Every Caldecott season, I get super excited about a picture book and think it’s Caldecott-worthy only to realize that it’s not eligible for the award for one reason or another (usually it’s because the illustrator is not a resident or citizen of the US), so let’s take a minute to do a quick overview of the award criteria. 

I’m going to try to distill this as much as I can here, because it can get pretty detailed. If you’re up for nerding out on that granular level, check out the Caldecott Terms and Criteria here or even download the Caldecott committee manual here, which puts each facet of the award under a microscope. 

In its most basic definition, the Caldecott is “given annually to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children, in English, from among those published during the preceding year.”

That’s pretty dense. Let’s dissect this into a few points that we can keep in mind while reading: 

•  The Caldecott is awarded to an artist for their illustration work. Sometimes the artist and author are the same person, but that’s not always so. 

• The award is restricted to artists who are citizens or residents of the United States.  Books published in a U.S. territory or U.S. commonwealth are eligible.

• A picture book provides a child with a “visual experience,” has a “collective unity of story-line, theme, or concept, developed through the series of pictures that comprise the book

• The book’s intended audience is children and respects a child’s “understandings, abilities, and appreciations.” For the Caldecott, a child is ranged up to 14 years and picture books within this entire range can be considered. 

• The Caldecott defines “Distinguished” as: 

  • Marked by eminence and distinction; noted for significant achievement.

  • Marked by excellence in quality.

  • Marked by conspicuous excellence or eminence. 

  • Individually distinct.

That’s all great, you are probably thinking, but it’s...kinda vague. 

That’s part of the beauty of it, because it allows space for argument, novelty, and unique interpretation of the criteria. It’s what allows for books demonstrating such diverse illustration work — and books that might even stretch the definition of picture book--to encompass exciting new forms. 

If you made it this far in such a dense, definition-heavy post, congratulations! You read all of the words and earned the Serious Reader award! 

In the comments below, let us know which Caldecott criteria you find the most helpful, the most confusing, or the most useful when discussing Caldecott contenders.