And the 2013 Winner is . . .

Every year I challenge myself to see if I can predict the winner for several of the book awards presented by the American Library Association. I limit my contest with myself to just five of the twenty different media awards. I have listed those special five in alphabetical order, by last name, so you won't think I have a favorite (even though I do).

The Pura Belpré Award is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

The Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.

The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

The Robert F. Sibert Award honors the most distinguished informational book published in English in the preceding year for its significant contribution to children’s literature.

The winners for this year were announced at the annual ALA Midwinter Meeting. They include :

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award:  Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert, illustrated by David Diaz and written by Gary D. Schmidt 

Randolph Caldecott Medal: This is Not My Hat, illustrated and written by Jon Klassen

 

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award:  Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America,  written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney

 

John Newbery Medal: The One and Only Ivan, written by Katherine Applegate

Robert F. Sibert Award:  Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon, written by Steve Sheinkin

 

This year I was successful in predicting that Bomb would win an award. It is a fascinating book about the history of the atomic bomb. Let me know if you think it is as interesting as I do.

Read Any Good Books Lately?

Every year, books are published - some good, some extremely good... and every year, there are four Illinois book awards that recognize those books that go above and beyond and make it as an exceptionally great title; the Monarch Award, for books for kids in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, the Bluestem Award, for books for kids in 3rd to 5th grades, the Caudill Award, for books for kids in 4th to 8th grades, and the Abraham Lincoln Award for books for kids in high school.  These awards are given out in March, and are voted on by children in the appropriate age ranges that have read some of the titles on the nominations list.

Each award has its own nominations list, and those books go on display here at the library.  The books are voted on in February and the winner announced in March.  Did you know that your child can help create the list of nominations?  After reading a book they thing was great, you can go online to nominate it for the award.  All of the nominees are read and then the best 20 of them are presented to the public for voting.  Help your child become a part of this fun process - see if their favorite book wins!  For more information on each award, click on the links below.

Monarch Award

Bluestem Award

Caudill Award

Abraham Lincoln Award

Vote Now!

Just a reminder, voting for Caudill and Monarch nominees ends on Monday February 27. Parents and teachers, please encourage your children or students to get their voting done as soon as possible. The Caudill and Monarch awards are state awards were kids pick the winners.

Caudill voting happens online through our department's Caudill Club. Kids have to read a minimum of three of the nominees to vote for which one they believe should win the Caudill award. If readers read ten of the nominees, and submit feedback forms for each, they'll receive a copy of the winning book!

Monarch voting happens here in the library. Paper ballots are available in the picture book section. Kids have to read (or be read to) a minimum of five of the nominees to vote for the one they think should win the Monarch award. If readers are read to (or read themselves) all of the nominees then they will receive their own copy of the winning title!

This is a great chance for your child or students to read from a collection of diverse titles and have their say in which they feel deserves to win. It's also a fantastic way to add to your family's personal library!

Stop by the Youth Services desk for more information. Which books will your child predict to win?

And the Winner Is . . .

Every year I challenge myself to see if I can predict the winner for several of the book awards presented by the American Library Association. I limit my contest with myself to just five of the twenty different media awards. I have listed those special five in alphabetical order, by last name, so you won't think I have a favorite (even though I do).

The Pura Belpré Award is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

The Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.

The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

The Robert F. Sibert Award honors the most distinguished informational book published in English in the preceding year for its significant contribution to children’s literature.

The winners for this year were announced at the annual ALA Midwinter Meeting. They include :

Pura Belpré (Author) Award: Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Randolph Caldecott Medal: A Ball for Daisy illustrated and written by Chris Raschka

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

John Newbery Medal: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Robert F. Sibert Award: Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet

This year I was successful in predicting that Heart and Soul would win an award. It is a beautiful and fascinating book. Let me know if you enjoy it as much as I did.

Check Out An Award Winning Book!

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards were just announced! This years winners range from a book of nursery rhymes, a look at Benedict Arnold, and a gritty story for high school students about teens on the run.

The books receiving the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor books sound just as amazing. If you're looking for books for your child, consider checking out some of these books and see if your child thinks they deserve the award!

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winners

Picture Book
Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Salley Mavor

Fiction
Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Non-fiction
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin

Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Books

Picture Book
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen
Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Fiction
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

Nonfiction
Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Find Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Steward Ross, illustrated by Stephen Biesty
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White

Visit the Horn Book website by clicking here to read more. If you or your child has read one of these books, please comment and let us know what you think!

Suburban Mosaic 2010-2011

Valentine's Day is almost here, and no doubt your children are busy making little gifts and cards for family members and classmates. Maybe they are cutting and pasting little pieces of brightly colored paper into a collage or mosaic heart to show you how much they love you. In the loving spirit of this holiday, I'd like to call your attention to Suburban Mosaic, a Cook and Lake County oriented community reading program, and its very special "mosaic" of books for children and adults.

The books that were chosen illustrate how caring people make a difference in diverse multicultural communities such as ours. This month, participating northwest suburban libraries, school districts, and colleges are highlighting six sensitive books through read-alouds, book discussions, and making copies of the books available to you to read on your own. Suburban Mosaic hopes that offering such outstanding book choices to your family will foster cultural understanding and a coming together between neighbors of many different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

This year's selections are:

Pre-K: How to Mend a Broken Wing by Bob Graham

Grades K-3: Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortensen

Grades 4-5: Notes from the Dog by Gary Paulsen

Middle School: Back Home by Julia Keller

High School: Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

Adult: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Suburban Mosaic has been selecting books such as these for your family since 2004. Information about participating libraries and schools, as well as a complete list of past titles is available on the Suburban Mosaic website. I hope that your family will have the opportunity to share and enjoy one of these exceptional books.

Eight Nights of Light

Over the years some wonderful books about the holiday of Hanukkah (also spelled Hanukah, Chanukah) have passed through my hands. Hanukkah will be arriving this year at sunset on Wednesday, December 1 and continue through December 9 so take a minute before, during, or after one of the eight nights to share a story or learn a little more about this upcoming Festival of Lights.
This is the Dreidel, a cumulative story with delightful illustrations, is a great introduction to the vocabulary of Hanukkah. Though this story doesn't go into much detail about the history of the festival or the deeper meaning behind the symbols, it does introduce the basics. And it's great fun to read.

If you are a fan of The Gingerbread Man, don't miss The Runaway Latkes. Three big latkes (that's potato pancakes to you and me), crisp and brown, jump out of the pan and roll off to see the town. You'll love the participatory aspect of the story, and there's a recipe for latkes on the last page!

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, published in 1989 and a prestigious Caldecott Award Honor Book in 1990, is now considered a classic of children's literature and a favorite of the season. Hershel of Ostropol, a trickster character, must save a village from the goblins who prevent the villagers from lighting their holiday candles and enjoying the seasonal festivities.

In addition to these wonderful stories, we also have in the library plenty of books that will help you learn more about the meaning and significance of Hanukkah itself. Please visit our holiday display of books for some suggestions. Happy Hanukkah!

Illinois State Book Awards

If you have been in the library lately, you are sure to have seen the displays of Caudill, Bluestem, and Monarch books.  These books on display have been nominated for an Illinois Book Award by students, parents, teachers, and librarians throughout the state.  Then, children throughout Illinois read at least three of the books for their designated award and vote for their favorite in the spring.  If your child reads a book that they really enjoy, they can nominate it for one of the awards (Monarch is for K-3, Bluestem for 3-5, and Caudill for 4-8).  

To nominate a book, look no further than the appropriate book award's website.  See the links below to help your child nominate their favorite books on-line.

Monarch

Bluestem

Caudill

While your child waits to have their book show up on the list, if he or she is looking for a great book to read, look no further than this year's nominees.  These books were nominated by their classmates and the best of the nominations were put onto the final list of 20-25 books. Take your pick... they are all great!

Illinois Book Awards

Did you know that there are book awards for the state of Illinois that kids actually get to vote on? In the state of Illinois, we have four book awards, the Monarch for grades K-3, the Bluestem for grades 3 - 5, the Caudill for grades 4 - 8, and the Abraham Lincoln for High School literature. Most kids vote for their favorite of the 20-25 books nominated through school, but you can always stop by the library to check them out. To be eligible to vote, all you have to do is read three of the nominated titles.

You can help your child get excited about these awards and get excited about reading. As you read books with your kids and talk about books with your kids, encourage them to nominate their favorites for the appropriate award. All you have to do is go online to www.ISLMA.org (the Illinois School Library Media Association web site) and click on the award in the left column of the page to get more information. You can even help your child fill out the nomination form and then wait to see if your child's book gets picked for the final list of nominations to be voted on by the children of Illinois.

Get your family excited about reading again!

And The Winners Are...

Authors, publishers, illustrators, even some librarians were anxious with anticipation this morning. Why? The top awards for children and young adult books were announced today!

The John Newbery Medal, which is for "outstanding contribution to children's literature," went to "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead.

The Newbery Honor Books were:
"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin
"The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg" by Rodman Philbrick.

For younger readers, the Randolph Caldecott Medal for best picture book for children went to "The Lion & the Mouse" by Jerry Pickney.

The Caldecott Honor books were:
"All the World" by Marla Frazee and Liz Garton Scanlon
"Red Sings From the Treetops: A Year in Colors" by Pamela Zagarenski and Joyce Sidman

For excellence in young adult literature, the Michael L. Printz Award was rewarded to "Going Bovine" by Libba Bray.

There were four Printz Honor books:
"Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
"The Monstrumologist" by Rick Yancey
"Punkzilla" by Adam Rapp
"Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973" by John Barnes

Please click on this link to read more about the other awards that were announced, such as the Coretta Scott King Book Award and the Odyssey Award.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think about them? I fell in love with "All the World" so I'm happy that more people will get to read it. Or is there a book you thought should have won that didn't?

Caudill Club Blog

You may have noticed a new blog listed on the library's home page called Caudill Club - For readers in 4th through 8th grade. This is an online book club for children who are reading books nominated for the 2010 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award. This award is given annually to the book receiving the most votes from the children in Illinois who have read at least three of the nominated titles.

Some of our local schools promote this award in their buildings; however, not all do so. That's why in 2003 we started a Caudill Club for students who don't have one at their school. It's evolved over that time from a monthly book discussion group to what is now an online community of readers. We've designed it to operate like a social networking site, where children can share their opinions about the books with one another -- but one that is completely safe for them.

Here at the library, we ask that children fill out a Feedback Form for each book they read. Everyone who submits at least three feedback forms will be eligible to vote for their favorite title in February. As an added incentive, each reader who reads at least ten of the books (and submits feedback) will receive a copy of the winning book to keep. The comments children make on these forms are then published so that everyone can read a variety of opinions about each book. Take a look at some of the comments yourself. You'll get a kick out of them, I promise!

Let me emphasize again that this is completely save for your child! All comments and feedback are submitted directly to me. I then publish them, making sure that the only way a child is identified is by their first name and last initial. Any other information collected is for our record-keeping purposes only.

Take a look at the blog and let us know what you think. Also, if your child has posted to it, let us know how they like it...