Photo courtesy of Homewood Public Library
Cristina Castor, Head of Children’s Services at Homewood Public Library, has beenselected to serve on the Mildred L. Batchelder Award Selection Committee for 2026.
Cristina Castor, Head of Children’s Services at Homewood Public Library, has been selected to serve on the Mildred L. Batchelder Award Selection Committee for 2026.
The award recognizes a publisher for a children's book that is considered to be the most outstanding book originating outside of the U.S. in a language other than English that has later been translated into English for publication in the U.S..
The purpose of the committee is to select the book recognized by this award.
“As a children's librarian, I am honored to be selected to be a part of the 2026 Batchelder Award Committee! I feel like it's a librarian's dream to be in a book award committee that will be known worldwide," Castor said. "While Newbery and Caldecott are the oldest and most well-known awards in children's literature, there have been more added. The Batchelder Award's mission to promote translated children's books from another country is a tremendous way to connect younger readers in America to other cultures and communities other than their own."
Books that have earned the award in the past include "Adam and Thomas," "Anne Frank Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance," "The Apprentice," "The Baboon King," and more.
"I, too, share the same sentiment as the award and would like to put more books from other countries in the hands of American children," Castor said. "By being a part of this committee, I will have the privilege to read through various titles while opening my own eyes to other worlds. I am excited to work and network with other librarians across the nation to find the most outstanding book for these criteria.”
Learn more about past and current Batchelder Award winners at alsc-awards-shelf.org/directory/results?booklist=11.
