John Newbery Medal Winners

The Newbery Award celebrates its 95th year in 2017. It is an annual and national award honoring the finest literary work for young people published in the U.S. by a U.S. author in the previous year. A prestigious committee reviews and chooses the medal winner and other honor books. BPL has maintained the Newbery collection throughout these 95 years. This October, the books are gathered in the center display in the library. These books are a reflection of the national journey as well as the literary journey of 95 years. They represent and reflect the times, the people, and the attitudes of this journey. There are books here which seemed appropriate, even at the forefront when published. However, in 2017, we see they reveal years of racial and economic stereotypes we now understand to be outdated and in error. In this context, it is appropriate to use the Newbery journey as a teaching tool, and to promote children’s literature—fiction and nonfiction; prose and poetry—on a continuing basis.