The Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children recognizes books which demonstrate excellence in the "writing of nonfiction for children."[1][2] It is awarded annually by the National Council of Teachers of English to one American book published the previous year.[3] Up to five titles may be designated as Honor Books. The award is named after the book considered to be the first picture book for children, Orbis Pictus (The World in Pictures), by John Amos Comenius, which was published in 1657.[4][5] The award has recognized one book annually without exception since it was inaugurated in 1990.
| Orbis Pictus Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | National Council of Teachers of English |
| First awarded | 1990 |
| Website | ncte |
Criteria
edit- The book must be "nonfiction literature which has as its central purpose the sharing of information". Biographies are welcome, but not "textbooks, historical fiction, folklore, or poetry".[2][6]
- The book must have been published during the previous calendar year in the United States.
- The book must meet the literary criteria of accuracy, organization, design and style.[7][8]
- Additionally, the book "should be useful in classroom teaching grades K-8, should encourage thinking and more reading, model exemplary expository writing and research skills, share interesting and timely subject matter, and appeal to a wide range of ages."[9]
Recipients
edit| Year | Title | Writer | Illustrator | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Great Little Madison | Jean Fritz | ||
| 1991 | Franklin Delano Roosevelt | Russell Freedman | ||
| 1992 | Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh | Robert Burleigh | Mike Wimmer | |
| 1993 | Children in the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp | Jerry Stanley | ||
| 1994 | Across America on an Emigrant Train | Jim Murphy | ||
| 1995 | Safari Beneath the Sea: The Wonder World of the North Pacific Coast | Diane Swanson | ||
| 1996 | The Great Fire | Jim Murphy | ||
| 1997 | Leonardo da Vinci | Diane Stanley | [10] | |
| 1998 | An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly | Laurence Pringle | Bob Marstall | |
| 1999 | Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance | Jennifer Armstrong | ||
| 2000 | Through My Eyes | Ruby Bridges | ||
| 2001 | Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush California | Jerry Stanley | ||
| 2002 | Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 | Susan Campbell Bartoletti | ||
| 2003 | When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson: The Voice of a Century | Pam Muñoz Ryan | Brian Selznick | [11] |
| 2004 | An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 | Jim Murphy | ||
| 2005 | York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark: An African-American's Part in the Great Expedition | Rhoda Blumberg | ||
| 2006 | Children of the Great Depression | Russell Freedman | [12] | |
| 2007 | Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea | Sy Montgomery | Nic Bishop (photos) | |
| 2008 | M.L.K.: Journey of a King | Tonya Bolden | ||
| 2009 | Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator | Shelley Tanaka | David Craig | [13][14] |
| 2010 | The Secret World of Walter Anderson | Hester Bass | E. B. Lewis | |
| 2011 | Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring | Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan |
Brian Floca | [15] |
| 2012 | Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade | Melissa Sweet | ||
| 2013 | Monsieur Marceau: Actor without Words | Leda Schubert | Gérard DuBois | |
| 2014 | A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin | Jen Bryant | Melissa Sweet | |
| 2015 | The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia | Candace Fleming | ||
| 2016 | Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans | Don Brown | Don Brown | |
| 2017 | Some Writer!: The Story of E.B. White | Melissa Sweet | Melissa Sweet | |
| 2018 | Grand Canyon | Jason Chin | Jason Chin | [16] |
| 2019 | Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery | Sandra Neil Wallace | Bryan Collier | |
| 2020 | A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation | Barry Wittenstein | Jerry Pinkney | [17] |
| 2021 | Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball | Jen Bryant | Frank Morrison | |
| 2022 | Nina: A Story of Nina Simone | Traci N. Todd | Christian Robinson | [18] |
| 2023 | Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky | Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond | Daniel Minter |
Multiple awards
editFive writers have won the Orbis Pictus Award more than once.
- Jim Murphy, 1994, 1996, and 2004[19]
- Melissa Sweet, 2012, 2014 and 2017
- Russell Freedman, 1991 and 2006
- Jerry Stanley, 1993 and 2001
- Jen Bryant, 2014 and 2021
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cullinan, Bernice E. and Diane Goetz Person. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. New York: Continuum, 2001.
- ^ a b "Orbis Pictus Award (Nonfiction for Children)". National Council of Teachers of English. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Moss, Barbara. Exploring the Literature of Fact: Children's Nonfiction Trade Books in the Elementary Classroom: Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy. Guilford Publications, 2002.
- ^ "Award-Winning Books for Children". Reading Is Fundamental. Archived from the original on October 14, 2003. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "Bulletin board". Children's Literature Association Quarterly 15.4 (Winter 1990): 227.
- ^ "Awards Prizes and Organizations". Children's Literature Association Quarterly 19.2 (Summer 1994): 72-73.
- ^ Wilson, Sandip. "Getting Down to Facts in Children's Nonfiction Literature: A Case for the Importance of Sources". Journal of Children's Literature 32.1 (Spring 2006): 56-63.
- ^ "The Orbis Pictus Award" (PDF). jfklibrary.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ Bamford, Rosemary and Janice V Kristo, editors. Making Facts Come Alive: Choosing Quality Nonfiction Literature K-8. Christopher-Gordon Publishers, 2003.
- ^ "Biographies". Diane Stanley. Archived from the original on November 9, 1999.
- ^ "Pam Muñoz Ryan". Scholastic. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Dawes, Erika Thulin. 2006 Children's Literature Award Winners: Classroom Response Guide. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.
- ^ Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 62.8 (April 2009): 343–45. "Children's Book Awards 2009."
- ^ "The 2009 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for outstanding Nonfiction". Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews. March 19, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
- ^ "DiCamillo Wins Newbery, Floca Wins Caldecott". Shelf Awareness. January 28, 2014. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Jason Chin: 2022 Caldecott Medalist". Shelf Awareness. January 26, 2022. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Awards: Staunch Book Winner; NCTE Award Winners". Shelf Awareness. November 26, 2019. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "2022 Orbis Pictus and Charlotte Huck Awards Announced". School Library Journal. November 21, 2021. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ "Jim Murphy". www.jimmurphybooks.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2004.
External links
edit- A New "Picture of the World": The NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, Language Arts 68.6 (October 1991): 474–79
- The Best in Children's Nonfiction: Reading, Writing, & Teaching Orbis Pictus Award Books published by National Council of Teachers of English, 2001
- Official website