🌟 Spotlighting Our Featured 2026 Youth Media Award-Winners
Each winter, the American Library Association announces the Youth Media Awards at its annual conference—honoring the very best in children’s and young adult literature. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. As a long time book reviewer for Girls’ Life magazine, and my own book review blogs, every year after the awards are announced, I can't wait to I scan the winners to see if I had featured any of the books. This year was no different.
Drumroll ...
🏅 2026 John Newbery Medal
This year’s John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature was awarded to:
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson, published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
I was thrilled to see All the Blues in the Sky recognized, because I believe this book to be truly excellent, and I truly excited to say this book was the Ink-a-Dink March 2025 Spotlight title. It was also the Ink-a-Dink March 2025 giveaway (thanks #Bloomsbury!) and also thanks to author Renée Watson for sharing her piece for the Childress Ink Blog, “How to Make Space for a Child’s Grief."
2026 marks only the second time in 32+ years that I featured the Newbery winner. The last time was in 2017, The Girl Who Drank the Moon. (I'm a book nerd and I am geeking out!)
Each year reviewing Newbery-level books is always a personal goal, and I get really excited when I see books I had featured makes the list of award winners, and my commitment to sharing excellence in children’s literature is reinforced once more.
📚 Additional Award Highlights
I was also delighted to see:
The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser — a Newbery Honor title we featured in our “Middle-Grade Books That Feel Like a Hug” roundup. A book I didn’t know I needed—and absolutely love.
The Invisible Parade — 2026 Pura Belpré Awards Honor title, celebrating Latino writers and illustrators. Simply breathtaking, and a must-have for collectors and children’s book nerds. Spotlight Review, YouTube Featured Video.
Candace Flemming and Kim Childress, Kids' Ink Children's Bookstore
And I was especially happy to see lifetime achievement honors go to Candace Fleming, recipient of the 2026 Children’s Literature Legacy Award and Margaret A. Edwards Award. I had the joy of meeting Candace many moons ago during my earliest bookselling days at Kids’ Ink Children’s Bookstore. #CoolPeopleMetInBookstores Moments like these take me back to why I started Childress Ink in the first place—to create a space to share books of excellence that didn’t always fit neatly into my work with Girls’ Life.
I’ve attended the ALA Winter Conference multiple times, and oh the energy, the feeling of community, the rising excitement as the awards are announced. And within that excitement, those of us in children’s publishing are reminded why we do what we do. Having featured multiple award winners this year is not only exciting—it’s deeply affirming.
As always,
Happy Reading,
Kim
Youth Media Award Highlights
- John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature: All the Blues in the Sky, written by Renée Watson and published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing.
- Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children: Fireworks, illustrated by Cátia Chien, written by Matthew Burgess, and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
- View the complete list of Youth Media Award winners on the American Library Association website.
💛 Why This Matters
I believe children's books have the power to transform lives. That’s why celebrating them—and placing them into children’s handsis part of my personal mission.
✨ Ink-a-Dink Updates
📚 Healing well from my “Gamekeeper’s Thumb” surgery on January 22—still limited in what I can do, but I will always be sharing good books.
📚 Ink-a-Dink Giveaways return in April—stay tuned!
📚 Summer pop-up schedule is in the works, including another year at the Caledonia Farmers Market.
Kim Childress
Founder, Childress Ink ~ Ink-a-Dink
Author ~ Editor ~ Reviewer ~ Speaker
With over thirty years of experience in publishing, Kim Childress is an award-winning editor, author, speaker, and reviewer. She has built a distinguished career while also raising a personal focus group—her four children—through diapers, doctors, broken bones, college, and plagues. Learn more about Kim and follow her adventures at ChildressInk.com and Ink-a-Dink.com. You can purchase her workshops at penconeditors.com, including: Editing Middle-grade and YA Fiction and Nonfiction, Creating Books of Excellence for Young Readers, How a Book is Made from Start to Finish, and Trends and Opportunities in Fiction and Nonfiction Picture Books.
Facebook: Kim Childress, Childress Ink, Ink-a-Dink, Find Your Future in Art
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Updated March 10, 2026 by Kim Childress