The Youth Services librarians are always on the lookout for the newest and the best books by children’s authors and illustrators. Our collection includes thousands of award-winning books, audiobooks, CD-ROMs, videos, and much more for children of all ages, families, and even grown-ups!
Of special note is the Voice of Youth Award, our own "children's choice" award that invites students in grades 3 through 8 to vote for their favorite book from among a variety of quality titles selected by Skokie Public Library Youth Services librarians.
Our booklists have been moved to their own home in Kids... Read, Imagine, Explore! Jump over to Booklists to browse the Youth Services Librarians' Kid Picks, notable booklists on the Web, and Voice of Youth Award (VOYA) booklists for students in grades 3 through 8.
If you need help finding a good book, or if you'd like to know more about the Youth Services collection, contact Linda Zeilstra-Sawyer at 847.324.3144 or by email.
Web resource 
Available with Skokie Public Library card 
Available in Library only
All About Authors and Illustrators
These websites are filled with information about your favorite authors from Illinois and around the world. Get the scoop on the authors you know, get ready to meet some that you don’t, and learn about their books and projects.
Authors and Illustrators on the Web
Index to Internet Sites: Children's and Young Adults' Authors & Illustrators
Browse this index to find author and illustrator websites.
S-Collection: Authors and Illustrators from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A directory of Internet and print resources about children's authors and illustrators.
TeachingBooks.net
TeachingBooks.net offers easy access to audio excerpts of book readings by authors and professional actors; book discussion guides; original movies featuring authors and illustrators at work in their studios; and links to author websites, biographies, activities, and contact information. An "Educator Area" provides thematic booklists, information about children's book awards, and links to related resources in twenty-five categories. The TeachingBooks.net content is divided equally between elementary school-aged content and middle/high school-aged content.
Meet the Author
Children's Book
Council: Author & Illustrator Sites
This online directory features links to children's authors and illustrators on the Web.
Childrenslit.com: Meet Authors and Illustrators
This handy (and huge!) Web index will help kids and grown-ups find links to author websites and biographies.
Illinois State Library: Illinois Authors Database
This directory of Illinois authors includes contact information for authors who currently live or have lived in Illinois, or who have written extensively about an Illinois subject. A project of the Illinois Center for the Book.
Kidsreads.com: Authors
Follow the links to all kinds of fun information about your favorite authors including their books, birthdays, trivia, games, and addresses where you can send fan mail!
Page
by Page: Creating a Children's Book
Find out how children's books are made with this "story behind the story." Get inside information about where the authors get their ideas, how the illustrators create the art, what happens after the book is printed, and more.
Book Awards
The Youth Services book collection includes hundreds of award-winning books by the most famous children’s authors and illustrators. The following lists of award-winning books will help you find some of the best books written for kids of all ages. To create an online list of quality children's books based on ethnicity, gender, period, location, and more, search the Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature.
American Library Association Awards
Children's
and Young Adult Book and Media Award Winners! from Skokie Public Library
A handy list of books and authors that received the 2008 Newbery, Caldecott, and other awards for outstanding young peoples' literature and media. The list also includes quick links to the authors' works available for checkout at Skokie Public Library.
Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. This printable list highlights winning books from 1938 to the present.
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award honors distinguished books by African-American authors and illustrators. This list highlights winning books from 1970 to the present.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal is awarded every two years by the Association for Library Service to Children to an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have consistently made a lasting contribution to children's literature. This list features winning books from 1954 to the present.
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year. This list highlights winning books from 1922 to the present.
Pura Belpré
Award
The Pura Belpré Award is presented every two years to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for young people. This list highlights winning books from 1996 to the present.
Illinois Awards
Monarch Award
Introduced in 2003, the Monarch Award is the first-ever Illinois Children's Choice Award for a book voted a favorite by students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. This website provides information about the Monarch Award, a registration form for schools and libraries, and a list of the award nominees.
Rebecca
Caudill Young Readers' Book Award
The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award is an Illinois award that
honors outstanding literature for young people. The official website highlights winning
books from 1988 to the present and includes the Master List of
nominated books.
Note: Master List requires Adobe Reader
Other Awards
Boston Globe-Horn
Book Award
The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award is sponsored by the Boston Globe newspaper and Horn Book, Inc. It annually honors authors and illustrators of outstanding children’s and young adult books in the categories of Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and Picture Book. This list highlights winning books from 1967 to the present.
E.B.
White Read Aloud Award
The Association of Booksellers for Children awards the E.B. White Read Aloud Award to books that have a universal appeal as "terrific" books to read aloud. The award is given annually to a picture book and a book for older readers.
Sydney Taylor Book Awards
This award is presented annually to the authors of outstanding Jewish children's literature published in the preceding year. This list features winning books from 1968 to the present.
Voice of Youth Award
The following links will connect you with more information about Skokie Public Library’s Voice of Youth Award (VOYA), including the titles and descriptions of books selected by our librarians for the VOYA program.
About the Voice of Youth Award
Learn more about the Voice of Youth Award with this introduction to the program, VOYA book lists, and the titles of the VOYA winning books for the current school year.
VOYA Booklists
Browse these printable booklists for titles and descriptions of books selected for the Voice of Youth Award by Skokie Public Library librarians. Booklists are organized by school year and grade.
| 2008-2009 NEW! | 2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | |||
| First look for summer! | 3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
|||
| 2005-2006 | 2004-2005 | 2003-2004 | |||
| 3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
|||
| 2002-2003 | 2001-2002 | ||||
| 3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
VOYA Catalog Browse
With just a click of the mouse, find out which Voice of Youth Award titles are available for checkout
| 2007-2008 school year 2006-2007 school year 2005-2006 school year 2004-2005 school year |
2003-2004 school year 2002-2003 school year 2001-2002 school year |
VOYA Classroom Sets
Teachers may check out sets of past Voice of Youth Award books for classroom use.