a Lunchbox | Honor |
| 2025 | Yuko Shimizu | Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains | Honor |

## Multiple award winners

Listed below are all illustrators who have won at least two Caldecott Medals or who have won a Medal and multiple honors.
| Illustrator | Nos. of total Medals and Honors | Nos. of Caldecott Medals | Caldecott Medals | Nos. of Caldecott Honors | Caldecott Honors |
| Marcia Brown | 9 | 3 | 1955, 1962, 1983 | 6 | 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| Maurice Sendak | 8 | 1 | 1964 | 7 | 1954, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1982 |
| Marie Hall Ets | 6 | 1 | 1960 | 5 | 1945, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1966 |
| Jerry Pinkney | 6 | 1 | 2010 | 5 | 1989, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2003 |
| David Wiesner | 6 | 3 | 1992, 2002, 2007 | 3 | 1989, 2000, 2014 |
| Robert McCloskey | 5 | 2 | 1942, 1958 | 3 | 1949, 1953, 1954 |
| Trina Schart Hyman | 4 | 1 | 1985 | 3 | 1984, 1990, 2000 |
| Blair Lent | 4 | 1 | 1973 | 3 | 1965, 1969, 1971 |
| Evaline Ness | 4 | 1 | 1967 | 3 | 1964, 1965, 1966 |
| Uri Shulevitz | 4 | 1 | 1969 | 3 | 1980, 1999, 2009 |
| Paul O. Zelinsky | 4 | 1 | 1998 | 3 | 1985, 1987, 1995 |
| Stephen Gammell | 3 | 1 | 1989 | 2 | 1982, 1986 |
| Jon Klassen | 3 | 1 | 2013 | 2 | 2013, 2015 |
| Robert Lawson | 3 | 1 | 1941 | 2 | 1938, 1939 |
| Nonny Hogrogian | 3 | 2 | 1966, 1972 | 1 | 1977 |
| Berta and Elmer Hader | 3 | 1 | 1949 | 2 | 1940, 1944 |
| Kevin Henkes | 3 | 1 | 2005 | 2 | 1994, 2016 |
| Arnold Lobel | 3 | 1 | 1981 | 2 | 1971, 1972 |
| David Macaulay | 3 | 1 | 1991 | 2 | 1974, 1978 |
| Gerald McDermott | 3 | 1 | 1975 | 2 | 1973, 1994 |
| Kadir Nelson | 3 | 1 | 2020 | 2 | 2007, 2008 |
| Leo Politi | 3 | 1 | 1950 | 2 | 1947, 1949 |
| Chris Raschka | 3 | 2 | 2006, 2012 | 1 | 1994 |
| Marc Simont | 3 | 1 | 1957 | 2 | 1950, 2002 |
| David Small | 3 | 1 | 2001 | 2 | 1998, 2013 |
| Chris Van Allsburg | 3 | 2 | 1982, 1986 | 1 | 1980 |
| Leonard Weisgard | 3 | 1 | 1947 | 2 | 1946, 1947 |
| Ed Young | 3 | 1 | 1990 | 2 | 1968, 1993 |
| Margot Zemach | 3 | 1 | 1974 | 2 | 1970, 1978 |
| Sophie Blackall | 2 | 2 | 2016, 2019 | | |
| Barbara Cooney | 2 | 2 | 1959, 1980 | | |
| Leo and Diane Dillon | 2 | 2 | 1976, 1977 | | |