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Are you excited to learn who won the 2025 Newbery and Caldecott awards and honors? This morning, the American Library Association Youth Media announced children’s book awards, including the 2025 Newbery and Caldecott awards and honors books.
But the ALA also gives many other awards, including Sydney Taylor, Coretta Scott King, and the Odyssey Award, some (not all) of which I’ve included below.
How are these books chosen? Nominated librarians collaborate to find a consensus on the children’s book author and illustrator winners in committees for each award.
If you’re wondering about my personal favorite books of the past year, check out my Imagination Soup’s 2024 favorite children’s book lists:
Best Picture Books, 2024
Best Middle Grade Books, 2024
Best Nonfiction Books, 2024
Best Early Readers & Chapter Books, 2024
John Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
The Newbery Award Winner for 2025 is
The First State of Being written by Erin Entrada Kelly.
The Newbery Honor titles are
- Across So Many Seas written by Ruth Behar
- Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All written and illustrated by Chanel Miller
- One Big Open Sky written by Lesa Cline-Ransome
- The Wrong Way Home written by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Randolph Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The Caldecott Winner for 2025 is
Chooch Helped illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz and written by Andrea L. Rogers.
The Caldecott Honors are
- Home In a Lunchbox written and illustrated by Cherry Mo
- My Daddy Is a Cowboy illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, written by Stephanie Seales
- Noodles on a Bicycle illustrated by Gracey Zhang, written by Kyo Maclear
- Up, Up, Ever Up! Juko Tabei illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Anita Yasuda
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
This award goes to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year.
The Sibert Winner is
Life After Whale written by Lynn Brunelle and illustrated by Jason Chin.
The Sibert Honors are
- Call Me Roberto! written by Nathalie Alonso, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
- The Enigma Girls written by Candace Fleming
- The Girl Who Sang written by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos with Bethany Strout, illustrated by Sammy Savos
- Wings of an Eagle written by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman illustrated by S.D. Nelson
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
The Geisel Award winner is
Vacation written by Ame Dyckman and illustrated by Mark Teague.
The Geisel Honors are
- Fox versus Fox written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor
- Towed by Toad written and illustrated by Jashar Awan
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
The Asian/Pacific American Award for Picture Books
The Picture Book winner is
Aloha Everything written by Kaylin Melia George and illustrated by Mae Waite.
The picture book honor is
The Rock in My Throat written by Kalia Yang and illustrated by Jiemei Lin.
The Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature
The Children’s Literature winner is
Continental Drifter written and illustrated by Kathy MacLeod.
The Children’s Literature honors are
- Mabuha! written and illustrated by Zachary Sterling
- Clairboyance written and illustrated by Kristiana Kahakauwila.
Pura Belpré Awards
This award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
The Pura Belpré Children’s Author Winner is
Lola written by Karla Arenas Valenti
The Pura Belpré Children’s Author Honors are
- Cruizita and the Mariacheros written by Ashley Granillo
- Ultraviolet written by Aida Salazar
The Illustration Winner is
The Dream Catcher illustrated and written by Marcelo Verdad.
The Illustration honors are
- Abuelo, the Sea, and Me illustrated by Tatiana Gardel, written by Ismee Williams
- A Maleta Full of Treasures illustrated by Juana Medina, written by Natalia Sylvester
Sydney Taylor Book Award
The Sydney Taylor Award is presented to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience.
Picture Book
The Sydney Taylor Picture Book Winner is
An Etrog from Across the Sea written by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitzky illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen.
The Honors winners are
- Amazing Abe written by Norman H. Finkelstein, illustrated by Vesper Stamper
- Joyful Song written by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal
- Rising written by Sidura Ludwig, illustrated by Sophia Vincent Guy
- The Tree of Life written by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Alianna Rozentsveig
Middle Grade
The Sydney Taylor Middle Grade Winner is
The Girl Who Sang written by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos with Bethany STroug, illustrated by Sammy Savos.
The Middle Grade Honors are
- Across So Many Seas written by Ruth Behar
- Finn and Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop written by Joshua S. Levy
- Just Shy of Ordinary written by A.J. Sass
For the full list of award winners, visit the American Library Association website later today.
