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Every year, more than $100,000 is given away through ALSC’s professional awards, grants, and scholarships.

Deserving libraries and members across the country receive support to attend conferences, host programs, and get recognized for their achievements.

ALSC announces that two professional award applications have already opened. More information on these awards can be found below:

Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship

This fellowship provides a $4,000 stipend to allow a qualified children’s librarian to spend a month or more reading at the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, which contains a special collection of 85,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950.

Applications due November 1, 2016.

Apply now!

ALSC Distinguished Service Award

This award honors an individual member who has made significant contributions to and an impact on, library services to children and ALSC. The recipient receives $2,000 and an engraved pin at the ALSC Membership Meeting during the ALA Annual Conference.

Applications due December 1, 2016.

The post Two ALSC Professional Award Applications Now Open appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Apply to Host the 2017 Arbuthnot Honor Lecture featuring Jacqueline Woodson (image courtesy of Jacqueline Woodson)

Your library could host the 2017 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture featuring Jacquline Woodson!

The 2017 Arbuthnot Committee is looking for a host site for next year’s annual lecture. The site would host roughly 250-700 attendees, depending on the selected venue. Audiences typically include: librarians, publishers, literary critics, intrigued local patrons, and others interested in children’s literature.

The selected site will host Jacqueline Woodson, who is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for her New York Times bestselling memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming. The author of more than two dozen books for young readers, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a recipient of the NAACP Image Award, the 2014 National Book Award winner for young people’s literature, a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and was recently named the Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation.

Applications are due Friday, June 10, 2016. Information about host site responsibilities is included in the application materials.

Access the 2017 Arbuthnot Host Application!

The post Apply to Host the 2017 Arbuthnot Lecture appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Beverly Cleary                                           Ashley Bryan

Katherine Paterson                                  E.B. White

Donald Crews                                            Virginia Hamilton

Virginia Hamilton                                     Jerry Pinkney

What do all these talented people have in common?

They are just a few recipients of the Laura Ingalls Wilder award, presented  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.” First given in 1954 to Laura Ingalls Wilder, the award was originally presented every five years and has evolved; it is now given annually.

What author or illustrator do you think has made their mark on American children’s literature?  The 2017 Wilder Committee is seeking your suggestions of  authors and illustrators to be considered for next year’s award. Has your favorite author been recognized already? Check out the entire list of previous Wilder medal recipients. If not, let us know who you are thinking of and why!

So what exactly does “substantial and lasting contribution” mean? According to the criteria, these books “occupy an important place in literature for American children and that over the years children have read the books and that the books continue to be requested and read by children.”  If you are detail-oriented or historically minded, you might enjoy exploring the definitions and criteria behind the awards.  In reviewing these specifications, I can see the well-thought out process behind the awards, and it makes me appreciate the procedures that have been developed. Interestingly, the Wilder Award can be awarded posthumously, and regardless of a person’s place of residence.

Please submit your suggestions via the form at http://www.ala.org/alsc/wilder-medal-suggestion-form. Note: The page can only be accessed by ALSC members—so you must be logged into the ALA website to view the form.

Please share your ideas with us!

Happy reading,

Robin L.  Gibson, 2017 Wilder Award Committee member, Westerville Public Library, Westerville, Ohio

The post Wilder Times Ahead! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Who inspires you? Have  you ever thought, “I want to be THAT librarian when I grow up”? Do you know an ALSC member who should be recognized for their work? If you can answer these questions, perhaps you should consider nominating someone for the ALSC Distinguished Service Award.

The nominee should be an individual who has made significant contributions to, and an impact on, library services to children and to the Association for Library Service to Children. They must be a personal member of ALSC.  The nominee may be a practicing or retired librarian in a public or school library, a library or information science educator, a member of the library press, or an editor or other employee of a publishing house. Nominations are open until December 1, 2016, so you have some time to think about this.

Who has won in the past? The award was established in 1991. Here is a list of the past winners, and the 2016 winner  is Pat Scales. Who will you nominate for the 2017 award? Our virtual committee awaits your suggestions.

Once you are ready to nominate, just fill in this form. The hard part will be choosing who to nominate. There’s someone you admire, someone you look up to, someone who has done amazing work for ALSC and has made an impact on library services to children. We count on you, ALSC members, to let us know who you think this person is.

The post Distinguished Service Award – Nominate! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Photo courtesy of Pat Scales

Pat Scales is the 2016 recipient of the ALSC Distinguished Service Award, and we’re thrilled to have her share some memories of her years of working with children, families, librarians, and educators across the country. ALSC Intellectual Freedom Committee member Miriam Lang Budin chatted with Pat via email:

Miriam Lang Budin: First of all, congratulations on receiving the 2016 ALSC Distinguished Service Award! What a well-deserved recognition of your many years of dedicated school librarianship, professional leadership, and continuing guidance to those of us in the trenches.

Do you have any funny stories about your work as a champion of intellectual freedom?

Pat Scales: Yes.  I helped an elementary school in the late 1980s deal with a parent who complained about William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble because “Sylvester has an out of body experience.”  She was, of course, referring to Sylvester turning into a rock.  I have used that book in teaching students about the freedom to read.  I told them about the complaint about the “pig policemen” in the 1970s, and then I told them about the later complaint.  They asked me to explain an out of body experience.  I had to say I didn’t know because I had never had one.

One of my favorite stories is the time I was teaching the First Amendment to eighth graders.  I told them that My Friend Flicka had been banned in Florida because of the word “bitch” in reference to a female dog.  I asked them to name other words that society has turned into slang.  A boy on the front row said, “pussy.”  The students didn’t hear him and asked me what he said.  I turned to the class and said, “John said pussy, and he’s absolutely right.”  I then recited ‘The Owl and the Pussy Cat.’ Not one student laughed. Later the teacher and I invited the principal to the class to hear the lecture.  He was amazed by the students, and said it was one of the best lessons he had ever observed.  I turned to him and told him that I was sorry he missed “pussy.”  He collapsed on the floor laughing.

MLB: Have you ever been afraid for your safety when working in the field?

PS: No, not ever.  There were two incidents that happened when I was at a residential high school for the arts, but they didn’t frighten me.

I served on a panel at ALA about privacy and the Patriot Act. What we didn’t know until later was that some very conservative organizations had planted people in the audience.  When I returned home I received some very threatening telephone calls at work. Someone even wrote to our governor complaining about my views.  I was called from the governor’s office just to inform me that the governor stood behind me.  Security guards escorted me to my car for about a week.  I never heard anything more after that week.

A woman appeared in the library one day around 5:00 and began pulling books, marking specific pages with strips of paper, and stacking them on tables.  Most were art books that had nude paintings.  There were a few graphic novels that she added to the stacks.  She quickly fled when I asked her if I could help her.  Then I spotted a magazine that had my name on the label.  She had circled my name and written “the problem.” I never knew who she was.

MLB: Can you tell us about a satisfying victory?

PS: I worked with a group of citizens in Fayetteville, Arkansas who were fighting a woman who was leading a campaign to get any books that dealt with “sex” out of the school libraries.  The group addressed the school board in a kind of town hall meeting, and won their battle.  It was wonderful to see a community group rise in support of books, the right to read, and the right to seek information.

I was also an expert witness to the Annie on My Mind censorship trial in Olathe, Kansas. High school students sued the superintendent of schools after he pulled the book from the library shelves.  Garden’s book had been in the library for ten years, and there had never been a question until a gay/lesbian group wanted to gift the book to the school library. That made the superintendent nervous, and he dismissed the selection policy and the materials review policy, and banned the book. The students were brilliant, and they won the case.

MLB: Have there been any crushing defeats?

PS: Yes.  The Miami-Dade Public Schools removed Vamos a Cuba because they didn’t think it accurately represented life in the Communist country.  They cited the cover of the book where a young boy is smiling.  “No child would smile under the Castro regime.” There were other complaints: “Only the rich would wear the festival dress.” “The boy pulling the oxen was too clean and neat and didn’t represent hard work.”  The Florida ACLU took the case to court, and they called me as an expert witness. We won the case in the federal district court, but the school district appealed.  The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is very conservative, and they ruled that the school board had not violated anyone’s First Amendment rights.  The book was permanently removed.

MLB: Is there an ongoing battle that you feel is especially important?

PS: We still deal with issues related to “labeling” of content in books, and restricting students to books on their “reading level” in school and public libraries.  This is extremely troubling, because this restricts young readers’ access to books they want, or information they need.  There are documented cases where books have been removed from a library based solely on a Common Sense Media review.  This site uses emoticons to label controversial issues in books and media.  It’s all taken out of context, and the folks working for them aren’t professionals. There are other websites that label in much the same way.

There have been many censorship cases related to “reading levels.”  Parents and teachers want their really “good” readers to read books that have “high reading levels.”  Sometimes these books are too mature for the reader.  For example, a newspaper in Arizona interviewed me when The Perks of Being a Wallflower was banned in an elementary school in Apache Junction.  The school had purchased the book because Accelerated Reader put it on the fourth-grade reading level.  This case prompted the State Superintendent to send a letter of “warning” to all school libraries in the state.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower isn’t appropriate for fourth-grade, and shouldn’t have been purchased for the elementary school.

No librarian should ever allow any company to determine what they purchase for their library.  We have a number of professional review journals to guide us.

MLB: What can we do to help?

PS: Talk the Talk.  Walk the Walk.  DO NOT succumb to pressure from organizations from the “right” or the “left.”  Review your selection policies and make sure they include statements related to “controversial” materials and cultural and historical accuracy.  Then stick to your policies.

Encourage state library associations to sponsor programs; enroll in webinars about the issues; write blogs and articles for journals and newsletters; and, sponsor Banned Books Week activities for kids and adults to make them aware of the issues.

Pat’s regular column in School Library Journal, Scales on Censorship, is a valuable resource for reasoned, practical responses to intellectual freedom concerns. Questions can be sent to [email protected].

Thank you, Pat!

The post A Talk With Pat Scales appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Is your library’s children’s book collection languishing for lack of funds?

There’s still time to apply for a 2016 Bookapalooza Grant!

Each year the ALSC office receives almost 3,000 newly published books, videos, audio books, and recordings from children’s trade publishers. The materials are primarily for children age birth through fourteen and are submitted to ALSC award and media evaluation selection committees for award and notables consideration. After each ALA Midwinter Meeting in January, these materials (published in the preceding year) need to be removed from the ALSC office to make room for a new year of publications.

The Bookapalooza Program was created to find new homes for these materials. ALSC will select three libraries to receive a Bookapalooza collection of materials to be used in a way that creatively enhances their library service to children and families.

Applying for a Bookapalooza grant involves demonstrating your library’s need and showing how the influx of materials will enhance service to your community.
One tip to potential applicants: We are looking for creative and innovative ways to use the collection, but we are hoping that the books will enhance your library service for years to come, rather than merely serve as give-aways.

Find out more about the grant criteria and application requirements at http://www.ala.org/alsc/bookapalooza-program

Applications close on February 1, 2016.

— Sondra Eklund for the ALSC Grants Administration Committee

The post There’s still time to apply for a 2016 Bookapalooza Grant! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

The post The YMAs illustrated! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

In less than 24 hours, the Youth Media Awards will be announced at #alamw16. Hundreds and hundreds of librarians will be at the press conference. They will be eagerly anticipating the announcement of the 2016 Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Printz, Pura Belpré, Sibert, Geisel, Schneider Family, and more.  The excitement is building in Boston as children’s librarians engage in animated discussions about titles they read and loved over the course of the year.

Are you excited? Will you be participating in the YMA Pajama Party from your home? Do you have a title you are hoping, hoping, hoping will take home a medal? Let us know in the comments below.

Meanwhile, check out some of the results of Mock Elections from around the country.

The post Are you ready for the Youth Media Awards? appeared first on ALSC Blog.

ALSC is pleased to honor Pat Scales with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award (photo credit Pat Scales)

Pat Scales is the 2016 recipient of the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) Distinguished Service Award. This prestigious award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to library service to children and to ALSC.

This year’s recipient, Pat Scales, is a former middle school and high school librarian who is an independent consultant, author, and active member of ALSC and ALA.

Throughout her career, Scales has been a passionate advocate for children’s intellectual freedom. She works to educate librarians, teachers, and parents on how to talk about books and teach life lessons through sharing books.

Scales’ involvement with children, libraries and ALSC spans 38 years. She served as ALSC President in 2008-2009 and also served as chair of many ALSC award committees including the Newbery, Caldecott, and Wilder award committees. “My first ALA was in 1977, and I learned at that conference that ALSC was my professional home,” said Scales. “My work with intellectual freedom has been for the thousands of students that I have served and the youth of this nation who deserve the right for free expression in its many forms. ALSC has given me the platform for this work.”

As an authority on censorship and children’s literature, she has published three books and is a contributor for Random House, Library School Journal, and Book Links. She has also been called upon as an expert witness by ALA to defend the Library Bill of Rights in book challenges.

“Pat Scales is not only a champion for children’s freedom to read,” said chair Katrina Hartz Taylor, “but she is also a champion for the teachers, librarians, and authors who provide the array of books that children need in order to grow and understand their world.”

ALSC is pleased to honor Pat Scales with the 2016 Distinguished Service Award.

ALSC, a division of the ALA, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit ALSC’s website at www.ala.org/alsc.

The 2016 ALSC Distinguished Service Award Committee includes: Chair, Katrina Hartz Taylor, Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Library; Carolyn R. Angus, Mountain View, Calif.; Connie J. Champlin, Cape Cod, Mass.; Julie Corsaro, Williamsburg, Va.; Ellen G. Fader, Portland, Ore.

The post Scales is 2016 ALSC Distinguished Service Award recipient #alamw16 appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Micki Freeney, the chair of the 2016 Notable Children’s Books Committee, and the entire NCB committee, invite you to join them at their Midwinter discussions, taking place in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Room 162AB on:

Friday, January 8, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 9, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, January 10, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Monday, January 11, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The complete discussion list is below. Titles with an asterisk indicate that the book was already discussed at the Annual Conference last summer.

PICTURE BOOKS

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

8: An Animal Alphabet by Elisha Cooper. Scholastic Inc,/Orchard Books.

A B See by Elizabeth Doyle. Simon & Schuster/Little Simon.

Ask Me by Bernard Waber. Illus. by Suzy Lee. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Ballet Cat: The Totally Secret Secret by Bob Shea. Disney/Hyperion

Bear and Hare Go Fishing by Emily Gravett. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

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

Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep by Todd Tarpley. Illus. by John Rocco. Little Brown and Company.

Big Bear, Little Chair by Lizi Boyd. Chronicle Books.

Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.

*Click! by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Holiday House.

Counting Lions by Katie Cotton. Illus. by Stephen Walton. Candlewick Press.

Crybaby by Karen Beaumont. Illus. by Eugene Yelchin. Macmillan/ Henry Holt and Company.

Double Happiness by Nancy Tupper Ling. Illus. by Alina Chau. Chronicle Books.

Drive: A Look at Roadside Opposites by Kellen Hatanaka. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.

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

Families, Families, Families by Suzanne Lang. Illus. by Max Lang. Random House.

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

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick. Illus. by Sophie Blackall. Little Brown and Company.

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

Float by Daniel Miyares. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

The Fly by Petr Horáček. Illus. by the author. Candlewick Press

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

Friendshape by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic Press.

*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.

Have You Seen My Monster? by Steve Light. Candlewick Press.

Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise by Sean Taylor. Illus. by Jean Jullien. Candlewick Press.

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

Hurry Home, Hedgehog! A Bilingual Book of Sounds by Belle Yang. Candlewick Press.

I (Don’t) Like Snakes by Nicola Davies. Illus. by Luciano Lozano. Candlewick Press.

I Yam a Donkey by Cece Bell. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.

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

*In by Nikki McClure. Abrams/Appleseed.

In a Village by the Sea by Muon Van. Illus. by April Chu. Creston Books.

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

The King and the Sea: 21 Extremely Short Stories by Heinz Janisch. Illus. by Wolf Erlbruch. Translated by Sally-Ann Spencer. Gecko Press.

Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story by Reem Faruqi. Illus by Lea Lyon. Tilbury House Publishers.

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

Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead. Illus. by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook Press.

Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett. Illus. by Christian Robinson. Chronicle Books.

Lillian’s Right to Vote by Jonah Winter. Illus. by Shane W. Evans. Random House/Schwartz & Wade.

Look! by Jeff Mack. Penguin Group/Philomel Books.

Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat. Illus. by Leslie Staub. Penguin/Dial Books.

Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina. Illus. by Angela Dominguez. Candlewick Press.

Maya’s Blanket/La Manta de Maya by Monica Brown. Illus. by David Diaz. Translated by Adriana Domingue. Lee & Low Books/Children’s Book Press.

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

Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano. Illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

The Moon Is Going to Addy’s House by Ida Pearle. Illus. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.

Moving Blocks by Yosuke Yonezu. Michael Neugebauer Publishing Ltd./Minedition

Mr. Squirrel and the Moon by Sebastian Meschenmoser. Translated by David Henry Wilson. NorthSouth Books.

My Cousin Momo by Zachariah OHora. Dial Books for Young Readers.

*My Pen by Christopher Myers. Disney/Hyperion.

My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald, iIlus. by Freya Blackwood. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

My Wild Family by Laurent Moreau. Chronicle Books.

The New Small Person by Lauren Child. Candlewick Press.

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

The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein. Little Brown and Company.

On the Ball by Brian Pinkney. Disney-Hyperion.

One Family by George Shannon. Illus. by Blanca Gómez. Farrar Straus Giroux/Frances Foster Books.

One Word from Sophia by Jim Averbeck. Illus. by Yasmeen Ismail. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Richard Simon and Tanya Simon. Illus. by Mark Siegel. Roaring Brook Press.

Outstanding in the Rain: A Whole Story with Holes by Frank Viva. Little Brown and Company.

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

The Plan by Alison Paul. Illus. by Barbara Lehman. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

* Poem in Your Pocket by Margaret McNamara. Illus. by G. Brian Karas. Random House/Schwartz & Wade Books.

Pool by JiHyeon Lee. Chronicle Books.

The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton. Scholastic Press/Arthur A. Levine Books.

The Queen’s Hat by Steve Antony. Scholastic Press.

Red by Jan De Kinder. Translated by Laura Watkinson. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

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

Roger Is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen. Translated by Laura Watkinson. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

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

*Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson. Illus. by Sydney Smith. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.

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

The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche, Enchanted Lion Books.

Special Delivery by Philip C. Stead. Illus. by Matthew Cordell. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.

*Spectacular Spots by Susan Stockdale. Peachtree.

Spots in a Box by Helen Ward. Candlewick Press/Templar Books.

Squid Kid the Magnificent by Lynne Berry. Illus. by Luke LaMarca. Disney/Hyperion.

Stella Brings the Family by Miriam B. Schiffer. Illus. by Holly Clifton-Brown. Chronicle Books.

*Stormy Night by Salina Yoon. Bloomsbury.

Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev. Illus. by Taeeun Yoo. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books.

*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.

Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell. Little Brown and Company.

That’s (Not) Mine by Anna Kang. Illus. by Christopher Weyant. Two Lions.

This Is Sadie by Sarah O’Leary. Illus. by Julie Morstad. Random House/Tundra Books.

Tiptoe Tapirs by Hanmin Kim, translated by Sera Lee. Illus. by Hanmin Kim. Holiday House.

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

Toys Meet Snow: Being the Wintertime Adventures by Emily Jenkins. Illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky. Random House/Schwartz & Wade Books.

Two Mice by Sergio Ruzzier. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.

Two White Rabbits by Jairo Buitrago. Illus. by Rafael Yockteng. Translated by Elisa Amado. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.

Wait by Antoinette Portis. Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.

Waiting by Kevin Henkes. HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books.

We Dig Worms! by Kevin McCloskey. Toon Books.

*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.

Where’s the Baboon? by Michaël Escoffier. Illus. by Kris Di Giacomo. Enchanted Lion Books.

Where’s Walrus? and Penguin? by Stephen Savage. Scholastic Press.

The Whisper by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

The White Book by Silvia Borando, Elisabetta Pica and Lorenzo Clerici. Candlewick Press.

Who Done It? by Oliver Tallec. Chronicle Books.

Whose Tools? by Toni Buzzeo. IIllus. by Jim Datz. Abrams/Appleseed.

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman. Illus. by Zachariah OHora. Little Brown and Company.

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

Yard Sale by Eve Bunting. Illus. by Lauren Castillo. Candlewick Press.

Zen Socks by Jon J. Muth. Scholastic Press.

FICTION (INCLUDING FICTION, VERSE NOVELS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS)

Adventures with Waffles by Maria Parr. Translated by Guy Puzey. Illus. by Kate Forrester. Candlewick Press.

All the Answers by Kate Messner. Bloomsbury.

Another Kind of Hurricane by Tamara Ellis Smith. Random House/Schwartz & Wade Books.

Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan. Illus. by Gary A. Rosen. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.

*Audacity by Melanie Crowder. Penguin/Philomel Books.

Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola. Illus. by Emily Carroll. Candlewick Press.

The Bamboo Sword by Marge Preus. Abrams/Amulet Books.

*Bayou Magic by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Little Brown and Company.

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

Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands. Simon & Schuster/Alladin.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman. Henry Holt & Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley. Illus. by Diana Sudyka. Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers.

Completely Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. Illus. by Marla Frazee. Disney/Hyperion.

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

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge. Abrams/Amulet Books.

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Henry Holt and Company.

Dear Hank Williams by Kimberly Willis Holt. Henry Holt and Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.

Detective Gordon: The First Case by Ulf Nilsson. Illus. by Gitte Spee. Translated by Julia Marshall. Gecko Press.

Detective’s Assistant by Kate Hannigan. Little Brown and Company.

The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon. HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books.

*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.

Dream On, Amber by Emma Shevah. Illus. by Helen Crawford-White. Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky.

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

*Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks. Henry Holt and Company.

Finding the Worm by Mark Goldblatt. Random House.

Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee. Illus. by Christopher Denise. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

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

Flop to the Top! by Eleanor Davis and Drew Weing. Toon Books.

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

Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar. Random House Children’s Books/Delacorte Press.

George by Alex Gino. Scholastic Press.

Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia. HarperCollins/Amistad.

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead. Random House/Wendy Lamb Books.

The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War by multiple authors. Illus. by Jim Kay. Candlewick Press.

Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon. Penguin Group/Dial Books for Young Readers.

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord. Scholastic Press.

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson. Illus. by David Shannon. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz. Candlewick Press.

*Honey by Sarah Weeks. Scholastic Press.

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

Juba! by Walter Dean Myers. HarperCollins/Armistad.

The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste. Algonquin Young Readers.

The Lightning Queen by Laura Resau. Scholastic Press.

*Listen, Slowly by Thanhhà Lại. HarperCollins.

Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends.

Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure by Nadja Spiegelman. Illus. by Segio García Sánchez. TOON Graphics.

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff. Penguin Group/Philomel.

The Lunch Witch by Deb Lucke. Papercutz.

Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall. HarperCollins Publishers.

The Marvels by Brian Selznick. Scholastic Press,

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

Moonpenny Island by Tricia Springstubb. Illus. by Gilbert Ford. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray.

Murder Is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

A Nearer Moon by Melanie Crowder. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books.

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel. Illus. by Jon Klassen. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Nooks & Crannies by Jessica Lawson. Illus. by Natalie Andrewson. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

The Only Child by Guojing. Random House/Schwartz & Wade.

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion .
Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. Candlewick Press.

*The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.

Piper Green and the Fairy Tree by Ellen Potter. Illus. by Qin Leng. Knopf Books for Young Reader.

*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 Books for Young Readers.

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

The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.

Shadows of Sherwood: A Robyn Hoodlum Adventure by Kekla Magoon. Bloomsbury.

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

The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems. Illus. by Tony DiTerlizzi. Disney/Hyperion.

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer Holm. Illus. by Matthew Holm. Scholastic Graphix.

The Tale of Rescue by Michael J. Rosen. Illus. by Stan Fellows. Candlewick Press.

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin. Little, Brown and Company.

*This Side of Home by Renée Watson. Bloomsbury.

The Tortoise and the Soldier: A Story of Courage and Friendship in World War I by Michael Foreman. Henry Holt and Company.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee. Penguin/G P Putnam’s Sons.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones. Illus. by Katie Kath. Random House/Alfred A. Knopf.

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

The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang. Scholastic Press.

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielson. Random House/Wendy Lamb Books.

*Wish Girl by Nikki Loftin. Penguin/Razorbill.

Written and Drawn by Henrietta by Ricardo Siri Liniers. Toon Books.

INFORMATION PICTURE BOOKS

The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch by Chris Barton. Illus. by Don Tate. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns by Betsy R. Rosenthal. Illus. by Jago. Lerner Publishing Group/Millbrook Press.

The Blue Whale by Jenni Desmond. Enchanted Lion Books.

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson. lllus. by R. Gregory Christie. Lerner Publishing Group/Carolrhoda Books.

A Chicken Followed Me Home! Questions and Answers about Familiar Fowl by Robin Page. Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane Books.

*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.

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

The Flying Birds by Eun-sun Han. Illus. by R. Ju-kyoung Kim. TanTan Publishing.

Frederick’s Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass by Doreen Rappaport. Disney/Jump at the Sun.

Game Changer: John McLendon and the Secret Game by John Coy. Illus. by Randy DuBurke. Lerner Publishing Group/Carolrhoda Books.

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

Growing Up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made It from the Dominican Republic All the Way to the Major Leagues by Matt Tavares. Candlewick Press.

Hippos Are Huge! by Jonathan London. Illus. by Matthew Trueman. Candlewick Press.

The House That Jane Built: A Story about Jane Addams by Tanya Lee Stone. Illus. by Kathryn Brown. Henry Holt and Company/Christy Ottaviano Books.

How to Swallow a Pig: Step-by-step Advice from the Animal Kingdom by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

I’m Trying to Love Spiders (It Isn’t Easy) by Bethany Barton. Penguin Group/Viking.

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

My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle’s Journey to Alvin Ailey by Lesa Cline-Ransome. Illus. by James E. Ransome. Simon & Schuster Books for Young People/A Paula Wiseman Book.

A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston. Illus. by Sylvia Long. Chronicle Books.

The Nutcracker Comes To America: How Three Ballet-Loving Brothers Created A Holiday Tradition by Chris Barton. Illus. by Cathy Gendron. Lerner Publishing Group/Millbrook Press.

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

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate. Peachtree Publishers.

Queen of the Diamond: The Lizzie Murphy Story by Emily Arnold McCully. Farrar Strauss Giroux/Margaret Ferguson Books.

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

Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith. iIlus. by Giuliano Ferri. Two Lions.

Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder. Illus. by Julie Morstad. Chronicle Books.

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

Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree by Kate Messner. Illus. by Simona Mulazzani. Chronicle Books.

*Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Abram Books.

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner. Illus. by Christopher Silis Neal. Chronicle Books.

Water Is Water: A Book about the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul. Illus. by Jason Chin. Roaring Book Press/A Neal Porter Book.

Woodpecker Wham! by April Pulley Sayre. Illus. by Steve Jenkins. Henry Holt and Company.

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 Boy Who Fell off the Mayflower, or John Howland’s Good Fortune by P.J. Lynch. Candlewick Press.

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose. Farrar Straus Giroux.

Breakthrough! How Three People Saved “Blue Babies” and Changed Medicine Forever by Jim Murphy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion Books.

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

Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War by Jessica Dee Humphreys & Michel Chikwanine, Illus. by Claudia Dάvila. Kids Can Press/CitizenKids

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Emu by Claire Saxby. Illus. by Graham Byrne. Candlewick Press.

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

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Extraordinary People: A Semi-Comprehensive Guide to Some of the World’s Most Fascinating Individuals by Michael Hearst. Illus. by Aaron Scamihorn. Chronicle 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.

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh. Abrams Books for Young Readers.

Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illus. by Jamey Christoph. Albert Whitman and Company.

Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash. Candlewick Press.

Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks. Roaring Brook Press/First Second.

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, with Liz Welch. Little Brown and Company.

The Inker’s Shadow by Allen Say. Scholastic Press.

The Inventor’s Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford by Suzanne Slade. Illus. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt. Charlesbridge Publishing.

Ira’s Shakespeare Dream by Glenda Armand. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. Lee and Low Books.

Iron Rails, Iron Men, and the Race to Link the Nation: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad by Martin W. Sandler. Illus. by Karen Minot (map illustrations). Candlewick Press.

Lincoln’s Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, America’s First Private Eye by Samantha Seiple. Scholastic Press.

Mad about Monkeys by Owen Davey. Flying Eye Books.

March: Book Two by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Illus. by Nate Powell. Top Shelf Productions.

Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France by Mara Rockliff. Illus. by Iacopo Bruno. Candlewick Press.

The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Z. Guiberson. Illus. by Gennady Spirin. Henry Holt and Company.

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook Press.

The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk by Sy Montgomery. Photos by Keith Ellenbogen.

*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.

Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip through the Motown Sound by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Roaring Brook Press.

Sand Swimmers: The Secret Life of Australia’s Desert Wilderness by Narelle Oliver. Candlewick Press.

Sex Is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg. Illus. by Fiona Smyth. Seven Stories Press/Triangle Square.

Spidermania: Friends on the Web by Alexandra Siy. Illus. by Dennis Kunkel. Holiday House.

Steve Jobs: Insanely Great by Jessie Hartland. Random House/Schwartz & Wade Books.

Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press.

Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Tommy: The Gun that Changed America by Karen Blumenthal. Roaring Brook Press.

A Tower of Giraffes: Animals in Groups by Anna Wright. Charlesbridge Publishing.

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

*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 Underground Abductor: An Abolitionist Tale by Nathan Hale. Abrams/Amulet Books.

Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey. National Geographic.

Welcome to New Zealand: A Nature Journal by Sandra Morris. Candlewick Press.

A Year without Mom by Dasha Tolstikova. House of Anansi Press/Groundwood Books.

POETRY

Amazing Places. Compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illus. by Chris Soentpiet & Christy Hale. Lee & Low Books.

Beastly Verse. Compiled and illustrated by JooHee Yoon. Enchanted Lion Books.

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

Flutter & Hum = Aleteo y zumbido: Animal Poems = Poemas de animals. Complied by Julie Paschkis. Illlus. by Julie Paschkis. Henry Holt & Company.

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

My Seneca Village by Marilyn Nelson. Namelos.

National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry: More than 200 Poems With Photographs That Float, Zoom, and Bloom! Compiled by J. Patrick Lewis. National Geographic.

Over the Hills and Far Away: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. Compiled by Elizabeth Hammill. Illus. by multiple artists. Candlewick Press.

The Popcorn Astronauts: And Other Biteable Rhymes by Deborah Ruddell. Illus. by Joan Rankin. Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Sail Away by Langston Hughes. Illus. by Ashley Bryan. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books.

The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist by Margarita Engle. Illus. by Aliona Bereghici. Two Lions.

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford. Illus. by Ekua Holmes. Candlewick Press.

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You might also be interested in looking at the 2016 Notable Children’s Sound Recordings discussion list which was posted on Tuesday and the 2016 Notable Children’s Videos discussion list which was posted yesterday afternoon.

The post Notable Children’s Books — 2016 Discussion List appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Every year libraries and schools around the United States offer Mock Election programs in preparation for the annual Youth Media Awards. These discussions are a great opportunity for children’s literature aficionados to gather and talk about a topic they love and to learn more about some of the great, recently published books for kids.

We are developing a page on the ALSC Blog with many of the results from this year’s Mock Elections around the country. Check it out here. You can also find this tab on the homepage of the ALSC Blog.

So far, we have some results from:

• Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Eastern Shore Libraries
• Lane Libraries, the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, and other nearby schools in southwest Ohio
• Massachusetts Library System

We’d love to include your Mock Election. If you are willing to have us post your results, just send off the names of your mock winner and honor titles to [email protected] with other pertinent information you would like to share, including the name of your library, your city/state, a url to your library and/or Mock Election site, the number of participants, and a contact name & email for further information.

We look forward to posting a wide variety of results. Check back often to see what titles libraries and schools are selecting this year in their Youth Media Award Mock Elections. And stay tuned to find out the real winners as they are announced at the Midwinter Conference on January 11, 2016 in Boston.

The post Mock Election Results appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Start 2016 fresh with new skills and program ideas!

Registration for Winter 2016 ALSC online courses is now open. Classes begin Monday, January 4, 2016.

One of the courses being offered this semester are eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options.

It’s Mutual: School and Public Library Collaboration
6 weeks, January 4 – February 12, 2016
Instructor: Rachel Reinwald, School Liaison and Youth Services Librarian, Lake Villa District Library

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Programs Made Easy
4 weeks, January 4 – 29, 2016, CEU Certified Course, 1.2 CEUs
Instructor: Angela Young, Head of Children’s Department, Reed Memorial Library

The Sibert Medal: Evaluating Books of Information
6 weeks, January 4 – February 12, 2016
Instructor: Kathleen T. Horning, Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin- Madison

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website at www.ala.org/alsced. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Figliulo, 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.

Image courtesy of ALSC.

The post New Semester of ALSC Online Courses! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

ALA Student-to-Staffers: Where are you now?

Way back in June of 2007, I had the honor of representing TWU’s School of Library and Information Science at ALA Annual in Washington, DC.  I was a member of ALA’s Student-to-Staff (S2S) Program, with assignment to the ALSC Division.  If you’ve never heard of the S2S program, you can read about it here.  There are 56 active ALA Student Chapter Groups at accredited graduate schools.  Each is entitled to submit one name for consideration for the program.  Schools have varying criteria. My school chose the student – me  based on an essay contest.  Others have different criteria, but the end result is that 40 promising students receive a free trip to ALA Annual in exchange for working with  ALA staff during the week.  I was able to choose with whom I wanted to work. An aspiring children’s librarian, naturally, I chose ALSC.

It was my first connection with the national community of librarians.  It was during my week as an ALA S2S er, that I first met ALSC’s own Aimee Strittmatter, Laura Schulte-Cooper, and Marsha Burgess, and I began my continuing association with the division. I wrote a piece about my experience for  ALSConnect, now called ALSC Matters. (I am no less bright-eyed and bushy-tailed now.)

If you know someone in grad school right now, do them a favor and let them know about the S2S program.  If you participated in the S2S program, give a shout out!  Did you work for ALSC at the conference?  When or where did you attend?  How wonderful was it?

(The Student-to-Staff Program was established in 1973. There should be a lot of us out there!)

The post Student-to-Staffers: Where are you now? appeared first on ALSC Blog.

Last year, the ALSC’s 11 endowments disbursed more than $51,971 to award and support authors, librarians, and library programs across the country dedicated to children’s services. The first ALSC endowment fund to be established was the Melcher Scholarship, announced in 1955, while the newest is the Carole D. Fiore ALSC Leadership Fund, established in 2009. The ALSC endowments all together have increased in value from $1,687,372 in 2005 to $2,684,430 in 2015. These endowments often bear names that are familiar to ALSC members: Arbuthnot, Belpré, and Wilder. However, several of these funds were started by names that are not so familiar. For example, in 1986 the Antonio Mayorgas Estate gave ALSC an unrestricted gift, which was used to establish the ALSC Distinguished Service Award. The amount that ALSC is able to spend each year is based on a formula used by ALA. It is a percentage of the quarterly balances over five years. In fact, that is precisely what distinguishes endowments from other types of funds: They are intended to preserve the long-term viability of the initiatives they support and are not intended to be spent down to zero. How long have these endowments been in place? Who started them? And who exactly do they target? Here’s a closer look:

ALSC Distinguished Service Award Fund

Kathleen T. Horning, director of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is recipient of the 2015 ALSC Distinguished Service Award. Photo credit: J. Matzner.

Founded: 1986
Benefactor: Unrestricted gift by the Antonio Mayorgas Estate
Purpose: In 1991, the Board established the DSA to honor an individual member of the ALSC who has made significant contributions to, and had an impact on, library services to children and ALSC.
Award: $2,000 and an engraved pin.
Past recipients: The first winner was William C. Morris and the most recent was Kathleen T. Horning.
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/profawards/distinguishedservice

Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Fund

May Hill Arbuthnot (1884-1969), along with educator William Scott Gray, wrote the “Dick and Jane” series published by Scott, Foresman and Company. Her greatest contribution to children’s literature was her book “Children and Books,” first published in 1947. Photo credit: ALSC.

Founded: 2002
Benefactor: The ALSC Board, via an approved net asset balance transfer from the operating budget. The lecture series was originally funded through the sponsorship of the Scott, Foresman Company starting in 1970 through the late 1990’s.
Purpose: For the presentation of a paper considered to a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature by an author, critic, librarian, and/or historian at the Arbuthnot Lecture series.
Award: $2,000 honorarium and travel expenses for lecturer; $2,000 support to the lecture host site. ALSC board has plans to build the endowment to support a $5,000 honorarium within the next five years.
Past recipients: In 2015, Brian Selznick presented “Love Is a Dangerous Angel: Thoughts on Queerness and Family in Children’s Books.”
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/arbuthnot

Belpré Award Fund

Duncan Tonatiuh accepts a 2015 Belpré honor plaque for Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation with (l to r) Silvia Cisneros, 2014-15 REFORMA president, Sylvia Mendez, subject of the Honor Book, and Ellen Riordan, 2014-15 ALSC president. (Photo courtesy of ALSC)

Founded: 1996
Benefactor: The ALSC Board authorized transfers from the operating budget’s net asset balance, ALSC and REFORMA members, and other individual and corporate donors.
Purpose: Support the expenses related to administering the Pura Belpré Awards. The awards honor Latino/Latina writers and illustrators whose work best celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of children’s or youth literature. This award is co-sponsored by ALSC and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA), an ALA affiliate.
Award: A medal for the winners; award plaques for Honor Book authors and illustrators.
Past recipients: Author Meg Medina for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass in 2014 and illustrator Raul Colón for, Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart in 2006.
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal

Children’s Library Services Endowment

Founded: 1982
Benefactor: Helen L. Knight
Purpose: To support long and short term projects and programs of the ALSC
Award: Funding up to $1,500 in a given year to a specific ALSC committee; Board authorized expenditures to support programmatic activity.
Past recipients: School-Age Programs and Services Committee designed and produced the brochure “Great Early Elementary Reads;” funded attendance for an Advocacy and Legislation Committee member during the 2015 National Library Legislation Day in Washington, D.C.; and funded the design and printing of a toolkit created by the Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee.
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/alsc-childrens-library-services-fund

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award Fund

2015 Geisel Award winners, Anna Kang (l) and Christopher Weyant (r), with Geisel Committee Chair Kevin Delecki (c). Photo credit: ALSC.

Founded: 2005
Benefactor: San Diego Foundation’s Dr. Seuss Fund; Random House
Purpose: The Geisel Award is given annually to the authors and illustrators of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
Award: A medal for the winners; certificates for Honor Book authors and illustrators.
Past recipients: Mo Willems has won the award twice (2008, 2010) and honored five times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/geiselaward

Frederic G. Melcher Scholarship Fund

Frederic G. Melcher. Photo credit: ALA.

Founded: 1955
Benefactor: various members, including the publishers of each year’s Newbery and Caldecott awards.
Purpose: To fund scholarships for two graduate students pursuing an MLS degree with a focus on children’s librarianship.
Award: two $7,500 scholarships; increased from $6,000 in 2015.
Past recipients: 2015 recipients: Elizabeth Pearce and Melody Tsz-Way Leung
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/scholarships

William C. Morris Endowment Fund

Morris Endowment Fund logo, designed by William Joyce for ALSC. ©ALA/ALSC.

Founded: 2000
Benefactor: Bequest of William C. Morris with principal of $400,000.
Purpose: To fund programs, publications, events, or awards in promotion of children’s literature. The Bill Morris Book and Media Evaluation Seminar, held at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, and Breakfast with Bill, held at the ALSC Institute in alternating years, are supported by this endowment.
Award: In addition to supporting the events noted above, the Fund provides a $200 stipend for selected attendees to defray hotel and other expenses for the Bill Morris Seminar.
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/william-c-morris-endowment-activities

The Charlemae Rollins Fund

Charlemae Rollins (photo courtesy of ALSC)

Founded: 1982
Benefactor: The ALSC Board and various members.
Purpose: Enhancement of the quality of the ALSC President’s Program.
Past events: ALSC President Ellen Riordan’s 2015 President’s Program brought Melissa Sweet and Judy Cheatham to speak about, “More to the Core: From the Craft of Nonfiction to the Expertise in the Stacks.”
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/aboutalsc/coms/pg4orgsupport/als-charoll

Wilder Award Fund

Karen Nelson Hoyle, chair of the 2015 Wilder Award Committee, and Donald Crews, winner of the 2015 Wilder Award. (Photo courtesy of ALSC)

Founded: 2000
Benefactor: The ALSC Board.
Purpose: To support the administration of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award.
Award: A bronze medal, honors 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. The award is given annually.
Past recipients: The first Wilder Award was presented to Wilder herself in 1954; Donald Crews received the Award in 2015.
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/wildermedal

Carnegie Fund

2015 Carnegie Medal winners, Paul Gagne (l) and Melissa Reilly Ellard (r), of Weston Woods, with Carnegie Committee Chair, Caitlin Dixon Jacobson (c). Photo credit: ALSC.

Founded: 1989
Benefactor: The Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of the Carnegie Video for Youth grant.
Purpose: To establish and endow the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video.
Award: The Carnegie Medal is presented annually to an American producer for the outstanding video production for children released in the United States in the previous calendar year.
Past recipients: Weston Woods (most recently 2015), Katja Torneman (2013), Aviator Films/Hyperion Studio (2002), What a Gal Productions (1997)
Website: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/carnegiemedal

Carole D. Fiore ALSC Leadership Fund

Photo courtesy of Carole Fiore

Founded: 2009
Benefactor: Carole D. and Stan Fiore
Purpose: To enhance leadership development with ALSC by offering activities to develop members who have an interest in and commitment to the American Library Association and ALSC as future leaders.
Award: None to date, while the principal builds. We expect to award the first leadership activity to take place in 2016.

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Our post today was written by the ALSC Budget Committee. If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

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Wow! What great informational books for kids we’re seeing this year! You’ve been reading them too- what about that fabulous science book and that verse novel that actually teaches you something and the silly, silly tale about just how that tricky bit of of physics actually works? Oh, and don’t forget that one about the kid growing up a long time ago – and by the time you finished it, you knew some of the favorite songs of the era, how far the medical system had advanced – and why they called them – whatever. The Sibert Committee has been reading all these books too and would love to know which ones you want us to take a second, or third, look at. You’ll have to wait until January to hear our final decisions, but please send your ideas our way. While we won’t be breathing a word of our favorites, why not make sure your favorites have caught our attention? Send them along by November 15th to Elizabeth Overmyer, Chair, 2016 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Committee, [email protected].

If you’d like to refresh your understanding of the Sibert criteria, they are available here: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal/sibertterms/sibertmedaltrms.

Happy reading!

— Elizabeth Overmyer, Chair
2016 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Committee

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Love the ALSC awards? Sign up for two upcoming ALSC online courses taught by K.T. Horning! Learn about the history, terms, and definitions of these two great awards. Each of these six-week classes are open for registration. Hurry, registration is limited!

Winter 2016

The Sibert Medal: Evaluating Books of Information
January 4 – February 12, 2016

Spring 2016

The Caldecott Medal: Understanding Distinguished Art in Picture Books
April 4 – May 13, 2016

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC Online Learning section of the ALSC website.

Image courtesy of ALSC

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Get your application in for an ALSC professional award today! (image courtesy ALSC)

It’s ALSC professional award season and our goal this year is to see you apply for one of these great grants and scholarships. To help you understand why, we’ve prepared a list of the top ten reasons why you should apply for award or grant this fall!

1. Programs are expense

ALSC has a bunch of great grants that will help cover the cost of materials, speakers fees, and other assorted costs.

2. Your boss will love it

Nothing says, go-getter like going and getting a grant or award. Especially for early-career professionals! Go get ’em!

3. Your community will love it

Awards and grants are great public relations fodder. When you win, you can share the news with your local newspaper. Brag a little!

4. A gateway to becoming more involved

ALSC professional award winners are in a special community among themselves. Winning an award with ALSC shows that you are ready for bigger things. Think of the places you’ll go, for instance, if you won the Bechtel Fellowship and spent four week studying children’s literature at the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library!

5. Take advantage of membership

Most ALSC professional awards are open to ALSC members, so make sure to use this benefit to your advantage.

6. Host a famous author or illustrator

This is specific to one amazing award…the Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award. You could bring a recognized author/illustrator to your school or library!

7. Showcase your great ideas

Think you have a really innovative and exceptional program? This is a great way to show it off. Apply for a grant like the Light the Way or Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant which recognize outstanding ideas.

8. We tailored these specifically to librarians involved in youth services

You’re probably already doing these things in your library, so why not get recognized for it?

9. You can also recognize someone else!

The ALSC Distinguished Service Award recognizes an ALSC member who has made significant contributions to and an impact on, library services to children and ALSC. Know someone like that? Nominate him or her!

10. Money doesn’t grow on trees..nor do books!

Maybe your parents told you this at one point, but it’s true! ALSC grants and awards are a great way to supplement your library budget. If you’re in a small library that wants to build your collection, consider applying for the Bookapalooza program (applications open soon)!

Hurry! Many ALSC professional awards have deadlines of November 1, 2015. 

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Get your application in for an ALSC professional award today! (image courtesy ALSC)

Fall is professional award season for ALSC. Every year, more than $100,000 is given away through ALSC’s professional awards, grants, and scholarships. These funds are awarded to deserving individuals and libraries across the country. ALSC has several awards to choose from:

Applications open!

• The Penguin Young Readers Group Award – Due Oct. 1, 2015
• Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Distinguished Service Award – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• ALSC Baker & Taylor Summer Reading Grant – Due Nov. 1, 2015
• The Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award – Due Nov. 1, 2015

Opening soon!

• Light the Way: Library Outreach to the Underserved Grant
• Bookapalooza

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ALSC encourages participants to sign up for Fall 2015 ALSC online courses. Registration is open for all courses. Classes begin Monday, September 14, 2015.

One of the courses being offered this semester is eligible for continuing education units (CEUs). The American Library Association (ALA) has been certified to provide CEUs by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). ALSC online courses are designed to fit the needs of working professionals. Courses are taught by experienced librarians and academics. As participants frequently noted in post-course surveys, ALSC stresses quality and caring in its online education options. For more information on ALSC online learning, please visit: www.ala.org/alsced

It’s Mutual: School and Public Library Collaboration
6 weeks, September 14 –October 23, 2015
Instructor: Rachel Reinwald, School Liaison/Youth Services Librarian, Lake Villa District Library

Storytelling with Puppets
4 weeks, September 14 – October 9, 2015, CEU Certified Course, 2.2 CEUs
Instructor: Steven Engelfried, Youth Services Librarian, Wilsonville Public Library

The Newbery Medal: Past, Present and Future
6 weeks, September 14 – October 23, 2015
Instructor: KT Horning, Director, Cooperative Children’s Book Center, University of Wisconsin- Madison

Detailed descriptions and registration information is available on the ALSC website at www.ala.org/alsced. Fees are $115 for personal ALSC members; $165 for personal ALA members; and $185 for non-members. Questions? Please contact ALSC Program Officer for Continuing Education, Kristen Sutherland at [email protected] or 1 (800) 545-2433 ext 4026.

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Have you been a children’s librarian for less than 10 years? Have you been yearning to attend ALA Annual Conference, to get energized and inspired and learn from others in the profession?

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Grants Administration Committee are now accepting online applications for the 2016 Penguin Young Readers Group Awards. This award, made possible by an annual gift from Penguin Young Readers Group, provides a $600 stipend for up to four children’s librarians to attend their first ALA Annual Conference in Orlando.

Each applicant will be judged on the following:

• Involvement in ALSC, as well as any other professional or educational association of which the applicant was a member, officer, chairman, etc.
• New programs or innovations started by the applicants at the library in which he/she works
• Library experience.

Applicants must be personal members of ALSC, as well as ALA members to apply. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 1, 2015. For more information about the award requirements and submitting the online application please visit the Penguin Young Readers Group Award webpage.

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Today’s guest post was written by Sondra Eklund, this year’s Grants Administration Committee Chair.

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

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The award acceptance videos from the 2015 Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet are now available. These speeches took place at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco. Below are the three videos from each of the winners. You can also watch the video of the full banquet (running time 1 hour 45 minutes 54 seconds). Enjoy!

Kwame Alexander – Newbery Speech

Dan Santat – Caldecott Speech

Donald Crews – Wilder Speech

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Applications for the ALSC Professional Awards are opening this fall (image courtesy of ALSC)

ALSC and the Special Collections and Bechtel Fellowship Committee are now accepting online applications for the 2015 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship. The Bechtel Fellowship is designed to allow qualified children’s librarians to spend a total of four weeks or more reading and studying at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, a part of the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

The Baldwin Library contains a special collection of 130,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. The fellowship is endowed in memory of Louise Seaman Bechtel and Ruth M. Baldwin and provides a stipend of $4,000.

Each applicant will be judge on the following:

• the description of the topic of study for the fellowship period;
• the applicants’ demonstration of ongoing commitment to motivating children to read;
• the applicants’ willingness to spend a total of four weeks in Gainesville. The time spent does not have to be successive weeks.

Applicants must be personal members of ALSC, as well as ALA members to apply. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 1, 2014. For more information about the requirements of the fellowship and submitting the online application please visit the Bechtel Fellowship page.

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Winners of the 2015 Pura Belpre awards (image courtesy of ALSC)

The ALSC award acceptance speeches from the 2015 ALA Annual Conference are now available from the ALSC website. Speeches includes the winners of these 2015 awards:

• Batchelder
• Belpré
• Caldecott
• Carnegie
• Geisel
• Newbery
• Sibert
• Wilder

Each of these is available as a downloadable PDF. For a full list of 2015 ALSC Book & Media Award winners please see the ALSC website.

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The place: San Francisco. The occasion: ALA Annual. The party: Caldecott. From January 2014 – January 2015, I studiously studied. I looked at over 500 picture books, and along with 14 other intrepid souls, decided which of those were the most distinguished. Our committee is incredibly proud of our list of books. And this year at ALA annual, we got to celebrate with the distinguished artists in the class of 2015.

At the banquet – photo by Angela Reynolds

Starting with a great street party for Melissa Sweet (which included yummy tacos & a baby shower), and then the next night a dinner with all 6 honor winners, followed the next evening by “Dinner with Dan”, and then Sunday  the Caldecott-Newbery-Wilder awards banquet, it was a wild and fun ride!

But it wasn’t just fine dining. At each of these events our committee got to have some quality time with the illustrators that we honored. And we felt honored to do that. Each one of them thanked us profusely. I can speak for myself only (though I have a feeling many of my co-committee members will be shaking their heads yes), but I felt like I should be thanking them for their work, for their contribution to children’s literature. In Dan Santat’s award acceptance speech, he said the Caldecott changed his life. I must say, it changed ours, as well, Mr. Santat. 15 people became fast friends, confidantes, cohorts, colleagues. We bonded over art, over time spent together, and yes, even tattoos. This great party we called San Francisco created memories to last a lifetime.

Beekle tattoo – photo by Angela Reynolds

At the banquet, I was asked by Mac Barnett if serving on the Caldecott Committee was exciting as it sounds. I had to say a resounding yes to that. And you know what folks, only an ALSC member can do this. I’ve been a member for 21 years, and yes, I worked hard to get to a place where I could serve on this illustrious committee. But so can you. If it is your dream (as it was mine as a starry-eyed grad student), then work towards it. The rewards are immense, and they go far beyond a fancy cocktail dinner (though those are certainly nice, too). Thanks to all the publishers who wined and dined us, to all my committee members who opened my eyes to so many viewpoints, to the illustrators and authors who make amazing books, and to ALSC for being there to hold up children’s books as shining stars. Thank you all!

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Sunday’s Pura Belpré 19th annual award ceremony featured a vibrant mix of illuminating speeches, laughter, and entertainment that celebrated Latino Children’s Literature.

Highlights included:

• Yuyi Morales’s acceptance speech in which she vividly recounted her positive and life-changing experiences as a young mother and new immigrant visiting the San Francisco Public Library’s Western Addition branch. Ann, a librarian at the branch, put The Watsons Go to Birmingham in her hands and it was the first English language chapter book she loved, that she shared with her son.
• Duncan Tonatiuh invited civil rights leader Sylvia Mendez, the subject of his award-winning book Separate Is Never Equal, to address the audience.
• United States Poet Laurete Juan Felipe Herrera’s speech chronicled his research and writing that documented the extraordinary achievements of Hispanic-Americans.
• Heartfelt speeches by Susan Guevara, John Parra, and Marjorie Agosín.
• A fantastic performance by by Quenepas, a Bomba youth song and dance ensemble.

This fantastic event was hosted by the dream team Reforma and ALSC, and is always one of the highlights of ALA conferences. Next year will mark the 20th Anniversary of the Belpré Award and it promises to be a huge occasion. See you in Orlando!

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