Bragging Rights and the Newbery

Carol Hanson Sibley

In an article in the Spring 2022 issue of Children and Libraries, celebrating the centennial of the Newbery Medal, author Steven Herb provided an intriguing statistical examination of Newbery Medal and Honor Books and their creators. In addition, the author wished for a “country and state-by-state birth distribution.”1

Of the ninety-five Newbery Medal authors to date, including this year’s, eighty-three were born in the United States, which is expected since guidelines require authors to be US citizens or residents. Twelve medalists were born in other countries, including Canada, Hungary, India, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

New York can claim bragging rights with eighteen Medalists by birth. California ranks second with eight Medalists and Illinois third with seven. Pennsylvania comes in fourth with six authors. Herb would be proud of his home state!

Medalists by State:

California: 8

Connecticut: 3

Hawaii: 2

Idaho: 1

Illinois: 7

Indiana: 1

Kansas: 2

Maryland: 3

Massachusetts: 5

Michigan: 4

Minnesota: 1

Mississippi: 1

New York: 18

North Carolina: 2

New Jersey: 2

Ohio: 4

Oklahoma (Territory): 1

Oregon: 1

Pennsylvania: 6

Utah: 1

Virginia: 3

West Virginia: 2

New Mexico: 1

Wisconsin: 2

Wyoming: 1

To what extent, if any, do the birth locations of authors influence the settings of their Newbery Medal books? Maybe a question for further research!

Reference

1. Steven Herb, “Newbery Metrics: The Newbery and the Illustrators,” Children & Libraries 20, no. 1 (2022): 24.