A who's who of kid-lit luminaries gathered on Thursday evening for the 2024 Carle Honors, held at the New-York Historical Society and hosted by Tony Award–winning actor and picture-book author Leslie Odom Jr. Given annually by the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, the award "celebrates individuals and organizations making lasting contributions to picture book art."

Awards are given in the categories of Artist, Angel, Bridge, and Mentor. Uri Shulevitz was this year’s Artist recipient; the award honors lifelong innovation in the field. Accepting on his behalf, editor Wesley Adams gave a brief statement paying tribute to author/illustrator Eric Carle, for whom the museum and awards are named.

The Angel award, honoring individuals or organizations whose resources help make picture-book art exhibitions, education programs, and other projects possible, was given to the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books, which since 2014 has advocated for inclusivity in children’s literature. In her acceptance speech, chief executive Ellen Oh noted that the number of books by authors of color has increased dramatically in the decade since WNDB was formed. Though censors would prefer a more homogenous publishing world, Oh quoted Kamala Harris, saying, “We are not going back.”

The Bridge award, honoring individuals or institutions that have "found inspired ways to bring the art of the picture book to larger audiences through work in other fields,” went to the multimedia company KidLit TV, founded by Julie Gribble. Accepting the award, Gribble confided that she'd often identified with the title character from Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but at this proud moment, she felt like the butterfly.

The Mentor award, which honors editors, educators, and designers, went to the Horn Book, a reviews journal celebrating its hundredth anniversary. In her acceptance speech, editor-in-chief Elissa Gershowitz sang the praises of her own mentors and shared some of the magazine's most memorable covers, including one designed by illustrator Kadir Nelson in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Awards.

Actor, author, and activist Marlo Thomas was honored with the Inspiration Award, which was accepted on her behalf by composer and former Carle winner Christopher Cerf. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of Thomas’ groundbreaking book and TV special Free To Be You and Me; an upcoming exhibition at the Carle Museum will celebrate the project, featuring artwork from the book.

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.