Jon Klassen Makes History with Greenaway Medal Win

Shelf Awareness

Jon Klassen's This Is Not My Hat is the first picture book to win both the Caldecott Medal and the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, the U.K.'s highest illustration honor. Kevin Brooks was awarded the CILIP Carnegie Medal, which goes to the writer of an "outstanding book for children," for The Bunker Diary.

Upon learning that he was a double winner, Klassen said, "Making a book, you're kind of going out on a limb in the belief that what you think of as a satisfying story is the same as what other people think of as a satisfying story."

His Candlewick Press editor, Liz Bicknell, tapped a similar analogy: "Making picture books with Jon is like sky diving," she said. "Jon says, 'Okay, guys, I think this parachute's gonna open.' His art director Ann Stott and I look at each other, laugh, and jump out of the plane. So far, we've been landing very nicely." Keep walking out on that limb and jumping out of the plane, Jon Klassen!