Sibert MedalThe People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for JusticeCynthia LevinsonThis biography traces artist Ben Shahn’s early life in Lithuania and his move to the United States after his father was imprisoned for advocating fair pay for workers. As a Jewish immigrant, Ben was bullied and struggled with English, though his gift for drawing was recognized. He apprenticed to a lithographer at fourteen and later attended art school. Rather than paint landscapes, Shahn wanted to depict real people and their experiences, especially immigrants, prisoners, and other outsiders. His politically engaged art later brought government scrutiny.All readersView book detailsRobert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal 2022
The 2022 Sibert Medal recognizes The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice as its winner, alongside 5 Honor books. Presented by the Association for Library Service to Children, the award recognizes distinguished informational books for children through age fourteen. This annual group offers nonfiction choices for young readers, with attention to the presentation of facts through writing, illustration, organization, and supporting material.
2022 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal and Honor BooksSee the original list
Selections6
Published byAssociation for Library Service to Children (ALA)
SectionsAll readers
All readers
6 selections
Sibert MedalThe People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for JusticeCynthia LevinsonThis biography traces artist Ben Shahn’s early life in Lithuania and his move to the United States after his father was imprisoned for advocating fair pay for workers. As a Jewish immigrant, Ben was bullied and struggled with English, though his gift for drawing was recognized. He apprenticed to a lithographer at fourteen and later attended art school. Rather than paint landscapes, Shahn wanted to depict real people and their experiences, especially immigrants, prisoners, and other outsiders. His politically engaged art later brought government scrutiny.All readersView book details
Sibert Honor BookThe Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop ProblemColleen PaeffThis nonfiction picture book examines London’s sewage pollution in the summer of 1858, when waste contaminated the River Thames and the city’s drinking water. It traces how older sewers built to carry rainwater became connected to toilets and cesspools as London grew, and how polluted water contributed to cholera outbreaks. Engineer Joseph Bazalgette proposed and designed a sewer system that moved sewage through underground pipes to a reservoir before release toward the ocean. Back matter addresses present-day sewage pollution and includes a timeline.All readersView book details
Sibert Honor BookFallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War ShowdownSteve SheinkinThis nonfiction account traces the Cold War from U.S.–Soviet tensions of the 1950s through the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It examines espionage, the race to build nuclear weapons, competition in space, and the threat posed by the hydrogen bomb. Photographs introduce major figures at the beginning of its three sections, while anecdotes and recollections illuminate shifting leaders, close calls, and the mounting stakes between the two nations.All readersView book details
Sibert Honor BookWe Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should KnowTraci SorellA classroom of Native students gives presentations for Indigenous Peoples’ Day, exploring Native American history and present-day life. Their topics include allotment, assimilation, termination, relocation, tribal activism, self-determination, language revival, and sovereign resurgence. Each presentation provides an introduction and related points, while culturally specific illustrations add context. A timeline, glossary, and notes about people and events appear in the end matter.All readersLexile Text Measure 1410LATOS Book Level 11.7View book details
Sibert Honor BookSummertime Sleepers: Animals That EstivateMelissa StewartSummertime Sleepers introduces estivation, a prolonged period of sleep during hot or dry conditions. While hibernation occurs in winter, this book turns to animals that sleep during summer and explains what small creatures do in the year's hottest months. It contrasts these two seasonal patterns and focuses on a lesser-known way animals respond to hot, dry weather and changing conditions.All readersView book details
Sibert Honor BookUnspeakable: The Tulsa Race MassacreCarole Boston WeatherfordWritten in verse, this picture book recounts the history of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre. It first portrays Greenwood as a Black district with its own schools, libraries, churches, restaurants, post office, and movie theaters. Over May 31 and June 1, an armed mob looted homes and businesses while Black families fled. The book records how a thriving community was transformed during those two days of racial violence.All readersView book details