Children's Literature Legacy Award

"substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature"

United States

Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association

1954

ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/clla/about

The medal may be awarded to an author or illustrator including co-authors or co-illustrators, and persons who both write and illustrate. The person may be nominated posthumously.

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Some portion of the nominee's active career in books for children must have occurred in the twenty-five years prior to nomination.

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Citizenship or residence of the potential nominee is not to be considered.

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The nominee's work must be published in the United States but this does not mean that the first publication had to be in the United States. Books by the nominee that have been published in the United States are to be considered in the nomination process.

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At least some of the books by the potential nominee must have been available to children for at least ten years.

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The books, by their nature or number, occupy an important place in literature for American children, and children have read the books, and the books continue to be requested and read by children.

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The committee is to direct its attention only to the part of the nominee's total work that is books for children (up to and including age fourteen).

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Renaming[edit]

In February 2018, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), the division of ALA that administers the award, announced a taskforce which re-examined the naming of the award and included representation from the American Indian Library Association (AILA).[4] The task force was convened because of criticism of Wilder's depictions of Native and African Americans.[5] A recommendation to rename the award was made on June 23, 2018.[6] The ALSC board found Wilder's body of work "includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC's core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness."[7] The award's name was officially changed to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award."[8]

List of ALA awards

Caldecott Medal

Newbery Medal

Margaret A. Edwards Award