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Earlier today, the ALSC Notable Children’s Books list of titles to be discussed at the Annual Conference was posted on this blog. I know many of you are also anticipating the 2015 Notable Children’s Recordings Committee Discussion List.

The 2015 Notable Children’s Recordings Committee would like to invite anyone interested to come to their meetings in San Francisco where children’s recordings and audiobooks will be discussed for inclusion on the 2016 Notable Children’s Recordings List. The committee will meet at the Intercontinental Hotel (Patri Room) on Saturday afternoon from 1:00 to 5:30 and Sunday afternoon from 1:00 – 4:00.

And here is the discussion list:

• A Plague of Bogles, 7 hrs 16 min, cd, $45, Listening Library, 9780553556261

• All Around This World: Africa, 1 hr. 24 min, cd, $18.99, CD Baby/Sugar Mountain

• Best Friend Next Door, 4 hrs 44 min,, cd, $25.88, Weston Woods,9780545857710

• Bugs in My Hair, 6 min, cd + bk, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545790154

• Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, 6 hrs 30 min, cd,. $66.75, Recorded Books, 9781490664330

• Crystal, 5 hrs, cd, $51.75, Recorded Books, 9781470392963

• Cuddlebug Parade, 37 min, cd, $12.00, Sweetly Spun Parade/DBaby.com, 889211153558

• Finding the Worm, 7 hr 1 min, cd, $40.00, Listening Library, 9780553552447

• Embassy Row #1: All Fall Down, 8 hrs 34 min, cd, $74.99, Scholastic Audio, 9780545788342

• Fish in a Tree, 5 hrs 45 min, cd, $35.00, Listening Library, 9781101890691

• Glory Be, 4 hrs 27 min, download, $10.95, Scholastic Audio, 9780545735292

• Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, 14 min, cd + bk, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545842709

• Magic Treehouse Super Edition #1: Danger in the Darkest Hour, 3 hrs 2 min, cd, $19.95, Listening Library, 9780553552652

• Mark of the Thief, 8 hrs 28 min, cd, $79.99, Scholastic Audio, 9780545788564

• Midnight Thief, 12 hrs, cd, $108,75, Recorded Books, 9781490651545

• Mr. Men Collection, 59 min, cd, $10.00, Listening Library, 9781101891285

• Mr. Men Collection, #3, 53 min, download, $22,00, Listening Library, 9781101891438

• Mr. Men Collection, #4, 57 min, download, $22.00, Listening Library, 978 110 1891452

• Ms. Rapscott’s Girls, 3 hrs 40min, cd, $27.00, Listening Library, 9781101890653

• Nuts to You, 2 hrs 45 min, cd, $30.75, Recorded Books, 9781490651224

• Papa Is a Poet, 18 min, cd + bk, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545842570

• Sing-Along History, Vol. 1: Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!, 35 min, cd, $10.00, CD Baby/Sugar Mountain

• Smek for President!, 6 hrs, cd, $30.00, Listening Library, 9780553395686

• Stella by Starlight, 6 hrs 30 min, cd, $24.99 Simon & Schuster, 9781442380394

• Stradivari’s Gift, 37 min, cd, $12.99, Atlantic Crossing/Naxos of America, 701807997837

• The Boy in the Black Suit, 7 hrs 45 min, cd, $77.75, Recorded Books, 9781490658827

• The Cottage in the Woods, 12 hrs 46 min, cd, $55.00, Listening Library, 9780553556223

• The War That Saved My Life, 7 hrs 38 min, cd, $40.00, Listening Library, 9780553556537

• This is the Rope, 8 min, cd + bk, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545790512

• Timmy Failure, #3: We Meet Again, 2 hrs 15 min, cd, $25,75, Recorded Books, 9781490620879

• Tombquest, Bk.1: Book of the Dead, 4 hr 37 min, cd, $49,99, Scholastic Audio, 9780545788403

• Woof, 7 hrs 4 min, cd, Scholastic Audio, $64.99, 978054583835

The post Notable Children’s Recordings Nominees — Summer 2015 #alaac15 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The ALSC Notable Children’s Books committee is charged with identifying the best of the best in children’s books. According to the Notables Criteria, “notable” is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

If you’re like me, you have been eagerly anticipating the  list of titles to be discussed at the Annual Conference. Here it is!

PICTURE BOOKS

3, 2, 1, Go! by Emily Arnold McCully. Holiday House.

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.

Click! by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Holiday House.

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle. Illus. by Rafael López. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Fetch by Jorey Hurley. Simon & Schuster/A Paula Wiseman Book.

A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Feast by Emily Jenkins. Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Random House/Schwartz and Wade

Fly! by Karl Newsom Edwards. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.

Grandma in Blue with Red Hat by Scott Menchin. Illus. by Harry Bliss. Abrams.

The Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney. Little Brown and Company.

How to Draw a Dragon by Douglas Florian. Beach Lane Books.

If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray.

In by Nikki McClure. Abrams/Appleseed.

It’s Only Stanley by Jon Agee. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña. Illus. by Christian Robinson. Penguin/Putnam.

Meet the Dullards by Sara Pennypacker. Illus. by Daniel Salmieri. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray.

My Pen by Christopher Myers. Disney/Hyperion.

New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer. Illus. by Eric Velasquez. Holiday House.

P. Zonka Lays an Egg by Julie Paschkis. Peachtree.

A Poem in Your Pocket by Margaret McNamara. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Schwartz & Wade Books.

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall. Harper Collins/Greenwillow Books.

Should You Be a River: A Poem about Love by Ed Young. Little Brown and Company.

Sidewalk Flowers by Jon Arno Lawson. Illus. by Sydney Smith. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.

The Skunk by Mac Barnett. Illus. by Patrick McDonnell. Roaring Brook Press.

Spectacular Spots by Susan Stockdale. Peachtree.

Stormy Night by Salina Yoon. Bloomsbury.

Such a Little Mouse by Alice Schertle. Illus. by Stephanie Yue. Scholastic/Orchard Books.

Supertruck by Stephen Savage. Roaring Book Press/A Neal Porter Book.

Toad Weather by Sandra Markle. Illus. by Thomas Gonzalez. Peachtree.

Whale Trails: Before and Now by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Henry Holt and Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.

When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt. Illus. by Jill McElmurry. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

A Wonderful Year by Nick Bruel. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.

FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION, VERSE NOVELS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS)

Audacity by Melanie Crowder. Penguin/Philomel Books.

Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little Brown and Company

Blackbird Fly by Erin Entrada Kelly. Harper Collins/Greenwillow Books.

The Cottage in the Woods by Katherine Coville. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.

A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans by Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder. Illus. by Mary GrandPré. Random House/Crown Books for Young Readers.

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Illus. by Dinara Mirtalipova. Scholastic Press.

Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks. Illus. by Stevie Lewis. Henry Holt and Company.

Fish in a Tree by Linda Mullaly Hunt. Penguin Group/Nancy Paulsen Books.

Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy by Susan Vaught. Simon Schuster/A Paula Wiseman Book.

Honey by Sarah Weeks. Scholastic Press.

The Imaginary by A. F. Harrold. Illus. by Emily Gravett. Bloomsbury.

Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lại. HarperCollins.

Moon Bear by Gill Lewis. Illus. by Alessandro Gottardo. Simon Schuster/Atheneum.

The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall. Alfred A. Knopf.

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury.

The Question of Miracles by Elana K. Arnold. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Red Butterfly by A. L. Sonnichsen. Illus. by Amy June Bates. Simon & Schuster.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson. Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum.

This Side of Home by Renée Watson. Bloomsbury.

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers.

Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin. Penguin/Razorbill.

NON-FICTION (INCLUDING INFORMATION PICTURE BOOKS, POETRY AND FOLKLORE)

28 Days: Moments in Black History That Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr. Illus. by Shane Evans. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.

Big Red Kangaroo by Claire Saxby. Illus. by Graham Byrne. Candlewick Press.

Bird & Diz by Gary Golio. Illus. by Ed Young. Candlewick Press.

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko. Illus. by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. Scholastic/Arthur A Levine Books.

Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects by Paul B. Janeczko (compiler). Illus. by Chris Raschka. Candlewick Press.

Draw What You See: The Life and Art of Benny Andrews by Kathleen Benson. Illus. by Benny Andrews. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.

Earmuffs for Everyone: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs by Meghan McCarthy. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/A Paula Wiseman Book.

Egg: Nature’s Perfect Package by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson. Illus. by Sean Qualls. Random House/Schwartz and Wade.

Enormous Smallness: A Story of E. E. Cummings by Matthew Burgess. Illus. by Kris Di Giacomo. Enchanted Lion Books.

Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow. Highlights/Calkins Creek.

First Flight around the World: The Adventures of the American Fliers Who Won the Race by Tim Grove. Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum/Abram Books.

Flowers Are Calling by Rita Gray. Illus. by Kenard Pak. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Gingerbread for Liberty: How a German Baker Helped with the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff. Illus. by Vincent X. Kirsch. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

In Mary’s Garden by Tina and Carson Kügler. Illus. by Carson Kügler. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Lullaby & Kisses Sweet: Poems to Love with Your Baby by Lee Bennett Hopkins (compiler). Illus. by Alyssa Nassner. Abrams/Appleseed.

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul. Illus. by Elizabeth Zunon. Lerner/Millbrook Press.

Rad American Women A to Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History… and Our Future by Kate Schatz. Illus. by Miriam Klein Stahl. City Lights Books.

Raindrops Roll by April Pulley Sayre. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane.

Swing Sisters: The Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm by Karen Deans. Illus. by Joe Cepeda. Holiday House.

Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower by Greg Pizzoli. Penguin Group/Viking.

Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrew. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Abram Books.

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery. Illus. by P J Loughran. Penguin/Dial Books.

The Notable Children’s Books committee will be meeting Saturday, Sunday, and Monday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00 during the ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco. The discussions will take place in Room 3022 (W) of the Moscone Convention Center. The books will be discussed in the order they are on the list.

The post Notable Children’s Books Nominees — Summer 2015 #alaac15 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Jurassic World broke all kinds of records when it opened this weekend at box offices across the world. It scored the highest opening weekend ever in America (beating the first Avengers movie) as well as the highest opening weekend internationally (knocking down Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2). All together the film brought in more than 500 million dollars in 48 hours. That’s a lot of eyeballs, and its safe to say that many of those eyeballs belonged to kids.

When the first Jurassic Park movie came out in 1993, the UK film board required it carry a warning for parents about violent and scary content.  Spielberg himself said he was not allowing his young sons to see the film, saying the movie was “too intense” for his children, then 8 years-old and younger. Common Sense Media currently recommends the original film for children 12 and up, noting mild bad language and “terrifyingly realistic dinos.”

But despite all the warnings in the world, most of the people in my age group (I was under 10 when the first film came out) saw Jurassic Park in theaters, and I am assuming that most of our young patrons will see Jurassic World well, especially since this week I have fielded more requests for dinosaur books, movies, and games than in all the previous weeks of the year added together! My esteemed colleague Amy Laughlin (@amysaurusrex on Twitter) put together this post to help our patrons access our dino content.

How will  you be capitalizing on the dino-mania?

The post Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, and the Eternal Appeal of Dinosaurs appeared first on ALSC Blog.

It is hard to imagine that Annual is right around the corner. This year in San Francisco is particularly interesting for those of us who love children’s books. The much anticipated awards banquet is always a highlight, of course, but we are taking a look at awards from a different lens. The ALSC preconference will feature the honor winners of the ALSC media awards. Often the silver medals of Newbery, Caldecott, Sibert, Geisel, etc. are enduring favorites that contribute to our cannon of children’s literature though not as widely known.

The best of children’s literature stands up to the same critical rigor as all great literature does. Plot, character, setting, conflict, metaphor, meaning, exquisite language and lasting insight are integral to those books we offer to our children and families again and again, year after year, generation after generation. We know too that context, the child reader’s context, will shape the place a piece of literature holds in their life. Context is created by the experiences that child reader has outside the story that help the story have lasting meaning and connection to the reader. Often the most important contextual piece of a story is the person in the child reader’s life who shared the book with them for the first time.

I was recently asked in an interview for the top three books every home library should have. I replied that parents and caregivers should fill their home libraries with their own favorite childhood books; books read aloud to them as children, the first book they read “on their own”, the first novel they read cover to cover without skipping any parts (mine was HARRIET THE SPY). These iconic books will take their place in their children’s lives magically for it is magic; to share a book you loved as a child with a child you love. It doesn’t get any better than that.

It is a different kind of magic to stand with our best of the best at the awards banquet and share their triumph, hear the speeches, learn where they were when they got “the call.” Yet even at the height of the accolades and the glamour, the true purpose of all our work is with us. We remember ourselves as children, absorbed in a book that changed our lives.

The post Meaning in the Medals appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The Bill Morris Seminar is possible through funds from the William C. Morris Endowment (image courtesy of ALSC).

ALSC is now seeking applications for the 2016 ALSC Bill Morris Seminar to be held on Friday, January 8, 2016, prior to the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Boston, Ma. The seminar will be facilitated by ALSC member leaders including past committee members and chairs of evaluation committees, and will focus on children’s book and media evaluation.

The purpose of the Bill Morris Seminar: Book Evaluation Training is to honor and support William C. Morris’ dedication to connecting librarians, and ultimately children, with excellent children’s books. This seminar will bring new ALSC members and members with limited evaluation experience together with those who have served on ALSC’s media evaluation committees in an environment to train and mentor them in the group process and in children’s media evaluation techniques. The seminar will result in new and emerging leaders for future ALSC evaluation committees.

The William C. Morris Endowment was established in 2000 and activated in 2003 upon the death of Morris, former vice-president and director of library promotion at HarperCollins Children’s Books. Morris was a long-time ALSC member and friend, the recipient of the first ALSC Distinguished Service Award, and an advocate for children’s literature and librarians. Morris envisioned his endowment funding programs, publications, events, and/or awards that would promote excellence in children’s literature.

The ALSC William C. Morris Endowment will support those selected to attend the training seminar by offering the seminar at no charge to the attendee. This includes all materials, breakfast and lunch. To help defray additional costs for hotel and other expenses, a $300 stipend for each attendee will be provided from the Morris Endowment.

An advisory group consisting of ALSC member leaders who have previously served and/or chaired evaluation committees will review the applications and letters of nomination to select the attendees.

Selected attendees will be required to complete pre-seminar readings and assignments so that they are able to fully participate on the day of the seminar. This will include reading articles, books and materials for discussion. Assignments and some materials will be available to access online.

Candidates should be ALSC members with limited evaluation experience. The seminar is intended for those who have not served on book award evaluation committees in the past. Applicants must:

• Be personal members of ALSC as well as ALA. Organizational members are not eligible.
• Seek permission from supervisor for time off to attend the seminar, prior to submitting application.
• Have access to a computer, internet, email and a printer.
• Submit a completed application and recommendation by the due date. Late entries will not be considered. Applicants will receive confirmation that their application has been received within 1 business day.
• Arrange for 1 letter of recommendation from ALSC members or library peers who can attest to your potential as an ideal candidate for children’s media evaluation training.
• Letter must be submitted at time of application submission.
• If selected, maintain ALSC membership and be a potential candidate for future service on an ALSC media evaluation committee.

For more information and a link to the online application please visit http://www.ala.org/alsc/morrisseminar.

The post Apply for the 2016 Bill Morris Seminar appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The Newbery Award, over its long history, has produced many enduring classics. But just how enduring are those classics when they are transferred from the page to the big screen? As my library plans our next season of R.W.D. (Read, Watch, Discuss) we took a look at some Newbery movies to see how they stack up to their literary predecessors.

I think my favorite Newbery-award-winner-turned-big-screen-phenomenon is Louis Sachar’s Holes, though I will admit a bias: I am a huge fan of the book, and think it is one of best-plotted middle grades around. It helps tremendously that Sachar himself wrote the screenplay, an honor afforded to very few authors. Even J.K. Rowling didn’t get to adapt her own books! Any adjustments to the plot seem to flow organically and make sense. The cast is also excellent: Shia LaBeouf, whatever has become of him since, was magnetically watchable as the down-on-his-luck hero, and the always charming Dule Hill added extra pathos to Sam, making his demise even more tragic. If you’re looking for a great Newbery book-to-film adaptation, look no further.

Bridge to Terabithia is another classic Newbery-winner that was adapted into a well-regarded film, in this case, 2007’s version starring a young Josh Hutcherson (Peeta!). The trailer for this film made fans of the novel anxious when it was first released, as it seemed to over-emphasize to “magic” of Terabithia while containing almost none of the real-world issues that continue to resonate with readers today. It took me a long time to see the movie because of those fears, but when I finally did, I was pleasantly surprised by how faithful of an adaptation it was. The performances from the  young actors are great and the film manages to evoke the same emotions the book does.  When I was in school, we watched the 1985 TV Movie version, which has a decidedly more low-budget aesthetic but still holds up as a decent version of this beloved novel.

Then there are less successful adaptations. The Dark is Rising, which became The Seeker: The Dark is Rising in 2007, is notoriously terrible, with a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and Time Out London noting that Susan Cooper’s fans “…are appalled by what they see as this dumbed-down version.” It stands as a good example of how not to adapt a beloved and award-winning fantasy series.

What are your favorite Newbery movies? Are there any you’d love to see on the big screen?

The post First the Newbery, then the Cinema! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Prince Christopher serenades his Cinderella, 1997

This afternoon, as part of our Black History Month film festival, we showed 1997’s Rogers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The color-blind casting process led to a diverse finished product that our patrons really responded to. Librarian Krishna Grady introduced the film, and talked about the casting director and how producers set out to find the best person for each role, no matter their skin color. This led to a pleasingly diverse royal family with Queen Whoopi Goldberg and King Victor Garber acting as parents to Paolo Montalban as Prince Christopher. Add in the phenomenal vocal talent of Bernadette Peters, Whitney Huston, and Brandy, and its no wonder our patrons responded so well to the film! Their extremely positive reactions made me think about the many, many Cinderella films available to children’s librarians today for programming purposes. There are too many to list entirely, but we can talk about a few!

A very young Julie Andrews arrives at the ball, 1957

Of the Rogers and Hammerstein adaptations, I remember loving the above version as a child. I also loved the decidedly less diverse 1965 version, starring Lesley Ann Warren, Ginger Rogers (!), and Stuart Damon, which my  mother grew up watching. You can even see the original version, which starred a young Julie Andrews in one of the cheesiest made-for-tv movie sets of all time, from 1957. They hold a sparkler in front of the camera while her transformation is occuring! It’s magical.

If musicals with real people are not your cup of tea, there’s always the classic Disney animated film or the upcoming live adaptation of that film starring the incomparable Cate Blanchette and Helena Bonham Carter (though the 2015 version, as far as I know, will be without songs).

Those looking for a Cinderella with agency and a mind of her own would do well to check out 1998’s Ever After, in which a feminist Cinderella (here named Danielle) schools her Prince on the plight of his people and the power of the written word. That movie also features a delightful turn by Anjelica Huston as the evil Stepmother and Leonardo DaVinci’s character plays the part of the fairy godmother.

1955’s Caldecott Medal winner

Of course, all of these movies are based on the same fairytale, which most of us are familiar with through the work of Charles Perrault. There’s a Caldecott-award winner based on a translation of his work, and too many picture books to list. The “Cinderella story” has been found all over the world, making for a wonderfully diverse list of books to pair with any of the films above. For older readers, there’s Newbery Honor-winning Ella Enchanted (skip the dreadful film adaptation, no matter how winsome Anne Hathway is), Chinese Cinderella, Cinderella: As If You Didn’t Already Know The Story, and many more!

What did I miss? What is your favorite Cinderella book? How about your favorite Cinderella movie?

The post Fairytale to Film: Cinderella appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The 2015 Youth Media Awards have been announced at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. I could not be prouder of the hard work EVERY committee did in selecting a phenomenal list of winners! (And I can’t wipe this silly grin off my face. I love the YMAs!)

Check out this press release from ALA for all the details of the winners and honor books which were announced this morning.

The post The YMAs have been announced at #alamw15 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

September of this year saw the re-introduction of a popular program at my library: Newbery Visionaries!

The Newbery Visionaries logo, designed by Lisa Nowlain, Harold W. McGraw Jr. fellow.

The last, incredibly successful Newbery Visionaries program at our library was in 2010. With the lessons of the Bill Morris Seminar fresh in my mind, I thought 2014 would be a perfect time to reinstate this fun, enlightening book group.

Our mock-Newbery group was a registered program consisting of 12 4th-6th graders. Interest in the program went through the roof when we sent an eblast to our parent list enumerating the ways book discussions (and the critical thinking they encourage) enhanced Common Core skills. We met once a month for four months, and will have our final voting meeting next week. I selected the discussion books myself, mostly through reading Newbery prediction posts and stalking the pages of Heavy Medal. All told, the Visionaries read 16 potential Newbery contenders and logged 10 after-school hours of discussion, debates, and book evaluations. We ate a lot of pizzas, too!

Which book will win our Mock award? For that matter, which book will win the real one?

We began our first meeting by translating the Newbery Medal Terms and Criteria into “plain English.” Participants took turns reading the criteria our loud, and then interpreted what they read for the group. I was surprised at the passion and debate that sprung up around the terms. Our kids were were very into the details: how and why a book was eligible, what was residency, publication dates, “distinguished,” etc. We had a long conversation about popularity vs quality that was especially impassioned. I left the library that evening on a cloud of love for books and the kids who read them.

The Visionaries will vote one week from today on their Newbery winner, which we will announce on our library website. I cannot wait to see what they will choose! Going into our final vote, the three highest rated books are The Night Gardener, Brown Girl Dreaming, and The Family Romanov. 

The entire experience has been a joy to participate in, and I can’t wait to start it again next year. Do you have mock-award groups at your library? How do they work?

The post Newbery Visionaries appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Today I’m writing on behalf of the Great Websites for Kids Committee.

In case you missed the December 5, 2014,  press release, the following seven sites were added to Great Websites for Kids.  

• App Inventor – http://www.appinventor.org
• Cyberchase - http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/
• Duolingo - https://www.duolingo.com/
• Code.org - http://code.org
• My Garbology - http://www.naturebridge.org/garbology.php
• Scratch - http://scratch.mit.edu/
• U.S. EPA’s RadTown USA - http://www.epa.gov/radtown/index.html

The committee works very hard to find and evaluate new sites, and ensure that previously chosen sites maintain their “great” status.  If you’re unfamiliar with the site or the committee, here is a short primer from the press release:

“Great Websites for Kids (GWS) features links to high-quality websites of interest to children 14 years of age and younger, organized into diverse subject headings from cultures of the world to games & entertainment to weather & environment, and many more. Each site entry includes a brief annotation and a grade-level rating. Users can also rate sites, save favorites for easy access, and share sites via social media and email.

Members of the ALSC GWS Committee review potential sites for inclusion and vote on the sites to be included. They also regularly check the entire database of great sites to ensure currency, and re-evaluate sites when necessary.”

As the new year begins, the Great Websites for Kids Committe would like to enlist your help. If you see a site that you believe should be evaluated for inclusion on GWS, please submit your suggestion by following this link:  http://gws.ala.org/suggest-site. Similarly, if you find broken links, etc., please alert us to that as well.  Finally, let us know how you’re using GWS.  Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Best wishes for a great new year!

GWS Roster

The post Great Websites for Kids needs you! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Dear ALSC Members,

ALSC personal members are invited to participate in the 2015 Newbery Award selection process by submitting titles for consideration.

The Newbery Medal is presented annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in the United States during the preceding year.  Honor books may be named.

“Distinguished” is defined as:

o    marked by eminence and distinction: noted for significant achievement

o    marked by excellence in quality

o    marked by conspicuous excellence or eminence

o    individually distinct

For more information about the award, including a full list of criteria, terms and definitions, visit the ALSC Website.

Reflect on the 2014 books that you have read which clearly meet the Newbery Award Criteria and submit for the committee’s consideration with the following information:
1) author, 2) title, 3) publisher, 4) a brief explanation as to why you think the book meets the Newbery Award Criteria, and 5) your name.

Send your suggestions to Randall Enos, Chair at [email protected].

Suggestions should be submitted as soon as possible but by December 31 at the latest.
Thank you for your support and participation.

Remember: Only books from the 2014 publishing year are under consideration for the 2015 award.   Publishers, authors, illustrators, or editors may not nominate their own titles.

The award will be announced at the ALA Youth Media Awards Press Conference during the ALA Midwinter Conference to be held in Chicago, February 2, 2015.

The award will be presented at the Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder Banquet during the ALA Annual Conference to be held in San Francisco, June 28, 2015.

***********************************************************************

Our guest blogger today is Randall Enos, Chair of the 2015 Newbery Selection committee.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

I’m going to be completely honest with you, I have written- and rewritten- this blog post about 10 times. It’s not because I don’t know what to say, it’s because I have too much to say. When you spend as much time, energy and passion on Multicultural Children’s Literature as I have, it sometimes becomes hard to step back and see the forest- not just the trees.

When this happens, I literally play entire conversations out in my head, just so I can streamline my thoughts. This is the conversation going on in my head right now:

My Brain (MB): Okay Alyson, here’s your chance to explain to all these people the one thing you’re so passionate about. Try not to make it so wordy (too late), and think, if there was one sentence that you could use to sum up multicultural literature, what would it be?

Me: I guess, well who I am I kidding, I know that that one sentence would be: “It’s all about authenticity.”

MB: See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?

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Multicultural literature can be a mirror, a window, and a sliding glass door ¹: it can be a reflection of the reader, it can show them another world, and it can empower them to take action. It is written from an authentic perspective by a member of the subject’s culture or someone who has been privy to those experiences ², and is respectful and free of stereotypical depictions both in words and images.

Multicultural literature is important, because all too often it allows us to hear the voices of those who have been silenced and whose stories have not been told.

Multicultural Children’s Literature is about more than just the Pura Belpré medal, and the Coretta Scott King award. It’s about making these stories, experiences, and lives- especially those that aren’t represented by awards- heard all the time.   Multiculturalism is about more than just race and creed. It’s gender, sexuality, religion- it’s identity; and it’s about insuring they are shared in an authentic way.

Right now, there is a groundswell of support for diversity in the book world. I urge you to take that one step further, and push for multiculturalism. I’m not asking you to write a letter to a publisher or even use a hash tag- not everyone is comfortable with that. I’m asking that you start looking through your collections to make sure that you have books that reflect the author’s unique and authentic perspective. That the works be free of stereotypes and that they make you feel as though you are looking at yourself while learning about someone else.

Recommended Reading:

Campbell, Shelley. “Windows and Mirrors: A Case for More Multicultural Children’s Books Illinois Children’s Choice Award Lists.” Illinois Reading Council Journal 38.  (2010): 33. Web.

Johnson Higgins, Jennifer. “Multicultural Children’s Literature: Creating and Applying an Evaluation Tool in Response to the Needs of Urban

Educators.” New Horizons for Learning (2000): n. pag. Http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/multicultural-education/multicultural-childrens-literature/. Johns Hopkins University. Web.

Landt, Susan M. “Children’s Literature with Diverse Perspectives: Reflecting All Students.” The Dragon Lode 32.1 (2013): 21-31. Print.

Norton, Donna E. Multicultural Children’s Literature: Through the Eyes of Many Children. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2013. Print.

Rochman, Hazel. Against Borders: Promoting Books for a Multicultural World. Chicago: American Library Association, 1993. Print.

Sims Bishop, Rudine. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom. 3rd ed. Vol. 6. Columbus: Ohio State UP, 1990.

Woodson, Jacqueline. “Who Can Tell My Story.” The Horn Book Magazine 74.Jan/Feb  (1998): 34-38.

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Footnotes:

¹  Sims Bishop, Rudine. Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom. 3rd ed. Vol. 6. Columbus: Ohio State UP, 1990.

²   Woodson, Jacqueline. “Who Can Tell My Story.” The Horn Book Magazine 74.Jan/Feb (1998): 34-38.

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Our guest blogger today is Alyson Feldman-Piltch. Alyson lives in Brookline, MA. She is almost done with her MLS/MIS program and will graduate from Indiana University at Bloomington in May 2015. She is the Chair for the Task Force for Establishing Guidelines for Selecting Multicultural Materials through EMIERT-ALA, as well as a member of the ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee and the 2015 Stonewall Book Award Committee.

When she isn’t reading, doing homework, blogging, or sleeping, Alyson can usually be found at Fenway Park or a midnight movie showing at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. She can be reached at [email protected] and can be found on Twitter by following @aly_fp.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

ALSC members are cordially invited to participate in the 2015 Notable Children’s Recordings list by submitting titles for consideration.  The Notable Children’s Recordings Committee’s charge is to select, annotate, and present for publication an annual list of notable audio recordings (music, audiobooks, and read-along kits) of interest to young people from birth through age 14.  The recordings must have been released between November 1, 2013, and October 31, 2014, and be available through a US distributor.  Please follow this link to find out more details about the list and criteria for inclusion:

http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncr

The column on the left of that page includes links for information about NCR, including Committee Members, Submission Process, and Past NCR lists.

Please send suggestions with full bibliographic information to chairperson Jennifer Duffy at [email protected]. The deadline to submit title suggestions is October 31st.

ALSC Personal Members are invited to suggest titles for the 2015 Batchelder Award given to an American publisher for a children’s book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country and subsequently published in English in the United States during 2014. Please remember that only books from this publishing year are under consideration for the 2015 award. Publishers, authors and illustrators may not suggest their own books.

You may send recommendations with full bibliographic information to committee chair, Diane Janoff, at [email protected]. The deadline to submit suggestions is December 31st, 2014.

The  award will be announced at the press conference during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in February 2015.

For more information about the award, visit the ALSC website at http://www.ala.org/alsc/. Click on “Awards and Grants” in the left-hand navigation bar; then click on “ALSC Book & Media Awards.” Scroll down to the “Batchelder Award Page”

App-advisory can be intimidating, especially for those of us who are not heavily engaged in touch-screen technology in our personal lives.  Although I am excited to be a new member of the Children and Technology Committee, and this is a professional interest of mine, I must confess: I don’t own a smartphone or a tablet.  But I strongly believe that whatever your personal habits or philosophies, as professionals, we need to be willing and able (and enthusiastic!) to be media mentors, modeling responsible new media use and providing recommendations for parents and families.  With so many apps out there, many of which are labeled “educational,” we need to be able to provide parents with trusted recommendations and advice.  If you can do reader’s advisory, you already have the skills to do app advisory! Here are some suggestions, based on what we did at the Wellesley Free Library.

Get to know your material!  Read app reviews (see list of review sources below) and keep track of the apps about which you read. We use a Google spreadsheet, so that all Children’s Department staff can contribute.  This includes, when available, recommended age (though this is something significantly lacking in many app reviews), price, platform, categories, and our comments.  Keeping this information centralized and organized makes it easy to come up with specific apps to recommend to a patron, or to pull for a list.

Play around with the apps!  If you have money to spend (consider asking your Friends group for money for apps, especially if you will be using the apps in library programs), download some apps that seem interesting and try them out.  Even if you can’t spend money, you can try out free apps or download free “lite” versions of apps.  Playing with the app allows you to give a more in-depth description and detailed information in your advisory (consider the difference between recommending a book based on a review you read and having read the book itself).

Choose your method of advisory. App advisory can take many forms. There is the individual recommendation at the reference desk, there are app-chats (the app version of the book-talk), which have been discussed in an article on the ALSC blog by Liz Fraser, and then there are app-lists.  For the past year, we have created monthly themed app lists, mostly for young children between the ages of 2 and 6.  The themes have included: interactive books, music, math, letters, and more. Be sure to include free apps as well as apps available for non-Apple devices on your lists.

Provide advice, along with recommendations.  On the back of our paper app lists, and on the website where we post links to the app-list Pinterest boards, we offer advice to parents about using interactive technology with young children.

A year later, still without a smartphone or tablet, I feel much more confident about recommending apps to patrons, reviewing and evaluating apps, and building our collection, and you can too!  You already have the tools for evaluating media that meets children’s developmental needs and creating interesting and attractive advisory methods for families.  The next step is simply taking it to a new platform!

Some of our favorite review sources for apps:

Children’s Technology Review
Cybils Award
Digital Storytime
Horn Book App of the Week
Kirkus ipad Book App Reviews
Little elit
Parents’ Choice Awards
School Library Journal App Reviews

Clara Hendricks is a Children’s Librarian at the Wellesley Free Library in Wellesley, MA. She is a member of ALSC’s Children and Technology Committee.

Laika, the magical stop-motion animation studio behind such gloriously ghoulish fare as Coraline and Paranorman has a new movie coming out on September 26, and I couldn’t be more excited. The Box Trolls looks to be another impressive entry in this talented studio’s work for children and the interactive IMDb page is a hoot! The work done by this animation studio is simply top-notch, and we’ve hosted 2 successful Read, Watch, Discuss programs at my library based on their previous films. The kids are as awed by the special features (showing the minute details that go into creating these films) as the librarians are!

I was doubly excited when I learned, from an excellent Early Word post, that The Box Trolls was based on a book! In fact, it’s based on a children’s book I have not yet read, 2006′s Here Be Monsters! by Alam Snow. It seems the length of this book (544 pages) and decent but not spectacular reviews have kept it from becoming a juggernaut on its own. The movie is poised to change all that.

Watching the trailer, I was struck by several things. The humor that was present in Paranorman and even Coraline seems to be integral to the story this time out, which makes sense, as one review of Here Be Monsters! called it “inspired lunacy.” With it’s seemingly-classic plot of a child raised by outsiders, it should be easy enough for those unfamiliar with the source material to identify with the story. The idea of people disliking and distrusting others simply because they look or act differently from them is a powerful and important message for children, especially in our current cultural climate.

John Leonhardt/Focus Features, via the New York Times.

Finally, the look of this film, as always, is out-of-this-world amazing. Check out the scene where box trolls jump off the roof, or the physical comedy in the ballroom tongue-licking scene. Laika’s designs are so intricately marvelous they were recently featured in the New York Times! If the book is half as fun as the movie trailer, then patrons in our libraries may very well go nuts for it. I definitely ordered a copy, and look forward to reading it before the movie comes out!

Does your library own Here Be Monsters!? Are you planning on purchasing a copy?

I was so excited when the graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book arrived in my library this week. I’ve been looking forward to the graphic novelization for months – advance reviews were glowing, and it seemed like the perfect addition to our Kids Graphic Novel section, which serves all reading children in our library (mostly ages 6-12). Then I opened the book.

Gaiman’s Newbery Award-winner famously opens with the eerie, perfectly spine-chilling line, “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.” The graphic novelization of a novel which begins with a family’s murder was always going to be on the dark side. I expected that. I did not expect to turn the second page of a book touted as acceptable for age 8 by 4 of the 5 major review journals and see graphic, bloody images of a family with their throats slit open, red blood pooling around them. These images are hinted at but not described in the novel ( I know, I reread the chapter to be sure!)

Where did you shelve The Lost Boy?

After quickly conferring with my coworkers, we decided to move the book to the YA Graphic Novel collection. The magic power of the internet helped reassure us in our decision: none less than the venerable NYPL had shelved the book either in YA or Adult graphic novels, depending on the branch. I was bummed to lose what I am sure will be a highly-circulating book to another department, and doubly bummed after reading it – the book was excellent, just not quite a fit for the Children’s Library. I was also glad this happened, as it made me think about how much I rely on reviews when adding to the collection, and how badly reviews had failed me this time around.

Here is my question to you, fellow graphic novel collectors for children: how do you decide if a graphic novel is appropriate for the children’s library, especially when the collection has to appeal to a wider audience than kids in grades 3-6? If a book is dark but not graphic, does it stay (The Lost Boy)? If the characters are battling in a fantastical setting (Battling Boy), does it go in YA or children’s? If there are romantic entanglements (a la Drama), where do you put the book? Where did you put The Graveyard Book?

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award is given to an author or illustrator “whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.”

During the 2014 ALA Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, the ALSC board voted to change the frequency of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from every other year to every year.

There is such richness and depth among the field of children’s literature creators. Making the Wilder Award an annual honor gives ALSC increased opportunity to honor the significant contributions individual authors and illustrators have made over the course of their careers. It will also decrease confusion among ALSC members and others regarding when the award is given. No longer will the question, “Is this a Wilder year?” need to be asked or answered. Every year will be a Wilder year!

History:

The Wilder Award was first given in 1954 to its namesake, Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was awarded every five years through 1980. The frequency was then changed to every three years, which began with the 1983 award and continued through 2001. It became a biannual award starting in 2003 and this schedule will continue through the upcoming 2015 award.

Implementation:

The transition to the Wilder becoming an annual award will begin with a 2016 Wilder Committee. The 2017 committee that was just elected by the ALSC membership in May will be renamed the 2016 Wilder Award Committee. They will begin their work at the close of the 2015 ALA Midwinter Meeting just as all the other 2016 ALSC award committees, and they will work within the newly established Wilder Award one-year timeframe to name a 2016 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award recipient. (Under the biannual schedule, which the current 2015 Wilder committee is following, Wilder Award committees have done their work over two years.)

The Wilder Award will continue to be announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting award press conference, and to be given at the ALSC Sunday night award banquet at the ALA Annual Meeting, which will be known from now on as the Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder Banquet.

For more information on the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, including a list of past recipients, go to: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/wildermedal

The board decision was in response to the report of the board-appointed Wilder Award Frequency Task Force chaired by JoAnn Jonas and including members Amy Kellman, Martha Parravano and myself.

As always, the board welcomes your thoughts.

Megan Schliesman for the ALSC Board

Tomorrow marks the return of my favorite program we offer at the library: R.W.D., or Read, Watch, Discuss! I’ve written about my book-to-film club previously, but tomorrow kicks off our special summer session. First up: Neil Gaiman’s Coraline!

Oh, how I adore this book. I was always a fan of plucky heroines (and heroes!) and books that made me afraid to fall asleep. Coraline is all of those things and more. I read it as an adult first, but I know I would have loved it as a child, fan as I was of Betty Ren Wright and The House With a Clock in Its Walls. Coraline tells a remarkably creepy story – remarkable because it feels like something that really could happen, especially if one lives in a creeky old house with eccentric neighbors and parents who love you but don’t really have any time for you. The writing is wonderfully evocative, the tension nearly unbearable, and our heroine is fond of thoughts like, “Coraline wondered why so few of the adults she met ever made sense. She sometimes wondered who they thought they were talking to.” What’s not to love?

The film has two key differences from the book. First, there is the inclusion of a friend, Wyborn, whose grandmother’s sister was also taken by the Other Mother. Giving Coraline someone to talk to was a smart choice, as most of the book involves her inner monologue. I just wish Coraline was still allowed her solo, triumphant final defeat of the other Mother by the well, without the help of the added boy character.

Movie Coraline, blue hair and wellies at the ready.

The second major change is Coraline herself. Film Coraline, as voiced by Dakota Fanning, can be more than a little obnoxious, a choice by the filmmakers that I both respect (not too many borderline-unlikeable protagonists in a movie for kids) and dislike (borderline-unlikeable!) simultaneously. The personality change is jarring, especially since her literary counterpart is a slightly strange, mostly polite and good child.

What the film gets deliciously, marvelously correct is the eerie sense of dread that pervades Coraline’s world. Even when Coraline first visits the Other Mother, you can tell (to quote another famous literary mother figure) “Something is not right!”

Coraline is placed in her magical surroundings in this still from Animation Magazine. http://www.animationmagazine.net/features/coraline-set-photos/

And of course, there’s the animation itself. The Other Mother’s hand, skittering across the screen, is literally the stuff nightmares are made of. When Coraline first arrives, the seemingly perfect world is warm and colorful, with just the right touch of menace added by crooked shapes and gaping mouths. The character design is wonderfully evocative. Coraline is all spindly limbs and blue hair. Mr. Bobinsky’s anatomically impossible elongated arms and giant potbelly are the picture of someone gone to seed. The Other Mother goes from perfectly normal to hellish and creepy. When the world begins to disintegrate, the creators literally peel away the sets in front of our eyes. It’s marvelous stuff.

The beauty of the film is what wins me over to Coraline despite changes from the source material. We’ll see what the kids at my library think this afternoon!

Occasionally ALSC members wonder why ALSC award titles are automatically added to our list of Notable Books for Children. The ALSC Board periodically considers issues such as this to make sure we’re shepherding our awards and lists of recommended media appropriately. At its Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, the ALSC Board reaffirmed the policy that all award and honor books chosen by ALSC book award committees will be automatically included on our Notable Books list. I am writing as a member of the Board because we wanted to share a summary of our discussion and thinking.

It was the consensus of the Board that the Notables list represents our division and, as such, should include the books cited by our award committees. Although some have argued that the Notables list should only include titles chosen by the Notable Books Committee itself, the Board sees the list as a cooperative effort between the Notables Committee and the awards committees. When members accept appointment to the Notables Committee, they do so with the understanding that the award titles, as specified in the Notables Manual, will be included on the final list.

It has also been suggested that including the award titles limits the number of books the Notables Committee can cite on its own. This is not at all the case. The Notables Manual does not specify a maximum number of titles for the Notables list. Clearly some Notables chairs prefer a shorter list than others, and some years produce more outstanding books than others, but the inclusion of award titles in no way limits the number of books the Notables Committee can add to its list.

This policy only applies to books honored by the ALSC award committees – Newbery, Caldecott, Batchelder, Belpré, Geisel, and Sibert. The Board respects the significance and value of other ALA youth book awards; only the ALSC award books, however, will be automatically included since these are the books chosen by our division’s members on our division’s committees. The Notables list on our website will include links to the other ALA youth book awards.

We welcome responses to this policy from our members.

Rita Auerbach on behalf of the ALSC Board

Yesterday I attended ECRR 2.0 Apps for Early Literacy session at #alaac14. A panel of 6 individuals passionate about early literacy discussed current research for best practices, as well as demonstrating a few of their favorite apps.

Panelist Chip D. from TED Erickson encouraged us to think about the 3 C’s:

Content – Is the content of the app developmentally appropriate? High quality? Intentional in its support of ECRR 2?

Context – Is the app appropriate for the context? Will it be used one on one? In storytime? In another setting?

Child – It is appropriate for the individual child? Each child is unique and their personality, interests, and preferences should be taken into account.

Dear fellow ALSC members:

Please pardon my delay in joining the current conversation surrounding the clarification of confidentiality in regard to reviewing, social media and electronic communication for members of ALSC award committees. My hotel does not have wi-fi and the business center closes at 4 pm, (apparently most of “what happens in Vegas” doesn’t happen online), and combined with required meetings yesterday my reading and response to email has been significantly delayed.

Over the past several years the ALSC office and officers have fielded a growing number of inquiries from members of award committees regarding appropriate written expression which maintains the confidentiality and integrity of the awards. The guidelines that had served us well were no longer sufficient to navigate the wildfire landscape of electronic communication and the exponential dissemination of opinion that occurs.

In response, the ALSC Board appointed a task force which including past and present award chairs, reviewers and a blogger and a representative from publishing to provide a broad and textured range of perspective. This dedicated group diligently consulted with colleagues, discussed and deliberated before presenting their recommendation to the ALSC Board last January during midwinter. There was further careful consideration and conversation between the Task Force and the Board in a public meeting which ultimately resulted in adoption of their recommendations. Mahnaz Dar from School Library Journal interviewed me and reported on this issue shortly after Midwinter.

The intention of this clarification is to support, not suppress the members of the award committees. Some recent responses have labelled this action as “preemptive” in a pejorative manner. To return to the wildfire analogy, it is better to prevent a fire than try to contain one that has been set ablaze. Indeed, there have been cases when an individual has (inadvertently) crossed the line of confidentiality and has later removed a blog post.

That is becoming ever more difficult in this age of instant re-tweeting and “sharing”. Once information and opinion has been unleashed, it can no longer be retrieved. Even traditional means of disseminating information can unintentionally go awry, (e.g. the unfortunate premature release of this year’s acceptance speeches prior to the awards banquet, ironically by The Horn Book). By providing clear and, yes, cautious parameters members have a better sense of the expectations of conduct and can avoid these missteps which are potentially embarrassing for the poster.

The issue of reviewing while on an awards committee predates the current communication climate. During my tenures on award committees, I elected to review only titles that would were ineligible for that committee: books from other countries, books for young adults, etc., as did many of my fellow committee members. The editors of School Library Journal understood and, indeed, expected and respected that discretion.

The Task Force and the Board carefully considered the implications of these clarifications regarding the service of editors of review media on award committees. It was determined that there would not be an issue if those editors did not publish signed reviews of eligible books. Again, titles outside the parameters of the committee’s consideration could be individually and specifically reviewed. We recognize the expertise and experience of these professionals and value their contribution to the process.

Award committees have structures in in place that preserve the integrity of process and thus the award itself. Indeed, I have twice had the privilege of serving as a judge for The New York Times Best Illustrated Books, (both times with Roger Sutton). We were strictly prohibited form telling anyone of our role until after publication of the list to avoid undue influence over selection and revelation. (This required months of keeping a delicious secret to myself, when I love to share information!) I am currently a judge for the National Book Award which has its own set of guidelines regulating conduct and confidentiality.

It is the responsibility of the Board to protect the integrity of the process of the ALSC awards in stewardship this very valuable asset of the association. We would have been remiss not to have responded to the changing conditions that necessitated this thorough examination and careful contemplation of practice.

I am grateful to all for your passion and professionalism surrounding this issue and for the opportunity to address your concerns and questions.

As many of us begin to gather in Las Vegas for this year’s ALA Annual Conference, the excitement is building for the big event on Sunday evening, the Newbery-Caldecott Banquet, when we’ll celebrate the medal- and honor-winning book creators of two of the most prestigious awards in the world. This year there is a bit more buzz than usual as folks read and respond to this week’s editorial in Horn Book which expresses some concerns about a months-old revision to ALSC’s “Policy for Service on Award Committees”. As a member of the ALSC Board of Directors and chair of the Task Force that developed the recommendations that were subsequently adopted unanimously by the entire Board last January, I’m happy to provide some background about the updates.

This Policy, which applies to those ALSC members serving on the selection committees of the book and media awards administered solely by ALSC (including the Caldecott, Geisel, Newbery, and Sibert, among others), has existed for a long time with the purpose of supporting members in fulfilling the responsibilities that come with the honor of accepting the opportunity to volunteer on one of these committees. These include guidelines on issues ranging from the importance of attending the committee meetings to the fact that it wouldn’t be fair for an author or a publisher of an eligible book (or their close family members) to serve on a committee that could possibly consider their own book for a medal.

They also include guidelines regarding the confidentiality of the award process. This is an area in which the ALSC leadership and staff receive many, many questions every year from committee members who are anxious to respect the privacy of fellow committee members and creators of eligible titles. Those aspects of the guidelines, as they stood through last year, were causing more confusion than clarity, in large part because they were written before the full advent of social media and therefore couldn’t entirely take into account the increased number of forums which exist today where books and media are publicly and electronically discussed.

To address that, last year the ALSC Board appointed a Task Force which I chaired and which included members with backgrounds in blogging, reviewing, marketing for a major publisher, serving on many different award committees, chairing the Newbery committee, and consulting for chairs of award selection committees. Our objective was “To review and update the ALSC Policy for Service on Award Committees document with further clarification in regard to the confidentiality and conflict of interest guidelines as they pertain to bloggers and others engaged in social media activities while serving on an ALSC Award Committee” and to provide those recommendations to the ALSC Board for their action on them.

Task #1 was to determine if maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of the awards and the award process, as mentioned above, even still mattered in this day and age. After all, some media awards encourage open, public discussion (such as ALSC’s Notable Lists) and some present short lists of nominees (like the Academy Awards). Following conscientious discussion, consideration, and consultation with many stakeholders over many months, it became clear that confidentiality remains key to the success of these particular awards which are so important to ALSC members, the publishing industry, and kids around the world.

In today’s electronic environment, any recorded comments can quickly and uncontrollably go viral, and the Horn Book editorial is a perfect example of how words (like the revised ALSC guidelines), written with the best of intentions, can be taken out of context, misconstrued, and distributed within seconds. In short, when they’re no longer confidential the writer has no control over how they’re used.

Another change over time is that book reviews and their journals are moving further and faster away from being individual print copies in a pile on a desk seen only by collection development librarians and are very much part of the e-environment, quickly turning into database articles, tweets, posts, and marketing material for online shopping. When reviews (which by definition tell the writer’s opinion of the quality of the material—how “distinguished” it is, to use a word appearing in many an ALSC award criteria) go public in these and other ways, and the name on them is that of a committee member, it can be (and has been) easily interpreted as showing the hand of the committee. It also can be (and has been) very possible for committee members to hold off on tweeting, Facebooking, and posting about titles which are eligible for their specific award (and only their specific award) for the short time of their service.

An additional product of the Task Force was an expansion of the FAQs, which all award committee members receive, which offer guidance and support for how to talk about and promote books during award committee service, because it is extremely important, as the FAQs say, to “obtain a variety of critical opinions about books under consideration throughout the year,” and that can most definitely be done “without violating confidentiality guidelines.”

Please feel free to take a look at our Task Force’s documents, which are available on ALA Connect with no log-in necessary:

• The Final Report of the Task Force to the ALSC Board of Directors
• The proposed revised policy itself
• The proposed revised FAQs to explain the guidelines, provide concrete examples, and support book discussion and conversation

These are simply taking the guidelines which have been in place for many, many years, applying them to today’s digital reality, and clarifying the gray areas so that committee members may perform and enjoy both their committee work and their other professional responsibilities, which may or may not include publishing signed reviews, while respecting the integrity and excitement of the most important awards for children’s books and media.

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Our guest blogger today is Andrew Medlar. Andrew is the Division Councilor for ALSC, serving on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and chaired the ALSC Award Service and Social Media Review Task Force in 2013.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

If you are attending the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. you are welcome to observe the discussions of the 2014 Notable Children’s Recordings committee The discussions will take place in the Reno I Room of the Flamingo Hotel on Saturday, June 28^th from 1:00 to 5:30 pm and on Sunday, June 29^th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

The discussion list follows.

A Snicker of Magic, 8 hr 14 min, cd, $34.99, Scholastic Audio, 9780545706797

Crankee Doodle, 15 min, book + cd, $15.75, Recorded Books, 9781490601991

Exclamation Mark, 10 min, book + cd, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545661157

Five, Six, Seven, Nate!, 6 hr 30 min, cd, $29.99, Simon & Schuster Audio, 9781442374195

Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?, 15 min, book + cd, $15.75, Recorded Books, 9781490615639

How to Catch a Bogle, 7 hr 13 min, cd, $45, Listening Library, 9780804167802

Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Interrupted Tale, 8 hr 19 min, cd, $45, Listening Library, 9780385363693

Josephine, 30 min, book + cd, $15.75, Recorded Books, 9781470383862

Lawless, 7 hr 38 min, download, $18.50, Scholastic Audio, 9780545655729

Lucky Ducklings, 16 min, book + cd, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545661188

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, 6 hr 20 min, cd, $35, Listening Library, 9780804168366

Poached, 6 hr 30 min, cd, $29.99, Simon & Schuster Audio, 9781442369115

Prisoner 88, 3 hr 15 min, cd, $30.75, Recorded Books, 9781490602448

Ranger’s Apprentice 12: Royal Ranger, 13 hr 45 min, cd/download, $97.75, Recorded Books/Penguin Audio, 9781470389284

Seeing Red, 10 hr, cd, $77.75, Recorded Books, 9781490612812

Smart Songs for Active Children, 48 min, cd, $15, Lighthouse Records, 9780989874106

Spirit Animals 2: Hunted, 5 hr 16 min, cd, $54.99, Scholastic Audio, 9780545648752

Starring Jules (as herself), 1 hr 32 min, download, $17.50, Scholastic Audio, 9780545677394

Sylo Chronicles 2: Storm, 12 hr, download, $39.95, Penguin Audio, 9780698146747

The Abominables, 5 hr 15 min, cd, $51.75, Recorded Books, 9781490620954

The Bossy E, 33 min, cd, $15.00, Coil Records, 8829510081

The Carpet People, 5 hr 34 min, cd, $40.00, Listening Library, 9780804168281

The Cat With Seven Names, 15 min, book + cd, $15.75, Recorded Books, 9781490602479

The Chicken Squad, 30 min, book + cd, $25.75, Recorded Books, 9781490615653

The Duckling Gets a Cookie?, 16 min, book + cd, $12.95, Weston Woods, 9780545661126

The Finisher, 14 hr 58 min, cd, $89.99, Scholastic Audio, 9780545690195

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, 8 hr, download, $29.95, Penguin Audio, 9780698146709

The Grimm Conclusion, 6 hr 30 min, cd, $66.75, Recorded Books, 9781470395735

The Last Wild, 7 hr 15 min, cd/download, $66.75 cd, Recorded Books/Penguin Audio, 9781490614298

The Loch Mess Monster, 15 min, book + cd, $15.75, Recorded Books, 9781490619507

The Sultan’s Tigers, 6 hr 36 min, cd, $30, Listening Library, 9780804123082

Treasury of Egyptian Mythology, 3 hr 30 min, cd, $30.75, Recorded Books, 9781470397869

Under the Freedom Tree, 15 min, book + cd, $15.75, Recorded Books, 9781490621227

Whatever After: Fairest of All, 3 hr 20 min, download, $17.50, Scholastic Audio, 9780545655750

Whatever After 3: Sink or Swim, 3 hr 20 min, download, $17.50, Scholastic Audio, 9780545675192

Words with Wings, 30 min, cd, $15.75, Recorded Books, 9781490609676

Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina, 4hr 12 min, download, $20.99, Scholastic Audio, 9780545660914

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Click here to view the Summer 2014 discussion list of the Notable Children’s Book committee.

Edith Ching, chair, and the rest of the 2015 Notable Children’s Books Committee, invite you to join them at their discussions, taking place on Saturday through Monday, June 28  to 30, from 1:00 to 4:00 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Room N114.

The discussion list follows.

FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION GRAPHIC NOVELS AND FICTION VERSE NOVELS)

Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Auxier, Jonathan. The Night Gardener. Abrams/Amulet.

Blakemore, Megan Frazer. The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill. Bloomsbury

Boyne, John. Stay Where You Are & Then Leave. Illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Henry Holt and Company.

Brown, Skila. Caminar. Candlewick Press.

Dauvillier, Loïc. Hidden : A Child’s Story of the Holocaust. Illus. by Marc Lizano and Greg Salsedo. Translated by Alexis Siegel. First Second.

Davies, Nicola The Lion Who Stole My Arm. Illus. by Annabel Wright. Candlewick Press.

Elliott, L. M. Across a War-Tossed Sea. Disney-Hyperion Books.

Engle, Margarita. Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Fitzgerald, Laura Marx. Under the Egg. Dial Books for Young Readers.

Foxlee, Karen. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy. Alfred A. Knopf.

Herrera, Robin. Hope is a Ferris Wheel. Abrams/Amulet.

Holczer, Tracy. The Secret Hum of a Daisy. G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Johnson, Jaleigh. The Mark of the Dragonfly. Delacorte Press.

Lamana, Julie T. Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere. Chronicle Books.

Lloyd, Natalie. A Snicker of Magic. Scholastic Press.

Lord, Cynthia. Half a Chance. Scholastic Press.

MacLachlan, Patricia. Fly Away. Margaret K. McElderry Books

Moses, Shelia P. The Sittin’ Up. G. P. Putnam’s Sons for Young Readers.

Oppel, Kenneth. The Boundless. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Philbrick, Rodman. Zane and the Hurricane. Blue Sky Press.

Preus, Margi. West of the Moon. Amulet/Abrams.

Sovern, Megan Jean. The Meaning of Maggie. Chronicle Books.

Turnage, Sheila. The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing. Penguin/Kathy Dawson Books.

White, J. A. The Thickety: A Path Begins. Illus. by Andrea Offerman. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books.

Woods, Brenda. The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books.

NONFICTION

Athans, Sandra K. Secrets of the Sky Caves: Danger and Discovery on Nepal’s Mustang Cliffs. Lerner/Millbrook Press.

Bausum, Ann. Stubby the War Dog: The True Story of World War I’s Bravest Dog. National Geographic.

Bolden, Tonya. Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Brown, Don. He Has Shot the President!: April 14, 1865: The Day John Wilkes Booth Killed President Lincoln. Roaring Brook Press.

Burns, Loree Griffin. Handle With Care : An Unusual Butterfly Journey. Photographer Ellen Harasimowicz. Lerner/Millbrook Press.

Farrell, Mary Cronk. Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific. Abrams/Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Rubin, Susan Goldman. Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi. Holiday House.

Sheinkin, Steve. The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights. Roaring Brook Press.

PICTURE BOOKS

Barton, Byron. My Bus. Greenwillow Books/Harper Collins Publishers

Bluemle, Elizabeth. Tap Tap Boom Boom. Illus. by G. Brian Karas.Candlewick Press.

Bunting, Eve. Washday. Illus by Brad Sneed. Holiday House.

Carle, Eric and Friends. What’s Your Favorite Animal? Eric Carle and friends. Nick Bruel, Lucy Cousins, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellogg, Jon Klassen, Tom Lichtenheld, Peter McCarty, Chris Raschka, Peter Sís, Lane Smith, Erin Stead, Rosemary Wells, Mo Willems. Illus. by ditto. Henry Holt and Company.

Dempsey, Kristy. A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Penguin/ Philomel Books.

Dolan, Elys. Weasels. Candlewick Press.

Lee, Chuku H. Beauty and the Beast . Illus. by Pat Cummings. HarperCollins / Amistad.

Light, Steve. Have You Seen My Dragon? Candlewick Press.

McDonald, Megan. Shoe Dog. Illus. by Katherine Tillotson. Richard Jackson Book/Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Nelson, Kadir. Baby Bear. HarperCollins /Balzer + Bray.

Offill, Jenny. Sparky. Illus. by Chris Appelhans. Random House Children’s Books, Schwartz & Wade.

Prahin, Andrew. Brimsby’s Hats. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Reid, Aimee. Mama’s Day with Little Gray. Illus. Laura J. Bryant. Random House.

Robinson, Michelle. How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth. Illus. by Kate Hindley. Henry Holt and Company.

Rockliff, Mara. The Grudge Keeper. Illus. by Eliza Wheeler. Peachtree.

Russell, Natalie. Lost for Words. Peachtree.

Santat, Dan. The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. Little Brown.

Sierra, Judy. E-I-E-I-O: How Old MacDonald Got His Farm (with a little help from a hen). Illus by. Matthew Myers. Candlewick Press.

Spires, Ashley. The Most Magnificent Thing. Kids Can Press.

Underwood, Deborah. Here Comes the Easter Cat. Illus. by Claudia Rueda. Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers.

Yoon, Salina. Found. Walker Books for Young Readers /Bloomsbury.

Yuly, Toni. Early Bird. Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan.

INFORMATIONAL PICTURE BOOKS

Campbell, Sarah C. Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature. Illus. by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell. Boyds Mills Press /Highlights.

Chin, Jason. Gravity. Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press

Ehlert, Lois. The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life. Beach Lane Books.

Gibbons, Gail. It’s Raining! Holiday House.

Jenkins, Steve. Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Hands & Hearts: With 15 Words in American Sign Language. Illus. by Amy Bates. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Roberts, Cokie. Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies. Illus. by Diane Goode. Harper Colllins.

Rosenstock, Barb. The Streak: How Joe DiMaggio Became America’s Hero. Illus. by Terry Widener. Calkins Creek / Highlights.

Rubbino, Salvatore. A Walk in Paris. Candlewick Press.

Stewart, Melissa. Feathers: Not Just for Flying. Illus. by Sarah S. Brannen. Charlesbridge.

Tonatiuh, Duncan. Separate is Never Equal : The Story of Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation. Illus. by author.   Abrams books for Young Readers.

Woelfle, Gretchen. Mumbet’s Declaration Of Independence. Illus. by Alix Delinois.Carolrhoda Books.

NONFICTION BIOGRAPHY

Fern, Tracey. Dare the Wind:   The Record-breaking Voyage of Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud. Illus. by Emily Arnold McCully. Margaret Ferguson Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Powell, Patricia Hruby. Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker. Illus. by Christian Robinson. Chronicle Books.

Rosenstock, Barb. The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art. Illus. by Mary Grandpré. Alfred A. Knopf.

Wallace, Rich and Sandra Neil Wallace. Babe Conquers the World:The Legendary Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Calkins Creek/an imprint of Highlights.

NONFICTION POETRY

Cleary, Brian P. If It Rains Pancakes: Haiku and Lantern Poems. Illus. by Andy Rowland. Millbrook.

Janeczko, Paul B (editor). Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems. Illus. by Melissa Sweet. Candlewick Press.

Lewis, J. Patrick and Douglas Florian. Poem-mobiles: Crazy Car Poems. Illus. by Jeremy Holmes.   Random House Children’s Books/ Schwartz & Wade.

Muth, Jon J. Hi, Koo!: A Year of Seasons. Scholastic.