Kid Lit Power

And the award goes to:
The Newbery Medal: Jack Gantos for Dead End in Norvelt
The Caldecott Medal: Chris Raschka for the wordlessly wonderful A Ball for Daisy
The Printz Award: John Corey Whaley for Where Things Come Back.

Congratulations to winners and honorees of these and other awards (such as the Alex Awards, Coretta Scott King award, Pura Belpre award). You can view the complete list on the ALA website, or follow interviews with these accomplished authors in the New York Times or Associated Press coverage.

I hadn’t finished my TBR list before the Oscar Nominees dominated the headlines.  Had our book awards been eclipsed by Hollywood in less than 24 hours? Not exactly.


Kid lit is a powerful phenomenon. I happily noted that two Best Picture nominees are based on children’s books: Hugo and War Horse. One is a 2008 Caldecott Medal winner: Hugo, based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. War Horse, by Michael Morpugo was first published 30 years ago, and this historical fiction novel remains as engaging now as then. 


 No matter the perpetually changing publishing scenarios, children’s books thrive in many formats, and continue to be a great contribution to the world of entertainment and education of children and adults alike. These 2012 Youth Media Award winners and honorees deservedly enjoy a boost in sales and media coverage. Given time, some of these books will be back as movies, plays, or maybe even a Yahoo photo headline.  Good luck and best wishes to them all. 


Which unread title will you read first? (I’m starting with Dead End in Norvelt: funny and quirky so far.) Of those you read, which are your favorites?  And the million dollar question: which one will become a movie? 

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Award Time!

A week from Monday two early morning phone calls will change many lives. January 23rd is Newbery and Caldecott day.
This award season I’ve enjoyed following the new blog, Calling Caldecott, on the Horn Book website. Check it out here.

I’ve read many of the titles they selected to discuss over the last months. In most of the mock Caldecott events reported on the blog so far, GRANDPA GREEN by Lane Smith has been the winner.

Would this be my choice? Maybe, but there are others.

I have reread the Caldecott's criteria. Whew! Glad I’m not on that committee. I’d have a very hard time selecting a winner.
Stated briefly, the winner should have: excellence of execution, excellence of pictorial interpretation of the text, appropriateness of style, and excellence of presentation in recognition of a child audience.

Okay, so for excellence in illustration perfectly matching sly humor, I’d chose A BALL FOR DAISY, or I WANT MY HAT BACK; for intricate, stunning art based on nature, I’d chose BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON, or SWIRL BY SWIRL; for illustrations that complement childhood/family emotions, I’d chose LITTLE WHITE RABBIT, or TWEAK,TWEAK; for vivid, glorious illustrations that bring history alive, I'd chose THE GREAT MIGRATION, or DAVE THE POTTER: ARTIST, POET, SLAVE.

I think the most difficult decision for the committee has to do with "presentation in recognition of a child audience." Does GRANDPA GREEN appeal to adults more than children? In terms of child appeal, perhaps GINGERBREAD MAN LOOSE IN SCHOOL should win - or WHERE'S WALRUS?, or BLUE CHICKEN.

And then again some title may be flying under the radar and emerge with the medal.

Do you have a favorite title you think should win?

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