Jerry Pinkney photo by Jacob Blickenstaff; medal illustration by Travis Jonker

I have gathered you here today to lay out the case for why the Randolph Caldecott Medal, awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children, should be renamed the Jerry Pinkney Medal.

I know, I know—we’ve been moving away from naming awards after people (and for good reason). But the ­Caldecott is different. It’s not that it shouldn’t be named after a person, it’s that we’ve picked the wrong person.

So why should the Caldecott now and forever be renamed the Pinkney? I’ll give you five reasons.

Reason No. 1 Shouldn’t an American illustration award be named after an American?

Not to get all patriotic on you—I mean no disrespect to ­Caldecott. His contributions to children’s literature and specifically to the picture book form are immense. But if Randolph Caldecott were alive today, the dude couldn’t even win his own award—only American citizens and residents are ­eligible, and Caldecott was a Brit. Renaming the award the Pinkney is more in line with the criteria for the award itself.

When the award was first named, the American picture book was in its infancy as an art form, so it made sense to name it after Caldecott, an illustration innovator. But now? Now, the American picture book has a rich history, full of incredible artists who have taken the form to ever greater heights. It’s only right to rename the award after one of those artists.

Reason No. 2 Jerry Pinkney has earned more Caldecott recognition than almost anyone else.

Pinkney has the third-most Caldecott Honor wins ever (tied with Mary Hall Ets) and is also tied for third with Ets and ­David Wiesner for the most overall ­Caldecott recognition (behind Marcia Brown and Maurice Sendak). Doesn’t it make sense to rename the award after someone who has displayed such greatness? You know why they renamed the NBA Finals MVP trophy the Bill ­Russell ­Trophy? Because Russell won a ton of NBA ­Finals. How many Caldecott ­Medals did ­Randolph Caldecott ever win?

I rest my case. No wait, I unrest my case, because . . .

Reason No. 3 Jerry Pinkney exemplifies Caldecott perseverance.

Pinkney won five Caldecott Honors (’89, ’90, ’95, ’00, ’03) before finally­ ­taking home the Medal in 2010 with The Lion & the Mouse. Isn’t this the sort of creative sticktoitiveness that we want from our great artists?

Reason No. 4 The Jerry Pinkney Medal practically designs itself.

The current design of the Caldecott Medal is iconic, but isn’t it a bit . . . busy? If (nay, when) the Caldecott Medal is ­renamed the Pinkney, there’s no question what the new award design would be:

Boom. The cover image from The Lion & the Mouse. The lion is considered the King of the Jungle, so it only makes sense that this regal beast graces the cover of our finest picture books. The medal is even the perfect shape to accommodate the lion’s mane.

Now, picture this baby cast in bronze. Tell me this Pinkney Medal wouldn’t look great as a sticker on the cover of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the previous year.

Reason No. 5 Jerry Pinkney once wore a shirt featuring the cover of his own Caldecott Medal–winning book and it was awesome.

This is the kind of confidence the ­Caldecott (excuse me, the Pinkney) Medal needs. Can you show me an image of Maurice Sendak wearing a Where the Wild Things Are T-shirt?

OK, this may not be a reason to rename the award, but come on, it’s great.

Reason No. 5 (take two) Renaming the award after Jerry Pinkney would bring it into the modern era.

Pinkney passed in 2021. Libraries still have lots of his books on their shelves. Many of his folktale retellings are still the go-to versions. His first book was in 1964 and his last was in 2021, covering a significant portion of picture book history. In 2024, Pinkney’s work is still very much a part of the modern illustration landscape. Renaming the award after him would give it new meaning and importance.

So as you can see, the reasons to rename the award are plentiful. Now I humbly ask, what do you think?

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian. He blogs at “100 Scope Notes” ( slj.com/100scopenotes ).