Anticipating Newbery and Caldecott Awards ~ by Patricia Toht

I LOVE this time of year! It's the week before the American Library Association's Midwinter meeting, and I'm filled with...

ALA Midwinter is where and when the winners of the Caldecott and Newbery Medals are announced, the two most prestigious honors in American children's literature.

My store from 1988-1995

Perhaps my anticipation hearkens back to my days as a bookseller. For most small, independent bookstores, if you do not have the winning titles on hand, there's a great likelihood that you'll be out of stock for quite awhile. Current stock is immediately snatched up and further copies require a reprint. So each January, I played the guessing game of which titles would win.

As a reminder, the Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded to the best illustrated children's book of the year. The winner is usually a picture book. But sometimes a novel wins, like in 2008 when Brian Selznick's THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET took the prize. 

The John Newbery Medal is awarded to the best written children's book of the year. The winner is usually a novel. But sometimes a picture book wins, like in 2016, when Matt de la Peña's LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET won. 



Nowadays, I work in a middle school library. But I still try to guess at the winners, with the goal of having added those books to our collection before the announcement. 

An educated guess is so much better than a wild one, so here is how I go about it:

Nearly 22,000 children's books are traditionally published each year, and I'm a slow reader. To narrow the list, I rely on these sources:

1) Reviews (especially starred ones) from School Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, Horn Book, and Publishers' Weekly.

2) Blogs like Fuse #8, 100 Scope Notes, Nerdy Book Club, Pragmatic Mom, Brightly.


3) Bookstores, like our local Anderson's Bookshop, which holds a Mock Newbery vote for participants. They have great taste in books, so I try to read all of them.

4) Librarians and writing friends, who also have impeccable taste in books.

And then I read.

        And read.

                And read some more.

So what are my "educated" guesses?

For the Caldecott gold medal, I would love for the winner to be SOME WRITER!: THE STORY OF E.B. WHITE, written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. In this biography of the CHARLOTTE'S WEB author, the illustrations are integral and seamlessly woven with the text, and I found myself lingering on every page to soak up the details.

For Caldecott honors, I choose two books. THEY ALL SAW A CAT, written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel, is a brilliant take on how different creatures uniquely view a cat.  

[Confession: While I would love for SOME WRITER to win, I really think THEY ALL SAW A CAT will win.] 

BEFORE MORNING, written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes, is a lyrical wish for a snow day. (I do have a creative crush on Joyce Sidman, so I confess to my bias.)

For the Newbery gold medal, I choose THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON, by Kelly Barnhill. The language in this book is luscious! And the drawing together of the individual story threads into a knot of tension before the conclusion had me reading late into the night.

For Newbery honors, I'll choose two as well. WOLF HOLLOW by Lauren Wolk, the story of a girl, a war veteran, and a bully, and how kindness and honesty triumphs amid sorrow. Lovely "sense of place" to this one. 

THE WILD ROBOT by Peter Brown maroons a robot in the wilderness and asks her to survive. I was very moved by this tussle between technology and nature, rooting for the robot with all my heart.

The awards will be announced on Monday, January 23, 2017, at 8 am ET. If you'd like to watch it live, the awards will be streamed on the I Love Libraries Facebook page.

I'm hoping my guesses are as good as the Mock Caldecott results in Colby Sharp's third grade classroom last year:

What are YOUR picks this year, readers??? 

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Meet Author Darlene Beck-Jacobson ~By Suzy Leopold

When not writing, she is baking or sewing. Even though she's never 

had a ride in a carriage like the one in her story, she hopes to one day. 

I would like to introduce to you:

Darlene Beck~Jacobson

Q1: Tell us about your book Wheels of Change.
Racial intolerance, social change, sweeping progress. It is a turbulent time growing up in 1908. 

For twelve year old EMILY SOPER, life in Papa’s carriage barn is magic. Emily is more at home hearing the symphony of the blacksmith’s hammer, than trying to conform to the proper expectations of females. 

Many prominent people own Papa’s carriages. He receives an order to make one for President Theodore Roosevelt. Papa’s livelihood becomes threatened by racist neighbors, and horsepower of a different sort.  Emily is determined to save Papa’s business even if she has to go all the way to the President.

Wheels of Change

I am thrilled to announce that the book recently received two honors: 

Wheels of Change has been chosen as a Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2015 by the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC). And, it was also chosen as one of this years 2014 Mighty Girls Books.

Q2: Tell us about the research that you did for your book.
A:   The story began with two facts I discovered while researching my family tree: My grandmother received an invitation to attend a reception at the White House under TR and got to meet him.  Her father made carriages in and around DC at the turn of the Twentieth Century.  The idea for WHEELS OF CHANGE sprang from there.

    

Once I had a story idea it was then a matter of setting the scene to make it as authentic as possible.  I visited a working carriage factory, spent time watching a blacksmith work his magic, and corresponded with experts regarding historical tidbits.  Since the story is set in Washington DC, I contacted the Smithsonian, White House Historical Society, DC Historical Society, Henry Ford Museum, and other places to get answers to the many questions I had.  Everyone I asked was more than willing to assist me; if they had no answer, they referred me to someone who did.  That part still amazes me.  There are many passionate experts in various fields that are thrilled to share their knowledge.  Never be afraid to ask.

I’ve done a blog tour last fall with more than twenty stops, attended the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference in Chicago last month, Presented at conferences, and was a featured author at An Open Book Program in DC.

I am also doing numerous school visits and guest blog posts.  It is an ongoing process.  I am learning a lot and meeting so many wonderful people in person and online as well.

Darlene Beck-Jacobson

Q3: What is your current WIP or what is your next project?
A:   I’ve written a historical PB that is out for consideration.  TOGETHER ON OUR KNEES tells about the childhood of Matilda Joslyn Gage – a suffragist and abolitionist from NY – whose childhood was filled with anti-slavery activity and whose house was a stop on the Underground Railroad (URR).

Q4: If you could invite five authors to dinner who would you choose?
A:   Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird), John Green (The Fault in Our Stars), J K Rowling (Harry Potter Series), Mo Willems (PB books), Kate DiCamillo (Flora and Ulysses, and many others).  I think it would be a lively and provocative discussion as well as fun filled evening.

Q5: How do you come up with ideas to write about?
A:   Ideas are everywhere. It could be a photo or a great phrase or quote from another book I’ve read that sparks an idea.  Sometimes a quirky character or person I’ve met or seen begs to have a story told.  The more I read, the more ideas pop into my head.  I doubt I’ll ever be able to write about them all.

Q6: What inspires you to write?
A:   I’m inspired by a love of history, family stories, and wanting to share something unique with young people.

Q7: What words of wisdom or best piece of advice do you have for aspiring writers?
A:   Be persistent.  Never give up.  If you honestly work at writing and desire to be the best you can be, listen and use critiques to improve your craft.  Write something everyday – even if it’s just an idea or character sketch you’ll flesh out later.  As with anything else we set out to master, good writing takes practice and effort to make it better. And, Read! Great! Books! Nothing inspires me more than reading the best children’s literature.

Q8: Where can readers find out more about you? 
Blog: GOLD FROM THE DUST: Bringing Stories to Life

Blog: Smack Dab in the Middle

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dustbunnymaven

You Tube:  A Book Trailer for Wheels of Change
Finally, followers and readers of our GROG Blog, Darlene Beck~Jacobson has generously offered to share a signed copy of Wheels of Change with one winner. Please make a comment on this blog post and visit our Facebook page GROG:Collective Curiosity for chances to win.

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