This article asks: How is peacemaking represented in the Jane Addams Children's Book Award (JACBA) collection of children's book awardees (2015-2021)? The authors sought to build on previous scholarship that has examined JACBA, including Taber's (2015) study of JACBA for older readers and Colabucci and Napoli's (2017) study of JACBA's books for…

When we considered how current sociopolitical events may impact experiences of girlhood today and remembered our own lived girlhood experiences, we came to the collective realization that we often turned to books as a way to make sense of our liminal experiences during girlhood. Given the sociopolitical moment in which we are living and…

In the realm of modern children's literature, biographies of women showcase lives of exceptional talent, perseverance, civic engagement, and more: lives meant to inspire young readers. Since its inception in 2001, the Robert Sibert Informational Book Medal and Honor award has included a biography (or two) every year, with the exception of 2004 and…

Integrating children's literature that represents diverse populations into the classroom is a key part of a culturally relevant pedagogy. Several benefits emerge when children read culturally relevant books. This research focused on the representation of Black males as characters and creators of Caldecott books through a critical multicultural…

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Charged with identifying and honoring the most distinguished American picturebooks annually, the ALSC Board of Directors first awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1938. This article presents a…

This critical content analysis of 116 award-winning English language picture storybooks explores depictions of families in order to identify and question dominant family models. Representations of families must be considered in any diversity analysis to ensure all children are capable of seeing families as they appear in communities. The objective…

This study examines trends across recent Jane Addams Children's Book Award (JACBA) winners, with a focus on selection criteria and portrayals of social justice issues. The JACBA is administered by the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's educational affiliate, the Jane Addams Peace Association. Established in 1953, the award serves…

Access to green space has always been a social inequity, but the recent global pandemic has exacerbated this injustice for lower-income families even more. Environmental access strengthens mental health, encourages exercise and healthy social habits, and reduces pollution. Many have argued that children not only need play, but they need play in…

The year 2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of Eve Bunting's "Smoky Night" (Harcourt, 1994; illustrated by David Diaz). As a Caldecott medal winner, "Smoky Night" is the highest profile picturebook centered on an incident related to police brutality and the profiling of Black citizens--the Los Angeles riots,…

Teachers report using trade books in the science classroom to humanize the subject matter, appeal to student interests, and aid with understanding (Fang, 2014). Trade books are deemed easier to read aloud and more appealing to younger readers, while some teachers also believe that trade books add an emotive element to the field of science (Donovan…

This article describes results from an examination of common characteristics in the award-winning United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding International Books for Grades K-2 from 2006 to 2012. Books nominated for the USBBY Outstanding International Books List must be currently available in the United States market. The…

If an entire village is needed to raise a child, and the successful launch of the Apollo XI required 400,000 men and women, then surely it stands to reason that a book that wins the 2009 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction also must have required a team of talented individuals, each contributing some direction and adding some…

In the world of children's literature, analyses of the distribution and representation of gender, biological sex, and gendered behavior in picturebooks often focused on Caldecott Award-winning literature. As the most prestigious award for American children's picturebooks, titles that receive this honor have a profound influence on the field of…

The Coretta Scott King (CSK) Award, instituted in 1969 and recognized as an official award by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1982, is conferred annually to an African American author and an illustrator for their outstanding contributions to literature about the Black experience for children and young adults. A partial impetus for the…

Jerry Pinkney's pencils and watercolors have created an indelible niche in African American children's literature, celebrating a magical world where children's thoughts flow freely back in time and across space. His illustrations have been repeatedly recognized by multiple awards and honor book citations (Brodie, 1998), including the Coretta Scott…