Who won the first Caldecott Medal for illustration?

Dorothy P. Lathrop won the first Caldecott Medal for illustration. She received the inaugural award in 1938 for Animals of the Bible, a picture book that she both wrote and illustrated.

The Caldecott Medal was created by the American Library Association to honor the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published during the preceding year. Lathrop’s win established the award as a major distinction in children’s publishing.

The medal is named for Randolph Caldecott, a nineteenth-century English illustrator whose energetic, sequential pictures influenced the development of modern picture books. He did not win the medal; the award was created decades after his death. Robert McCloskey and Maurice Sendak were later Caldecott winners, but neither was the first.

Lathrop was also known for detailed studies of animals and nature. Her first Caldecott victory preceded later landmark winners such as Robert McCloskey, whose Make Way for Ducklings won in 1942.