It’s election time for members of the American Library Association. Even if you’re not a member, I think you’ll enjoy hearing from Courtney Young, a candidate for ALA president. Courtney wrote the following to share with you what librarians can do through the ALA to serve our communities.

If you’re not a librarian, continue reading to know what to expect of your local school, public or academic library. If you are a librarian, read to know what a vote for Courtney will mean for the ALA. Voting in the 2013 ALA election began at 9:00 a.m. Central Time (US) on March 19, 2013. Ballots close at 11:59 p.m. on April 26, 2013.

The future of libraries is brighter than ever!

My name is Courtney Young and I ask for your vote for ALA President.

My platform focuses on the value of membership in the association. ALA exists for members in practical, relevant ways. In a time when we are faced with fiscal uncertainties, a growing impact of technology on core library collections and services, and staffing challenges, the library community needs to know that ALA is there for them. I am prepared to continue my service to the library community as President of the American Library Association, by advancing what I believe are three issues affecting all of us: Diversity, Career Development, and Engagement and Outreach.

Library services are strengthened when the diversity of the profession represents the diversity of the communities we serve. Likewise, our association is strong because of the diversity of the types of libraries we serve. ALA empowers our diverse voices.

Keeping all library employees current and equipped to serve their communities is one of the key roles of the association. By supporting substantive interactions, including professional networking, collaboration, and continuing education, ALA ensures that library and information professionals well-equipped with skills and training, well-informed of the issues that impact libraries and our profession, and well-connected to the changing world around us. ALA is the central thread that connects all of us.

Libraries are nimble and responsive to the changing information and service needs of our communities. They empower users and foster participation in the larger community providing access to information, by supporting use of networks and social media, and by advocating for users’ rights to information. ALA truly builds communities.

As ALA heads into strategic planning for 2020, I will work to keep these initiatives and the association valuable to member needs.

Thank you in advance for your support! To learn about my campaign and active leadership in ALA, please visit http://courtneyyoung.org.

Sincerely,

Courtney L. Young
Head Librarian, Penn State Greater Allegheny

Filed under: Causes Tagged: ALA, Courtney Young

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What an honor. Thank you, American Library Association and Association for Library Service to Children.

Want to see what other books are included? Click through!

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Each year, I especially look forward to the announcements of the Coretta Scott King Award, the Pura Belpre Award and many others that celebrate the diversity of readers in our libraries. At my school library in Berkeley, we share books that reflect many different perspectives. These awards help us to find the best books from authors of color to share with our students. Here this year's Coretta Scott King Award winners. I will continue posting other award roundups in the next few days.

The Coretta Scott King Awards
These awards are given each year "to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values." Separate awards are given for authors and illustrators. Read the press release for the Coretta Scott King Awards to learn more about each book. Here are the award-winning books:

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Disney/Jump at the Sun Books, 2012
2013 CSK Author Award
my review here
available at your local library and on Amazon

This collection of biographies is stunningly written. Andrea Davis Pinkney writes with conviction and song in her voice, as she sure-fastedly shows readers many reasons why we admire these black men. I am reading the biography of Benjamin Banneker aloud to my class right now, and they are mesmerized - so impressed by Banneker's accomplishments, but also soaking in Pinkney's language.

I, Too, Am America
illustrated by Bryan Collier
by Langston Hughes
Simon & Schuster, 2012
2013 CSK Illustrator Award
available at your local library and on Amazon

Collier's stirring illustrations blend watercolors with collage, to create a picture book layered with symbolism that blends the historical with the modern. Collier uses Hughes' poem to honor the Pullman porters. I was particularly struck by how Collier layers symbolism throughout the illustrations, explaining this in his note at the end.

Each Kindness
by Jacqueline Woodson
illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin, 2012
2013 CSK Author honor award
my review here
available at your local library and on Amazon

No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Micheaux, Harlem Bookseller
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Carolrhoda / Lerner, 2012
2013 CSK Author honor award
available at your local library and on Amazon

Ellen’s Broom
illustrated by Daniel Minter
written by Kelly Starling Lyons
G. P. Putnam’s Sons/ Penguin, 2012
2013 CSK Illustrator honor award
available at your local library and on Amazon

H. O. R. S. E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination
illustrated and written by Christopher Myers
Egmont USA, 2012
2013 CSK Illustrator honor award
available at your local library and on Amazon

I Have a Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr.
illustrated by Kadir Nelson
written by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Schwartz & Wade/ Random House, 2012
2013 CSK Illustrator honor award
available at your local library and on Amazon

Each one of these books is so very special. Spend the time to seek them out and share them with the children in your life.

If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

©2013 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

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Today was a certainly a day for Librarians Gone Wild! Across the nation, librarians gathered to watch the live announcements of the Newbery, Caldecott, Corretta Scott King Awards and more. Their were shouts of joy as favorites were honored, and sighs as others were not selected. But it is a happy day for all, as our profession celebrates the most distinguished and outstanding books for children.

I'll do a quick roundup today, and feature these outstanding books over the next several weeks.

Caldecott Award
As our Emerson 2nd graders know, this award honors the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book. One book receives the gold medal, and today four books also received the silver honor awards.

This Is Not My Hat
illustrated and written by Jon Klassen
Candlewick Press, 2012
2013 Caldecott Medal winner
available at your local library and on Amazon

This darkly humorous tale will take kids by surprise as they wonder about the little fish who steals the enormous fish's hat and thinks he can get away with it. I can't wait to have kids act out this book, telling it from different points of view.

Five Caldecott Honor Books also were named. I am so happy that such a wide range of books have been honored. Some, like Creepy Carrots, amp up the fun, while others, like Green, mesmerize you with their beauty.

Creepy Carrots! 
illustrated by Peter Brown
written by Aaron Reynolds
Simon & Schuster, 2012
2013 Caldecott honor award
my review
available at your local library and on Amazon

Extra Yarn
illustrated by Jon Klassen
written by Mac Barnett
Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins, 2012
2013 Caldecott honor award
our Mock Caldecott discussion
available at your local library and on Amazon

Green
illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Neal Porter Books / Roaring Brook Press, 2012
2013 Caldecott honor award

One Cool Friend
illustrated by David Small
written by Toni Buzzeo
Dial Books / Penguin, 2012
2013 Caldecott honor award

Sleep Like a Tiger
illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
written by Mary Logue
Houghton Mifflin, 2012
2013 Caldecott honor award
I have been giving The One and Only Ivan to kids all summer and fall - as birthday presents, pressing into their hands in the library, carrying it to classrooms as soon as it's returned. This is a book that will touch your heart, make you think deeply about the way we treat animals. Even more than that, it will lead to conversations about friendship, humanity and respect. What a joy that this wonderful book received the Newbery Medal.

Three Newbery Honor Books also were named. They also show us the splendid range of children's books. I adored each and every one, from the enchanting historical fantasy of Spendors and Glooms to the fast-paced nonfiction of Bomb, to the mystery that kept me laughing of Three Times Lucky.

Splendors and Glooms
by Laura Amy Schlitz
Candlewick Press, 2012
2013 Newbery honor award
available at your local library and on Amazon

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon
Steve Sheinkin
Flash Point / Roaring Brook Press, 2012
2013 Newbery honor award

Three Times Lucky
by Sheila Turnage
Dial Books / Penguin, 2012
2013 Newbery honor award
available at your local library and on Amazon

I know I'm not able to say much about these books right now, but if you're willing to take a gamble, try one of them out. Each one of them is truly outstanding. That doesn't mean it will work for every kid, but rather that for the right audience they are exceptionally compelling, engrossing and memorable.
Well, I'm off to bed to rest after a wonderful weekend full of "Librarians Gone Wild". I feel truly lucky to be able to connect with amazing authors, inspiring professionals and enthusiastic publishers. But most of all, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to share these books with children, thinking of just the right book for each different kid.

If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

©2013 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

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Congratulations to all the winners!

 Caldecott Medal Winner 

Caldecott Honor Books

 

Newbery Medal Winner

Newbery Honor Books

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Rainy days and Mondays get us down, and rainy Mondays?? Nothing to it, but to do it! Especially with the rainy Monday is Midwinter Monday and the Youth Media Awards are announced.

I have to begin with an earlier award that was announced at ALA Midwinter.  The following middle grade and young adult books are recognized  by the United States Board on Books For Young People as Outstanding International Books 2013.

Ellis, Deborah. Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through aNever-Ending War. Groundwood. (Canada)

Master, Irfan. A Beautiful Lie. Albert Whitman.(Great Britain)

Wein, Elizabeth. Code Name Verity. Disney/Hyperion.(Great Britain)

Abirached, Zeina. A Game for Swallows: To Die, To Leave,

To Return. Tr. By Edward Gauvin. Graphic Universe/Lerner. (France)

Chadda, Sarwat. The Savage Fortress. Levine/Scholastic.(Great Britain)

de Graaf, Anne. Son of a Gun. Eerdmans. (Netherlands)

Doyle, Roddy. A Greyhound of a Girl. Amulet/Abrams.(Great Britain)

Ellis, Deborah. My Name is Parvana. Groundwood.(Canada)

Gleitzman, Morris. Now. Holt. (Australia)

Serrano, Francisco. La Malinche: The Princess Who Helped Cortés Conquer the Aztec Empire.Tr.bySusanOuriou. Illus. by Pablo Serrano. Groundwood. (France)

Tanaka, Shelley. Nobody Knows. Groundwood. (Canada)

Awards announced this morning included:

Coretta Scott King Award:

Illustrator award: Brian Collier (I Too, Am America)

(no John Steptoe Award again this year.)

Honors: Jacqueline Woodson (Each Kindness); Vaunda Michaux Nelson: No Crystal Stair

Winner: Andrea Davis Pinkney (Hand in Hand 10 Black Men Who Changed America)

The Printz Award:

honor book: The Round House by Louise Erdrich

winner: In Darkness by Nick Lake (my review)

The most recognized book of the day: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. And, it is quite deserving of each of these awards and more. (my review) Printz Honor Book; Stonewall Award; Pura Belpré Author Award.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Filed under: awards Tagged: ALA

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At the end of 2012, I talked about burn out. Well, I started this year feeling re-energized (although very busy, still!), and part of the reason for my reinvigoration was that I had a small epiphany. (I may actually have had this epiphany on epiphany...)

What I realized is that during my busiest work times, when I'm feeling overwhelmed by everything I have to do, what I always wish for is the ability to stop time. (You know, like Evie from Out of This World!) What I don't wish is to be able to just sweep the work off my desk. This served as a reminder to me of how much I love my work, every part of it. (well, almost.) I actually want to do all the work. Of course, this hasn't taken away the fact that I don't always have time to do it all as quickly as I would like, but it did help me put things in perspective.

As with many (most?) of us, work-life balance is an on-going issue, and probably will be for most of my life. I don't have the solution, but in addition to some of my new year's resolutions (which are more about making boundaries between work and life, not how to handle workload), I do have some strategies to tackle workload issues this year.

I recently attended a management training that evaluated my personality in terms of leadership. One of the many insights I gained was into how I deal with high-pressure situations. During busy, high-stress times, there is one part of my personality that tends to gets disorganized, and another side of my personality that tries to do even more, take more onto my plate. Not a great combination, and I have to say, very true to my nature.

I've already known this about myself, but it was a good reminder. So I need to get back into the habit of saying "no" more, or at the very least, not volunteering up my time so easily. And I need to stay more organized--I have a few newish tools that I'm trying out, including workflowy.com, which was introduced to me by an agent.

We'll see how it goes!

Regardless, I know it's going to be a great year.

***

I'm heading to Seattle for ALA Midwinter on Friday. If you'll be there, come by the Little, Brown booth to say hi! I'll also be speaking on a CBC Diversity panel on Sunday, January 27, from 3-4. Hope you can make it!

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Each year, a group of librarians gather together to discuss the best picture books of the year, awarding the Caldecott Medal to the artist of the "most distinguished" American picture book for children. This year's Caldecott winners will be announced on Monday, January 28th - we are very excited to see which artists are recognized with this great honor!

The students and teachers at Emerson have been reading and discussing many of the best picture books this year. It's a wonderful opportunity to talk about how the illustrations add to a story, creating meaning and emotions. This week, I'd like to share some of the books we've been discussing. Look for Part 2 and 3 later this week. For now, here are some of our favorite potential Caldecott books:

Baby Bear Sees Blue
by Ashley Wolff
Beach Lane / Simon & Schuster, 2012
ages 2 - 5
reviewed here
available at your local library or on Amazon

My students were charmed by this sweet book, loving the rhythm of the story, the unexpected items selected to focus on each color, and the rich, saturated color of each illustration. On each page, they noticed the details in Wolff's illustrations, as well as the balance between large figures and spaces and small detailed illustrations.

Step Gently Out
poem by Helen Frost
photographs by Rick Lieder
Candlewick Press, 2012
ages 4 - 9
reviewed here
available from your local library or on Amazon

Lieder's photographs took my students' breath away. As one student said, "They make the images pop out." The brilliant color, the compositions, the contrast between blurred backgrounds and crystal clear animals, and the incredible details in each photograph are astounding. The photographs complement Frost's words and extend them, giving readers fascinating images to contemplate on each page. Students also remarked about the pacing, the way that the photographs allow you to read the poem slowly, savoring each image.

Oh, No!
by Candace Fleming
illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Schwartz & Wade / Random House, 2012
ages 3 - 8
review by 100 Scope Notes
available at your local library, on Amazon and as a
"Read & Listen" iBook for the iPad

Flemings rhyming text and Rohmann's colorful illustrations absolutely captivated my students. They chanted along with me, saying the choral, "Ribbit-oops! Ribbit-oops!" and "Oh, no!" right in time. But best of all, they loved the way Rohmann changed his perspective with each page, showing just enough of each scene to draw you right in. They loved the playfulness of having to find the tiger - spotting his claws wrapping around the tree, or his tail poking out from the bushes.

Rohmann creates his illustrations using relief prints with the reduction method (see here for an explanation of what that means), and you can see some fascinating examples of his work in progress at the wonderful blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. While Betsy Bird over at Fuse #8 wonders whether problems with the perspective will cause this trouble, my students and I would agree with Ed Spicer (see the comments in Betsy's post) that the animals in the hole can sense the tiger prowling outside the hole without having to see him. Rohmann's illustrations add to the humor, energy and pacing of this wonderful book. This is one we will read again and again.

Nightime Ninja
by Barbara DeCosta
illustrated by Ed Young
Little, Brown, 2012
ages 3-8
Horn Book review
available at your local library and on Amazon

Ed Young's expressive collages hooked my students from the cover, with those big eyes peering out from the black disguise. My second graders loved the twists and surprises that Young reveals in his illustrations, as he slowly hints that the Ninja might be a young boy with an active imagination. My students would agree with the Horn Book, which writes, "Young’s art, however, perfectly pairs with the minimal text. His cut-paper and cloth illustrations do the heavy lifting here, imbuing the tale with mystery, beauty, and emotion." The illustrations create tension and pacing that captivates young readers, making them want to turn to this book for multiple readings.

Many thanks to the publishers for sharing and supporting our Mock Caldecott unit: Simon & Schuster, Candlewick, Random House, and Little, Brown. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2013 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

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As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at our school, I love sharing Shane Evans' We March with our youngest students. We March is filled with solemn purpose, hope and determination as it teaches young children about the Civil Rights Movement and the 1963 March on Washington.

We March
written and illustrated by Shane Evans
Roaring Brook / Macmillan, 2012
ages 4 - 8
available on Amazon and your local library

Shane Evans helps young children understand the March on Washington by showing them a family's day as they get ready to join the march. This remarkable event, when more than 250,000 people gathered to protest for better jobs and equal rights, is brought right down to a child's view.


A family joins neighbors to pray at their church, paint signs and travel by bus to Washington. They walk and sing and grow tired but “are filled with hope” as they stand together at the Washington Monument to listen to Dr. King speak of dreams and freedom.


Evans uses very simple, pared down sentences and tells the story through his stirring artwork so that young preschoolers and kindergarteners can grasp the importance of this moment in our history. It reminds us all that the efforts of ordinary people matter. As we talk about celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with our children and our students, I hope we keep these messages at heart. Each of our contributions can make the world a better place.


Shane Evans is truly a remarkable artist. As his friend and collaborator Taye Diggs wrote in the Horn Book, Shane is a “renaissance man. A true artist, in every sense of the word. Illustrator, painter, sculptor, photographer, singer, songwriter, musician, composer…the list goes on. He’s the type of cat who just randomly picks up a guitar, and next thing you know, he’s teaching you how to play.” I had the pleasure of seeing Evans talk at the 2012 Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast last summer. He played the guitar, sang and inspired a room full of admiring librarians.

Images copyright © 2012 by Shane W. Evans. Published by Neal Porter/Roaring Brook Press, New York. Images used with permission of publisher. The review copy was kindly sent by the publishers, Roaring Brook, an imprint of Macmillan. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you!). Thank you for your support.

Review ©2012 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books

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With all the Newbery and Caldecott talk and predictions out there I thought it would be nice to take a look at not only what may be the next winner, but what has won in the past. If you have a favorite title you are rooting for post it in a comment. I would love to hear about it! Next week I will post my favorite book of the year that I think is Caldecott deserving in every facet of picture book brilliance.

PAST

From Publishers Weekly, with great interviews of winners from the past 5 years.
The Call That Changes Everything- or Not.

From The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) a look at the past.

Newbery Honor and Medal Books, 1922- Present
Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present
2012 Newbery-Caldecott Awards Banquet

From Through the Studio door, an interesting look at what PW dubbed in 1963 "...a pointless and confusing story."
Before They Were Classics

PRESENT

For predictions for this years award winners check out:
ShelfTalker
A Fuse #8 Production
100 Scope Notes
The Horn Book- Calling Caldecott 
Country Bookshelf
Random Acts of Reading

FUTURE

75th Anniversary Logo by Brian Selznick

Mark your calendar for the Caldecott Medal 75th Anniversary!

The ALA will announce all the awards at 8 a.m. PT on Jan. 28 from the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The awards include the esteemed John Newbery Medal, Randolph Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Book Awards and Michael L. Printz Award.

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) announced that John Rocco will participate in a Caldecott 75th Anniversary Facebook Forum at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Rocco won a Caldecott Honor in 2012 for his picture book Blackout.

Want to learn more about the logo 2008 Caldecott Medal winner Brian Selznick created especially for the 75th Anniversary celebration and the characters in it? Just click here.


And for a little more fun, read Brian's acceptance speech for The Invention of Hugo Cabret  here and watch the illustrated sequence that played on huge video screens during the speech here.

 

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Yesterday, YALSA announced the shortlist of the Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

This is why blogging has been slow these past few weeks-- I've been busily reading and re-reading the nominees over and over again to help whittle down the list to these 5. I'm so excited about the 5 books we chose-- they are all excellent.

1. Titanic: Voices From the Disaster Deborah Hopkinson

This book may have ruined all other Titanic books for me. Seriously. I was listening to the audio version of The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf. It's a WONDERFUL book and the audio is fantastic, but... about halfway though I realized all I really wanted to do was reread the Hopkinson book. So I did.

2. Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon Steve Sheinkin

Sheinkin has a gift for making history really come alive. This one follows several different storylines in the US and Europe as scientists and spies try to make an atom bomb, keep the other guys from doing it, and/or just stealing their research.

3. Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 Phillip Hoose

Red Knot Rufas are small birds that migrate every year from the Canadian Arctic to Tierra del Fuego. And back. B95 is one bird that's done the journey so many times, that he's flown enough miles to get to the moon. More than following this one bird, Hoose describes bird conservation and tracking efforts and the complicated inter-tangled issues at play. Now, based on that plot description, I'd be like "eh" but he does it in a way that's utterly fascinating. Plus, really wonderful maps.

4. Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal

Using a commencement address as a framing device, Blumenthal paints great warts and all biography of on of Steve Jobs. I learned so many interesting things about Jobs (when he was a young man he was on a weird diet and thought that because of this he didn't need to shower. Anyone who smelled him disagreed) and about Apple (a great explanation of why the ad campaign was Think Different instead of Think Differently. And the letters they'd get from irate English teachers.) Plus, the photographs of a young Steve Jobs makes me feel much better about the fact that Ashton Kutcher is playing him in the biopic.

5. We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March Cynthia Levinson

In 1963 over 4000 children were arrested marching for their civil rights. They woke up in the morning, packed what they'd need for jail, and march, knowing they wouldn't be sleeping at home that night. Levinson follows a few of these children (some teens, some much younger) from different walks of life, how they got involved with the movement, their experiences and what happened next. It's inspiring and eye-opening.

The winner will be announced at the Youth Media Awards at the end of January. And NO! We haven't decided who's won yet! Stop asking!


And... seems I'm talking about committee stuff and I don't think I've mentioned this on the internets yet, when this committee wraps up in January, my next assignment begins. I'm the incoming chair of for Outstanding Books for the College Bound. I'm very excited for a million reasons, not least of which is that it's a huge change of reading material for the next year!

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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I’ve been trying to have as much summer as is possible with a messed up ankle. I just got through driving a friend’s Mini Cooper across the country (see photos here) and am heading back to the east coast tomorrow. Have been sitting down to catch up, I’m totally unused to checking email only a few times a day and actually taking a real vacation from MetaFilter. Here are the two things that have bubbled to the top of my pile

1. Digital Curation Resource Guide by Charles W. Bailey, Jr. – very thorough look at what people are writing about digital curation. Available as a website or in EPUB format.

2. ALA’s Ebook Business Models for Public Libraries (pdf) outlining what libraries are looking for, or should be looking for, in the world of ebooks, moving forward. Me, I’m just looking forward to the time when we can call them just books because that’s what they’ll be. We’re not there yet.

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Occasionally, I will watch children read and reread a story, absolutely carried away on the story's journey. They will want to revisit that special story world again and again. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore amazes children and adults when they first read it. Some are amazed at the way the book app integrates animation and interactive features, but many readers are simply captivated by the story. Now, this wonderful book is available as a picture book to share with children.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
by William Joyce

NY: Simon and Schuster, 2012

available at your local library and on Amazon

Morris Lessmore is a man who loves words and stories, so much so that he surrounds himself with books. One day, he is swept away to a distant land when a terrible storm strikes. Adults may see reference to The Wizard of Oz or Hurricane Katrina, but children just follow Morris into a magical land of stories.

“Then a happy bit of happenstance came his way. Rather than looking down, as had become his habit, Morris Lessmore looked up. Drifting through the sky above him, Morris saw a lovely lady. She was being pulled along by a festive squadron of flying books.” 

The young woman sends him a story that leads him to a stately old home where books from years gone by apparently ‘nested.’ Morris explores this wonderful place, discovering his true home among the books and stories, each “whispering an invitation to adventure.


The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is currently number one on the New York Times Bestselling Children's Picture Books list - hooray! I'm so very glad it's reaching a wide audience.

I was honored last month to listen to William Joyce talk about his inspiration for this story. Listen to the speech he gave to gathered librarians and admirers at the Simon and Schuster party at the American Library Association, in June 2012. First, you'll hear Justin Chanda, his editor and the publisher of Books for Young Readers at Simon & Schuster, introduce Bill. And then listen to Bill describe the story behind Mr. Morris Lessmore.

Bill Joyce tells us that he originally wrote t

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Back in January, the lovely and talented Lili Wilkinson won a Stonewall Book Award Honor in the Children’s and Young Adult division for her young adult book (and U.S. debut) PINK, a lively and resonant look at a teen’s attempts to don a new personality and figure out who she really wants to be.  What a treat to be able to share her remarks here, read at the Stonewall’s ALA Annual celebration by Lili’s wonderful editor, Anne Hoppe.

Now, on to it!

“Good evening. My apologies for not being here – Australia is a very long way away.

I’d like to start by thanking the Australian publisher of Pink – Allen & Unwin, in particular my editors Jodie Webster and Hilary Reynolds.

And if it’s not too awkward for her to read this out loud, I must also thank the wonderful Anne Hoppe and everyone else at HarperCollins. Pink is the first of my books to reach American shores, and you have given it such a warm welcome and loving home. Thank you for the gorgeous cover. Thank you for putting it into the hands of teenage readers. Thanks especially for your help in translating the book into American while keeping its Australian setting and flavour.

And of course thanks to my fabulous agent Kate Schafer Testerman, for working so tirelessly to find my books homes in the US.

The book is dedicated to publisher and writer extraordinaire David Levithan, and I wanted to take a moment to explain why.

Many years ago David came to the Reading Matters conference in Melbourne, which I used to help organise. David made an impassioned speech about how teachers, publishers, parents, librarians and other “gatekeepers” have a responsibility to help young people kill the vampires.

… This was pre-Twilight, I should add.

David was referring to a song called Die Vampires Die from an off-Broadway musical called Title of Show. A vampire, in this case, is “any person, thought or feeling that stands between you and your creative self expression.” They creep around and whisper in your ears, saying things like “Your teeth need whitening. You went to state school? You sound weird. Shakespeare, Sondheim and Sedaris did it before you, and better than you.” They tell you you’re not good enough, and you can’t help believing them.

One of the ways we could help young people kill these vampires, suggested David, was by making sure that every teenager could see themselves reflected on the shelves of their libraries and bookshops. And, in his opinion, when it came to books about gay teenagers, we were failing to do that.

The speech received a standing ovation, and I’m proud to say that the Australian publishers, teachers and librarians in the room listened, and since then things have started to change.

But I got to thinking. I’d read books about gay teenagers. Not many, certainly. But I had read a few – David’s not least among them. But I couldn’t think of any books I’d read about the teenagers who aren’t sure. And really, who’s sure about anything when they’re sixteen? I wanted to write a book for those teenagers. I wanted to write a book that said – there are some things you never have to definitively decide on. You don’t ever have to put yourself in a closed-off, pas

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Roger interviewed Melissa Sweet on Sunday, June 24, 2012, at the ALA Convention in Anaheim. Melissa Sweet’s book Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade is the 2012 Sibert Award winner, and she created the cover illustration for the July/August issue of The Horn Book Magazine.

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Just as the proof of the pudding is in the eating, real appreciation of a picture book depends on more than a first taste, or a first look; truer evaluation becomes possible only after savoring every nuance. At first glance, illustrations may delight us with their beauty — their drafting, palette, forms, composition; with how they embody emotion, or childhood itself. One artist charms with humor, well-paced action, or visual harmony. Another captures the imagination with a beloved character or a story distilled to its irreducible essence.

But to seek a year’s “most distinguished” illustrations — to choose a Caldecott winner — is to look again: to tune in to rhythms, consider trajectories, discover details and connections; and to hope that such particulars will offer the kind of epiphany E. E. Cummings called “everything / which is natural which is infinite which is yes.” A detailed study of some of 2011’s best picture books, medaled and not, made me both more critical and more appreciative. It revealed limitations, missed on first reading, of some appealing titles; contrariwise, in the best ones, I now perceived finer crafting, richer meaning.

Here, then, are some books that seemed to merit serious consideration for the award, or that helped illuminate issues involved in a final choice. Several of these arrest the eye with their extraordinary simplicity. One such, I Want My Hat Back, was frequently mentioned as a Caldecott contender. In Jon Klassen’s neatly balanced compositions, a bear — still as a statue through much of the book — meets other near-immobile creatures in minimal settings. Only the animals’ alert, stylized eyes suggest the drama that will finally erupt on a revelatory solid-red page and set up the story’s sly conclusion. Klassen’s digitally created illustrations are austere. It’s those eyes that focus attention on what’s seen (and unseen) until memory triggers the bear’s retrospective vision — a clever scenario, elegantly rendered.

Patricia Intriago’s Dot, composed as it is of simple shapes and lines, is even more spare. Yet this able graphic designer telegraphs a lot with her graphic forms, using small additions and alterations in size, conformation, or color to convey motion and emotion, sound, taste, and more, including the night sky. Another virtuoso performance is Michael Hall’s exploration of the transformative possibilities of collages improvised, like tangrams, from squares. Like Dot, Hall’s Perfect Square is an exercise in graphic possibility, but Hall brings more ingenuity and a sense of story to the process. He tears, snips, or otherwise divides each square, then reassembles it in a simple scene, with a new color each weekday. On Sunday, the square — cleverly escaping its shape’s constraints — becomes a window through which the earlier scenes are recapped in a rainbow finale.

Lois Ehlert’s art, too, is rooted in graphic design. In RRRalph, she composes a dog from amusingly recognizable objects like buttons, a pop-top, and a zipper. Ralph, a character of buoyant, spread-dominating energy,enacts such pun-ready sounds as wolf, rough, and bark. Printed in handsome boldface, Ralph’s “words” and the large-type commentary by his unseen human are as intrinsic to the striking design as Ralph himself. These minimalist titles may not have the singular quality that evokes that rare sense of Cummings’s “Yes”; still, they’re entirely worthy, fine just as they are.

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