This morning I got up at 5 a.m. to see (via webcast) the 2012 winners of the biggest awards in children's publishing--the American Library Association (ALA) awards. The film industry has their Golden Globes® and their Oscars®, and we have the Caldecott and Newbery Medals, the Coretta Scott King Award, and the Michael J. Printz Award. Unlike most other book awards, the major children's book awards given by the ALA have no lists of finalists or nominees. It's a surprise every single year (with plenty of speculation beforehand) and I kind of love the secrecy. This year's announcement had both the unexpected and the "ah, of course" books on the lists (including some 2011 Best of the Month titles)--you just never know who is going to win what. Congratulations to this year's winning and honored authors and illustrators:
2012 Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:
2012 Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:
2012 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:
Picture books that have you after one glance.
Pig Kahuna, written and illustrated by Jennifer Sattler (
Bloomsbury, $14.99, ages 4-8, 32 pages, 2011). While scouring the beach for treasures, Fergus the pig and his baby brother Dink spot a surfboard being washed in by the tide. So they pull it on the beach, climb on top and pretend to carve waves in the sand -- they definitely don't want to surf in the ocean. There's a lurking, murky ickiness out there: fish with jagged teeth and lots of pokies. As they play with the surfboard, their attachment grows. They give it a kelp toupee and a seaweed bulb eye and name it Dave. Such a loyal board, Dave never gets washed away. Then one day as Fergus is dashing back from getting ice cream cones, he sees Dink setting Dave free. Panicked, Fergus jumps into the ocean and wildly paddles out to save Dave. But no sooner has he rested his belly on the surfboard and let out a big sigh, Fergus feels water rising up beneath him. Oh no, is it one of those lurking terrible things? Will he get pitched? Adorable from cover to cover, this is a must for any child heading to a beach or or just dreaming of one.
Blackout, written and illustrated by John Rocco (
Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, ages 4-8, 40 pages, 2011) It's a ho-hum night in a boy's city apartment. Windows are open and the air is sticky, and try as he might, he can't coax anyone in his family to play a board game: his sister snaps at him for interrupting her on the phone, his dad is too busy cooking something steamy and Mom waves him off as she types on the computer. So the boy plunks down in a chair and starts to play a video game that requires only one person to play. But a moment later, the screen goes out and with it, every light in the house. Suddenly the family has nothing to do but be together. They huddle with flashlights playing shadow puppets, then climb to the roof and discover a magical show of lights -- stars no longer masked by city lights glisten like Van Gogh's
Starry Night -- and neighbors gathered for a block party. Then they climb down to the street, where a crowd is playing, singing and jumping through water from hydrants. But what will happen when the lights go back on? Will things return just as they were? Rocco, author-illustrator of the enchanting
Moonpowder, envelops readers in the cozy bond of a blackout, and that familiar yearning for it to continue just a little longer. This is just the book to jump-start family time -- maybe even away from electricity for one memorable night.
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Thanks for sharing this, Gina! This book has been on y radar for a while now, just haven't managed to get a copy in my hands yet!
This trailer is nicely done… and uses one of my FAVORITE movie-score pieces EVER, they must have spent some $$$$ for rights to use it, which is also pretty promising.
I just heard John Rocco speak at the SCBWI Winter Conference, and he's such a nice and funny guy in addition to being an incredible artist. So happy this book won a Caldecott Honor!
Melinda - I know, we had been meaning to pick it up for awhile too. I'll have to listen again for the song. ;)
Kristi - thanks for sharing, that's wonderful to hear!