It's award season and in the library world that means the annual announcement of this year's American Library Association's (ALA) Newbery, Caldecott and Sibert Medal awards.  For those of you who aren't familiar with these awards, the John Newbery Medal is awarded for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal for the most distinguished informational book (nonfiction) for children.  The 2020 winners are:

• Newbery Medal - New Kid by Jerry Craft
• Caldecott Medal - The Undefeated illustrated by Kadir Nelson
• Sibert Medal - Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard

New Kid marks the first time that the Newbery Medal has been awarded to a graphic novel.  Jerry Craft who wrote and illustrated New Kid was also awarded the 2020 Coretta Scott King author award.  Kadir Nelson's gorgeous, colorful  illustrations for The Undefeated not only won him the Caldecott Medal, but also helped the book snag a Newbery Honor Book award as well.  Last, but certainly not least, Kevin Noble Maillard, a member of the Mekusukey Band of the Seminole Nation took home the Sibert Medal for his first children's book, Fry Bread:  A Native American Family Story.

We'd like to congratulate all of this year's award winners!  All of their books are  worthy of these accolades, and we look forward to being able to make them available as soon as possible to our students in the OPS Library Media Center.

​Ever heard the old adage a picture is worth a thousand words?  Well, there is some truth to it, and in the OPS Library we try to teach our students to read not only the words but also the pictures in any book that contains illustrations or photos.  Whether that's considering the information conveyed by a photograph in a nonfiction book or the elements of a story that might be enhanced by an illustration in a fiction book.  For instance, our first graders have been discussing how Dan Santat's illustrations in Aaron Reynold's Dude, enhance the single word (Dude!) that comprises the entirety of the book's text.