Newbery, Caldecott winners announced

ALA and ALSC announced the winners and honorees for the 2012 Youth Media Awards.  The most famous of these are the Newbery and Caldecott medals.  A complete list of winners, honorees, and descriptions of the criteria for all awards is available at the ALSC website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/2012-alsc-book-and-media-award-winners.

Newbery Medal:

Dead End in Norvelt written by Jack Gantos, published by Farrar Straus Giroux

Newbery Honor Books

Inside Out & Back Again written by Thanhha Lai, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers

Breaking Stalin’s Nose written by Eugene Yelchin, published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC

Caldecott Medal:

A Ball for Daisy illustrated and written by Chris Raschka, published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Caldecott Honor Books

Blackout illustrated and written by John Rocco, published by Disney/Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group

Grandpa Green illustrated and written by Lane Smith, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing

Me…Jane illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

2013 Arbuthnot Honor Lecture:

Michael Morpurgo

Batchelder Award:

Soldier Bear written by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Philip Hopman, translated by Laura Watkinson, published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Batchelder Honor Book

The Lily Pond written by Annika Thor, translated by Linda Schenck, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award:

Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

King Author Honorees

Eloise Greenfield, author of The Great Migration: Journey to the North, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; and Patricia C. McKissack, author of Never Forgotten, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon and published by Schwartz &Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

 Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award:

Shane W. Evans, illustrator and author of Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book is a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership.

King Illustrator Honoree  

Kadir Nelson, illustrator and author of Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, published by Balzar + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement:

Ashley Bryan

Storyteller, artist, author, poet and musician, Bryan created his first children’s book in first grade. He grew up in the Bronx and in 1962, he became the first African American to both write and illustrate a children’s book. After a successful teaching career, Bryan left academia to pursue creation of his own artwork. He has since garnered numerous awards for his significant and lasting literary contribution of poetry, spirituals and story.

Pura Belpre (Illustrator) Award:

Diego Rivera: His World and Ours written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS

Belpre (Illustrator) Honor Books

The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred illustrated by Rafael López, written by Samantha R. Vamos, published by Charlesbridge

Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald no combina illustrated by Sara Palacios, written by Monica Brown, published by Children’s Books Press, an imprint of Lee and Low Books Inc.

Pura Belpre (Author) Award:

Under the Mesquite written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, published by Lee and Low Books Inc.

Belpre (Author) Honor Books

Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller written and illustrated by Xavier Garza, published by Cinco Puntos Press

Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck written by Margarita Engle, published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC

Carnegie Award:

Children Make Terrible Pets produced by Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard, Weston Woods Studios, Inc.

Theodore Seuss Geisel Award:

Tales for Very Picky Eaters written and illustrated by Josh Schneider, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Geisel Honor Books

I Broke My Trunk written and illustrated by Mo Willems, published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group

I Want My Hat Back written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press

See Me Run written and illustrated by Paul Meisel, published by Holiday House

Sibert Medal:

Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Sibert Honor Books

Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene “Bull” Connor written by Larry Dane Brimner, published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc.

Drawing from Memory written and illustrated by Allen Say, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

The Elephant Scientist written by Caitlin O’Connell and Donna M. Jackson, illustrated by Caitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwell, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer, published by National Geographic Society

Congratulations to all winners and honorees!

Synergy apparent in collaborations in Ballet for Martha

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca; published by Roaring Brook Press, New York; 2010.

The synergy of collaboration is the theme in this multiple-award winning book.  American composer Aaron Copland, choreographer Martha Graham, and artist Isamu Noguchi worked together to make Martha Graham’s concept of capturing America’s spirit in dance a reality.  The resulting ballet, Appalachian Spring, has become an American classic!

Just as the three visionaries worked together to capture the American spirit in art, so the writers and illustrators have collaborated to capture the process of creating Appalachian Spring.  From the robin’s egg blue end pages, through the storytelling, images, and resources at the end, the synergy of this book is remarkable.  Words and pictures drew me into the story of the artists as well as into the tale of a springtime wedding between a farmer and his bride.  It was no surprise to learn that Ballet for Martha was recognized with multiple awards (2011 Robert F. Sibert Honor book, 2011 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award, 2011 ALSC Notable Book List) and starred reviews.  Collaborating is not easy, but to do so successfully twice (in creating Appalachian Spring as well as writing about it!) is remarkable.  And just like the pieces of the ballet–the music, dance and set–work together to create a whole that is more than the sum of its parts, the book has done the same.  Part history lesson, part interpretation of music and dance, and part biography, Ballet for Martha tells the story of a collaboration that sums up the American experience.

During my tenure in an elementary school library, fulfilling book requests from the music teacher was a chore.  There were very few books to offer her.  I would enthusiastically recommend this book to her now, and include the links to the YouTube videos that captured a television performance of the ballet.  In any library, I would include this book in a family story time, and maybe only show part 3 of the YouTube videos (recognize that first song?).  Any spring displays would have to incorporate this book with a CD of Copland’s inspired score.

If the book has piqued your interest about the ballet, please watch the 4 part videos!  I’ve embedded them here so that librarians, music teachers, or anyone interested in watching this American classic can do so from this location!

We Are the Ship sails the sea of Negro League Baseball

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball words and paintings by Kadir Nelson, foreword by Hank Aaron; published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group, New York; 2008.

Kadir Nelson’s first attempt at writing a children’s book is a home run.  Coupled with his illustrations, he has captured the story of Negro League Baseball in a way that will appeal to young and old alike.  It is unusual for a nonfiction book to be narrated but in the case of We Are the Ship, it seems the only way to tell the story.  Nelson’s narrator is the voice of every man that played the great game of baseball during the segregated years. Immediately, I envisioned a grandchild sitting on the sofa next to Granddad, who has a photo album in his lap.  He is expressing his joy, frustration, and victories as a ball player and as a man.  Aside from the remarkable story-like appeal of the book, the facts are fascinating.  Do you know who created the first shin protectors worn by a catcher?  Or who wore the first batting helmet (bonus points if you know what that first helmet was used for originally!)?

To talk about a Kadir Nelson book without discussing the illustrations is unthinkable!  Images in We Are the Ship express the strength, smarts and skills of the players in remarkable realistic detail.  The paintings are based on photographs from collections at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.  Prints are available for purchase at Kadir Nelson’s website: http://www.kadirnelson.com/we-are-the-ship-store.html#page1.

This book’s brilliance was rewarded with the 2009 Coretta Scott King Award for an author and the 2009 Robert Sibert Medal for nonfiction.

I have loved baseball since I kept a transistor radio under my pillow in elementary school.  My favorite childhood vacation was to Cooperstown, New York.  I thought I knew a great deal about the game.  I was wrong.  Like much of history, there is a subculture that is usually left out.  I highly recommend “sitting at Granddad’s knee” and listening to the story of Negro League Baseball.  Although the story is very accessible, We Are the Ship is told in great detail (the chapters are named for the 9 innings of the game, plus an extra innings chapter as an epilogue), therefore I recommend it for older readers (upper elementary and even into middle and high school) and even adults.

As a librarian, I would add this book to a spring training or baseball display.  I’d include it in pathfinders about the game, paired with fiction (like Mike Lupica’s Heat) and a list of Web resources, especially the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Play ball!

ALSC publishes 2011 Youth Media Award winners and honorees

ALSC has posted the winners of the 2011 Youth Media Awards (in the children’s categories) on their website: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/2011medawardwin.cfm

Congratulations to all winners and honorees!

To dream, to dare, to dance

To Dance by Siena Cherson Siegel, illustrated by Mark Siegel; published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York; 2006.

A quick look at the end pages summarizes the story—from a young girl dancing on the beach to a young mother with her child and husband dancing on the beach.  The story opens with Seigel explaining that “big, empty spaces always made me dance”—ah, the end pages explained in just a few words.  Siegel’s story, illustrated by her husband Mark, is a biography that will speak to all children who have a passion for something, but especially for the little girls that spend so many Saturday mornings in ballet class, dreaming of becoming a prima ballerina.  Words and pictures blend into a singular story that tells of the development of her passion.  I can’t imagine this story told in any format other than a graphic novel.  For all these reasons and more, this book was an ALA Notable Children’s Book and was a Sibert honoree.

I would certainly use this to introduce upper elementary students to biographies.  I would also use it in a ballet kit for families to borrow or in a display about careers.  Hmm, I think it would be well-paired with a fiction title in a fiction/non-fiction paired kit, maybe with Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield.

Go ask Alice!

What to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham; published by Scholastic, New York; 2008.

This charming tale of a child not unlike many that will sit in the library for story times is a terrific introduction to biographies.  It is light-hearted, with stylized images that add to the story of Alice Roosevelt’s humorous exploits.  The pairing of the text with the images is brilliant—and sometimes the text changes (sometimes bold, sometimes very bold) to draw attention to Alice’s antics.

Again, I think this is a terrific introduction to biographies because it isn’t dry and it is about a child who got into trouble but who grew to be a remarkable adult.  In addition, the author’s notes on the back end pages add detail about Alice and her father, Teddy Roosevelt.  With Teddy’s recent popularity, thanks in part to the Night at the Museum movies, I think doing a display or program about this president and his naughty daughter would be a great idea.

Tarantula team is tops

The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Nic Bishop; published by Houghton Mifflin, Boston; 2004.

What a team Montgomery and Bishop make!  This photo essay about tarantulas is brimming with in-your-face images and information.  From the two-page spread map that follows the title page to the well-edited lists of information at the close of the book, kids will be enraptured by these creepy creatures.  Montgomery’s text never condescends but is informative in a kid-friendly way and Bishop’s pictures tell a vivid story on their own (but they are perfectly paired with the text—like when the tarantulas appear to crawl across the page).

This Sibert honor book would be terrific in a display at Halloween time or for pet day at the library.  I would also make sure that it is included on pathfinders for teachers.

Fly me to the moon!

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh; published by Houghton Mifflin, New York; 2006.

It is easy to see why this book is a medal winner: The photos and other images (like diagrams) put this book “over the moon.”  The text is often printed around the images, suggesting the value of this book is on the pictures as much as the text.  Dark pages with white words was a unique feature but become tiresome quickly—very hard on these older eyes—and was nearly illegible on the pages with less-than-black images (like the page with Buzz Aldrin’s “Traction seems quite good” quote.

I would recommend this to upper elementary teachers (and even through middle school) to use as reference material for students.  In addition, the glossary and source list provide an opportunity to teach information literacy skills.