2020 Northern Lights Book Awards Winners!

Picture Book of the Year
A Story About Afiya
Author: James Berry (posthumously)
Illustrator: Anna Cunha
Publisher: Lantana Publishing

 

 

 

 

 Middle School Book of the Year
The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Author: Sue DiCicco and Masahiro Sasaki
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Time-Honored Category
Venus Remembered
Author: Ray Bradbury (posthumously) and Jason J. Marchi
Publisher: Fahrenheit Books

 

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Board Book Category
Baby Botanist
Author: Dr. Laura Gehl
Illustrator: Daniel Wiseman
Publisher: HarperFestival

 

 

 

Winner of the Board Book Category
Snow Days
Author: Deborah Kerbel
Illustrator: Miki Sato
Publisher: Pajama Press

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Concept (Colors) Category
My Ocean is Blue
Author: Darren Lebeuf
Illustrator: Ashley Barron
Publisher: Kids Can Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Concept (Counting) Category
Counting Kindness: Ten Ways to Welcome Refugee Children
Author: Hollis Kurman
Illustrator: Barroux
Publisher: Charlesbridge

 

 

 

Winner of the Picture Book – Preschool Category
Catch That Chicken!
Author: Atinuke
Illustrator: Angela Brooksbank
Publisher: Candlewick Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Picture Book – Preschool Category
The Wonder That is You
Author: Glenys Nellist
Illustrator: Aurelie Blanz
Publisher: Zonderkidz

 

 

 

Winner of the Picture Book 4-8 Category
The Tall Man and the Small Mouse
Author: Mara Bergman
Illustrator: Birgitta Sif
Publisher: Walker Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Picture Book – All Ages Category
Home in the Woods
Author: Eliza Wheeler
Illustrator: Eliza Wheeler
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Picture Book – All Ages Category
Balderdash! John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children’s Books
Author: Michelle Markel
Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Chronicle Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Author/Illustrator Award Category
A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Author: Grace Lin
Illustrator: Grace Lin
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

Winner of the Author/Illustrator Award Category
Ninja Boy’s Secret
Author: Tina Schneider
Illustrator: Tina Schneider
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

 

 

 

Winner of the Best Illustrator Category
My Nana’s Garden
Author: Dawn Casey
Illustrator: Jessica Courtney-Tickle
Publisher: Templar Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Best Illustrator Category
The Lonely Polar Bear
Author: Khoa Le
Illustrator: Khoa Le
Publisher: Happy Fox Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Picture Book Non-Fiction Category
111 Trees: How One Village Celebrates the Birth of Every Girl
Author: Rina Singh
Illustrator: Marianne Ferrer
Publisher: Kids Can Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Picture Book Non-Fiction Category
Manjhi Moves a Mountain
Author: Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Danny Popovici
Publisher: Creston Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Historical Fiction Category
Mrs. Paddington and the Silver Mousetraps: A Hair-Raising History of Women’s Hairstyles in 18th Century London
Author: Gail Skroback Hennessey
Illustrator: Steve Cox
Publisher: Red Chair Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Historical Category
Martin & Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank
Author: Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Yevgenia Nayberg
Publisher: Creston Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Historical Category
My Name is James Madison Hemings
Author: Jonah Winter
Illustrator: Terry Widener
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Biography Category
Mother Jones and Her Army of Mill Children
Author: Jonah Winter
Illustrator: Nancy Carpenter
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Biography Category
John Ronald’s Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien
Author: Caroline McAlister
Illustrator: Eliza Wheeler
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

 

 

 

Winner of the STEM Category
Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer
Author: Laura Gehl
Illustrator: Louise Pigott and Alex Oxton
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

 

 

 

Winner of the STEM Category
Nine Months: Before a Baby is Born
Author: Miranda Paul
Illustrator: Jason Chin
Publisher: Neal Porter Books

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Poetry Category
My First Book of Haiku Poems: a Picture a Poem and a Dream; Classic Poems by Japanese Haiku Masters
Author (Translator): Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen
Illustrator: Tracy Gallup
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

 

 

 

Winner of the Poetry Category
A Place to Start a Family: Poems About Creatures That Build
Author: David L. Harrison
Illustrator: Giles Laroche
Publisher: Charlesbridge

 

 

 

Winner of the Art Category
The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau
Author: Michelle Markel
Illustrator: Amanda Hall
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

Winner of the Art Category
Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring
Author: Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Felicia Marshall
Publisher: Creston Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Music Category
Welcome to Jazz: A Swing-Along Celebration of America’s Music
Author: Carolyn Sloan
Illustrator: Jessica Gibson
Publisher: Workman Publishing

 

 

 

Winner of the Music Category
For Spacious Skies: Katharine Lee Bates and the Inspiration for “America the Beautiful”
Author: Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Olga Baumert
Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company

 

 

 

Winner of the Sports Category
The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game
Author: Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Jaz Tuya
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

 

 

 

Winner of the Sports Category
Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Author: Jonah Winter
Illustrator: Raúl Colón
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

Winner of the Family Category
The Little Blue Cottage
Author: Kelly Jordan
Illustrator: Jessica Courtney-Tickle
Publisher: Page Street Kids

 

 

 

Winner of the Family Category
A Quiet Girl
Author: Peter Carnavas
Illustrator: Peter Carnavas
Publisher: Pajama Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Multicultural Category
Taking Time
Author: Jo Loring-Fisher
Illustrator: Jo Loring-Fisher
Publisher: Lantana Publishing

 

 

 

Winner of the Multicultural Category
The Library Bus
Author: Bahram Rahman
Illustrator: Gabrielle Grimard
Publisher: Pajama Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Holiday/Notable Days Category
The International Day of the Girl: Celebrating Girls Around the World
Author: Jessica Dee Humphreys and the Hon. Rona Ambrose
Illustrator: Simone Shin
Publisher: Kids Can Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Holiday/Notable Days Category
Earth Hour: A Lights-Out Event for Our Planet
Author: Nanette Heffernan
Illustrator: Bao Luu
Publisher: Charlesbridge

 

 

Winner of the Environment Category
The Mess That We Made
Author: Michelle Lord
Illustrator: Julia Blattman
Publisher: Flashlight Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Environment Category
Loony Little: The Ice Cap is Melting!
Author: Dianna Hutts Aston
Illustrator: Kelly Murphy
Publisher: Charlesbridge

 

 

 

Winner of the Nature Category
Ruby’s Birds
Author: Mya Thompson
Illustrator: Claudia Dávila
Publisher: Cornell Lab Publishing Group

 

 

 

Winner of the Nature Category
Come Next Season
Author: Kim Norman
Illustrator: Daniel Miyares
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux

 

 

 

Winner of the Animals/Pets Category
The Dog Patrol: Our Canine Companions and the Kids Who Protect Them
Author: Rob Laidlaw
Publisher: Pajama Press

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Animals/Pets Category
Gwen the Rescue Hen
Author: Leslie Crawford
Illustrator: Sonja Stangl
Publisher: Stone Pier Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Humor Category
Once Upon A Goat
Author: Dan Richards
Illustrator: Eric Barclay
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

Winner of the Humor Category
That Monster on the Block
Author: Sue Ganz-Schmitt
Illustrator: Luke Flowers
Publisher: Two Lions

 

 

 

Winner of the Food Related Category
Quill Soup: A Stone Soup Story
Author: Alan Durant
Illustrator: Dale Blankenaar
Publisher: Charlesbridge

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Religious/Spiritual Category
Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail
Author: Leslea Newman
Illustrator: Susan Gal
Publisher: Charlesbridge

 

 

 

Winner of the Late Bloomer Author Category
Evie’s Field Day: More Than One Way to Win
Author: Claire Annette Noland
Illustrator: Alicia Teba
Publisher: Cardinal Rule Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Educational Category
The Queen and the First Christmas Tree: Queen Charlotte’s Gift to England
Author: Nancy Churnin
Illustrator: Luisa Uribe
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

 

 

 

Winner of the Educational Category
If You Lived Here: Houses of the World
Author: Giles Laroche
Illustrator: Giles Laroche
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for Young Readers

 

 

 

Winner of the Emotional Health Category
Only One of Me: A Love Letter From Mum
Author: Lisa Wells and Michelle Robinson
Illustrator: Catalina Echeverri
Publisher: Graffeg Limited

 

 

 

Only One of Me: A Love Letter From Dad
Author: Lisa Wells and Michelle Robinson
Illustrator: Tim Budgen
Publisher: Graffeg Limited

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Emotional Health Category
Why Do We Cry?
Author: Fran Pintadera
Illustrator: Ana Sender
Publisher: Kids Can Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Cover Art Category
The Little Blue Cottage
Author: Kelly Jordan
Illustrator: Jessica Courtney-Tickle
Publisher: Page Street Kids

 

 

 

Winner of the Wordless Picture Book Category
Hundpromenaden
Author: Sven Nordqvist
Illustrator: Sven Nordqvist
Publisher: Opal

 

 

 

 

Winner of the Early Reader/Chapter Book
Sparky Helps Mary Make New Friends
Author: Caryn Rivadeneira
Illustrator: Priscilla Alpaugh
Publisher: Red Chair Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Early Reader/Chapter Book
Penny Helps Portia Face Her Fears
Author: Caryn Rivadeneira
Illustrator: Priscilla Alpaugh
Publisher: Red Chair Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Best Book Series Category
The Adventures of Pettson and Findus: The Fox Chase
Author: Sven Nordqvist
Illustrator: Sven Nordqvist
Publisher: NorthSouth Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Best Book Series Category
The Adventures of Pettson and Findus: Findus Disappears!
Author: Sven Nordqvist
Illustrator: Sven Nordqvist
Publisher: NorthSouth Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Best Book Series Category
The Adventures of Pettson and Findus: The Birthday Cake
Author: Sven Nordqvist
Illustrator: Sven Nordqvist
Publisher: NorthSouth Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Fantasy Category
The Daring of Della Dupree
Author: Natasha Lowe
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Fantasy Category
If the Magic Fits
Author: Susan Maupin Schmid
Publisher: Yearling

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Fiction Category
The Elephant’s Girl
Author: Celesta Rimington
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Fiction Category
Roosevelt Banks, Good-Kid-in-Training
Author: Laurie Calkhoven
Illustrator: Debbie Palen
Publisher: One Elm Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Historical Fiction Category
Harvey Holds His Own
Author: Colleen Nelson
Illustrator: Tara Anderson
Publisher: Pajama Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Historical Fiction Category
The Littlest Voyageur
Author: Margi Preus
Illustrator: Cheryl Pilgrim
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson Books

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Cultural Category
Music for Tigers
Author: Michelle Kadarusman
Publisher: Pajama Press

 

 

 

Winner of the Middle-Grade Cultural Category
Pop Flies, Robo -Pets, and Other Disasters
Author: Suzanne Kamata
Illustrator: Tracy Nishimura Bishop
Publisher: One Elm Books

 

 

 

 

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