* Newbery Medal (1978, 1981, 1984)
* Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (1978, 1981, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1992)
* Hans Christian Andersen Award (1998)
* Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2006)
* Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal (2013)
* National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (2015)