Awarded annually by the Children's Literature Association to recognize outstanding book-length contributions to children's literature history, scholarship, and criticism. Eligible titles must be published, book-length works on the history of and/or scholarship or criticism on children's literature, written in English exclusively by the author(s) whose name(s) appear on the title page, and bearing an original copyright date of the year under consideration. Anthologies or festschriften, reference works, and textbooks; honors papers, masters theses, and doctoral dissertations, unless reworked as a book; and reprints or new editions of previously published books are not eligible. Access links to publisher Web sites for all currently in-print books by clicking on the publisher name.
Winner: Leonard Marcus for Minders of Make-Believe: Idealists, Entrepreneurs, and the Shaping of American Children’s Literature. Houghton-Mifflin, 2008.
Recommended books:
Penny Brown, A Critical History of French Children’s Literature (Routledge)
Anita Clair Fellman, Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Impact on American Culture (University of Missouri Press)
Winner: Julia Mickenberg for Learning from the Left: Children's Literature, the Cold War, and Radical Politics in the United States.Oxford University Press, 2006.
Winner: Emer O'Sullivan for Comparative Children's Literature. Routledge, 2005.
Honor Book: Angela Sorby for Schoolroom Poets: Childhood, Performance, and the Place of American Poetry, 1865-1917. University of New Hampshire Press, 2005.
Honor book: Patricia Demers, Heaven Upon Earth: The Form of Moral and Religious Children's Literature to 1850. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1993.
Honor book: Samuel Pickering, Moral Instruction and Fiction for Children, 1749-1820. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1993.
1992 awards
Winner: Jerry Griswold, Audacious Kids: Coming of Age in America's Classic Children's Books. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Honor book: Leonard Marcus, Margaret Wise Brown: Awakened by the Moon.Boston: Beacon, 1992.
Honorable mention: Lucy Rollins, Cradle and All: A Cultural and Psychoanalytic Study of Nursery Rhymes. Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 1992.
Honorable mention: John Stephens, Language and Ideology in Children's Fiction. London: Longman, 1992.
1991 awards
Winner: Barbara Wall, The Narrator's Voice: The Dilemma of Children's Fiction. New York: St.
Martin's Press, 1991.
Honor book: Virginia Wolf, Louise Fitzhugh. Boston: G. K. Hall/Twayne, 1991.
Honorable mention: Claudia Nelson, Boys Will Be Girls: The Feminine Ethic and British Children's Fiction, 1857-1917. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1991.
Honorable mention: Patricia Demers, P. L. Travers. Boston: G. K. Hall/Twayne, 1991.
1990 awards
Winner: Millicent Lenz, Nuclear Age Literature for Youth: The Quest for a Life-Affirming Ethic. Chicago: American Library Association, 1990.
Honor book: Dianne Johnson, Telling Tales: The Pedagogy and Promise of African American Literature for Youth. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.
Honorable mention: Gary D. Schmidt, Robert McCloskey. Boston: G. K. Hall/Twayne, 1990.
1989 awards
Winner: Joel Myerson, Daniel Shealy, and Madeleine Stern, eds., The Journals of Louisa May Alcott.Boston: Little, Brown, 1989.
1988 awards
Winner: Kirsten Drotner, English Children and Their Magazines, 1751-1945. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988.
1987 awards
Winner: Julia Briggs, A Woman of Passion: The Life of E. Nesbit, 1858-1928. London: Hutchinson; New York: New Amsterdam Books, 1987.
Winner: Juliet Dusinberre, Alice to the Lighthouse: Children's Books and Radical Experiments in Art. New York: St. Martin's, 1987.
1985-86 awards
Winner: Iona and Peter Opie, The Singing Game. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985.
1981-84 awards
Winner: Neil Philip, A Fine Anger: A Critical Introduction to the Work of Alan Garner. London: Collins, 1981.
But Mary Poppins‘s eyes were fixed upon him, and Michael suddenly discovered that you could not look at Mary Poppins and disobey her. There was something strange and extraordinary about her—something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting. (P. L. Travers, Mary Poppins, 1934) "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what‘s the fist thing you say to yourself?" "What‘s for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what‘s going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It‘s the same thing," he said. (A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926) The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, he top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. (Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting, 1975) My cousin comes to visit and you know he‘s from the South ‘Cause every word he says just kind of slides out of his mouth I like the way he whistles and I like the way he walks But honey, let me tell you that I LOVE the way he talks (Eloise Greenfield, from "Honey, I Love," Honey, I love and other love poems, 1978) They tell you to do your thing but they don‘t mean it. They don‘t want you to do your thing, not unless it happens to be their thing, too. It‘s a laugh, Goober, a fake. Don‘t disturb the universe, Goober, no matter what the posters say. (Robert Cormier, The Chocolate War, 1974) There is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. (Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows 1908) "My darling child!... Where in the world did you come from?" "From the Land of Oz," said Dorothy gravely. "And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I‘m so glad to be at home again!" (L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900) It was a dark and stormy night. (Madeleine L‘Engle, A Wrinkle in Time, 1962) When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved. (Carolyn Coman, What Jamie Saw, 1995) Do you understand how amazing it is to hear that from an adult? Do you know how amazing it is to hear that from anybody? It‘s one of the simplest sentences in the world, just four words, but they‘re the four hugest words in the world when they‘re put together. You can do it. (Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, 2007) When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles and the bottle‘s on a poodle and the poodle‘s eating noodles... (Dr. Seuss, Fox in Socks 1965) Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you‘d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn‘t hold with such nonsense. (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone, 1997) She knew they were all afraid. But love and disease are both like electricity, Weetzie thought. They are always there—you can‘t see or smell or hear, touch, or taste them, but you know they are there like a current in the air. We can choose, Weetzie thought, we can choose to plug into the love current instead. (Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat 1989) "Tut, tut, child!" said the Duchess. "Everything‘s got a moral, if only you can find it." (Lewis Carroll, Alice‘s Adventures in Wonderland 1865) "Yes, it‘s very wicked to lie," said Pippi even more sadly. "But I forget it now and then. And how can you expect a little child whose mother is an angel and whose father is king of a cannibal island and who herself has sailed on the ocean all her life—how can you expect her to tell the truth always?" (Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking, 1950) TWINKLE, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are ! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. (Ann and Jane Taylor, from "The Star," Rhymes from the Nursery, 1806) "Where‘s papa going with that ax?" (E. B. White, Charlotte‘s Web 1952) "You‘ve started quite a career for yourself, Nancy. I wonder if you‘ll have any more adventures?" Nancy gave a tired sigh. "Oh, I think I‘ve had enough to last me for the rest of my life!" But in heart heart, she knew she had not. The love for mystery would always be with her. (Carolyn Keene, The Bungalow Mystery 1930) HOW doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day From every opening flower! (Isaac Watts, from "Against Idleness and Mischief, Divine Songs for Children, 1715)Take some time daily to speak a little to your children one by one about their miserable condition by nature…. They are not too little to die… not too little to go to hell. — James Janeway, A Token for Children (1671-2) But Mary Poppins‘s eyes were fixed upon him, and Michael suddenly discovered that you could not look at Mary Poppins and disobey her. There was something strange and extraordinary about her—something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting. (P. L. Travers, Mary Poppins, 1934) "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what‘s the fist thing you say to yourself?" "What‘s for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what‘s going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It‘s the same thing," he said. (A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926) The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, he top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. (Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting, 1975) My cousin comes to visit and you know he‘s from the South ‘Cause every word he says just kind of slides out of his mouth I like the way he whistles and I like the way he walks But honey, let me tell you that I LOVE the way he talks (Eloise Greenfield, from "Honey, I Love," Honey, I love and other love poems, 1978) They tell you to do your thing but they don‘t mean it. They don‘t want you to do your thing, not unless it happens to be their thing, too. It‘s a laugh, Goober, a fake. Don‘t disturb the universe, Goober, no matter what the posters say. (Robert Cormier, The Chocolate War, 1974) There is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. (Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows 1908) "My darling child!... Where in the world did you come from?" "From the Land of Oz," said Dorothy gravely. "And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I‘m so glad to be at home again!" (L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900) It was a dark and stormy night. (Madeleine L‘Engle, A Wrinkle in Time, 1962) When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved. (Carolyn Coman, What Jamie Saw, 1995) Do you understand how amazing it is to hear that from an adult? Do you know how amazing it is to hear that from anybody? It‘s one of the simplest sentences in the world, just four words, but they‘re the four hugest words in the world when they‘re put together. You can do it. (Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, 2007) When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles and the bottle‘s on a poodle and the poodle‘s eating noodles... (Dr. Seuss, Fox in Socks 1965) Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you‘d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn‘t hold with such nonsense. (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone, 1997) She knew they were all afraid. But love and disease are both like electricity, Weetzie thought. They are always there—you can‘t see or smell or hear, touch, or taste them, but you know they are there like a current in the air. We can choose, Weetzie thought, we can choose to plug into the love current instead. (Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat 1989) "Tut, tut, child!" said the Duchess. "Everything‘s got a moral, if only you can find it." (Lewis Carroll, Alice‘s Adventures in Wonderland 1865) "Yes, it‘s very wicked to lie," said Pippi even more sadly. "But I forget it now and then. And how can you expect a little child whose mother is an angel and whose father is king of a cannibal island and who herself has sailed on the ocean all her life—how can you expect her to tell the truth always?" (Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking, 1950) TWINKLE, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are ! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. (Ann and Jane Taylor, from "The Star," Rhymes from the Nursery, 1806) "Where‘s papa going with that ax?" (E. B. White, Charlotte‘s Web 1952) "You‘ve started quite a career for yourself, Nancy. I wonder if you‘ll have any more adventures?" Nancy gave a tired sigh. "Oh, I think I‘ve had enough to last me for the rest of my life!" But in heart heart, she knew she had not. The love for mystery would always be with her. (Carolyn Keene, The Bungalow Mystery 1930) HOW doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day From every opening flower! (Isaac Watts, from "Against Idleness and Mischief, Divine Songs for Children, 1715)Take some time daily to speak a little to your children one by one about their miserable condition by nature…. They are not too little to die… not too little to go to hell. — James Janeway, A Token for Children (1671-2) But Mary Poppins‘s eyes were fixed upon him, and Michael suddenly discovered that you could not look at Mary Poppins and disobey her. There was something strange and extraordinary about her—something that was frightening and at the same time most exciting. (P. L. Travers, Mary Poppins, 1934) "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what‘s the fist thing you say to yourself?" "What‘s for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what‘s going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It‘s the same thing," he said. (A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926) The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, he top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. (Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting, 1975) My cousin comes to visit and you know he‘s from the South ‘Cause every word he says just kind of slides out of his mouth I like the way he whistles and I like the way he walks But honey, let me tell you that I LOVE the way he talks (Eloise Greenfield, from "Honey, I Love," Honey, I love and other love poems, 1978) They tell you to do your thing but they don‘t mean it. They don‘t want you to do your thing, not unless it happens to be their thing, too. It‘s a laugh, Goober, a fake. Don‘t disturb the universe, Goober, no matter what the posters say. (Robert Cormier, The Chocolate War, 1974) There is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. (Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows 1908) "My darling child!... Where in the world did you come from?" "From the Land of Oz," said Dorothy gravely. "And here is Toto, too. And oh, Aunt Em! I‘m so glad to be at home again!" (L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, 1900) It was a dark and stormy night. (Madeleine L‘Engle, A Wrinkle in Time, 1962) When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved. (Carolyn Coman, What Jamie Saw, 1995) Do you understand how amazing it is to hear that from an adult? Do you know how amazing it is to hear that from anybody? It‘s one of the simplest sentences in the world, just four words, but they‘re the four hugest words in the world when they‘re put together. You can do it. (Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, 2007) When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles and the bottle‘s on a poodle and the poodle‘s eating noodles... (Dr. Seuss, Fox in Socks 1965) Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you‘d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn‘t hold with such nonsense. (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone, 1997) She knew they were all afraid. But love and disease are both like electricity, Weetzie thought. They are always there—you can‘t see or smell or hear, touch, or taste them, but you know they are there like a current in the air. We can choose, Weetzie thought, we can choose to plug into the love current instead. (Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat 1989) "Tut, tut, child!" said the Duchess. "Everything‘s got a moral, if only you can find it." (Lewis Carroll, Alice‘s Adventures in Wonderland 1865) "Yes, it‘s very wicked to lie," said Pippi even more sadly. "But I forget it now and then. And how can you expect a little child whose mother is an angel and whose father is king of a cannibal island and who herself has sailed on the ocean all her life—how can you expect her to tell the truth always?" (Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking, 1950) TWINKLE, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are ! Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky. (Ann and Jane Taylor, from "The Star," Rhymes from the Nursery, 1806) "Where‘s papa going with that ax?" (E. B. White, Charlotte‘s Web 1952) "You‘ve started quite a career for yourself, Nancy. I wonder if you‘ll have any more adventures?" Nancy gave a tired sigh. "Oh, I think I‘ve had enough to last me for the rest of my life!" But in heart heart, she knew she had not. The love for mystery would always be with her. (Carolyn Keene, The Bungalow Mystery 1930) HOW doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day From every opening flower! (Isaac Watts, from "Against Idleness and Mischief, Divine Songs for Children, 1715)Take some time daily to speak a little to your children one by one about their miserable condition by nature…. They are not too little to die… not too little to go to hell. — James Janeway, A Token for Children (1671-2)
