Caldecott/Newberry Books?

October 31, 2020 4:11 PM

Where can I find a complete list of Caldecott and Newberry books with info as to their AGE appropriateness?
posted by longhaultrucker to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

These lists are not comprehensive, but Common Sense Media does a breakout of Caldecott winners and Newbery Medal winners by age range. They also go into some detail about how exactly they rate these books. It can sometimes be hard to find lists like this that aren't a mask for some sort of "family friendly" approach that also includes various kinds of content filtering. This is not that. When you look at a page for a book (example), if it has reviews, it will show you what KIDS think is the appropriate age range and what PARENTS think. Sometimes they line up well and other times they don't. They also showcase other recommended titles, also grouped by age and they pay special attention to having a diverse range of books that will interest kids.
posted by jessamyn at 4:33 PM on October 31, 2020 [12 favorites]

Yeah, there's not going to be a perfect tool here, because really only the parents get a say in what is considered age appropriate. What might help in that regard are detail reviews that cover the content of books in detail, but every kid is so different, there's not really such a thing as an "average" 7-year-old reader, for instance, and what they can handle, appropriateness-wise.
posted by rikschell at 7:26 PM on October 31, 2020

I think it really depends on what you mean by age appropriate. If you’re talking about lexile levels, it’s important to know that children can read on a higher level when they enjoy the content.

If you’re talking about content, then it really depends on what content you’re not comfortable with.
posted by donut_princess at 7:44 PM on October 31, 2020 [1 favorite]

You can also search the super-old-school Database of Award-winning Children's Literature, which allows you to specify a lot of parameters, age and award won among them.
posted by librarylis at 7:05 PM on November 7, 2020 [1 favorite]