# Orbis Pictus Award

The Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children recognizes books which demonstrate excellence in the "writing of nonfiction for children." It is awarded annually by the National Council of Teachers of English to one American book published the previous year. Up to five titles may be designated as Honor Books. The award is named after the book considered to be the first picture book for children, Orbis Pictus (The World in Pictures), by John Amos Comenius, which was published in 1657. The award has recognized one book annually without exception since it was inaugurated in 1990.

## Criteria

* The book must be "nonfiction literature which has as its central purpose the sharing of information". Biographies are welcome, but not "textbooks, historical fiction, folklore, or poetry".
* The book must have been published during the previous calendar year in the United States.
* The book must meet the literary criteria of accuracy, organization, design and style.
* Additionally, the book "should be useful in classroom teaching grades K-8, should encourage thinking and more reading, model exemplary expository writing and research skills, share interesting and timely subject matter, and appeal to a wide range of ages."

## Recipients

Orbis Pictus Award winners :
| Year | Title | Writer | Illustrator |
| 1990 | The Great Little Madison | Jean Fritz | |
| 1991 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | Russell Freedman | |
| 1992 | Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh | Robert Burleigh | Mike Wimmer |
| 1993 | Children in the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp | Jerry Stanley | |
| 1994 | Across America on an Emigrant Train | Jim Murphy | |
| 1995 | Safari Beneath the Sea: The Wonder World of the North Pacific Coast | Diane Swanson | |
| 1996 | The Great Fire | Jim Murphy | |
| 1997 | Leonardo da Vinci | Diane Stanley | |
| 1998 | An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly | Laurence Pringle | Bob Marstall |
| 1999 | Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance | Jennifer Armstrong | |
| 2000 | Through My Eyes | Ruby Bridges | |
| 2001 | Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush California | Jerry Stanley | |
| 2002 | Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 | Susan Campbell Bartoletti | |
| 2003 | When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson: The Voice of a Century | Pam Muñoz Ryan | Brian Selznick |
| 2004 | An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 | Jim Murphy | |
| 2005 | York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition | Rhoda Blumberg | |
| 2006 | Children of the Great Depression | Russell Freedman | |
| 2007 | Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea | Sy Montgomery | Nic Bishop (photos) |
| 2008 | M.L.K.: Journey of a King | Tonya Bolden | |
| 2009 | Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator | Shelley Tanaka | David Craig |
| 2010 | The Secret World of Walter Anderson | Hester Bass | E. B. Lewis |
| 2011 | Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring | Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan | Brian Floca |
| 2012 | Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade | Melissa Sweet | |
| 2013 | Monsieur Marceau: Actor without Words | Leda Schubert | Gérard DuBois |
| 2014 | A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin | Jen Bryant | Melissa Sweet |
| 2015 | The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia | Candace Fleming | |
| 2016 | Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans | Don Brown | Don Brown |
| 2017 | Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White | Melissa Sweet | Melissa Sweet |
| 2018 | Grand Canyon | Jason Chin | Jason Chin |
| 2019 | Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery | Sandra Neil Wallace | Bryan Collier |
| 2020 | A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation | Barry Wittenstein | Jerry Pinkney |
| 2021 | Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball | Jen Bryant | Frank Morrison |
| 2022 | Nina: A Story of Nina Simone | Traci N. Todd | Christian Robinson |
| 2023 | Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky | Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond | Daniel Minter |

### Multiple awards

Five writers have won the Orbis Pictus Award more than once.
* Jim Murphy, 1994, 1996, and 2004
* Melissa Sweet, 2012, 2014 and 2017
* Russell Freedman, 1991 and 2006
* Jerry Stanley, 1993 and 2001
* Jen Bryant, 2014 and 2021