Michaela Goade becomes first Native American to win Caldecott Medal

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Goade becomes first Native American to win Caldecott Medal

By HILLEL ITALIE
January 25, 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — Illustrator Michaela Goade became the first Native American to win the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal for best children’s picture story, cited for “We Are Water Protectors,” a celebration of nature and condemnation of the “black snake” Dakota Access Pipeline.

“I am really honored and proud,” the 30-year-old Goade told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I think it’s really important for young people and aspiring book makers and other creative people to see this.”

Tae Keller’s chapter book “When You Trap a Tiger,” in which a young Korean-American explores her identity and her heritage through her grandmother’s stories, won the John Newbery Medal for the outstanding children’s work overall of 2020. Keller, who was raised in Hawaii and now lives in New York, drew upon Korean folklore and family history for “When You Trap a Tiger,” also named the year’s best Asian/Pacific American literature.

“The book really did grow from the recognition of my grandmother as this full person with so much life and so many stories to tell,” Keller, 27, told the AP. “I also did a great deal of research into Korean folklore and Korean history. There was a lot I heard growing up, but I had never had a fuller, deeper understanding of it all. I think that was the most rewarding part of writing this book.”

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/aretha-franklin-native-americans-jacqueline-woodson-coretta-scott-king-newbery-medal-9eccc4626428943b7428d89c8f88509e

[Freedomofspeech]

1. As a retired school librarian, this is lovely to read.