Illustrator Michaela Goade Becomes First Native American To Win Caldecott Medal She won the prestigious award for her work on “We Are Water Protectors,” a celebration of nature and condemnation of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Hillel Italie NEW YORK (AP) — Illustrator Michaela Goade became the first Native American to win the prestigious Randolph Caldecott Medal for best children’s picture story, cited for “We Are Water Protectors,” a celebration of nature and condemnation of the “black snake” Dakota Access Pipeline. “I am really honored and proud,” the 30-year-old Goade told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I think it’s really important for young people and aspiring book makers and other creative people to see this.”