2022 Newberry Award Winner

January 25, 2022

2022 Newberry Award Winner

The Newberry Medal is an annual award given "to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." Presented by the Association of Library Services for Children starting in 1922, it was the first children's book award in the world.

The first book to receive this award was "The Story of Mankind" by Hendrik Willen Van Loon.

Newberry Medal Winner The Story of Mankind

First published in 1921 and awarded the first Newbery Medal of 1922, "The Story of Mankind" follows the history of western civilization from prehistoric times to the early 20th century. Van Loon both wrote and illustrated this book, which he wrote for his grandchildren, in such a way that children would be learning in an entertaining way. From the development of writing and art to the formation of religion and politics, Van Loon emphasizes the people and events central to the changes and achievements of human history. A remarkable, accurate, and enduring work of children's literature, "The Story of Mankind" is an engaging narration of the procession of events in world history.

In 2022, the award went to "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera.

2022 Newberry Medal winner "The Last Cuentista"

Había una vez . . .

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

Here's a list of all the award winners: Wikipedia. Do you have a favorite? Here are some of the ones that have left an impression on me, from childhood until now.