The ALA awards were announced a few weeks ago. Some familiar names are on the lists and some new ones. Since it is Oscar night, I thought it would be an appropriate time to highlight the winners (since I hadn't gotten around to it yet).
The Caldecott Medal for excellence in illustration went to a wordless picture book by Chris Raschka, A Ball for Daisy.
The Geisel Award for beginning reader books went to Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider. (Mo Willems had an honor book on the list -- just wanted to point that out.)
The Sibert Medal for informational books went to Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet.
The Corretta Scott King Author Award for outstanding contribution to African-American literature went to Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson. The Illustrator Award went to Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane Evans.
The 2012 Notable Children's Books list is also available. Many of the books that were awarded recognized in the above awards are also on this list, but there a lot of other very good titles.
Happy Reading!
Showing posts with label ALA awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ALA awards. Show all posts
26 February 2012
11 January 2011
That Time Again
The lists are out. Librarians everywhere know to what I am referring, as do many non-librarians. It's Newbery and Caldecott time. It's like Oscar night for movie buffs, but geekier.
I have ranted about this before. Almost a year ago to be exact, when last year's awards were announced. So, I will leave it up to you whether or not you want to know where my frustration comes from.
I am not in any way dismissing the value of these awards or the books that receive them. I buy them for my library and I will read them to Isaac, if I haven't already. They are the oldest and most well-known of the awards given by ALA each year and serve an important role in bringing attention to good children's literature.
But, I would encourage you to look beyond the Newbery and the Caldecott lists to the other, lesser-known awards and lists that recognize very good, if not better, children's books.
Here are a few examples:
If you have a young child (pre-school, beginning readers) look at the Geisel Award winners for reading suggestions.
If you have a child who is interested in non-fiction (as many boys are) look at the Sibert Award winners for great titles.
Or look beyond the award lists all together and peruse the Notables lists. These are books that may not have won one of the prestigious awards, but have been recognized as exemplary.
Many states have award programs that empower children to nominate and vote for the books that get the award. North Carolina's program has been running for several years and the books on the list are always an interesting mix.
The ALA is a great resource for finding books to share with your boy. But these books are chosen by adults who are looking at specific criteria established by a committee. Boys, and other children, don't look at a list of criteria when searching for books to read. They look for subjects they find fascinating, covers that look interesting, or pictures that capture their attention.
So, keep the lists handy if you need some inspiration, but let your boy loose in the library and I am sure he will find something to read. It may not be on any list but his, but who cares?
22 January 2010
And the Award Goes To . . .
The middle of January is like Oscar season for librarians and those who follow children's literature. The anticipation and the predictions of what will win the numerous awards given out by The Association for Library Service to Children fill the first part of the month and the analysis of what and why take up the latter part. Some winners are well-received and much applauded and some cause raised eyebrows and Kanye West-like outbursts as people wonder what on earth the committee was thinking and why a different book was not selected.
I follow these awards with vague interest, to be honest, especially the Newbery. I am always curious to know what wins, but seldom do I feel like the winner is a book that the children at my school will really connect with. Somewhere, some kid will love the book, but in reality the awards are given by adults who are choosing books that they like, not books that the kids like. That is not to say that I believe the award is not valuable. It is, just as the National Book Award and the Pulitzer are. But, really, how many typical Americans read the winners of those awards? Nor do I think that that the committee should begin to consider popularity when determining who the medal goes to. It is important to exhibit outstanding literature for children and adults. But that book that gets left off the list is also important because some child, somewhere has read it and it meant something to him.
A glance at the list of past Newbery winners and Honor books comes up with very few boy-centric books. The 2009 winner, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, is an obvious exception, but most of the books have either girl main characters or themes that are more appealing to girls than boys. Girls will read about boys; boys generally will not read about girls. Of this year's Medal winner and four Honor books, only one has a boy for a main character or a boy-centric theme, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (though I will argue in another post that boys could be convinced to read this year's medal winner and I hope they will be). Does this mean that the books being written that will appeal to boys are not exceptional? Not necessarily. Could it point to a failure on the part of the female-dominated committee to be able to appreciate literature that appeals to boys? Maybe. Does it really matter in the long run whether or not a "boy" book won a medal or an honor as long as boys are finding books they like to read? Not in my opinion. But it is something worth thinking about as teachers or parents push children to read these books just because they won an award.
The Medals are signs of exceptionalism. The books that win stand out from the millions that are published each year. Even ALA's Notable Book lists are not an exhaustive account of all the great books that came out within the past twelve months, though they are a commendable effort to recognize more books, because if it makes a list it is much more likely to be bought and read. Making it to the selective Newbery list should not mean that every child should read the book. Or that the book should be liked by everyone. Many states have begun Children's Book Award programs. North Carolina has a picture book and a junior book category. Diary of a Wimpy Kid won the 2009 NC Children's Junior Book Award. Is it Newbery quality? Heavens no! But the boys, and girls, love it and it is never checked in at my school. That makes it valuable. The Newbery Medal and the other awards given by ALSC have their place in children's literature, but so do awards like the NC Children's Book Award. Ultimately, winning an award doesn't mean much if kids aren't reading the book.
As January passes us by, so will the excitement of Monday's announcement. Very few people will be able to name the books on the various lists in a few months, just as not many people can name the winner of last year's Best-Supporting Actress Oscar (without Googling it). But boys everywhere who have found that one book that they really connected with will remember it for the rest of their lives, whether or not it won an award or was on a list somewhere.
I follow these awards with vague interest, to be honest, especially the Newbery. I am always curious to know what wins, but seldom do I feel like the winner is a book that the children at my school will really connect with. Somewhere, some kid will love the book, but in reality the awards are given by adults who are choosing books that they like, not books that the kids like. That is not to say that I believe the award is not valuable. It is, just as the National Book Award and the Pulitzer are. But, really, how many typical Americans read the winners of those awards? Nor do I think that that the committee should begin to consider popularity when determining who the medal goes to. It is important to exhibit outstanding literature for children and adults. But that book that gets left off the list is also important because some child, somewhere has read it and it meant something to him.
A glance at the list of past Newbery winners and Honor books comes up with very few boy-centric books. The 2009 winner, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, is an obvious exception, but most of the books have either girl main characters or themes that are more appealing to girls than boys. Girls will read about boys; boys generally will not read about girls. Of this year's Medal winner and four Honor books, only one has a boy for a main character or a boy-centric theme, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick (though I will argue in another post that boys could be convinced to read this year's medal winner and I hope they will be). Does this mean that the books being written that will appeal to boys are not exceptional? Not necessarily. Could it point to a failure on the part of the female-dominated committee to be able to appreciate literature that appeals to boys? Maybe. Does it really matter in the long run whether or not a "boy" book won a medal or an honor as long as boys are finding books they like to read? Not in my opinion. But it is something worth thinking about as teachers or parents push children to read these books just because they won an award.
The Medals are signs of exceptionalism. The books that win stand out from the millions that are published each year. Even ALA's Notable Book lists are not an exhaustive account of all the great books that came out within the past twelve months, though they are a commendable effort to recognize more books, because if it makes a list it is much more likely to be bought and read. Making it to the selective Newbery list should not mean that every child should read the book. Or that the book should be liked by everyone. Many states have begun Children's Book Award programs. North Carolina has a picture book and a junior book category. Diary of a Wimpy Kid won the 2009 NC Children's Junior Book Award. Is it Newbery quality? Heavens no! But the boys, and girls, love it and it is never checked in at my school. That makes it valuable. The Newbery Medal and the other awards given by ALSC have their place in children's literature, but so do awards like the NC Children's Book Award. Ultimately, winning an award doesn't mean much if kids aren't reading the book.
As January passes us by, so will the excitement of Monday's announcement. Very few people will be able to name the books on the various lists in a few months, just as not many people can name the winner of last year's Best-Supporting Actress Oscar (without Googling it). But boys everywhere who have found that one book that they really connected with will remember it for the rest of their lives, whether or not it won an award or was on a list somewhere.
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