2012 Newbery/Caldecott Buzz, excerpt

Corner: Divining the winners of the 2012 Newbery, Caldecott medals

• By KAREN MACPHERSON, Scripps Howard News Service

Librarians and other children's-literature lovers across the country are making friendly bets about which books will be chosen for the 2012 Newbery and Caldecott medals.

The winners will be announced on Jan. 23 at the American Library Association's midwinter conference. The Newbery Medal, established in 1921, is given to the best-written children's book published the previous year, while the Caldecott Medal, created in 1937, spotlights the best-illustrated children's book.

Called the "Academy Awards" of children's literature, the medals bring lasting fame and fortune to the creators of the winning books, as medal winners rarely go out of print....

2012 CALDECOTT MEDAL POSSIBILITIES:

-- Two books are regarded as the top possibilities: "A Ball for Daisy" (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, $16.99, ages 3-6), written and illustrated by Chris Raschka, who won the 2006 Caldecott Medal for "The Hello, Goodbye Window"; and "Grandpa Green" (Roaring Brook, $16.99, ages 4-8), written and illustrated by Lane Smith.

Other Caldecott Medal possibilities include (in alphabetical order by author or author/illustrator):

-- "The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse" (Philomel, $17.99, ages 3-6), written and illustrated by Eric Carle;

-- "A Nation's Hope" (Dial, $17.99, ages 5-10), written by Matt De La Pena and illustrated by Kadir Nelson;

-- "I Want My Hat Back" (Candlewick Press, $15.99, ages 3-6), written and illustrated by Jon Klassen;

-- "All the Water in the World" (Atheneum, $15.99, ages 4-8), written by George Ella Lyon and illustrated by Katherine Tillotson;

-- "Me ... Jane" (Little, Brown, $15.99, ages 3-6), written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell;

-- "Stars" (Beach Lane Books/Simon & Schuster, $16.99, ages 3-6), written by Mary Lyn Ray and illustrated by Marla Frazee;

-- "Where's Walrus?" (Scholastic, $16.99, ages 3-6), written and illustrated by Stephen Savage;

-- "Wonderstruck" (Scholastic, $29.99, ages 8 up), written and illustrated by Brian Selznick;

-- Swirl by Swirl" (Houghton Mifflin, $16.99, ages 4-8), written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes.

2012 NEWBERY MEDAL POSSIBILITIES:

-- The front-runner is generally considered "Okay For Now" (Clarion, $16, ages 10-14), by Gary Schmidt, who has won two Newbery Honors (or runner-up awards). Another top contender is "Inside Out & Back Again" (Harper, $15.99, ages 9-12), by Thanhha Lai. This book won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in November.

Other Newbery possibilities include (in alphabetical order by author):

-- "Amelia Lost" (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, $18.99, ages 9-14), by Candace Fleming;

-- "Dead End in Norvelt" (FSG, $15.99, ages 10-14), by Newbery Honor author Jack Gantos;

-- "Junonia" (Greenwillow, $15.99, ages 7-10), by Caldecott Medalist and Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes;

-- "The Trouble With May Amelia" (Atheneum, $15.99, ages 8-12), by three-time Newbery Honor author Jennifer Holm;

-- "Small As an Elephant" (Candlewick Press, $15.99, ages 9-12), by Jennifer Jacobson;

-- "A Monster Calls" (Candlewick Press, $16.99, ages 12 up), by Patrick Ness;

-- "Wonderstruck" (Scholastic, $29.99, ages 8 up), written and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick;

-- "Bigger Than a Bread Box" (Random House, $16.99, ages 8-12), by Laurel Snyder.