The Earliest Newbery Award Winning Books
Early Newbery Medal winners included short story collections, non-fiction, and novels. Many are out of print, difficult to locate, and rare. Books older than 1927 may now be in the public domain.
This lens has links to Amazon pages for all the Newbery Medal winning books and Honor Books, from 1922 through 1929.
What you'll find here:
1929 Newbery Medal Winner
The Trumpeter of Krakow
A legend of Polish history tells of a trumpeter who was shot by invaders while standing on a church balcony in Krakow. This story is about a family a few centuries later in the 1400's. They are guardians of a treasured crystal and pursued by Bogdan the Terrible. This novel got excellent reviews.
1929 Newbery Honor Books
Millions of Cats (Gift Edition) (Picture Puffin Books)
My mother read this to me, and I read it to my children. It is a memorable story of millions of cats. A man goes in search of a cat for his wife and can't choose only one.
The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo
The full title: "The Pigtail of Ah Lee Ben Loo with Seventeen other Laughable Tales and 200 Comical Silhouettes".
Links to 1929 Newbery Book Information
Reviews of The Trumpeter of Krakow
At the Newbery Project website.1 point
Eric P. Kelly - Wikipedia
Biography of Eric P. Kelly.0 points
The Trumpeter of Krakow - Wikipedia
Short summary.0 points
The trumpeter of Krakow
The legend of the trumpeter of Krakow.0 points
The Papers of Cornelia Meigs
Dartmouth College collection.0 points
Cornelia Meigs Papers
University of Iowa collection.0 points
Cornelia Meigs - Wikipedia
Short biography.0 points
Wanda Gág - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Extensive biography.0 points
John Bennett (author) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Short biography.0 points
1928 Newbery Medal Winner
Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon
This is the story of a pigeon, which at first may not seem very exciting, but all Amazon reviews gave it five stars. The stories of Gay Neck's life are memorable and exceptionally well-written.
1928 Newbery Honor Books
Downright Dencey (Young Adult Library)
Dencey is a pioneer girl, and Sammie Jetsam is a native who wants Dencey to teach him to read. This adventure includes parents and other adults who don't understand or approve, and an eventual love story between the growing children.
Wonder Smith and His Son
This is a collection of Irish folk-tales. The main character is the Gubbaun Saor who is capable of doing amazing things. His companions are his daughter and step-son.
Links to 1928 Newbery Book Information
Dhan Gopal Mukerji - Wikipedia
Extensive biography.0 points
Caste and Outcast - Dhan Gopal Mukerji
Stanford University Press.0 points
Dhan Gopal Mukerji Biography | Encyclopedia of World Biography
Dhan Gopal Mukerji biography.0 points
Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon - Wikipedia
Short summary.0 points
Gay Neck Quiz
A few simple multiple choice questions.0 points
Reviews of Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
At the Newbery Project website.0 points
1927 Newbery Medal Winner
Smoky: The Cowhorse (Tumbleweed)
Smoky is not a fictional horse. The author wanted to tell the story of one horse, not knowing if he'd have much to write, but it turned out to be very complex, and lots of people love his book. The book tells about Smoky's birth in the wild, his capture, and his rodeo and ranching work.
Links to 1927 Newbery Book Information
Reviews of Smoky the Cowhorse
At the Newbery Project website.1 point
Smoky the Cow Horse - Wikipedia
A short summary.0 points
Will James - Wikipedia
Short biography.0 points
Smoky, the Cowhorse
Online study guide.0 points
1926 Newbery Medal Winner
Shen of The Sea : Chinese Stories for Children
This is a collection of stories with Chinese characters. Though they were purported to be Chinese stories, it is likely that the author made quite a few of them up. He had a wonderful imagination and many people have enjoyed reading the book.
1926 Newbery Honor Book
Links to 1926 Newbery Book Information
Reviews of Shen of the Sea
From the Newbery Project website.1 point
Arthur Bowie Chrisman - Wikipedia
Biography of the author of "Shen of the S more...0 points
Padraic Colum Collection at Bartleby.com
References to Colum's work.0 points
Arthur Bowie Chrisman
Encyclopedia article.0 points
Padraic Colum - Wikipedia
Good biography of Padraic Colum.0 points
Padraic Colum
Ireland Online article about Colum.0 points
1925 Newbery Medal Winner
Tales from Silver Lands
Nineteen stories from Central and South America. The author traveled in the region from 1890 to 1895 and collected the stories he retold in this book.
1925 Newbery Honor Books
Links to 1925 Newbery Book Information
Charles Finger
A good biography of Charles Finger.1 point
Tales from Silver Lands - Wikipedia
Short summary.0 points
Photograph of Charles Finger
Author of Tales From Silver Lands0 points
Reviews of Tales from Silver Lands
At the Newbery Project website.0 points
1924 Newbery Medal Winner
...there were no Honor Books that year.
The Dark Frigate
A young teenager is forced to work on a pirate ship. I read this novel and enjoyed it, but found it too violent and distressing to read to my young children.
Links to 1924 Newbery Book Information
Reviews of The Dark Frigate
At the Newbery Project website.1 point
Charles Boardman Hawes - Wikipedia
Biography of the author.0 points
The Dark Frigate--Teacher Guide
Lesson plan from SCORE.0 points
The Dark Frigate - Wikipedia
A bit about the novel.0 points
The Dark Frigate
Google books provides a view of the first chapter.0 points
The Dark Frigate - Study Guide
The Dark Frigate study guide from Bookrags.0 points
1923 Newbery Medal Winner
...there were no Honor Books that year.
The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle (Signet Classics)
Tommy Stubbins, a nine-year-old, sets sail with the infamous Doctor Doolittle. Their destination is Spider Monkey Island. Along the way you'll meet talking animals, and be led to enjoy this crazy adventure, much loved by children and adults for decades.
Links to 1923 Newbery Book Information
Reviews of The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle
At the Newbery Project website.1 point
Hugh Lofting - Wikipedia
Biography of Hugh Lofting, author of &quot more...0 points
The Voyages of Doctor Doolittle
Complete text, online at Project Gutenberg.0 points
1922 Newbery Medal Winner
The Story of Mankind
I read The Story of Mankind out loud to my children for a home school history book. We learned a lot about ancient history. There are some good black and white illustrations. The Story of Mankind has been updated several times since 1922 and now covers events from the dawn of mankind to the present day.
1922 Newbery Honor Books
Cedric the Forester
Cedrick, the Forester of Pelham was born in poverty and risked everything for the rights of his fellow countrymen. This is a very rare book. There's a copy for sale at Amazon for $2450. If you buy and read it, please come back and tell me more about it!
The Golden Fleece: And the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles
"The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles" is a novel that introduces children to Greek mythology.
The great quest;: A romance of 1826
The full title is, "A romance of 1826, wherein are recorded
the experiences ofJosiah Woods of Tophain,
and of those others with whom he sailed
for Cuba and the Gulf of Guinea."
The Old Tobacco Shop: A True Account of What Befell a Little Boy in Search of Adventure
The full title: "The Old Tobacco Shop: A True Account of What Befell a Little Boy in Search of Adventure".
The Windy Hill
Two children spend the summer with their uncle and help heal a relationship between him and a cousin. During the summer they learn about their family history and unravel a mystery.
Links To 1922 Newbery Book Information
Reviews of the Story of Mankind
At The Newbery Project...1 point
The Story of Mankind, Illustrated
The Story of Mankind, by Hendrik Willem Van Loon0 points
Project Gutenberg Edition of The Story of Mankind
The Story of Mankind, by Hendrik Willem Van Loon0 points
Project Gutenberg Edition of The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles
The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before more...0 points
The Baldwin Project: The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Before Achilles by Padraic Colum
The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before more...0 points
Charles Hawes - Wikipedia
Author of "The great quest: A romance more...0 points
The Story of Mankind - Gutenberg
The Story of Mankind, plain text version.0 points
Your comments are WELCOME
I love to hear from the people who visit my lenses. I hope you'll be one of them.
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- RuntFarmSeries RuntFarmSeries Oct 21, 2009 @ 10:43 pm
- Great lens! This is a wonderful list of books to check out. I'd love for you to drop by my children's books lens and say hello.
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- Katey Katey Apr 17, 2009 @ 4:33 pm
- This is really helpful for my project.
Thanks.
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- Treasures-By-Brenda Treasures-By-Brenda Apr 9, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
- Great list of Newbery books!
Brenda
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- GypsyOwl GypsyOwl Jul 2, 2008 @ 4:58 am
- 5*FAV and lensrolled to family nurturing circle lenses. Reading is indeed an act of love that lasts a lifetime.
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- Patrice Jensen Patrice Jensen Feb 3, 2008 @ 12:28 am
- WOW! I'm so glad I found you! One of my goals in life is to read all the Newbery books and this is a great site for finding them and a synopsis which I now need because I'm facilitating our 3rd Grade Book Club. I want the kids to read Newbery books and I have to make sure the ones I pick are age appropriate. Thanks for your work.
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About the Lensmaster
Lensmaster Linda Jo Martin writes children's novels, so has spent many years reading books from the Newbery list. From the 1920 selections she's read The Story of Mankind, The Dark Frigate, Shen of the Sea, and Millions of Cats.Her lenses about children's literature include:
Tips For Writing Middle Grade Novels.
Linda maintains a writer's blog: Perspectives on Writing.
Linda's lensography: Linda Martin - My Lensography.
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