Peck, Small win children literature's top honors

(CNN) -- The American Library Association (ALA) has named Richard Peck the winner of the 2001 John Newbery Medal, honoring the best writing in children's literature in the past year.

The announcement was made at the annual mid-winter meeting of the ALA, this year held in Washington, D.C.

Peck received the medal for "A Year Down Yonder," which follows 15-year-old Mary Alice as she is sent to live with her feisty, larger-than-life grandmother in rural Illinois. It's during her visit that the two grow to respect each other.

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"Peck's characters are fully realized, from the quiet widow nursing her war-injured son, to Maxine Patch, running outside of Grandma's house draped only in the biggest snake outside of Brookfield Zoo," said Caroline S. Parr, chair of the Newbery selection committee.

The ALA also announced its winners for the Randolph Caldecott Medal, which picks the best illustrations for children's literature during the past year.

Richard Peck is the winner of the 2001 Newbery Medal winner for his work "A Year Down Yonder"

David Small won this year's Caldecott for "So You Want To Be President?" Small presents an assortment of facts about the qualifications and characteristics of U.S. presidents.

The ALA's 2001 winners of the Coretta Scott King Award, recognizing authors and illustrators of African descent, are Jacqueline Woodson, who wrote "Miracle's Boys," and Bryan Collier, who created pictures for "Uptown."

The Newbery Medal has been handed out since 1922. The Caldecott began in 1938.

The Coretta Scott King Award is named after the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King.

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American Library Association

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