Picture book
In 1938, the American Library Association (ALA) began presenting annually the Caldecott Medal to the most distinguished children's book illustration published in the year. The Caldecott Medal was established as a sister award to the ALA's Newbery Medal, which was awarded to a children's books "for the most distinguished American children's book published the previous year" and presented annually beginning in 1922. During the mid-forties to early fifties, honorees included Marcia Brown, Barbara Cooney, Roger Duvoisin, Berta and Elmer Hader, Robert Lawson, Robert McCloskey, Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Leo Politi, Tasha Tudor, and Leonard Weisgard.
John Caldecott
Caldecott was born in Finsbury in London where his father, also John, and mother Susannah lived. He was christened on 1 November 1801 at St Luke's Church. John Caldecott (junior) went to India in 1820 on the "Mulgrave Castle" and reached Bombay in May 1821. He worked at Apollo Cotton as an assistant to Daniel West who was a family friend. A relative, William West had an interest in telescopes and microscopes as an evening amusement and this sparked off a scientific interest in John Caldecott. In 1832 he was posted as a commercial agent at the Indian port of Allepey (now Alappuzha) and he saw the need for an astronomical observatory there. This idea was aired in 1836, supported by the Resident Colonel James Stuart Fraser and approved by Raja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma of Travancore. An observatory was constructed at Trivandrum. The building was constructed by Captain Horsley of the Madras Engineers. Opened in 1837, Caldecott was appointed as director. Two mural circles, a transit and equatorial telescopes were installed at the observatory. In April 1841, he also brought in instruments to measure the magnetic field of the Earth. He was interested in examining the magnetic field of the Earth at various parts, a scheme inspired by Alexander von Humboldt. He was also very interested in matters of the temperature of the core of the Earth. He published his observations extensively and pursued these ideas until his death.