Exploring Youth Book Awards
Resources for exploring youth book awards beyond the Newbery and Caldecott.
Resources for exploring youth book awards beyond the Newbery and Caldecott.
The Indiana Center of the Book recently announced Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won as the winner of the 2016 Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award. The Indiana State Library wanted to show its commitment to early literacy and felt it was vital to have an award that celebrates reading for children ages 0–5. It modeled the Firefly Award after New Hampshire’s Ladybug Award in 2015 and gave the first award to Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter.
The Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program has released their third annual Best Practices publication. Along with the three previously announced 2015 prize winners, fourteen other organizations presenting paramount methods for increasing literacy are included in the publication. The Literacy Awards, first announced in January 2013, honor organizations that successfully increase literacy in the United States or abroad. The Literacy Awards also promote the distribution of the most effective methods, and the Best Practices publication is a key component in sharing these innovative ideas. Below are just a few of the programs cited for their exemplary work in the categories of best practices.
I’ve been a children’s librarian for almost seventeen years, but 2014 was the first time I participated in a book award committee. While the award might not be as well-known as the Newbery–publishers were not inclined to print our potential choices in paperback just because we were going to select them as nominees- our committee nevertheless had a daunting task.
ALA’s Midwinter Meeting, in January 2015, unveiled numerous award-winners as well as longlists for future consideration. Maybe your patrons have already read the nominees and are thirsty for more from these authors, or perhaps the increased attention has contributed to lengthy reserve lists. In either case, now might be the time to shine some light on other books by these acclaimed authors.
There have been a few articles written from a negative perspective lately about so called “rock star librarians.” Most notably these articles appeared in Publishers Weekly and, ironically, Library Journal. Library Journal, it is important to point out, just released their annual ranking of U.S. Libraries, and are gearing up for their annual Movers and […]
Through the generosity of sponsors, the Public Library Association (PLA) is offering nine awards/grants designed to highlight the best in public library service and to honor those bringing innovation, creativity and dedication to public libraries. Many of the awards include an honorarium; please visit the website for details on each award and nominate yourself, your colleague or your library […]
At the end of January, during the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference, it was announced that popular children’s novelist Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) started his own prize to honor “librarians who have faced adversity.” Librarians must be nominated before May 1st and winners will be announced at ALA Annual in June.
Awards season is approaching and I have to admit that book awards are my favorite time of year. I love making predictions with my fellow librarians and then waiting for announcement day to see if our guesses were correct. In addition to the American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards, winter is also the time […]
This year’s National Book Awards was held the evening of November 14. Despite the cloud of despair left behind by Hurricane Sandy a few weeks prior, the event was festive and full of humor.