Rebecca Stead's "When You Reach Me" and Jerry Pinkney's "The Lion and the Mouse" have received the top prizes in children's literature.
Stead's intricate narrative set in 1970s Manhattan won the John Newbery Medal for best children's book, while the Randolph Caldecott prize for best picture book was given to Pinkney's wordless telling of a classic Aesop fable.
The awards were announced Monday in Boston at the American Library Association's annual mid-winter meeting.
Vauna Micheaux Nelson's "Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal," won the Coretta Scott King award for best book by an African-American author. The King award for best illustrator went to Charles R. Smith Jr. for "My People," with text written by poet Langston Hughes.
Libba Bray's "Going Bovine" won the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature. Jim Murphy, whose tales of American history include "The Long Road to Gettysburg" and "A Young Patriot," received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in young adult books.
© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.