The John Newberry Award
Many awards have been established to recognize and commemorate people, places, or events that have made a considerable difference in our society. Awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize or the military’s Purple Heart, are wildly known and are considered to be a tremendous honor. However, there is an award that holds a similar amount of prestige, but not in the same manner.
The John Newberry Award is an annual recognition given to the authors of outstanding children literature by the American Library Association. The award was brought to life in 1922 and was named after the John Newberry, the man recognized as the “Father of Children’s Literature”(). He is credited for being the first person to create a market for books specifically for children,
accounting for their reading level and interests (). He started a movement in the 18th century that created an outlet for people authors such as William H. McGuffey. William McGuffey was one of the most successful people to take advantage of this new outlet during the 1800s. He created the McGuffey Readers series that was used in almost every school in the United States up until the early 1900s.
The McGuffey Reader, also known as McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers, was the first universal children’s learning book series in America. It included 6 volumes that taught the alphabet to then include stories that taught morals and character. One of the most influential books in America, The McGuffey Reader sold over 100 million copies (). Both of these influential men came about the same time for a reason. The early 1800s was a time a transition in America; where a new middle class was emerging for the first time. This created a greater need to educate not only the rich, but the greater public if there was to be any solitude in the democratic society. America was a fresh nation separated from British rule, and a new wave of patriotism swept across the country. They wanted to educate their children to create and continue an “American” identity; one including ideals and religion.
William McGuffey changed the way teachers taught and the way students learn, and more a century later his work would be recognized with an award named after a man from the same era. This connection is nothing less than ironic. These men were some of the first the make a step in right direction for education in America, and their legacy continues.
The John Newberry Award is an annual recognition given to the authors of outstanding children literature by the American Library Association. The award was brought to life in 1922 and was named after the John Newberry, the man recognized as the “Father of Children’s Literature”(). He is credited for being the first person to create a market for books specifically for children,
accounting for their reading level and interests (). He started a movement in the 18th century that created an outlet for people authors such as William H. McGuffey. William McGuffey was one of the most successful people to take advantage of this new outlet during the 1800s. He created the McGuffey Readers series that was used in almost every school in the United States up until the early 1900s.
The McGuffey Reader, also known as McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers, was the first universal children’s learning book series in America. It included 6 volumes that taught the alphabet to then include stories that taught morals and character. One of the most influential books in America, The McGuffey Reader sold over 100 million copies (). Both of these influential men came about the same time for a reason. The early 1800s was a time a transition in America; where a new middle class was emerging for the first time. This created a greater need to educate not only the rich, but the greater public if there was to be any solitude in the democratic society. America was a fresh nation separated from British rule, and a new wave of patriotism swept across the country. They wanted to educate their children to create and continue an “American” identity; one including ideals and religion.
William McGuffey changed the way teachers taught and the way students learn, and more a century later his work would be recognized with an award named after a man from the same era. This connection is nothing less than ironic. These men were some of the first the make a step in right direction for education in America, and their legacy continues.