Congratulations, Jon! For winning the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award!
wow
Today, at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, it was announced that Jon Klassen has won this year’s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Wow! Jon!
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is one of the highest honors in children’s literature — and thus, of course, one of the highest honors in literature, period. The prize is administered by the Swedish Arts Council and juried by twelve experts in children’s literature. Next month, H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will officially present Jon with the award at the Concert Hall in Stockholm.
Created in honor of the great children’s writer Astrid Lindgren, the honor recognizes “those who continue to work in her spirit: with imagination, bravery, respect and empathy, and maintaining the highest level of artistic excellence.”
Here’s what the jury had to say about Jon:
Klassen's body of work forms a subtle, astute, and humorous investigation into existential questions, where feelings of anticipation, suspense, and shock play a central role.
Through his subtle and evocative storytelling in words and pictures, Jon Klassen opens new perspectives on our place in the universe. What happens when a rock falls from the sky, when hats disappear or a skull begins living a life of its own? With precision, emotion and inventive wit, life’s challenges of uncertainty and hopefulness are portrayed in an interplay of colour and form. Jon Klassen’s brilliant tales stand out for their effortless elegance and ambiguous depth, where the reader becomes a co-creator.
We’re very proud of Jon here at Looking At Picture Books and can’t wait to celebrate with him. Preferably in Sweden.
You can read more of the jury’s thoughts about Jon online, and, even better, listen to Jon’s reaction when he got the big phone call from the jury. He ran from school drop-off to a quiet spot to answer a mysterious number from Sweden, so he’s breathless before he even learns he’s the 2026 laureate. Beautiful.
Congratulations, Jon <3
Huge congratulations, Jon. Your artful creating is loved.
"I have to hang up and cry now." Who let the onion fairies in here, anyhow?
Congrats, this is wonderful news.