CFP: Edited Collection, Prizing Children's Literature

Kenneth Kidd & Joseph Thomas

Prizing Children's Literature: The Cultural Politics of Children's Book Awards

On June 21, 1921, publisher Frederic G. Melcher proposed to the American Library Association that a medal be given for the most distinguished children’s book of the year. He suggested it they name it in the honor of John Newbery, famed eighteenth-century English bookseller. The next year the proposal was accepted, and the ALA has awarded a Newbery Medal annually ever since. The Medal was the first such award for distinguished children’s literature, and the second literary prize on the American scene, after the Pulitzers in 1917. Children’s book awards have since mushroomed and diversified, especially from the 1960s forward, as prizing more generally became a favored strategy for commodity promotion and circulation. There are over 300 awards for English-language texts and authors alone, many of them nation- or genre-specific, most meant to recognize an individual text, but some dedicated to the author and/or a body of work. The Caldecott Medal, for instance is awarded to the best illustrated children’s book (typically a picture book, but not always), while the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (founded in 1954) functions as a lifetime achievement award for an author or an illustrator. More recently-established awards give priority to social or political vision, such as the Coretta Scott King Award, the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Pura Belpré Award, and the Jane Addams Book Award (debate remains spirited on the “identity politics” of children’s book awards). A plethora of prizes exist for young adult literature; mystery fiction has its major award (the Edgar Allen Poe Award), as do historical fiction (the Scott O'Dell Award) and North American poetry for young people (the Lion and the Unicorn Poetry Award). Many awards are regional, even local in operation or focus; in contrast, several are international, such as the Astrid Lindgren Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Medal.

Despite the clear impact of children’s book awards on publishing, education, and commodity culture, there's been relatively little scholarship on the subject. This volume will bring together existing and new work on Anglophone children’s book awards. We seek case studies of particular awards in cultural context as well as analyses of larger trends or patterns. What are the aims, ideologies, contexts, and effects of children’s book awards and perhaps particular winning titles and authors? Have children’s book awards helped to promote a public sphere of children’s literature, or are they yet another symptom of our overheated culture industry? What tensions exist in and around these awards, and the institutions (civic, commercial, educational) that devise and administer them? Are prizing-winning titles “canonical” or otherwise influential; what kind(s) of cultural capital do children's book prizes claim or embody? Do such prizes tend to reinforce nationalism, promote internationalization/globalization, both, neither? What are the consequences of English-language prizing; can we study such prizing without reinforcing the cultural, linguistic, and aesthetic hierarchies it maintains?

350-500 word chapter proposals are due by December 1, 2013. Proposals should be for original works not previously published (including in conference proceedings) and not currently under consideration for another edited collection or journal. If the essay is accepted for the collection, a full draft (5000-7000 words) will be required by June 1, 2014. Editors are happy to discuss ideas prior to the deadline.

Proposals and Final Essays should be submitted to:

Kenneth Kidd: kbkidd@ufl.edu

Joseph Thomas, Jr.: jtthomas@mail.sdsu.edu

ALA Youth Media Awards Results

In case you missed it, yesterday, the American Library Association held their Youth Media Awards in Seattle, WA to honor the outstanding books and other media for children to young adults. Yesterday's awards did no less then honor some of the most rewarding, creative, and engaging books and writers of the past year. Probably the most recognizable achievements include the Caldecott Medal (of course), in its 75th year of recognizing the most distinguished illustrator of picture, and the Newbery Award, going to the most acclaimed author of a children's book.

This year's Caldecott Award went to This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen. Amazingly, he also won one of the five Caldecott honors for his work on Extra Yarn. That's pretty awesome, I think.

The Newbery went to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. I've not read it, but when you read a tweet that a whole class of 5th graders hugged, screamed and raved in celebration over it, then you know it must be special.

I was personally very thrilled that Katherine Paterson won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for an author or illustrator whose books have made a lasting contribution to children's literature. Just hearing her name flipped me back to my far-too-long-ago grade school years and the whimsical imaginings of my very own Terabithia, and for that instant memory alone I was far from surprised that she would be honored with such an award.

To read the full list of awards, visit the ALA website here. It might help contribute to your GoodReads "Want to read" list. At the same time, it leads me to wonder what classifies these as the most distinguished of a year's worth of publications. How innovative is too innovative for example? I haven't reviewed enough YMA recipient lists to glean any possibility of trends but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Three Mentors and a Giggle

I found out that one doesn’t have to discover new continents, that people can explore in their minds even when locked in a prison cell, and that books can be my home, my language, my country. I can share with my children and children of the world the universe of dreamers, seekers, and people who dared to think differently. Books are bridges taking you places…

Words from Peter Sis upon his acceptance of the 2012 Hans Christian Anderson Illustrator Award. Read his speech as adapted by The Horn Book. Amid the details of his lifelong journey into illustration and the mentors who guided him, Sis reminds us that we can all be architects bridging the gaps between imagination, dreams, and reality, for kids and adults alike.

 And sometimes that bridge is built upon laughter, a trait that the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, now in its fifth year, strives to recognize. This year the awards went to Dark Lord: The Teenage Years by Jamie Thomson, illustrated by Freya Hartas (in the category for children between seven and fourteen) and My Big Shouting Day by Rebecca Patterson, for children aged six and under. Don't we all just need a good shout once in a while, after all?

San Diego Comic-con awards announced, Publishers Weekly excerpt with thanks

This year's Eisner Comics Industry Awards, the annual book awards for comics, added an extra category for children's comics, dividing the children's comics category in two. The award for Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7) went to Dragon Puncher Island by James Kochalka (Top Shelf); the Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12) was 
Snarked by Roger Langridge (kaboom!), and the Young Adult prize went to Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (First Second).

from the Univ. of Mississippi Press, Charles Hatfield's (Cal State Univ. Northridge) Eisner-award book

Hand of Fire
The Comics Art of Jack Kirby

By Charles Hatfield

304 pages (approx.), 7 x 10 inches, 32 line illustrations, appendix, bibliography, index

Paper, $25.00

Ebook 978-1-61703-179-3, $25.00

The first critical exploration of the work of a great comics creator

Jack Kirby (1917-1994) is one of the most influential and popular artists in comics history. With Stan Lee, he created the Fantastic Four and defined the drawing and narrative style of Marvel Comics from the 1960s to the present day. Kirby is credited with creating or cocreating a number of Marvel's mainstay properties, among them the X-Men, the Hulk, Thor, and the Silver Surfer. His earlier work with Joe Simon led to the creation of Captain America, the popular kid gang and romance comic genres, and one of the most successful comics studios of the 1940s and 1950s. Kirby's distinctive narrative drawing, use of bold abstraction, and creation of angst-ridden and morally flawed heroes mark him as one of the most influential mainstream creators in comics.

In this book, Charles Hatfield examines the artistic legacy of one of America's true comic book giants. He analyzes the development of Kirby's cartooning technique, his use of dynamic composition, the recurring themes and moral ambiguities in his work, his eventual split from Lee, and his later work as a solo artist. Against the backdrop of Kirby's earlier work in various genres, Hand of Fire examines the peak of Kirby's career, when he introduced a new sense of scope and sublimity to comic book fantasy.

Charles Hatfield, Northridge, California, is associate professor of English at California State University, Northridge. He is the author of Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature. Follow his blog at http://handoffire.wordpress.com/.

New Caldecott/Newbery Award Guide Announced, reprint

Saturday, July 7, 2012

The 2012 edition of the Newbery and Caldecott awards guide

What book was honored with a Newbery Award in 1931? Or awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1957? In 1974? Last year? Updated to include the 2012 award and honor books, "The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books, 2012 Edition" gathers together the books deemed most distinguished in American children's literature and illustration since the inception of the renowned prizes. Librarians and teachers everywhere rely on this guidebook, published by ALA Editions, for quick reference and collection development and also as a resource for curriculum links and readers' advisory. With an easy-to-use streamlined look and format, the 2012 guide features:

A new essay by Deborah Stevenson, director of the Center for Children’s Books at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, on how the awards are consistently a big moment for children's books to be noticed and celebrated outside the library world;

Explanations of criteria used to select the winners;

Updated bibliographic citations and indexes for the award winners

from PRWeb, with thanks, via SF Chronicle

50% Matching Grant Program Now Available For Schools, Libraries, and Educators

June 26, 2012

Literacy for a Lifetime is a 50% matching grant program partnering Usborne Books and More with businesses, foundations, and individuals who support education at organizations and schools of their choice.

Annapolis, MD (PRWEB)

As the leading publisher of children's non fiction books, Usborne Books & More carries over 1800 Usborne and Kane Miller titles, including fiction, story books, activity books and more.

The Literacy for a Lifetime program matches any corporate or individual donation or grant that purchases books from Usborne Books with an additional 50% in free books. A Literacy for a Lifetime matching grant program is an excellent way to expand a library collection, build a leveled book room, or provide supplemental classroom materials.

The Literacy for a Lifetime matching grant program program is available for donations and grants as low as $200 and can be used as often as needed with no maximum on the amount that can be donated or matched. The organization receiving the books has full control over their selection, from an array of over 1800 titles.

Usborne Books & More Independent Consultant, Ken Kennedy, said, "The Literacy for a Lifetime program is a great way for schools of all sizes to promote and encourage reading. For example, when a school receives as little as $200 in donations to purchase Usborne Books, Usborne will donate an additional $100 in books to the school".

Usborne & Kane/Miller Books are internationally acclaimed as the finest entertaining and educational children's books in the marketplace today. Usborne & Kane/Miller offer over 1,800 fiction and non-fiction titles that inspire, engage and entertain your students through reading. As a host school, you can choose from a wide range of subjects covering science, history, hobbies, nature, the arts and more. There's no better gift for your school or organization than an Usborne "Reading Is A Gift" book fair event that promotes reading and pays you back in free books and/or cash. For more information, please visit http://www.readanddream.com

The Literacy for a Lifetime program can also be used with the following:
State and Federal grants such as:
Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies
Literacy through School Libraries
Migrant Education
Even Start
Special Education Preschool Grants
Small, Rural School Achievement Program
Education for Homeless Children and Youth
Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers
Reading First
Early Reading First
Striving Readers
Corporate donations or grants
Foundation grants
PTA/PTSA/PTO grants
Individual donations

For complete information about this program, visit the website below or contact by e-mail.

If you want to learn more about the Literacy for a Lifetime program visit http://www.readanddream.com

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebfreebooks/schoolsandlibraries/prweb9

from Hispanically Speaking News, excerpt with thanks

Prestigious Pura Belpré Award Given to Latino Children’s Writers and Illustrators

Published at 3:08 pm EST, June 23, 2012

Photo: ALA

Click Here to Enlarge Photo

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a divison of the American Library Association, and REFORMA (the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate, ) will host the annual Celebracion! To honor the 2012 medal and honor winners of the Pura Belpré Award during the annual conference of the American Library Association. The event will take place on Sunday, June 24, 2012 from 1:30 - 3:30

Taiwan Today excerpt, with thanks

Taiwan picture book wins Belgian lit prize

The French edition of Jimmy Liao’s “Sound of Colors” is a Prix Versele favorite, selected as one of its five best books for children aged 9 to 11. (Courtesy of Jimmy S.P.A Co. Ltd.)

• Publication Date：06/14/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By Kwangyin Liu

“Sound of Colors,” an illustrated book by Taiwan author Jimmy Liao, has been named winner of the Prix Versele, a Belgium-based children’s literature prize.

The French version of Liao’s book, published in 2009, was among five books chosen by 45,710 online voters as favorites for young readers aged 9 to 11, sources said June 14.

Inspired by subways in Tokyo, New York and Taipei, Liao tells the story of a blind girl who navigates through a bustling city in search of a way out, with illustrations featuring imaginary creatures and colorful cityscapes.

UPI.com excerpt, with thanks

'Monster Calls' wins Carnegie and Greenaway medals

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Published: June 14, 2012 at 1:11 PM

LONDON, June 14 (UPI) -- "A Monster Calls" has won the Carnegie Medal for children's literature and the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration at a London ceremony.

Written by Patrick Ness and illustrated by Jim Kay, the book is about a boy dealing with his mother's battle against cancer. It is based on an idea by author Siobhan Dowd, who died of the disease in 2007.

Ness won the Carnegie Medal last year for "Monsters of Men."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2012/06/14/Monster-Calls-wins-Carnegie-and-Greenaway-medals/UPI-92101339693875/#ixzz1xrvdZwuB

Contest for Funds to attend the YALSA Conference in November, reprint with thanks

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Win $1K to attend YALSA's YA Literature Symposium

Registration is open now at www.ala.org/yalitsymposium for YALSA’s 2012 Young Adult Literature Symposium in St. Louis, Nov. 2-4, at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch.

Panels will cover everything from trendspotting to the changing face of young adult audience, to the new ways teens are connecting with and interacting with literature.

YALSA is offering two stipends of up to $1,000 each to fund travel to the symposium. One will be awarded to a library staffer who works directly with young adults (with at least one year experience), and the other will go to a student enrolled in an ALA-accredited MLS program as of November 2, 2012, with a focus on young adult services.

Deadline: June 15 to ngilbert@ala.org.

Applicants must hold a personal membership to YALSA (student membership is valid for the student stipend).

The library worker guidelines and application is here, the student guidelines and application is here. Both are Word documents.

Dutch Author Wins Astrid Lindgren Award, excerpt from NTDTV, with thanks

A Royal Ceremony for Children's Literature Award

2012-05-29

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On Monday, May 28, the world's richest prize for children's literature was awarded to a Dutch author, Guus Kuijer, at a ceremony in Stockholm concert hall. The 2012 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) was worth SEK 5 million (USD ~693,000), and was handed to Kuijer by Crown Princess Victoria.

[Kerstin Brunnberg, Chair of the Swedish Arts Council]:

"It is really my great pleasure to welcome you all to this award ceremony. This evening is very special, not only for our guest of honor Guus Kuijer but also for the award itself which is now celebrating its tenth anniversary."

Kuijer was awarded for his portrayals of problems facing modern society and life's big questions. According to the jury, the "uncompromising perspective of the child" is always present in his books.

Irish Children's Book Award, excerpt from The Irish Times, with thanks

The Irish Times - Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Fantasy novelist Kiernan wins top children's book prize

Celine Kiernan at the Children's Books Ireland awards ceremony in Dublin yesterday with pupils of Scoil San Carlo, Leixlip, and Kylemore College, Dublin. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien

AISHLING PHELAN

FANTASY AUTHOR Celine Kiernan was the big winner at yesterday’s Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards, receiving both the Book of the Year and the Children’s Choice Award for her supernatural thriller Into the Grey.

IBBY Finalists, from Press TV, excerpt with thanks

2012 IBBY Honor List includes three Iranian books

May 23, 2012

Three Iranian books have been included in different categories of the 2012 Honor List of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY).

The Children’s Book Council of Iran introduced three works to appear in fiction, illustration and translation categories of this year’s list.

Jamshid Khanian’s Seventh Floor West is Iran’s representative in the fiction category while Alireza Goldouzian is the country’s honored artist for doing the illustrations of Why Did the Wise Bear End Up Like This? written by Ali-Asghar Seyyedabadi.

Nasrin Vakili was also introduced for translating David Almond’s Heaven Eyes into Persian.

The Honor List is a biennial selection of outstanding, recently published books, honoring writers, illustrators and translators from IBBY member countries.

The most important criteria in selecting the Honor List titles is considering books that are representative of the best in children's literature from each country and are suitable for publication throughout the world.

The new Honor List 2012 will be announced at the IBBY Congress in London on August 25, 2012.

Finalists for the Mythopoeic Awards include Zipes, Bottigheimer, LeGuin, and Pierce-- excerpt from SF Scope, with thanks

2012 Mythopoeic Award Finalists Announced
By Ian Randal Strock	May 23, 2012
The Mythopoeic Society has announced the finalists for the 2012 Mythopoeic Awards. The winners will be announced during Mythcon 43, which will be held 3-6 August in Berkeley, California. The nominees are: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature: The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein (Tachyon) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Doubleday) The Heavenly Fox by Richard Parks (PS Publishing) Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente (Tor) Among Others by Jo Walton (Tor) Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature: Theatre Illuminata series by Lisa Mantchev (consisting of Eyes Like Stars, Perchance to Dream, and So Silver Bright) (Feiwel and Friends) Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce (consisting of Terrier, Bloodhound, and Mastiff) (Random House) The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman (Big Mouth House) The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic) The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (Feiwel and Friends) Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies: Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays edited by Jason Fisher (McFarland) The Art of the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (HarperCollins) Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity by Carl Phelpstead (University of Wales Press) C.S. Lewis on the Final Frontier: Science and the Supernatural in the Space Trilogy by Sanford Schwartz (Oxford University Press) The Power of Tolkien's Prose: Middle-earth's Magical Style by Steve Walker (Palgrave Macmillan) Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies: Fairy Tales: A New HIstory by Ruth B. Bottigheimer (SUNY Press) The Christian Goddess: Archetype and Theology in the Fantasies of George MacDonald by Bonnie Gaarden (Farleigh Dickinson University Press) Cheek by Jowl by Ursula K. Le Guin (Aqueduct Press) The Fantastic Horizon: Essays and Reviews by Darrell Schweitzer (Borgo Press) The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films by Jack Zipes (Routledge)

Best Wishes and Congratulations to all the college graduates of 2012--


Such as ours today in the College of Arts and Letters and the Dept. of English and Comparative Literature at SDSU!

from The Hindustan Times, reprint with thanks

J.K. Rowling honoured with London award

May 10, 2012

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London to recognise her services to children's literature. Rowling was handed a framed parchment certificate of her accolade Tuesday. “I am prouder than I can say to be given the freedom of the City,” dailystar.co.uk quoted the popular writer as saying.

The freedom traditionally permits the recipient to be drunk and disorderly on the streets of the city without fearing arrest, and to drive sheep over London Bridge - but these privileges are mainly symbolic in modern times.

from School Library Journal, excerpt

Children's book awards: The winners of the Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards for 2012 have been announced by the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI). Honoring excellence in children's books, each regional chapter of the SCBWI is assigned one of 15 divisions and the author and artist members working in the children's book field in each division vote for their favorite book published by a member of the organization. The winners are: Africa: Finding Aunt Joan by Jenny Hatton and Joan Rankin (Jacana Media); California/Hawaii: Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw, illus. by Eugene Yelchin (Holt); Southeast: Cleopatra's Moon by Vickey Alvear Shecter (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks.); Mid-South: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (Philomel); Mid-East/India/Asia: Orchards by Holly Thompson (Delacorte); Midwest: Bluefish by Pat Schmatz (Candlewick); Southwest: Black and White: The Confrontation Between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor by Larry Brimner (Boyds Mill); New York: Pearl by Jo Knowles (Holt); Atlantic: The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine (Philomel); Texas/OK: Mine! by Patrice Barton (Random); Americas: Witchlanders by Lena Coakley (S & S/Atheneum); UK/Europe: Dark Parties by Sara Grant (Little, Brown); West: The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson (Delacorte).

from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators blog, by Lee Wind, excerpt with thanks

Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Sid Fleischman Humor Award Interview: Chris Rylander (Winner for "The Fourth Stall")

Every year the SCBWI awards one member with The Sid Fleischman Humor Award, for work that "exemplifies excellence in the genre of humor, a category so often overlooked by other award committees in children’s literature."

This year's winner is Chris Rylander for his debut middle grade novel, The Fourth Stall.

Link to full blog: http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2012/04/sid-fleischman-humor-award-interview.html

Chris Rylander (left and right)

SDSU's Phillip Serrato on California Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, San Diego Union Tribune excerpt, full link provided

STATE POET LAUREATE NOMINEE SEES WORDS AS TIES THAT BIND

Professor found fertile soil in San Diego for his literary life to take root and bloom

By John Wilkens

March 23, 2012.

Herrera is also widely acclaimed for his children’s and young-adult books. “Every one of Herrera’s works is a stunning mixture of philosophy, compassion, politics, and, most refreshingly, beauty,” said Phillip Serrato, an associate professor in comparative literature at San Diego State.

“There is an awesome craftsmanship to his writing that reminds readers that literature is an art form and that it can be beautiful, provocative, daring and illuminating all at the same time.”

Full article at:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/23/tp-state-poet-laureate-nominee-sees-words-as-ties/?print&page=all