The Youth Media Awards were just announced during the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia. Two of the award specifically honor nonfiction - the Sibert Medal and the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction.

This year's winners and finalists include the best of narrative nonfiction, informational texts and biographies, and cover a range of eclectic topics including: untold stories of World War II, graphic design for beginners, Westward expansion through the lens of the railroad, Puerto Rican ecological history and the island's parrots...oh, and the story of one very mad potter.

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal has honored the most distinguished informational books written for children during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year since 2001.

Sibert Book Medal Winner and 4 Honor Books for 2014:

1. Parrots over Puerto Rico (WINNER) written by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore, and illustrated by Susan L. Roth
2. A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin written by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
3. Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard written and illustrated by Annette LeBlanc Cate
4. Locomotive written and illustrated by Brian Floca
5. The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

Looking for more award winning narrative nonfiction, informational texts, or biographies for your classroom or bookshelf?

Check out the full booklist on Bibliocommons:

Since its inception in 2010, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction has honored the best in nonfiction published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year.

YALSA Nonfiction Winner and 4 Finalists for 2014:

1. The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi (WINNER) by Neal Bascomb
2. "The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson
3. Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd
4. Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles, America’s First Black Paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone
5. Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II by Martin W. Sandler

Looking for more award winning narrative nonfiction, informational texts, or biographies for your classroom or bookshelf?

Check out the full booklist on Bibliocommons: