Junior Literary Guild
The Junior Literary Guild is a commercial book club. It began in 1929 as an enterprise of the Literary Guild. By the 1950s, the majority of their book sales were to public libraries. In 2004 they started listing their Junior Literary Guild selections at their own website. What we refer to as “winners” are their selections for different age groups.
Winners:
The Middle Button (1941)
A novel with the Cumberland County home as its setting and narrating the story of a Scottish girl in 1883 who wants to become a doctor.
Make Way for Ducklings (1941)
Mrs. Mallard proudly parades her ducklings to the Boston Public Garden.
Read online at archive.org.
A Tree for Peter (1941)
Peter’s life is changed when he meets Peter King in shantytown
Pegeen (1941)
When her Granny dies, Pegeen goes to stay with her friend Francie and the O’Sullivans until she hears from her uncle in America.
Poor Richard (1941)
A biography of Benjamin Franklin for young people.
Down Ryton Water (1941)
An account of the Pilgrims’ voyage to America, from the point of view of a young boy.
Story Parade Gold Book (1941)
A collection of stories and poems from Story Parade Magazine.
Ruth Sawyer
Et al
Dorothy P. Lathrop
Lois Lenski
Robert McCloskey
Et al
Adam of the Road (1942)
In this story of thirteenth-century England, Adam travels from St. Albans Abbey to Winchester to Oxford in search of his father, a strolling player.
The Newbery Award seal was applied to the dust jacket by the time of the second printing in June 1943. The paper in the first printing is unusually heavy for a war time book, but by the second and third printings, it had noticably decreased in thickness.
The green cloth binding of the first printing became blue in subsequent printings.
Read online at Internet Archive.
When the Typhoon Blows (1942)
Li and his grandfather lose their livelihood as fishermen and become refugees in China during the Sino-Japanese Conflict.
Read online at archive.org
Jamba the Elephant (1942)
Of all the elephants taken in the drive directed by Isanga, Jamba was the best--or so thought young Bomi, Isanga's son. How Bomi proved that Jamba could be tamed, and how he, a mere boy, became a full-fledged member of the ebony team, is only half the story. Above all it is the story of Jamba himself.
The Blue-Eyed Lady (1942)
Pip and Nanny’s mother is an angel in heaven. A Christmas story.
The Elephant’s Child (1942)
How an encounter with a crocodile gave the elephant’s child his enormous trunk.
Bells and Grass (1942)
A collection of poems for children.
Read online at archive.org.
Mr. Bumps and His Monkey (1942)
First mate Bumps brings a remarkable monkey named Jasper home to England.
Read online at archive.org.
Andries (1942)
Ten-year-old Andries joins his uncle in a large, but silent and unhappy house. Across the way sits a cottage, overflowing with the lively Dykstra family.
Fruits of the Earth (1942)
An exploration of the origins and development of our favorite fruits.
The Doll Who Came Alive (1942)
Jyd, a young English girl, loves her doll so much that it comes to life and together they go off to the land of the Good People.