Nominees for the 2019 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) were announced today in Sweden. The list has 246 candidates from 64 countries and includes Laurie Halse Anderson, Judy Blume, LeVar Burton (pictured), Eric Carle, Kate DiCamillo, and Margarita Engle. 

The 2019 ALMA laureate will be announced on April 2.

Founded in 2002 by the Swedish government, the Astrid Lindren Memorial Award is the world's largest award for children's and young adult literature. Recipients can be authors, illustrators, oral storytellers, and reading promoters regardless of language or nationality. A jury selects the laureate(s) from nominated candidates who have been suggested by more than 100 nomination bodies from around the world with "in-depth knowledge about children's and young adult literature."

Jacqueline Woodson was named the 2018 laureate.