Sibert Medal

Sibert Medal
Awarded for"the most distinguished informational book" for children
CountryUnited States
Presented byAssociation for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association
First award2001
Websiteala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal established by the Association for Library Service to Children in 2001 with support from Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., is awarded annually to the writer and illustrator of the most distinguished informational book published in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, a long-time president of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. in Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award.

"Informational books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documentable, factual material." Poetry and traditional literature such as folktales are not eligible but there is no other restriction, such as reference books or nonfiction books. The book must be published originally or simultaneously in the United States and in English.

Recipients

Robert F. Sibert Medal and Honor Books, 2001–present
Year Writer Illustrator Title Result Ref.
2001 Marc Aronson Marc Aronson Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado Winner
Joan Dash Dušan Petričić The Longitude Prize Honor
Jim Murphy — BLIZZARD! The Storm That Changed America
Sophie Webb Sophie Webb My Season with Penguins: An Antarctic Journal
Judd Winick Judd Winick Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned
2002 Susan Campbell Bartoletti — Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 Winner
Andrea Warren — Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps Honor
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan — Vincent van Gogh
Lynn Curlee Lynn Curlee Brooklyn Bridge
2003 James Cross Giblin — The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler Winner
Karen Blumenthal — Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929 Honor
Jack Gantos — Hole in My Life
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan Robert Andrew Parker Action Jackson
Pam Muñoz Ryan Brian Selznick When Marian Sang
2004 Jim Murphy — An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 Winner
Vicki Cobb Julia Gorton I Face the Wind Honor
2005 Russell Freedman — The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights Winner
Barbara Kerley Brian Selznick Walt Whitman: Words for America Honor
Sy Montgomery Nic Bishop The Tarantula Scientist
James Rumford James Rumford Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing
2006 Sally M. Walker — Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley Winner
Susan Campbell Bartoletti — Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow Honor
2007 Catherine Thimmesh — Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon Winner
Ann Bausum — Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement Honor
Sy Montgomery Nic Bishop Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea
Siena Cherson Siegel Mark Siegel To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel
2008 Peter Sís Peter Sís The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain Winner
Brian Floca Brian Floca Lightship Honor
Nic Bishop Nic Bishop Nic Bishop Spiders
2009 Kadir Nelson Kadir Nelson We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball Winner
James M. Deem — Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past Honor
Barbara Kerley Edwin Fotheringham What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!
2010 Tanya Lee Stone — Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream Winner
Chris Barton Tony Persiani The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand New Colors Honor
Brian Floca Brian Floca Moonshot: The Flight Of Apollo 11
Phillip Hoose — Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
2011 Sy Montgomery Nic Bishop Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Bird Winner
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Johnson Brian Floca Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring Honor
Russell Freedman — Lafayette and the American Revolution
2012 Melissa Sweet Melissa Sweet Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade Winner
Larry Dane Brimner — Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene 'Bull' Connor Honor
Allen Say Allen Say Drawing from Memory
Caitlin O'Connell and Donna M. Jackson Caitlin O'Connell and Timothy Rodwell (Photographers) The Elephant Scientist
Rosalyn Schanzer Rosalyn Schanzer Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem
2013 Steve Sheinkin — Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon Winner
Robert Byrd Robert Byrd Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin Honor
Phillip Hoose — Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with Great Survivor B95
Deborah Hopkinson — Titanic: Voices from the Disaster
2014 Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore Susan L. Roth Parrots over Puerto Rico Winner
Jen Bryant Melissa Sweet A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin Honor
Annette LeBlanc Cate Annette LeBlanc Cate Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard
Brian Floca Brian Floca Locomotive
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan — The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius
2015 Jen Bryant Melissa Sweet The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus Winner
Candace Fleming — The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia Honor
Patricia Hruby Powell Christian Robinson Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
Katherine Roy Katherine Roy Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands
Duncan Tonatiuh Duncan Tonatiuh Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family's Fight for Desegregation
Jacqueline Woodson — Brown Girl Dreaming
2016 Duncan Tonatiuh Duncan Tonatiuh Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras Winner
Don Brown Don Brown Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Honor
Phillip Hoose — The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club
Lynda Blackmon Lowery,
as told to Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley		 PJ Loughran Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March
Carole Boston Weatherford Ekua Holmes Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
2017 John Lewis and Andrew Aydin Nate Powell March: Book Three Winner
Candace Fleming Eric Rohmann Giant Squid Honor
Caren Stelson — Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story
Albert Marrin — The Japanese American Experience During World War II
Russell Freedman — We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler
2018 Larry Dane Brimner — Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 Winner
Jacqueline Briggs Martin and June Jo Lee Man One Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix Honor
Jason Chin Jason Chin Grand Canyon
Shane Burcaw Matt Carr Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask about Having a Disability
Patricia Newman — Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem
2019 Joyce Sidman — The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science Winner
Catherine Thimmesh — Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild Honor
Gail Jarrow — Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America
Don Brown Don Brown The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees
Traci Sorell Frané Lessac We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
Michael Mahin Jose Ramirez When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana
2020 Kevin Noble Maillard Juana Martinez-Neal Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story Winner
Lori Alexander Vivien Mildenberger All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World Honor
Jo Ann Alice Boyce and Debbie Levy — This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality
Nikki Grimes — Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir
Antoinette Portis Antoinette Portis Hey, Water!
2021 Candace Fleming Eric Rohmann Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera Winner
John Rocco John Rocco How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity's Greatest Adventure Honor
Suzanne Slade Cozbi A. Cabrera Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks
Christina Soontornvat — All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
2022 Cynthia Levinson Evan Turk The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice With Art Winner
Colleen Paeff Nancy Carpenter The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem Honor
Steve Sheinkin — Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown
Traci Sorell Frané Lessac We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know
Melissa Stewart Sarah S. Brannen Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate
Carole Boston Weatherford Floyd Cooper Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
2023 Elizabeth Partridge Lauren Tamaki Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration Winner
Angela Joy Janelle Washington Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement Honor
Antoinette Portis Antoinette Portis A Seed Grows
Mara Rockliff R. Gregory Christie Sweet Justice: Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Chana Stiefel Susan Gal The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs
2024 Nicholas Day Brett Helquist The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity Winner
Sy Montgomery Matt Patterson The Book of Turtles Honor
Traci N. Todd Shannon Wright Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes
Jessica Lanan Jessica Lanan Jumper: A Day in the Life of the Backyard Jumping Spider
Martin W. Sandler — Shipwrecked!: Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor
2025 Lynn Brunelle Jason Chin Life after Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall Winner
Nathalie Alonso Rudy Gutierrez Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos Honor
Candace Fleming — The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
Estelle Nadel, Sammy Savos, and Bethany Strout Sammy Savos The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival
Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman S. D. Nelson Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills
2026 Sara Andrea Fajardo Juana Martinez-Neal Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa Winner
Erin Entrada Kelly — At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom Honor
Quartez Harris Gordon C. James Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer
Nikkolas Smith Nikkolas Smith The History of We
Pablo Leon Pablo Leon Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide
Nicholas Day Yas Imamura A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, A Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Welcome to the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal home page!" Archived 2018-11-07 at the Wayback Machine. Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). American Library Association (ALA). Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  2. 1 2 "About the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal". ALSC. ALA. Archived from the original on 2012-12-19. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  3. ↑ "Terms and criteria: (Robert F.) Sibert Informational Book Award" Archived 2013-01-23 at the Wayback Machine. ALSC. ALA. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  4. ↑ "(Robert F.) Sibert Medal and Honor Books, 2001-present" (PDF). American Library Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2026-03-17. Retrieved 2026-08-24.
  5. ↑ "Park, Wiesner Receive Newbery, Caldecott Medals". Library Journal. 2002-01-28. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  6. 1 2 "American Library Association announces literary award winners". American Library Association. January 14, 2008. Archived from the original on 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  7. 1 2 "American Library Association announces literary award winners". American Library Association. 2009-01-25. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  8. 1 2 "ALA announces literary award winners; Newbery, Caldecott winners on "Today Show"". American Library Association. 2010-01-18. Archived from the original on 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  9. 1 2 "American Library Association announces youth media award winners". American Library Association. 2011-01-10. Archived from the original on 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  10. 1 2 "American Library Association announces 2012 Youth Media Award winners". American Library Association. 2012-01-23. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  11. 1 2 "American Library Association announces 2013 youth media award winners". American Library Association. 2013-01-28. Archived from the original on 2018-02-07. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  12. ↑ "Woodson to Receive Langston Hughes Medal". Shelf Awareness. 2015-11-06. Archived from the original on 2026-05-19. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  13. 1 2 Enriquez, Grace (2016-03-08). "2016 Sibert Medal Winner, Pura Belpré Honor, and Orbis Pictus Honor: Funny Bones". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  14. 1 2 "Winners of the 2017 Youth Media Awards | ALA Midwinter 2017". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  15. 1 2 "Winners of the 2018 Youth Media Awards | ALA Midwinter 2018". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  16. 1 2 "2019 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2022-12-31. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  17. 1 2 "2020 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-11-30. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  18. ↑ "Sibert Medal Winner: Juana Martinez-Neal, Fry Bread". Shelf Awareness . 2020-02-03. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  19. ↑ "Sibert Medal Winner: Kevin Noble Maillard, Fry Bread". Shelf Awareness . 2020-02-04. Archived from the original on 2026-02-12. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  20. 1 2 3 "2021 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  21. ↑ "Christina Soontornvat: SIbert, YALSA and Newbery Honor Winner". Shelf Awareness . 2021-02-02. Archived from the original on 2026-01-24. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  22. 1 2 "2022 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  23. 1 2 "2023 Youth Media Award Winners". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  24. 1 2 "2024 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  25. 1 2 "2025 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  26. 1 2 "2026 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on 2026-06-03. Retrieved 2026-08-25.
  27. "Robert F. Sibert Medal and Honor Books, 2001–present". ALSC. ALA. Archived from the original on 2014-07-22. Retrieved 2013-05-05.