Caldecott vs. Newbery

     The Caldecott and Newbery Awards are both given yearly by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) which is a division of the American Library Association (ALA).  The Caldecott Award was first awarded in 1938 while the Newbery had a bit of an earlier start with it's first appearance in 1922.  The Caldecott is named for the 19th  Century English illustrator, Randolph Caldecott and goes to an artist for outstanding illustrations in a children's book.  John Newbery was an 18th century English publisher of juvenile books.  The Newbery Award goes to an author for noteworthy writing in children's literature.   Basically, the Caldecott is awarded based on the illustrations in a children's book, and the Newbery is awarded based on the text, or story of children's literature.  Either way, the books make for some fine summer reading.
     A few of the common criteria required of both Caldecott and Newbery winners are that the work must be intended for children, the artist/author must be a citizen or resident of the United States, and the book must be a self-contained entity (not part of a multi-media presentation).  A person may prefer to read Caldecott books over Newbery books, but one award is no better than the other.