Once upon a time, there were mom-and-pop bookstores where clerks had trustworthy opinions and carefully edited selections of books for children (and adults). Maybe the occasional Caldecott or Newbery winner was propped on a stand for a little extra recognition. Nowadays, a quick trip to pick out a new book for your own kid or someone else's turns into an hour of wading through the retail circus: cardbord kiosks that feature cartoon-characters-cum-books, musical accompaniments to the classics, and titles with a dozen or so awards you've never heard of. Once a signal of excellence adorning only the very best titles—such as Where the Wild Things Are (the 1964 Caldecott winner) and A Wrinkle in Time (the 1963 Newbery winner)—the ubiquitous seals have become difficult to decipher, and to trust. On the following pages, Cookie has winnowed the list of children's book awards down to the most prominent—the ones you'll spot in stores and on library shelves—and given you the details behind those shiny decorations of honor.
Next Page: A guide to reading between the lines when shopping for kids' books
