Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Named for John Newbery, an 18th century English publisher of juvenile books, the Newbery Medal was proposed by Frederic G. Melcher in 1921, making it the first children's book award in the world.