Sibert Award Creators
Lori Alexander remembers the craft days she spent as a child in San Diego, CA, making books. Now she researches and writes nonfiction books, including her Sibert Honor award for All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World.
Check out her book’s discussion guide for teachers and some interesting magnified images: https://astrapublishinghouse.com/resources/discussion-guide-call-me-roberto/
Chris Barton started out in journalism, but found his calling for children’s literature while telling stories to his own children. His first book, The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors, was awarded a Sibert Honor.
His website includes an animated explanation of how Day-Glo works along with an activity and discussion guide at: https://chrisbarton.info/books/dayglo.html
Ann Bausum grew up in a town packed with history – Lexington, VA. After many paths towards a career, she found her way with history and nonfiction. She won a Sibert Honor award for Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement with the deliberation that she uses in all her writing: research and travel.
Check out her resources on all her books, but most especially her Sibert Honor book here: https://www.annbausum.com/freedom-riders.html
Donna Janell Bowman is a Central Texas author, once a horse-crazy kid on a ranch. She grew up to become an award-winning author of children’s books, including the Sibert Honor award for Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills.
Check out her resources, interviews and other media for this book: https://www.donnajanellbowman.com/books/wings-of-an-eagle/
Jen Bryant taught French and German before she decided to write for young people. Her nonfiction picture book biographies include her Sibert Medal for The Right Word and Sibert Honor award-winning book, A Splash of Red The Life and Art of Horace Pippin.
Check out her many resources, including discussion guides:
https://www.jenbryant.com/books/inprint/bk_splashred.html
https://www.jenbryant.com/books/inprint/bk_roget.html
Candace Fleming, author of over 40 books, recipient of numerous prizes from Orbis Pictus Award to the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and winner of a Sibert Medal for Honeybee, plus three Sibert Honors: The Enigma Girls, Giant Squid, and The Family Romanov. Her nonfiction is steeped in fact, yet she writes as a storyteller.
Check out her teaching materials here: https://candacefleming.com/educators/
Brian Floca is the recipient of four Sibert Honor awards for: Locomotive, Lightship, Ballet for Martha, and Moonshot. He was awarded a Caldecott Medal for Locomotive. He states that, from book to book, he tries to keep his eyes open not only for the central information that will make the book accurate but also for asides that can add life, texture, and interest to a work.
Check out this site for coloring pages, curriculum guides, interviews and more: https://brianfloca.com/andan-more.html
Jan Greenburg and Sandra Jordan met in 1978 when Jan submitted the manuscript for her first children’s novel where Sandra was then Editor-in-Chief of Children’s Books. More than ten years of friendship later they began a collaboration and decided to focus on postwar American art where they could talk to living artists about subjects they thought would interest young readers. Winners of four Sibert Honors: The Mad Potter, Ballet for Martha, Action Jackson, and Vincent van Gogh.
Their website’s resources include interviews, articles and classroom extensions and activities:
https://www.jangreenbergsandrajordan.com/pages/resources/index.html
Philip M. Hoose uses his storytelling mastery to bring the smallest of creatures (an ant and a shorebird) to our attention, as well as to under-noticed and overlooked people. His books have brought stories of perseverance, justice and courage for both humans and the animal world. In the process he has received three Sibert Honor awards: The Boys Who Challenged Hitler, Moonbird, and Claudette Colvin, which was also recognized with a Newbery Honor award.
He has resources for his books here: https://philliphoose.com/books/
Deborah Hopkinson has written seventy books in many forms for young readers. She was awarded a Sibert Honor for Titanic: Voices from the Disaster. Resources for students and teachers can be found here: https://deborahhopkinson.com/books/titanic_voices/
Gail Jarrow combines her passion for writing with her background in science and education. Her Sibert Honor award is for Spooked! that deals with people’s perceptions of what is fake and what isn’t.
Check out her resources for the original broadcast as well as how to tell what is a media fake: https://www.gailjarrow.com/spooked-resources
Angela Joy traveled extensively as a background singer, as well as working in television and movie soundtracks. Her lyrical poetry is an extension of that work. She is a Sibert Honor winner for Choosing Brave.
Check out her resource page on her award-winning book:
https://www.janeaddamschildrensbookaward.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Teachers-Guide-Choosing-Brave-FINAL.pdf-1.pdf
Erin Entrada Kelly is a two-time Newbery Medalist, recipient of a Newbery Honor, a National Book Award Finalist, and the recipient of a Sibert Honor for At Last She Stood. She is a New York Times-bestselling author and teaches at the University of San Francisco.
Check out her website for Educator Guides to her books: https://www.erinentradakelly.com
Jessica Lanan is a Sibert Honor winner for Jumper, based in Boulder, CO. She creates picture books that inspire young readers to discover beauty and wonder in the natural world.
Her classroom resources include a coloring page, spider anatomy, and an empathy lesson: https://jessicalanan.com/books/jumper/
Frané Lessac is an author and illustrator with over 50 books in her career. She loves to travel as her source of inspiration to instill pride and self-esteem in children about their own unique heritage. She is a Sibert Honor winner for her illustrations in We Are Still Here! and We Are Grateful.
Check out the teaching guides here: https://franelessac.com/book/we-are-still-here/
Cynthia Levinson writes about topics that relate to social justice, civil rights, immigration, and more. She believes her readers can visualize and identify a protagonist who helps them feel the history of discrimination and ultimate triumph. She won the Sibert Medal for The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice.
Check out her resources here: https://cynthialevinson.com/books/the-peoples-painter/
Debbie Levy was a lawyer before she began her writing career. For her Sibert Honor award-winning book, The Promise of Change, she uses nonfiction in verse, with primary archival materials and additional backmatter features.
Her resources include interviews and documentaries: https://www.debbielevybooks.com/this-promise-of-change
Jacqueline Briggs Martin had such a good time reading to her children that she decided to write stories for children. Her picture book biographies have won awards: Caldecott Medal for Snowflake Bentley, and her book Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix won a Sibert Honor as well as an Orbis Pictus Honor.
Check out resources about Chef Roy Choi here: https://jacquelinebriggsmartin.com/book/chef-roy-choi-and-the-street-food-remix/
Juana Martinez-Neal is a two-time Sibert Medal winner for her illustrations in Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa and Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story. She is an award-winning author and illustrator born in Lima, Peru and living with her family in Connecticut. She has been recognized with a Caldecott Honor (as author and illustrator) and Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration.
Check out the many activities for her books: https://juanamartinezneal.com/books/
Sy Montgomery is a National Book Award Finalist and author of 34 titles for adults and children. She has had the distinction of winning a Sibert Medal for Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot, as well as three Honor titles: The Book of Turtles, Quest for the Tree Kangaroo, and The Tarantula Scientist. Her research has taken her all over the world to view sharks, octopuses, hippos, and a wild orangutan, as well as her own backyard with the Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts.
Check out her “Class Activities” for many of her books: https://symontgomery.com/class-activities/
Patricia Newman writes books to encourage young readers to connect with their world. Her books are part biography, part science adventure and tell the stories of scientists. She is the recipient of a Sibert Honor award for Sea-Otter Heroes.
Check out her many resources for her award-winning title, along with her other books: https://www.patriciamnewman.com/books/sea-otter-heroes/
Colleen Paeff starts every book with a sense of wonder, whether it is about pollution and infrastructure or the intersection of humans and the natural world. She is a Sibert Honor winner for The Great Stink.
Check out her website for video interviews, teacher and parent resources: https://www.colleenpaeff.com/books/the-great-stink/
Antoinette Portis took her time in becoming a children’s author/illustrator. She spent years in design and advertising, including a long period with Disney. At last, she decided to fulfill a long-ago dream and started with Not a Box. She is a two-time Sibert Honor recipient for A Seed Grows and Hey, Water!
Check out the many activities for her books: https://www.antoinetteportis.com/activities/
John Rocco is an author and illustrator with a background as an art director for many places, including Walt Disney and Dreamworks. His work has been awarded a Caldecott Honor for Blackout and a Sibert Honor for How We Got to the Moon.
On his resource page for How We Got to the Moon, there are video lessons, links to Apollo websites, and Apollo engineers. http://www.howwegottothemoon.com/resources.html
Mara Rockliff writes historical books for children. She is the winner of a Sibert Honor award for Sweet Justice, and the Orbis Pictus Honor. She states that the best part about writing as a history detective is finding clues, solving puzzles, and digging up secrets.
Check out her Georgia Gilmore Research Challenge: https://mararockliff.com/challenge
Katherine Roy is an author and illustrator of books focused on natural history and science. Her Sibert Honor award for Neighborhood Sharks recognizes the latest information about the Great White Sharks, living only 30 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge.
Check out her coloring page and a Core Curriculum Guide at: https://www.katherineroy.com/sharks
Rosalyn Schanzer describes herself as a detective who finds true stories from history that hardly anyone has ever heard about. She also loves doing her own illustrations. She was awarded a Sibert Honor for Witches!
Check out her teacher lesson plans here: https://rozschanzer.com/witchesPage.html
Steve Sheinkin is the author of fast-paced, cinematic nonfiction histories for young readers. His books have received a Newbery Honor, the Margaret A. Edwards Award, three Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, a Sibert Medal for Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal-the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, a Sibert Honor for Fallout, and three National Book Award finalist honors.
Teacher’s Guides to his books can be found here: https://www.mackidsschoolandlibrary.com/teachers-guides-books-by-steve-sheinkin/
Joyce Sidman is the author of over 20 award-winning children’s poetry books, including a Newbery Honor. She is the recipient of a Sibert Award for The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science. She received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry for her body of work.
Click on her book titles from this link for Reader Resources: https://www.joycesidman.com/books
Suzanne Slade began her career as an engineer working on rockets and cars. She moved into children’s books and has become a Sibert Honor winner for Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks.
Check out her books with many resources from videos and readings (including Exquisite read by a cast member of Hamilton, the Broadway show), and the research that went into the book at: https://www.suzanneslade.com/books
Christina Soontorvant is the only author to win a Newbery Honor for both fiction (A Wish in the Dark) and nonfiction (All Thirteen) in the same year (2021). All Thirteen also collected a Sibert Honor that year. She is proud of her Texan and Thai roots, and incorporates this background in several books. She spent many years in the science museum field, loves STEM, and is always open to learning new things.
Check out her “fun stuff” and other resources: https://soontornvat.com/books/all-thirteen/
Traci Sorell, an enrolled Cherokee Nation citizen, focuses on present-day stories of Native Nations. She is an advocate for the rights of Native Nations and for making those who are invisible, visible. She has won two Sibert Honor awards for We Are Still Here!, and We Are Grateful.
Check out her books and resources at: https://www.tracisorell.com/resources
Caren Stelson writes stories of peace. She believes that stories have the power to make a difference. She is the recipient of a Sibert Honor for Sachiko. The story of Sachiko, a survivor of the Nagasaki nuclear bombing, is both heartbreaking and full of courage.
Check out her resources from an interview video to a discussion and activity guide at: https://www.carenstelson.com/books/sachiko/
Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 200 science books for young people. She brings her fascination with the natural world, with its beauty and wonder, to readers of all ages. Her books have won numerous science awards, including a Sibert Honor for Summertime Sleepers. It should be noted that she also writes for educators. In 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books, Stewart sorts the different kinds of nonfiction and explains how to effectively utilize books in a school setting.
Check out Stewart’s website for all types of help. Find multiple resources for her books for young people, as well as education material for teachers and librarians, here: https://melissa-stewart.com/educators/
Chana Stiefel, author of over 30 books, is a Sibert Honor winner and the Sydney Taylor Award winner for The Tower of Life.
She has resources for educators, writers and kids on her website: https://chanastiefel.com/for-educators/
Tanya Lee Stone threads themes of female empowerment in her stories, writing narrative nonfiction as gripping as fiction. Her award-winning Sibert Honor, Almost Astronauts: 3 Women Who Dared to Dream, does just that for women trained as astronauts, yet never allowed to go into space.
Check out her resources with a discussion guide and more at: https://tanyastone.com/book/almost-astronaut/
Melissa Sweet is an author and illustrator, two-time Sibert Award winner for The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus plus Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade. She is also the recipient of a Sibert Honor for A Splash of Red. She works with primary sources, travels, and conducts interviews to illuminate a person’s life or subject.
Check out her activity pages for educators at: https://www.melissasweet.net/activity-guides
Duncan Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU) is an award-winning author and illustrator born in Mexico City. His work is inspired by ancient Mexican art, particularly that of the Mixtec codex. His aim is to illuminate the past while communicating the contemporary issues that affect people of Mexican origin on both sides of the border. He is the recipient of a Sibert Medal for Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras and a Sibert Honor for Separate Is Never Equal.
His website includes videos describing his process, his books, as well as teaching resources at: https://duncantonatiuh.com/videoresources/
Carole Boston Weatherford began writing at age six and soon after saw her poems in print. Her 80-plus books have garnered two NAACP Image Awards and 18 American Library Association Youth Media Awards, including a Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award, and four Caldecott Honors. She is also the recipient of two Sibert Honors for Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre and Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. She writes about family, fading traditions, and forgotten struggles that center on African-American resistance, resilience, rejoicing, remembrance, and remarkability.
Find resource material for her Sibert Honor books and many other titles at: https://cbweatherford.com/resources/
