KidsLit Cares Auction Hurricane Relief Effort

Please head on over to author Kate Messner's blog  and consider bidding on one of a number of items to benefit the efforts of the Red Cross in helping victims of Hurricane Sandy. From Kate's website: "It’s an online talent auction to benefit the Red Cross relief effort for Sandy. Agents, editors, authors, and illustrators have donated various services to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, with donations being made directly to the Red Cross disaster relief fund."

So head on over and bid, my friends (but not on the people we want, OK?)

Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom and my colleague Linda Jerome for this "heads-up!"

Caldecott Classics

I always appreciate it when Roger Sutton writes about Maurice Sendak. His appreciation, respect and friendship always shines through. In a recent Horn Book post, Roger writes about what winning the Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are meant to Maurice.

In the course of his ruminations, he mentions that in his opinion, though many Caldecotts have been awarded, only three books are ones he would truly consider "classic": Make Way for Ducklings, The Snowy Day and Where the Wild Things Are.  At first I was like, "Wait! What about the winner the year I served on the committee; or the year this colleague served or that colleague...?"  But then I stopped and thought.

The three books mentioned are truly touchstones.  When I served on the Caldecott, I used Make Way for Ducklings to train kids and adults on how to help your eye see excellence.  The warm brown lines on creamy paper were the only color, yet those illustrations were so powerful and told the story so well, the text was barely needed to convey the plot, emotions and story. This book is the quintessential Caldecott winner for me.

Re-thinking and re-reading Roger's post and going over the list of seventy-five Caldecotts draws me to the much the same conclusion as Roger. I might quibble here and there. But he has named true touchstones of children's literature.  What do YOU think?

First Annual South Asia Book Award for Youth Announced!

The South Asia Book Award (SABA) established by the South Asia National Outreach Consortium (member National Resource Centers funded by The US Department of Education, Title VI) promotes awareness about South Asia (Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,and the region of Tibet) to librarians, publishers and teachers. This annual award recognizes a recently published work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry or folklore, from early childhood to secondary reading levels, published in the US, Canada or United Kingdom, in English  which accurately and skillfully portrays South Asia or South Asians in the diasporas, that is the experience of individuals living in South Asia, or of South Asians living in other parts of the world. The culture, people, or heritage of South Asia should be the primary focus of the story.

I had the privilege of serving on the first award committee with a wonderful group of people and the first awards have just been announced! More information can be found at the South Asia Book Awards page

2012 South Asia Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

2012 Winners

Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (Henry Holt and Company, 2011). Pen Pals Elliot and Kailash discover that even though they live in different countries—America and India—they both love to climb trees, own pets, and ride school buses (Grade 5 & under).

Island’s End by Padma Venkatraman (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2011). A young girl trains to be the new spiritual leader of her remote Andaman Island tribe, while facing increasing threats from the modern world (Grade 6 & above).

  

2012 Honor Books

Sita’s Ramayana by Samhita Arni, illustrations by Moyna Chitrakar (Groundwood Books, 2011). The  Ramayana, one of the greatest legends of ancient India, is presented in the form of a visually stunning and gripping graphic novel, told from the perspective of the queen, Sita (Grade 6 & above).

Following My Paint Brush by Dulari Devi and Gita Wolf (Tara Books Pvt. Ltd, 2010). Following My Paint Brush is the story of Dulari Devi, a domestic helper who went on to become an artist in the Mithila style of folk painting from Bihar, eastern India (Grade 5 & under).

No Ordinary Day by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood Books, 2011). Valli has always been afraid of the people with leprosy living on the other side of the train tracks in the coal town of Jharia, India, so when aa encounter with a doctor reveals she too has the disease, Valli rejects help and begins a life on the streets. (Grade 6 & above).

Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan (Simon & Schuster, 2011). In 1919, independent-minded Rosalind lives in India with her English parents, and when they fear she has fallen in with some rebellious types who believe in Indian self-government, she is sent “home” to London, where she has never been before and where her older brother died, to stay with her two aunts (Grade 6 & above)

 2012 Highly Commended Books

Beyond Bullets: A Photo Journal of Afghanistan by Rafal Gerszak with Dawn Hunter (Annick Press, 2011). Award-winning photographer Rafal Gerszak spent a year embedded with the American troops in Afghanistan to bear witness to its people, culture, and the impact of war (Grade 6 & above).

The Wise Fool: Fables from the Islamic World by Shahrukh Husain, illustrations by Micha Archer (Barefoot Books, 2011). Meet Mulla Nasruddin, a legendary character whose adventures and misadventures are enjoyed across the Islamic world (Grade 5 & under).

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2011). Eleven-year-old Dini loves movies, and so when she learns that her family is moving to India for two years, her devastation over leaving her best friend in Maryland is tempered by the possibility of meeting her favorite actress, Dolly Singh (Grade 6 & up).

Karma by Cathy Ostlere (Razorbill, Penguin Group, 2011). Written in free verse poems in a diary format, this novel straddles two countries and the clash of Indian cultures in the tale of 15-year-old Maya (Grade 6 & up).

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy (Scholastic Inc., 2011). Zulaikha, a thirteen-year-old girl in Afghanistan, faces a series of frightening but exhilarating changes in her life as she defies her father and secretly meets with an old woman who teaches her to read, her older sister gets married, and American troops offer her surgery to fix her disfiguring cleft lip (Grade 6 & up).

Arizona is Afraid of Words. ..and Thoughts

Wow. If you haven't been following this bizarre story, A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy has a good, brief set of links.  Clearly how we each vote matters.

Image: 'no evil'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/36770908@N08/4385543669

Globally Yours

I had the privilege - and apparent good sense - to attend an amazing one-day children's literature conference recently. The 10th annual International Children's and Young Adult Celebration was held, as it has been for all its existence, in Madison WI - my home state. This is only the second one I've attended and I can't help asking myself, "Where the deuce have I been?!?!"
Sponsored by our university and technical college departments of international studies, this was one of the best days I've spent in a long time thinking about and exploring global literature for youth. The sessions were thoughtful and thought-provoking. We started off with a trip around the world with K.T. Horning booktalking 80 international books for youth we should know. Man, if we don't have some, after this exploration, I want them all in the collection.

I was charmed by the remembrances and storytelling of Anne Pellowski but I was even more thunderstruck by her dedication to helping create children's books in minority languages around the globe. She brought samples of the cloth books created and they are miraculous.  Her passion for putting books into the hands of children everywhere was inspiring.

Atinuke, author of the Anna Hibiscus books and the new No. 1 Car Spotter title (both set in "amazing Africa" and perfect for kids making the leap to chapter books) talked about growing up between two cultures - Nigerian and English - and how the expectations of people in each culture about people from the other were often quite off base.  She is also a powerful storyteller and shared a spellbinding tale at the end of her speech.Her books fill a huge gap in most library collections and I was so pleased to see her in our country and reading from her works.

Miltali Perkins, author of numerous teen and tween books - most recently, Bamboo People, further explored the theme of living between two cultures.  Using an autobiographical theme, she wove issues about race, expectations and societal pressures that support bias "under the waterline" into her brilliant talk. Her honesty and humor brought a fitting ending to the day.

Some of the talks and handouts of the conference will be posted here in the near future. It's also a great spot to get information on former speakers and to experience some of their presentations and handouts. Be inspired!

This funding future for the federally sponsored literature conference (US State Dept and US Dept of Education) is in limbo right now so it is uncertain if there will be a conference next year.  That would be a shame.  Just in case it does happen though, it is always held the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  Maybe mark your calendar now and if it happens, you will be in for a rare treat - oh and a gratis copy of one of the speaker's books.You can't do better than all of that!

mage: 'Blue Marble Animation'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/24662369@N07/4401845574

I Can't Lift This Book!

Jonathan Hunt in Heavy Medal blog discusses an issue I can really relate to.  He talks about the increasing page count in books that are ostensibly meant for middle graders that push them into the YA realm...when they really aren't. He isn't specifically discussing the Newbery committee's work in his post but rather questioning the publishing industry.

I think he has a point.  There are increasing numbers of bloated books over 300 pages coming out that have a great premise and are well-written  - but just try getting a fourth-sixth grade kid to take it from your hand.  They see the size and refuse it in favor of something shorter. I sometimes wonder if it is still the last left-over vestiges of the Harry Potter big book phenomena that saw kids wading - and sometimes wandering - through Rowling's massive texts.

I don't have anything against big books.  I'm just wondering if all the verbiage is necessary and whether tighter editing might result in books that middle graders can read and relate to.  Deep concepts don't always need a huge page count.  Besides books that Hunt cites in his post, I think of Marian Dane Bauer's On My Honor and Cynthia DeFelice's Weasel that are tautly written. I'm sure that you can think of even more.

There are, of course, many great, short early elementary titles that appeal to readers in second and third grade. We don't lack material there. But I do worry about those fourth through sixth graders and having well-written, tightly edited material that comes in at 200 pages or less.  We don't want to lose those fiction readers who aren't gifted or hyper -motivated.  Publishers, can you hear me now?

Comic Books Comic Books!

Ok, ok, so I know that they are now called graphic novels but really they are just the nickel, dime, twelve cent, fifteen cent (I could go on but I am already starting to get scared) comix of our callow youth.  We kids in the neighborhood traded copies of Superman, Batman, Archie, Little Lulu; Donald Duck; G.I. Joe and read and read and read them until they were tattered and torn.  Then we'd read them some more.

Our parents hated them but we were in love.  We could buy mini-spy cameras and sea monkeys and laugh at the silliness or thrill at the heroics of the costumed crusaders. We didn't have comix in the library when I was a kid.  Richer neighbor kids had to buy 'em and share 'em.

But in the seventies, something changed.  Charlie Brown got popular and books featuring his characters and other newspaper comic characters starting coming out and libraries - gasp- started buying them.  As a college student and young librarian I was a total comix hound and collector.  I also knew that Marvel and DC were publishing books of their characters and wanted them in the library too.  I couldn't get them through any of the book wholesalers we dealt with so I would drive two hours to my comix store and buy them there for the library.  They got cataloged into the 741.5s but at least we had 'em.

Fast forward twenty years and library jobbers starting stocking "graphic novels" - material illustrated like a comic and that also included manga and anime.  One of my favorite stories is when BWI started offering graphic novels a colleague at a nearby library almost had an apoplectic fit and threatened to withdraw her business since they were now stocking trash (um, I could argue trash on all sorts of titles and authors through the centuries). But many libraries embraced them and started separate graphic novel collections.

Now fast forward to December 2010 and there is a movement afoot to start a Comic and Graphic Novel interest group at ALA. I am all for it.  If you are an GN/Comix advocate and an ALA member, click on over to 8bitlibrary.com to read all about it and sign the petition.  It's a great way to get ourselves together and to support a format in libraries that speaks to all ages with eye-popping and thought provoking art and text.

Image: 'DC Hero Minifigs - Wave 4'   http://www.flickr.com/photos/86805026@N00/2564337011

Lights! Camera! Children's Literature!

Oooooh- ahhhhh a trailer for an upcoming feature-length documentary on children's literature, Library of the Early Mind. It looks verrrry interesting!




Thanks to Betsy over at Fuse 8 for the heads up!

Howdja Do? Fuse 8's Top 100 Children's Novels

Betsy Bird's tops list is finished (and if you haven't seen the care she lavished on all 100 books, you must visit).  Liz over at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy via Teacherninja via Reading Zone has a fun meme asking which have you read. Mine are in bold.

100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950
94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)

90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)
88. The High King - Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief - Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)

80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)
72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)

70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes - Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)

50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)
49. Frindle - Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)

40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)

30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II - Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief - Riordan (2005)

20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)

10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes - Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter #1 - Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

92 out of 100..whoa, I'm a bigger reader than I thought! Of course I am pretty old so some of this stuff was new when I was a kid! How about you?

Encouraging the Browse

I just popped into the universe of Library Society of the World on FriendFeed and have been enjoying the conversations more than I can say. I am new enough to say I am not *quite* willing to characterize the fabulous characters and esprit de corps but it feels like a mighty good place as participants from libraries of all types ask questions, declare and share and sassy-talk as good as it gets.

A question today about whether browsing behaviors have been explored in surveys garnered a range of comments and got me thinkin'... how do we best encourage and enhance browsing by kids and families who use us?

Of course,  it can be encouraged by the "Art of the Display"on each book shelf. Leaving room for face out display is a huge selling point for our books and leads browsing kids to all kinds of fun books outside of their interest area.  And what to choose?!?  As someone who has an art background, I look for book covers that have large graphics, interesting titles and are designed in a way that says, "Read ME!". I always pass by books in series to find hidden gems -well-written fiction; intriguing non-fiction; authors who know how to write but may not be well-known.  I like to look for picture books and easy readers that need an extra boost (forget Curious George, Berenstein Bears and Seuss -kids and families find them on their own) - this is secret spy-stuff reader's advisory that is so deep and so stealth that kids find treasures in spite of themselves!

Who are we as librarians but literature experts who read widely (if only reviews!) to find the fascinating, the unique, the facts and the fiction?  Yep, we acquire popular dreck but we can lead kids - pied-piper-like- to the more powerful, the more fascinating, the good stuff.  We are the ones, through our selection and collection building work and our face out displays among the shelves, that can make browsing a fun sport in libraries. Thanks LSW for leading me to think about this most fundamentally fun part of our job!

Holiday Books ...On Holiday!

Over at Booklights, Susan has a delightful post that is worth a link on your library's blog if you have one for the public.  The audience for Booklights, a PBS sponsored blog, is parents and families.  The writers share tips on books and literacy and there is always a fresh bright perspective.

In today's post, Susan gently explains to people what happens when they look at the library for a holiday book to check out just prior to a holiday.  Usually, all they'll find is a few tattered and picked over titles - the dregs.  While this is obvious to us as library staffers, it is an important piece of info for folks who walk in and wonder why we don't have anything for them. 

Few libraries have the budget to spend endlessly on holiday materials; many of us create temporary limits on loan periods or limits on numbers of books that can be checked out.  We want everyone to have a little something.  And in the post, Susan reminds readers that it is good to be aware that many people want these same subjects - and that it is good to share!

We'll be posting this on our Parent's Page - it's good advice, well delivered!

Image: 'happy St Patrick's Day!'   http://www.flickr.com/photos/41403643@N00/424096833

It's Raining Books

Not really. But Amy over at Literacy Launchpad had a great post this week encouraging families to "have books everywhere and watch the magic happen". Her tips and ideas to have books in rooms throughout the house; in the car; and wherever kids routinely are is right on target. When books are seen as part of their many routines, kids become comfortable with browsing and picking out a book to enjoy. Amy also encourages parents to trade out the books often to keep things fresh and alluring.

The library is the perfect place to find those books, books, books. The variety and breadth of our collections for kids will keep those baskets filled with a fresh goodies. And we at the front desks can lead parents to lots of amazing books to keep the stock rotating. Having books everywhere - especially when we include library books in the mix - is a more chaotic approach for parents ("We always keep our books on one shelf"), but one worth the extra hunting to provide kids with great reads. And I would add to this mix parents and other family members also seen reading often and everywhere and young kids - who we know are bodacious imitators - will be drawn into the fun.

Image: 'Detail' http://www.flickr.com/photos/37718678739@N01/9373413

Hey Baby, It's Cold Outside?

For those who shudder at the upcoming Wisconsin winter, I recommend a delightful course of Arctic and Antarctic reading to reassure us all that our winters "ain't nothin'!" Snow baby: the Arctic childhood of Admiral Robert E. Peary's daring daughter by Katherine Kirkpatrick
A fascinating account of Marie Ahnighito Peary, born in the Arctic and raised in Washington DC and Greenland. A short biography perfect for 3-5th gradersHow to Survive in Antarctica by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
Part memoir, part survival tips, part curiosities, this book lets readers vicariously experience the author's adventures while on exploration in Antarctica.Call Me Ahnighito by Pam Conrad; illustrated by Richard Egielski
A fictionalized meteorite biography! A huge meteorite describes how it lay half-buried in Greenland for centuries until it is finally excavated by members of a Peary expedition and begins a new journey.

Ice Story: Shackleton's Lost Expedition by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Describes the unbelievable events of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition, when the ship the Endurance was crushed in a frozen sea and the men made the perilous journey across ice and stormy seas to reach inhabited land.

Recess at 20 Below by Cindy Aillaud
You haven't had a great recess experience until you've gone out in the Arctic circle. A great book of photos written from a child's perspective will have readers thinking globally!