# Is "Show Way" by Jacqueline Woodson (illus. Hudson Talbott) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson (illus. Hudson Talbott) (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005) is identified by: First printing carries the G.P. The US G.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint (a division of Penguin Young Readers Group) with a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page
- Illustrated throughout by Hudson Talbott in mixed-media art combining painting, fabric, and collage
- The true-first dust jacket bears NO Newbery Honor seal, since the honor was not announced until January 2006; a genuine first-printing jacket also retains its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jacqueline Woodson (illus. Hudson Talbott) |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing carries the G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint (a division of Penguin Young Readers Group) with a full number line descending to 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint (a division of Penguin Young Readers Group) with a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Illustrated throughout by Hudson Talbott in mixed-media art combining painting, fabric, and collage. The true-first dust jacket bears NO Newbery Honor seal, since the honor was not announced until January 2006; a genuine first-printing jacket also retains its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The US G.P. Putnam's Sons edition of 2005 is the true first. It was named a Newbery Honor Book in January 2006, unusually for a picture book, so the true-first jacket and text block predate the seal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the silver Newbery Honor seal to the jacket and drop the low digits from the number line; book-club and later trade states can be told apart by the presence of the seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Show Way* by Jacqueline Woodson (illus. Hudson Talbott) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/show-way
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.