The American Library Association announced the 2009 award-winning books on Monday. Thanks to modern technology, I watched the live webcast from the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Denver. It was so much fun to hear the book titles announced and hear the response from the crowd of librarians. For a list of winners, click here.
The most famous awards are the Caldecott (illustrator’s award for most outstanding picture book), the Newbery (most outstanding contribution to children’s literature), and the Coretta Scott King Awards (outstanding books by African-American authors and illustrators). By listening to the presentation, I learned more about the other awards presented. A new award this year was the William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award. The winner was A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce, a retelling of the fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin.
Long and loud applause seemed to erupt after the following awards were announced:
We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (Coretta Scott King Author Award)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written and narrated by Sherman Alexie (Odyssey Award for best audio book for children or YA)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (John Newbery Medal)
After the recent discussions on whether books awarded the Newbery are actually for kids or just to please teachers and librarians, a book about a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard is this year’s winner. Do you think the committee was thinking of teachers and librarians with this one or the audience of readers?
Showing posts with label Caldecott. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caldecott. Show all posts
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Presidential Literature
I am not a fan of conflict (except in books) so you will rarely find me engaged in political debate. However, I do enjoy watching election results unfold on television and especially the pageantry of the presidential inauguration.
One of my favorite things about these events is the opportunity to learn more about our nation’s past presidents from Pulitzer Prize winning author and presidential historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin. I am fascinated by the wealth of presidential facts in her brain. If you read my earlier blog, Mythical Dinner Party, I would definitely invite her to my dinner.
If you enjoy presidential facts, you should read one of my favorite picture books, So You Want to Be President, by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small. Both the text and the illustrations are a treat. Kids (and grownups) can find out which president was the tallest, shortest, largest, oldest, youngest, who had the most siblings, and what jobs they held before becoming president.
This book won the 2001 Caldecott medal. The American Library Association will announce this year’s winners of the best books in children’s literature next week. Stop by next week to discuss.
One of my favorite things about these events is the opportunity to learn more about our nation’s past presidents from Pulitzer Prize winning author and presidential historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin. I am fascinated by the wealth of presidential facts in her brain. If you read my earlier blog, Mythical Dinner Party, I would definitely invite her to my dinner.
If you enjoy presidential facts, you should read one of my favorite picture books, So You Want to Be President, by Judith St. George, illustrated by David Small. Both the text and the illustrations are a treat. Kids (and grownups) can find out which president was the tallest, shortest, largest, oldest, youngest, who had the most siblings, and what jobs they held before becoming president.
This book won the 2001 Caldecott medal. The American Library Association will announce this year’s winners of the best books in children’s literature next week. Stop by next week to discuss.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Snowflakes and Book Characters
Two words that were seldom, if ever, spoken in New Orleans, but are occasionally heard in Tennessee were announced earlier this week. Snow Day! These seven letters pumped joy into the hearts of school children and made me pretty happy, too. From experience, I know a snow day sure beats the heck out of a hurricane evacuation day.
Before moving to Tennessee, I had only seen snow a few times in my childhood and once in New Orleans (Christmas Day 2004).
Earlier this week, I was sitting at my computer watching the snow through my window thinking, this is definitely a new experience for me. Large flakes started drifting down and I put my coat on and went back outside in a flash. I held out my hands and caught snowflakes in my red gloves. For the first time in my life, I saw the shape of a snowflake. My first thought was, “Wow! It really does look like they say in books.” My second thought was, “I feel like Snowflake Bentley.”
If you are a children’s book writer or reader, you probably know that Snowflake Bentley is the 1999 Caldecott winning biography by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931) developed a technique to photograph snowflakes. He is the person who actually proved that no two are alike. This wasn’t a quick process. It took years of trial and error. Sort of like working towards publication.
Do you ever think of yourself as a fictional character, or in this case, a real live person from history, in one of your favorite books?
Before moving to Tennessee, I had only seen snow a few times in my childhood and once in New Orleans (Christmas Day 2004).
Earlier this week, I was sitting at my computer watching the snow through my window thinking, this is definitely a new experience for me. Large flakes started drifting down and I put my coat on and went back outside in a flash. I held out my hands and caught snowflakes in my red gloves. For the first time in my life, I saw the shape of a snowflake. My first thought was, “Wow! It really does look like they say in books.” My second thought was, “I feel like Snowflake Bentley.”
If you are a children’s book writer or reader, you probably know that Snowflake Bentley is the 1999 Caldecott winning biography by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931) developed a technique to photograph snowflakes. He is the person who actually proved that no two are alike. This wasn’t a quick process. It took years of trial and error. Sort of like working towards publication.
Do you ever think of yourself as a fictional character, or in this case, a real live person from history, in one of your favorite books?
Friday, January 18, 2008
CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARDS WEEK
The American Library Association announced their picks for best books for children and young adults this week. View the list here.
A unique book was awarded the Caldecott Medal (best picture book) this year. The winner is the novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Yes, a 500+page novel won the picture book award.
So is it really a picture book? A writer friend of mine tried to listen to the audiobook, but could not follow the story until she read the actual book with illustrations. The illustrations are an integral part of this story. So Hugo Cabret has the unusual distinction of being part novel, part picture book.
I am not a picture book writer and I’m definitely no illustrator. It is rare that I can say that I own the Caldecott winning book. Until now. My son and I are currently reading Hugo Cabret together. It is a wonderful book. Librarians agree. To hear their response to the announcement at the ALA earlier this week, click here.
A unique book was awarded the Caldecott Medal (best picture book) this year. The winner is the novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Yes, a 500+page novel won the picture book award.
So is it really a picture book? A writer friend of mine tried to listen to the audiobook, but could not follow the story until she read the actual book with illustrations. The illustrations are an integral part of this story. So Hugo Cabret has the unusual distinction of being part novel, part picture book.
I am not a picture book writer and I’m definitely no illustrator. It is rare that I can say that I own the Caldecott winning book. Until now. My son and I are currently reading Hugo Cabret together. It is a wonderful book. Librarians agree. To hear their response to the announcement at the ALA earlier this week, click here.
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