< Newbery Medal and Honor Books
Given the Newbery Award's prestige it would be easy to assume that the award winners are all excellent books for children. The Biblioguides Team has not found this to be the case. We always want to provide parents with the information they need to make the best book decisions for their families. With that goal in mind, we've put together a complete list of all medal winners and honor books since inception, and the Biblioguides Review Team is working together to read our way through the winners and to provide a review. Where we have not yet reviewed a book, a description directly from the dust jacket or from the publisher has been provided. In some cases, we have shared a brief synopsis from The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books (1999).
Reviews are the thoughts and opinions of the particular reviewer and do not necessarily represent all members of the team. Reviews will continue to be added as the team reads more of the Newbery books. We hope this list will help you familiarize yourself with the various winners and provide the necessary information to determine which books would be a good fit for your family!
Shen of the Sea
By: Arthur Bowie Chrisman
Illustrated by: Elsie Hasselriis
Medal Winner
NOT REVIEWED
A series of fascinating Chinese stories in which the author has caught admirably the spirit of Chinese life and thought. Not only are the tales amusing and attractive in themselves, but those who know anything about Chinese life will observe hidden beneath their surface the curious practical philosophy that has governed Chinese existence for thousands of years.
The many delightful illustrations in silhouette are by Miss Else Hasselriis of Copenhagen, Denmark, the artist who has revived the art of the silhouette in Europe, and are in themselves sufficient to make the book absolutely unique.
From the dust jacket of a later printing
The Voyagers: Being Legends and Romances of Atlantic Discovery
By: Padraic Colum
Illustrated by: Wilfred Jones
Honor
NOT REVIEWED
"O prince and ye captains, and learned men who have come from afar! What I am going to relate to you is an ancient history, a history that is known only to those who can read our language and who have our ancient books."
Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal feels certain there lies not only the legendary island named Atlantis in the great sea, but other lands to the west, far beyond the limits of the horizon. He has assembled the men wisest in the lore of their nations and their people, and one by one he calls them to tell him the stories of their land, of their seas, of their explorations.
Open this book to join in the journey...
From the dust jacket of the Smidgen Press reprint
