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 was proposed by
Frederic G. Melcher in 1921, making it the first children's book award in the world. The medal was designed by
Rene Paul Chambellan and depicts an author giving his work (a book) to a boy and a girl to read. The Newbery and the
Caldecott Medal are considered the two most prestigious awards for children's literature in the United States. Many bookstores and libraries have Newbery sections; popular television shows interview the winners; textbooks include lists of Newbery winners, and many master's and doctoral theses are written about them.