Reaction Post: 2013 Caldecott, Geisel, etc

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that yesterday the ALA announced their 2013 youth media awards. What did I think? Read on.

The Caldecott announcement made me very smug, I admit it. Some years, I hardly know any of the books. This year, I not only read and loved the winner (This is Not My Hat), but I also read and loved four out of the five honor books, the only exception being Sleep Like a Tiger. And I just can't shake the thought that I've read that one and maybe just didn't record it. Entirely possible with such short books. I was a little sad that in a year of many Stead books, both Phillip and Erin, neither got a nod. Erin Stead's illustrations for And Then It's Spring charmed me thoroughly, and Phillip's A Home for Bird is one I'm inflicting on all my groups this year. But they're just starting out and they've got lots of years and lots of books ahead of them.

My track record on the Geisel award keeps me humble. I haven't read the winner, and of the three honor books, I've only read Let's Go for a Drive! But I'm not well versed in early readers overall, so the other books are going directly on my list.

The other picture books honored were all scattered amongst different awards, and there are none that prompt a strong reaction. I've seen Christopher Myers' H.O.R.S.E., which won the Coretta Scott King illustrator award, around my library, and I've enjoyed his other stuff.

I do wonder if the Batchelder award, for translated books, covers translated picture books. We've been getting some marvelous ones this side of the pond lately, and it would be nice to see some of those recognized.

What did I think of the books for older kids? Stop by Confessions of a Bibliovore to find out.

Time for Some Reaction Shots

Some of the best fun of any awards ceremony, and the reason why it's so much fun to either attend it in person or hang out on Twitter with other book nerds, is sharing your reaction to the honorees and seeing what other people thought. This year's awards had their share of well-deserved awards, startling upsets, and shut-outs, otherwise known around here as "Yay!" "Huh?" and "Hey!"

Yay!
I'm pretty happy that one of my favorites of 2010, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, took top honors with the Caldecott. While it wasn't my ultimate picture-book standout for 2010 (see the "Hey!" section for more on that), it's a book that made me smile and smile. I have a half-written review on my hard drive that maybe I should finish now. Interrupting Chicken was sort of unexpected, but then the Caldecott is traditionally more open to silly and funny books than its older sister awards.

I squealed with joy when Seeds of Change: Wangari's Gift to the World  was announced for the John Steptoe New Talent award in illustration. Because if anybody needs to keep on creating glorious books, it's  Miz Jen Cullerton Robertson.

Also, Tomie dePaola richly deserved the Laura Ingalls Wilder award for "substantial and lasting contributions to literature for children." Tomie has been a staple in my reading life ever since I was a wee Bibliovore. In fact, the first place I learned about the Lady of Guadalupe (which any Mexican will tell you, is an important lady) was through his picture-book retelling of the beautiful old story, and I still think of it every time I walk by the picture at church.

Kudos to Grace Lin and Mo Willems for their Geisel honors. We all know that Willems is already an early-reader powerhouse with Elephant and Piggie, but I'm hoping we'll see more early readers out of Lin, because Ling and Ting was so cute!

Huh?
I freely admit: I haven't read one of the Pura Belpre illustration award winners. Most of them I hadn't even heard of. This makes me sad. I'm going to change that.

Hey!
Okay, seriously. Where was Nikki McClure's Mama, Is It Summer Yet? With the beautiful cut-paper technique and the subtle changes in color? Guess this is one I'll just have to read at storytime over and over and over again.

Also, I'm not entirely clear on the guidelines for the new Stonewall award (maybe picture books aren't included?) but I'd dearly love to see some recognition next year for picture books. I realize that most of the awards I talked about in this post were for illustration, but that's only half the equation. How about some Todd Parr, with his reassuring messages of self-acceptance? Some Marla Frazee, with her sweet images of same-sex parents? Okay, suggest some more picture-book and early-reader authors to me.

Awards aren't everything, though, and as someone (Mitali Perkins, perhaps?) pointed out, this just means we'll have to roll up our sleeves and show off the books that didn't get official love. Because no matter how many shiny gold stickers there are on a book, all that matters in the end is that a child loved it.

ETA: I've done a similar post for the YA and MG winners over at Confessions of a Bibliovore. Stop in!

ETA again: In the comments section on my other blog, Jennifer reminded me about the wordless deliciousness that was Chalk - also never mentioned on Monday. Awwww . . .

2011 Awards Time!

John Newbery Medal
for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
(H) Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
(H) Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
(H) Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen
(H) One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Randolph Caldecott Medal 
for the most distinguished American picture book for children

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead
(H) Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill
(H) Interrupting Chicken written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

Michael L. Printz Award 
for excellence in literature written for young adults

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
(H) Stolen by Lucy Christopher
(H) Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
(H) Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
(H) Nothing by Janne Teller



Coretta Scott King Awards
(for the best book about the African-American experience)
Author

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
(H) Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
(H) Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
(H) Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

Illustrator
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill
(H) Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio

John Steptoe New Talent
Author: Zora and Me written by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon
Illustrator: Seeds of Change illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler, written by Jen Cullerton Johnson

Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime Achievement
Dr. Henrietta Mays Smith

Schneider Family Book Award
for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

Picture Book
The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Lynne Avril
Middle Grade Novel
After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick
YA Novel
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Alex Awards
for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences

The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel by Alden Bell
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel by Aimee Bender
The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel by Helen Grant
The Radleys by Matt Haig
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To by DC Pierson

Andrew Carnegie Medal
for excellence in children's video

Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard of Weston Woods, producers of "The Curious Garden," are the Carnegie Medal winners. The video is based on the book of the same name, written and illustrated by Peter Brown, and is narrated by Katherine Kellgren, with music by David Mansfield. 

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award
for substantial and lasting contributions to literature for children.
Tomie dePaola

Margaret A. Edwards Award
for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. 
Sir Terry Pratchett

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award
recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site
Peter Sis

Mildred L. Batchelder Award 
for an outstanding children's book translated from a language other than English and subsequently published in the United States

A Time of Miracles by Anne-Laure Bondoux, translated by Y. Maudet
(H) Departure Time by Truus Matti and translated by Nancy Forest-Flier
(H) Nothing by Janne Teller and translated by Martin Aitken

Odyssey Award
best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex and narrated by Bahni Turpin.
(H) Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman and narrated by Katherine Kellgren
(H) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness and narrated by Nick Podehl
(H) Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly and narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering
(H) will grayson, will grayson by John Green and David Levithan, and narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl.

Pura Belpre
For the best books about the Latino cultural experience
Author
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sís

(H) Ole! Flamenco by George Ancona
(H) The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle
(H) 90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis
 Illustrator
Grandma's Gift illustrated and written by Eric Velasquez
(H) Fiesta Babies illustrated by Amy Cordova, written by Carmen Tafolla
(H) Me, Frida illustrated by David Diaz, written by Amy Novesky
(H) Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiun 

Robert F. Sibert Medal
for most distinguished informational book for children

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop
(H) Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca
(H) Lafayette and the American Revolution by Russell Freedman

Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award
Books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience.

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
(H) will grayson, will grayson by John Green and David Levithan
(H) Love Drugged by James Klise
(H) Freaks and Revelations by Davida Willis Hurwin
(H) The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
for the most distinguished beginning reader book

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile
(H) Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same! written and illustrated by Grace Lin
(H) We Are in a Book! written and illustrated by Mo Willems

William C. Morris Award
for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens

The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston
(H) Hush by Eishes Chayil
(H) Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
(H) Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
(H) Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel
(H) They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
(H) Spies of Mississippi:  The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement by Rick Bowers
(H) The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul Janeczko
(H) Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw

Whew! Someone on Twitter said the list just gets longer every year, but I don't feel like a single award is wasted. Coming tomorrow: My reactions (plus the tell-all story of the wild Twitter party!) Share your reactions in the comments!

Best Illustrated Children's Books

. . . at least, according to the New York Times. But hey, our own Fuse #8 was one of the judges, and her I trust.

This year they're all picture books, which is not always the case ("best illustrated," remember), with a wild variety of artistic styles. Go see the slideshow now! I guarantee you'll want to print out that Blexbolex spread and hang it on your wall.

It's Cybils Eve!

Taking a break from Banned Book Week for a day, I have to remind everyone that the Cybils nominations start tomorrow. Woot! And double woot! This is the 5th year for the kidlitosphere's beloved homegrown book awards.

October 1st - 15th, anyone can nominate a book in any category. Teachers, librarians, kids, parents, if you loved it, shout it out! Then the first-round judges swing into action, reading like crazy folks, and winnow the giant piles down to a few finalists for each category. Those lists are released January 1st, and that's when the second-round judges clock in, taking the next month to intensively read and debate every single book on their category's shortlist until one is declared the winner. All winners are announced on Valentine's Day.

I've judged for the past three years, and I can tell you it's a lot of work, but so worth it! If you want to check out the judges for this year (and, of course, their blogs!), stop in and have a gander at the panels. Congratulations to everyone who made the cut!

Also on the Cybils website, along the sidebar: finalists and winners from the last few years, a fine resource for anyone who wants to find marvelous books. If you want to show your support for the bestest little award on the internet, get shopping at the CafePress store.

But most importantly of all . . . what are you going to nominate?

Congratulations to the Cybils Winners!

It's the day you've been waiting months for, the day we announce the winners of the 2009 Cybils!

Courtesy of the Cybils website, here are the winners:

Picture Book (Fiction)
All the World
by Liz Garton Scanlon; illustrated by Marla Frazee
Beach Lane Books
Nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Musical text and breathtaking illustrations capture a day in the life of children "from morning sun becomes noon blue" to "crickets, curtains, day is done." From a quiet beach, to a busy garden, to a rained-out park, the fun and work and disappointment are shared and acknowledged in a way that encourages reflection. Diversity is naturally woven into community life where family, friend and neighbor connections cross age, ethnicity, gender and roles, embracing our distinction and our unity. Young readers will love finding the small stories within the pictures or going back to look at the page before to find the "hint" of the landscape coming up on the next page. This charming, lovely book is a delight to read and share.

Picture Book (Non-Fiction)
The Day-Glo Brothers
by Chris Barton; illustrated by Tony Persiani
Charlesbridge
Nominated by: Cynthia Leitich Smith
It’s hard to imagine a world without Day-Glo’s shocking greens, blazing oranges and screaming yellows. But before World War II, those colors didn’t exist. After an accident in a ketchup factory derailed Bob Switzer’s hope to be a doctor, he and his brother Joe, who was interested in magic, set out to find a paint that glowed. Eventually, the Switzers did what nobody else had — they invented new colors. The war produced a need for fluorescent paint, and today it’s everywhere. The brothers’ invention allowed both to do what they wanted; save lives and dazzle crowds.

This book is the first on its topic, a result of original research from family interviews and newspaper clippings. Barton explains the science with a kid-friendly manner and an easy narrative style. Readers can relate to the brothers’ thwarted plans and celebrate their persistence. Persiani’s stylized art evolves with the story, from a dull gray to splashes of color to brilliant Day-Glo tones at the end.

Easy Reader
Watch Me Throw the Ball! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
by Mo Willems
Hyperion
Nominated by: Melissa
The Elephant & Piggie series continues with another perfectly pitched early reader. The book is a conversation between two friends who speak in simple repetitive phrases about their ball throwing prowess. The illustrations are dynamic and vibrant, offering many clues to help readers decode the text. In just a few words, Willems creates two very distinct, likable characters. Everyone can relate to the central idea that taking joy in what we do is sometimes more important than outstanding achievement.

Early Chapter Book
Bad to the Bone (Down Girl and Sit) 
by Lucy Nolan; illustrated by Mike Reed
Marshall Cavendish Childrens Books
Nominated by: Jennifer Wharton
This dog’s eye view of the world is laugh-out-loud funny. The book is narrated by Down Girl, who has learned her name from how she is most often referred to by her master. Down Girl spends the book trying to teach her master, whom she calls "Rruff," lessons like the need for vigilance where cats and squirrels are concerned and that paying attention to your dog is more important than house painting. The combination of humor and distinctive voice in Nolan’s writing made this a winning book.

Poetry
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors
by Joyce Sidman; illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nominated by: Elizabeth Bird
Observation, discovery, connection . . . Red Sings From the Treetops embodies everything  poetry is meant to be. The vivid words of poet Joyce Sidman -- which are fresh even when writing about the oldest of concepts, color -- and the gloriously hue-soaked pictures of illustrator Pamela Zagarenski combine  to create a poetry book that is both thoughtful and exuberant. Readers can hunt for small details in the sweep of larger images and thrill to a-ha! moments of discovery. They can read the book as one full, circular story or as a series of individual, eye-opening poems. Either way, the beauty of this book will leave them feeling  connected to something larger than themselves.

Graphic Novel
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook
by Eleanor Davis
Bloomsbury USA
Nominated by: Scope Notes
This book rose to the top of a strong selection of finalists because of the richness and variety of ways Davis engages the graphic novel format. This is a story that could not be told in any other form but  comics. Charts, diagrams, maps and lists all pour forth, creating a wealth of material for the reader to come back to and get lost in. The art is accomplished, with rich inks and a humorous line that captures the tongue-in-cheek sense of old-school adventure in the story. Of particular note are the characters, three very different kids who discover they have very similar interests in the fun, dramatic and loopy possibilities of not just science, but "Science!"

Fantasy & Science Fiction
Dreamdark: Silksinger (Faeries of Dreamdark)
by Laini Taylor
Putnam Juvenile
Nominated by: Melissa
The judges were blown away by the three-dimensional world-building, believable characterization, lyrical writing and non-stop adventure of this complex fantasy. Silksinger picks up where Blackbringer left off, as fairy champion Magpie fights to find the sleeping Djinn and restore them to their rightful places of power. We meet two new fairy heroes along the way, each with secrets of his or her own. Themes of friendship and betrayal are explored in a way that doesn't shy away from ambiguity or nastiness, while retaining strong appeal for middle grade readers. Although it is a sequel, Silksinger is satisfying on its own -- but why wouldn't you want to start with the first book in this compelling series?

Middle Grade Fiction
Chains
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Simon & Schuster
Nominated by: melissa
Chains is a novel with guts and heart and an unforgettable central character. It tells the story of two slave girls, Isabel and her sister Ruth, who are sold in the 1770s to a wealthy Loyalist family. They're taken to New York where Isabel gets swept into the intrigue of the Revolutionary War, becoming a spy for the rebels.

Anderson writes in such a way that both the characters and New York City at the time come vividly to life. The everyday nature of cruelty is realized, and what was not shocking then, will be to today's readers. From the opening moments straight through the streets of New York, Anderson has readers hoping and praying that Isabel will make it through. It is incredibly well researched, and the historical detail flows seamlessly, never feeling like a lesson. The opposite of dry fact, here is an unflinching look at a cruel time. Expect Isabel's story to grab onto you and hold tight till the end.

Cybils Awards For Young Adult Books

Non-Fiction
The Frog Scientist
by Pamela S. Turner; illustrated by Andy Comins
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nominated by: Laurie Thompson
The Frog Scientist covers the ongoing research of biologist Tyrone Hayes into the effects of atrazine on frogs. Atrazine is the most commonly used pesticide in the United States, but Hays has discovered that exposure to atrazine causes "some of the male frogs to develop into bizarre half-male, half-female frogs." His careful development, both in the lab and the wild, of experiments researching diminishing frog populations is an example of science at its best.

Author Pamela S. Turner shows the control Hayes and his assistants exert over their experiments so there can be no questions when their results are determined. For this real-world example of textbook standards alone, The Frog Scientist would be a winner. That Turner makes the biologist's very compelling personal story key to the book's narrative raises it above similar titles in the field. Teens will find the heavily illustrated volume visually appealing but more significantly be intrigued by this powerful example of significant science at work. It's nonfiction writing (and photography) at its best, and incredibly inspirational to boot.

Graphic Novel
Gunnerkrigg Court: Orientation
by Tom Siddell
Archaia Press
Nominated by: Paradox
Strange happenings at a mysterious British boarding school involving magic. A talented student who seems to have unique and special abilities. And the dark past of the characters' parents has come back to haunt them all. These elements, which may on the surface seem so familiar, are brought together in fresh and inventive ways in Gunnerkrigg Court. Tom Siddell has published nearly 300 pages of his webcomic in this first collection, and the length really allows for the reader to absorb the entire spectrum of adventures presented here: protagonist Antimony Carver and her growing assortment of friends have humorous, creepy, action-packed and mysterious storylines, all of which allow us to see the different facets of Annie's complex and fascinating world. It also puts lots of meat on the bones of those seemingly overly familiar story elements, to tell tales both unexpected and new.

Fantasy & Science Fiction
Fire
by Kristin Cashore
Dial
Nominated by: Jenny Moss
As her homeland of the Dells descends into civil war, Fire struggles with changing relationships and her own dangerous powers. If she misuses her gifts, she runs the risk of turning into her psychotic and amoral father. But if she doesn't use them at all, her beloved kingdom and the royal family she has come to love may be lost forever. Nobody combines the fantasy and romance genres like Kristin Cashore. With preternaturally beautiful monsters and unruly children, psychic powers and very human power struggles, her masterfully crafted worlds are close enough to ours to make sense and different enough to captivate.

Fire herself is a dynamic character, a mix of vulnerability and strength, and she is surrounded by others who challenge and support her, especially in the character of Brigan, one of the few who sees beyond her stunning beauty to the complex young woman beneath. Throughout the book, Fire learns to see the people she loves in shades of grey, and in the process learns to accept her own virtues and flaws. Out of all the books we read, this is the one at the top of everybody's list. It's great, start to finish, with appeal for both boys and girls, and the moment you finish it you'll want to read it again.

Young Adult Fiction
Cracked Up to Be
by Courtney Summers
Macmillan
Nominated by: Robin Prehn
Cracked Up to Be, Courtney Summers's debut novel, is a page turner that is sure to please. Once a model student and cheerleader, Parker Fadley has given up that life and turned instead to drinking and failing classes. But what could have caused this sudden change? Spare writing, carefully placed flashbacks, and strong character development create an intense and fascinating read, while the mystery unfolds. Whether or not you fall in love with Parker, her story will not soon be forgotten.

Congratulations to all the finalists and the winners! Also, many kudos to the judges and the administrators. I can tell you, it's a lot of fun, but oh boy, is it a lot of work too!

See everyone next year!

P.S. What's this Valentine's Day I keep hearing about? Is there chocolate for it?

So What Did You Think?

We've had a day, almost two, to think about the awards presented yesterday. What do you think now?

Caldecott
Raise your hand if you were falling-out-of-your-chair shocked at the winner. Yeah, me neither. I've only had the chance to glance through The Lion and the Mouse once, and never sat down to bask in it like I think it deserves. But even that quick glance made me go, "Oh, wow." The heat of the savannah seemed to roll out from the pages. Well done, Mr. Pinkney.

Red Sings from Treetops and All the World had a lot of love in the kidlit world, so neither of those made me goggle. I do wonder why they only picked two honors this year, since I know they've done more in other years.

Geisel
I was surprised at Mo Willems not winning or honoring in this category, but more because he's Mo Willems than for any particular book--which is a darn good sign that this wasn't the year for another Willems win. I don't read as many easy-readers as I should, so I wasn't too familiar with the winners.

Toon Books is doing very well for itself, I must say. Stinky last year and Benny and Penny and the Big No-No plus Little Mouse Gets Ready this year. Not bad for a fairly young imprint, especially considering that they're getting recognition for the. Methinks their catalog is one to watch.

The Others
Am I alone in being tickled that both the winner and the honor book for the Coretta Scott King illustration medal were Langston Hughes poems set to pictures? Just me then. I've only read The Negro Speaks of Rivers, but it was a lovely book to look at. I felt like sinking into every picture and sitting on the riverbank for awhile.

I always love the Pura Belpre illustrations. From almost all of the books, it's art I want to cut out and hang on my wall. That list also had some of the nonfiction that crept in throughout the awards list. It was a good year for the nonfic all around--not only did YALSA premiere an award just for nonfiction, but true stories got love in a number of the awards, including two of the three Big Ones.

What Does It All Mean?
I sat in on a really fun kidlit chat tonight (#kidlitchat, every Tuesday night on Twitter! Tell 'em I sent you, and they'll go, "Who?") and we talked about the effect of the awards. They certainly bump up sales, was the conclusion, but grown-ups buy books. Not usually kids, especially kids this age.

That said, the awards are for quality, not popularity, and they've never pretended to be otherwise. For those of us who lead, drag, and sometimes keelhaul people toward the right book, the pretty sticker is just one factor to take into account among a host of others.

If you haven't already, tell me what you thought of the winners in the comments!

If you want to see my thoughts on the YA and MG novel winners, stop in at Confessions of a Bibliovore.

2010 ALA Youth Media Awards are Here!

The Three You've Been Waiting For

The John Newbery Medal (for the best children's novel of the year)
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
(H) Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose
(H) The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelley
(H) Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
(H) The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

The Randolph Caldecott Medal (for the best picture book of the year)
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
(H) Red Sings from Treetops illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman
(H) All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon

The Michael L. Printz Award (for the best YA novel of the year)
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
(H) Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
(H) The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
(H) Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
(H) Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes

The Rest of Them (You knew there were more, right? Don't worry, I won't tell.)

The Alex Awards (for ten adult books with teen appeal)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: creating currents of electricity and hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
Everything Matters! by Ron Currie
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel
The Kids are All Right: a Memoir by Diana, Liz, Amanda, and Dan Welch
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
My Abandonment by Peter Rock
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Stitches by David Small
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

The Andrew Carnegie Medal (for excellence in children's video)
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus produced by Weston Woods

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards (for the best book about the African-American experience)
Author
Bad News for Outlaws: the remarkable life of Bass Reeves, deputy U.S. Marshall by Vaunda Micheaeux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
(H) Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis
Illustrator
My People illustrated by Charles R. Smith, written by Langston Hughes
(H) The Negro Speaks of Rivers, illustrated by E. B. Lewis, written by Langston Hughes
John Steptoe New Talent
The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
Walter Dean Myers

The Margaret A. Edwards Award (for the YA author who's made a lasting contribution to the field)
Jim Murphy

The May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Award (for an individual in the field of children's literature, who will then present a paper at ALA's Annual Conference)
Lois Lowry

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award (for the best translated children's book)
A Faraway Island by Annika Thor, translated from Swedish by Linda Schenck
(H) Big Wolf and Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme, illustrated by Olivier Tallec, translated from French by Claudia Bedrick
(H) Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness by Nahako Uehashi, translated from Japanese by Cathy Hirano

The Odyssey Award (for the best children's audiobook of the year)
Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo
(H) In the Belly of the Bloodhound by LA Meyers
(H) Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
(H) We Are the Ship by Kadir Nelson

The Pura Belpre Award (for the best children's book about the Latino/a experience)
Authors
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
(H) Federico García Lorca by Georgina Lázaro, illustrated by Enrique S. Moreiro
(H) Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen Bernier-Grand, illustrated by David Diaz
Illustrators
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros illustrated by Rafael López, written by Pat Mora
(H) Diego: Bigger Than Life illustrated by David Diaz, written by Carmen Bernier-Grand
(H) My Abuelita illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Tony Johnston
(H) Gracias Thanks illustrated by John Parra, written by Pat Mora

The Robert F. Sibert Medal (for the best children's nonfiction book of the year)
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
(H) The Day-Glo brothers: the true story of Bob and Joe Switzer's bright ideas and brand-new colors by Chris Barton
(H) Moonshot: the Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
(H) Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose

The Schneider Family Book Award (for the best book about the disability experience)
Young Adult Novel
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X Stork
Middle Grade Novel
Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Picture Book
Django by Bonnie Christensen

The Theodore Seuss Geisel Award (for the best early reader book)
Benny and Penny and the Big No-No by Jeffrey Hayes
(H) Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day by Kate McMullan
(H) Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends by Wong Herbert Yee
(H) Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith
(H) I Spy Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold

The William C. Morris Award (for the best YA novel by a first-time author)
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Philip Hoose
The Great and Only Barnum: the tremendous, stupendous life of showman P.T. Barnum by Candace Fleming
Written in Bone: buried lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally Walker

And now it's all over but the online arguing, and that can go on forever. What made you do a little dance? What was robbed, I tell you, robbed? Tell me in the comments!

Place Your Bets

The Caldecott award is being presented next Monday, along with all the other ALA Youth Media Awards. This brings me such geeky joy I'm getting up at 5:30 am to watch the webcast. And I value my sleep. (You people on the East Coast can breathe now--it starts at 7:45 EST.) Besides streaming video, the American Library Association is texting and Twittering and Facebooking the proceedings. Frankly, folks, if you're at all connected with books for kids, you won't be able to get away from it.

If you want to know a little more about the Caldecott and its fellow awards, look no further than Susan's recent post at Booklights. I love when she writes such excellent rundowns, since it saves me the work. The lady knows whereof she speaks--she used to work in the bookstore industry and apparently ALA Awards morning was like the invasion of Normandy.

There's a lot of talk about Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse, and I certainly wouldn't gnash my teeth over that. But I'll tell you what I would absolutely love to see: a Caldecott award or honor (excellence in illustration of children's books) for David Lucas' Something to Do. I read this last week and fell in love. No joke. Review soon.

The Geisel award, only a few years old, is another straight-up "excellence in" award, this time for excellence in early readers (named after Dr. Seuss, of course). I'm going to take a wild guess and say Mo Willems is probably going to get at least an honor, which he has almost every year since it was introduced.

Other honorees? Hmmm. I wouldn't be astonished to see some sentimental love for The Frogs and Toads All Sang, some of Arnold "Frog and Toad" Lobel's unpublished poems packaged into a picture book. If Dr. Seuss was the king of early readers, Lobel was the Prime Minister.

For some more guesses, stop in over at 100 Scope Notes and read the interview with Caldecott expert Ed Spicer.

What do you think will get the shiny sticker?

Like You Needed More to Read

Fire up your TBR list, my lambkins, for--yes!--it's time for the Cybils shortlists!

Easy Readers/Short Chapter Books

Fiction Picture Books

Non-Fiction Picture Books

For the rest of the lists, plus some amazing stats from the equally amazing Anne, check out the finalist post at the Cybils blog. Congrats to all the finalists and thank you to all the round one judges!

Children's Choice Finalists

Tasha Saecker over at KidsLit alerted me to this one. The Children's Choice award finalists are up!

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year:
The Donut Chef by Bob Staake

Katie Loves the Kittens by John Himmelman

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! written and illustrated by Mo Willems

Sort It Out! by Barbara Mariconda, illustrated by Sherry Rogers

Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

The other age groups are posted at the link. Congrats to all finalists! Come April, you can drop by Book Week Online and cast your vote.

The Children's Book Council will announce the winners in May, just in time for the recently-moved Children's Book Week.

Awards Reactions

Now that everyone's had time to chew it over, here's what I think of the picture-book and early readers winners from the ALA.

Caldecott: I reviewed The House in the Night back in December and loudly proclaimed my love for it. When they announced this title on the webcast, I screamed so loud that my co-worker had to make soothing noises.

Geisel: Now I haven't read Are You Ready to Play Outside? But I have read other Elephant and Piggie books, and you have to admit, Willems really knows what he's doing in this field. The honors were what made me go, "Hmm!" I did love One Boy, which is one of those picture books that wasn't marketed as an early reader but works as one. I wasn't expecting a nonfiction book like Wolfsnail to show up (although it's not strictly prohibited here or in any of the other awards which normally go to fiction). I was interested to see that Stinky is actually a sort of very young graphic novel. I think I'll go use my ALSC and YALSA memberships to bug people for a GN award.

Coretta Scott King: I haven't read The Blacker the Berry. I hope that when I do, I'll understand why Before John Was a Jazz Giant just got an honor.

Agree? Disagree? Desperately craving an ice cream sandwich? Do share. Especially the ice cream if you got it.

Dash over to Confessions of a Bibliovore for my take on the YA and MG winners.

ALA Awards Are Here!

Whee! The most exciting day of the year if you happen to be a gigantic kidlit dork like me . . . and I had to work through the webcast. Blah.

Anyway, chickies, here they are! As always, the (H) signifies an honor.

The Big Three

The John Newbery Medal (for the best children's novel of the year)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
(H) The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
(H) The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
(H) Savvy by Ingrid Law
(H) After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

The Randolph Caldecott Medal (for the best picture book of the year)
The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson
(H) A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
(H) How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
(H) A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant

The Michael L. Printz Award (for the best YA novel of the year)
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
(H) The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson
(H) Nation by Terry Pratchett
(H) Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The by E. Lockhart
(H) Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

The Rest of Them, Which Are Very Nice Too

The Alex Awards (for ten adult books with teen appeal)
City of Thieves by David Benioff
The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King
Mudboundby Hillary Jordan
Over and Under by Todd Tucker
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
Three Girls and Their Brother: A Novel by Theresa Rebeck

The Andrew Carnegie Medal (for excellence in children's video)
Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly, Weston Woods Studios, producers of "March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed The World" (links to book)

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards (for the best book about the African-American experience)
Author
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
(H) The Blacker the Berry written by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
(H) Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
(H) Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Illustrator
The Blacker the Berry illustrated by Floyd Cooper, written by Joyce Carol Thomas
(H) We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
(H) Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sean Qualls
(H) The Moon Over Star by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (for the children's author or illustrator who's made a lasting contribution to the field)
Ashley Bryan

The Margaret A. Edwards Award (for the YA author who's made a lasting contribution to the field)
Laurie Halse Anderson

The May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Award (for an individual in the field of children's literature, who will then present a paper at ALA's Annual Conference)
Kathleen T. Horning, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award (for the best translated children's novel; presented to the publisher)
Arthur A. Levine Books for Guardian Of The Spirit (Moribito) by Nahoko Uehashi, translated from the Japanese by Cathy Hirano
(H) Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for Garmann's Summer written and illustrated by Stian Hole, translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett
(H) Amulet Books for Tiger Moon written by Antonia Michaelis, translated from the German by Anthea Bell

The Odyssey Award (for the best children's audiobook of the year)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written and narrated by Sherman Alexie
(H) Curse of the Blue Tattoo written by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren
(H) Elijah of Buxton written by Christopher Paul Curtis, narrated by Mirron Willis
(H) I'm Dirty written by Kate and Jim McMullan, narrated by Steve Buscemi
(H) Martina the Beautiful Cockroach written and narrated by Carmen Agra Deedy
(H) Nation written by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Stephen Briggs

The Pura Belpre Award (for the best children's book about the Latino/a experience)
Authors
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
(H) Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book by Yuyi Morales
(H) Reaching Outby Francisco Jiménez
(H) The Storyteller's Candle/La velita de los cuentosby Lucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Lulu Delacre
Illustrators
Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book by Yuyi Morales
(H) Papa and Me illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Arthur Dorros
(H) The Storyteller's Candle/La velita de los cuentos
illustrated by Lulu Delacre, written by Lucia Gonzalez
(H) What Can You Do With a Rebozo? illustrated by Amy Cordova, written by Carmen Tafolla

The Robert F. Sibert Medal (for the best children's nonfiction book of the year)
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
(H) Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Pastwritten by James M. Deem
(H) What To Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! written by Barbara Kerley, illusrated by Edwin Fotheringham

The Schneider Family Book Award (for the best book about the disability experience)
Picture Book: Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Robert Andrew Parker
Middle Grade: Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Young Adult: Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen

The Theodore Seuss Geisel Award (for the best early reader book)
Are You Ready to Play Outside? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) written and illustrated by Mo Willems
(H) Chicken Said, "Cluck!" written by Judyann Ackerman Grant
(H) One Boy written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
(H) Stinky (Toon Books) written and illustrated by Eleanor Davis
(H) Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator written by Sarah C. Campbell, photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell

The William C. Morris Award (for the best YA novel by a first-time author)
A Curse Dark as Goldby Elizabeth C. Bunce

Surprises? Delight? Rage? Express it all in the comments.

Cross-posted from Confessions of a Bibliovore.