In the Words of the Winners: The Newbery and Caldecott Medals 2001–2010, and: Libraries and the Cultural Record, and: The Horn Book Magazine (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- In the Words of the Winners: The Newbery and Caldecott Medals 2001–2010, and: Libraries and the Cultural Record, and: The Horn Book Magazine
Association for Library Service to Children and the Horn Book In the Words of the Winners: The Newbery and Caldecott Medals 2001–2010. ALA Editions, 2011. 219p. Paper ed. ISBN 978-0-8389-3586-6 $50.00
A companion to the 2001 The Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books, 1986–2000: A Comprehensive Guide to the Winners, this compilation of reviews, biographical essays, and acceptance speeches about the last decade’s award winners and their creators will appeal to librarians, scholars, and anyone interested in the world of children’s literature and publishing. Former Bulletin editor and current Horn Book editor Roger Sutton provides an introductory piece discussing the significance of the awards even in light of criticism regarding recent winners. The award winners and their associated speeches and essays are listed in chronological order. Highlights include Rebecca Stead’s multiple—and often humorous—iterations of her acceptance speech (for When You Reach Me, the 2010 Newbery winner) and Cynthia Kadohata’s heartfelt dedication to her family in her acceptance speech for Kira-Kira, the 2005 Newbery winner.
Blowing Our Own Horn Dept:
McDowell, Kate. “Children’s Voices in Librarians’ Words, 1890–1930.” Libraries and the Cultural Record 46.1 (2011): p. 73–101.
Kate McDowell, former Bulletin reviewer and current assistant professor at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science, looks into the documentation by American librarians of children’s own words regarding their reading experiences, spanning from 1890 to 1930. These accounts not only reflect the attitudes of children towards literacy but also relay information about librarians’ fundamental beliefs regarding children’s reading habits, immigrant cultural practices, and the perceived need for children to meet middle-class expectations.
Dr. McDowell was also recently featured in an interview about storytelling on ILoveLibraries.org, the American Library Association’s website for the public. Among other things, she discusses the cultural significance of storytelling and its possibilities in the digital age. “Storytelling has always been used as way to pass down folklore and history before it was written down in books,” she says. “Today both books and digital media continue this tradition, but a live person telling a story still provides an experience that’s unlike anything else.” For the complete interview, please visit: http://www.ilovelibraries.org/news/topstories/storytelling.cfm [End Page 57]
Stevenson, Deborah “Caldecott 2011.” The Horn Book Magazine 87.4 (Jul.–Aug. 2011): p. 11–16.
Bulletin editor Deborah Stevenson discusses the award-winning qualities of A Sick Day for Amos McGee (Roaring Brook, 2010), the 2011 Caldecott winner, along with the honor books, Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave (Little, Brown, 2010) and Interrupting Chicken (Candlewick, 2010). The article also highlights some of the stronger picture book selections for the year and comments on the overall increase of nonfiction titles as possible contenders for awards generally reserved for fiction. [End Page 58]
