A Tale of Two Katherines: Newbery Medal Winners Who Collaborate

Abstract

Two Katherines. Three Newbery Medals. One Newbery Honor. More than sixty books for children, and more than seventy-five years of collective writing experience. Both beloved authors of books for children. And both are “couples who collaborate,” with co-authored works with their spouses to their credits.

In this centennial year of the Newbery Medal, there are numerous opportunities to search the archives to find unexpected patterns and surprising coincidences across the winners. A quick history of the Medal reveals that couples have won Honors in years past, but no couple has ever won the top prize.