The Irma Simonton Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature (Irma Black Award) goes to an outstanding book for young children—a book in which text and illustrations are inseparable, each enhancing and enlarging on the other to produce a singular whole. The Irma Black Award is unusual in that children are the final judges of the winning book.
Thousands of children in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the United Arab Emirates participated in the voting process in 2023. We will share links to videos from the gold and silver medalists on this page in late May.
2023 Irma S. & James H. Black Award
 Gold Medal |
 Silver Medal |
 Silver Medal |
 Silver Medal |
Gold Medal
Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty; illustrated by David Roberts (Chronicle)
Silver Medals
John’s Turn by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Kate Berube (Candlewick)
The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson; illustrated by Leo Espinosa (Penguin)
The Best Kind of Mooncake by Pearl AuYeung (Page Street Kids)
2023 Irma Black Award and Cook Prize Winners Announced
School Library Journal, May 4, 2023
Honor Books