New York-based illustrator Sophie Blackall has won the 2016 — Caldecott Medal America's most prestigious prize for children's illustration — for her artwork in Finding Winnie, written by Toronto's Lindsay Mattick.

The book tells the true Canadian story of Winnipeg, the black bear from Ontario who became a mascot for soldiers during World War I and later inspired author A.A. Milne's most beloved character, Winnie-the-Pooh.

"Children will be enchanted by Winnie's journey from the forests of Canada to the pages of the Hundred Acre Wood. Blackall offers a tour-de-force of visual storytelling," said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Rachel G. Payne in a press release

The coveted John Newbery Medal for children's literature was won by Matt de la Peña for Last Stop on Market Street, which was illustrated by Christian Robinson. De la Peña is the first Hispanic author to win the prize, according to NPR.

Last Stop on Market Street is about a young African American boy who rides the bus with his grandmother and asks her about why his family doesn't own a car. Newbery Medal Committee Chair Ernie J. Cox urges people to read the book aloud.

"The use of language to elicit questions, to spark imagination and to make us laugh is at its best when spoken," said Cox in a news release.

Listen to Lindsay Mattick discuss Finding Winnie on The Current: