Yesterday the Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers was announced. Drumroll, please! And the lucky winner is Bink and Gollie (written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGee and illustrated by Tony Fucile).
The Honor Books were Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! (written and illustrated by Grace Lin) and We Are in a Book! (written and illustrated by Mo Willems).
Congratulations to all the winners! I reviewed Bink and Gollie and Ling & Ting on this blog, but I haven't gotten around to reading We Are in a Book yet. That will soon be remedied.
For a complete list of the 2011 ALSC award winners, click here.
5 Comments on 2011 Geisel Award, last added: 1/14/2011
Display Comments
Add a Comment
I loved _We Are in a Book!_, but haven't read the other two. I will hang my head in shame now. ;)
Hi Catherine,
I followed your link from Brigindo's blog. I'm a Youth Services Librarian, currently doing a Two Year Old program, but I've also done Preschool Story Time, and in the summertime, I do a weekly story program for Grade School kids. I write about children's books now and then at my blog, and at one of my supplemental blogs. I'm glad I found you, and I'm looking forward to reading The Cath In The Hat!
I'm curious as to your thoughts on Bing and Gollie winning the Geisel award in terms of it being a beginning reader book. Because it didn't seem to me to be a beginning reader book. Early chapter, transitional book - I don't know. I'm not knocking the book itself, just wondering about its placement in this award category.
You raise an interesting point, one that may become a future post--What qualifies as a beginning reader? The short answer regarding Bink and Gollie is, yes, it is fair to call the book a beginning reader and not an early chapter book. Because the issue isn't so much reading level--beginning reader books can range from Level 1 to Level 3--as to format. Bink and Gollie features the same characters in three independent, stand-alone stories. In an early chapter book one storyline would run throughout. Hope this helps!
I enjoy the speculation and the reveal of the Newbery and Caldecott Awards but the Geisel is really one of the most meaningful to me, as a school librarian. We shepherd these young readers from their earliest years as readers so it is fun to see the books for that special time in their reading lives, honored.