NY Times, Nat'l Book Award & AZ library conference
Hi friends--the New York Times Book Review names the best illustrated books of 2007 in their Nov. 11 edition. Every year since 1952 a panel of judges makes selections from among the thousands published every year. This years judges included Caldecott Medalist David Wiesner who you heard about previously from me. So here they are:
EVERY FRIDAY written & illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (Holt)
JABBERWOCKY illustrated by Christopher Myers (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
THE ARRIVAL by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
FIRST THE EGG written & illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook)
NOT A BOX written & illustrated by Antoinette Portis (HarperCollins)
600 BLACK SPOTS written & illustrated by David A. Carter (Little Simon)
THE FROG WHO WANTED TO SEE THE SEA written & illustrated by Guy Billout (Creative Ed)
THE WALL: growing up behind the Iron Curtain written & illustrated by Peter Sis (Frances Foster/FSG)
OLD PENN STATION written & illustrated by William Low (Holt)
THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET written & illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
The only one of these I have actually seen & read if THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET which is fantastic--for the middle grade children, perhaps a high 2nd grade reader & up. Though it's 533 pages, it's a cross between a graphic novel & a picture book. Kids are thrilled to carry around a huge book & this will fill the bill--sparse text & much of the story is told through the black & white illustrations.
This year the National Book Awards also honored HUGO CABRET as a finalist in the Young People category which was the only one of the 5 for younger readers. The winner & the other 4 finalists are all geared for young adult readers:
WINNER--THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie
OTHER FINALISTS--SKIN HUNGER: A RESURRECTION OF MAGIC, BOOK 1 by Kathleen Duey
TOUCHING SNOW by M. Sindy Felin
THE STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr
Last week I attended the AZ Library Association state conference in Mesa where the highlights were hearing authors Gordon Korman & Janelle Cannon speak. I won't tell you about the food at the 40.00 lunch where the 2007 Grand Canyon Reader Awards were presented to these authors for SON OF THE MOB and PINDULI respectively! But thanks to Ann Ewbank for introducing me as the founder of that program.
Gordon Korman's books are extremely popular with older readers & have some controversial subjects, therefore making adults a little uneasy but sure winners with kids. His message, he said is, "lighten up". He isn't trying to send messages in his books but to deal with issues with humor. He urged us to teach humor in school among our literary skills. Many of his books are set in schools--he has a connection to schools as his wife is a 3rd grade teacher. He says that in order to be a teacher, one has to be able to laminate everything in sight. His ideas come from being observant like Jerry Seinfeld's bit of "did you ever notice....."When he was 12 his teacher told him he had written something good enough for others to read so he sent it to Scholastic Book clubs' address as he was the book club monitor. The manuscript got to the right place & he was published! He laughed that his mother had to drive him to his first author visit. He does about 50 school visits a year which is where he does "research". Kids tell him his books are so real which lead him to think kids have a different "willing suspension of disbelief" than adults.
Janelle Cannon first saw a striped hyena in the San Diego Zoo & was able to observe it with a handler & that became her character Pinduli. Pinduli means catalyst or change in Swahili. Her favorite book as a child was FERDINAND THE BULL which tells about a bull who does not want to fight but ends up in the bullring due to funny circumstances. She loved that art & began using some of those expressions on the animals faces she drew. She is inspired by anecdotes about animals from experts she knows. She never finished high school but has never stopped learning. She draws in colored pencils & is left handed. As a free lance graphic artist, she wrote & drew STELLALUNA, her first book on the weekends & nights & sent it to an agent she met who only dealt with adult books. But that agent took her on & her book was published within weeks of submission. Janelle says she tries to draw animals as real as possible so children will recognize them when they see them again. Her new book promised to be a new style & new format but about animals.
Happy Thanksgiving--there's still time to read my favorite T. book: 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING by Dav Pilkey. Notice the dedication page quote & the similarites to Van Gogh's skies & Grant Wood's American Gothic.
Cathy
EVERY FRIDAY written & illustrated by Dan Yaccarino (Holt)
JABBERWOCKY illustrated by Christopher Myers (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)
THE ARRIVAL by Shaun Tan (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
FIRST THE EGG written & illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook)
NOT A BOX written & illustrated by Antoinette Portis (HarperCollins)
600 BLACK SPOTS written & illustrated by David A. Carter (Little Simon)
THE FROG WHO WANTED TO SEE THE SEA written & illustrated by Guy Billout (Creative Ed)
THE WALL: growing up behind the Iron Curtain written & illustrated by Peter Sis (Frances Foster/FSG)
OLD PENN STATION written & illustrated by William Low (Holt)
THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET written & illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
The only one of these I have actually seen & read if THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET which is fantastic--for the middle grade children, perhaps a high 2nd grade reader & up. Though it's 533 pages, it's a cross between a graphic novel & a picture book. Kids are thrilled to carry around a huge book & this will fill the bill--sparse text & much of the story is told through the black & white illustrations.
This year the National Book Awards also honored HUGO CABRET as a finalist in the Young People category which was the only one of the 5 for younger readers. The winner & the other 4 finalists are all geared for young adult readers:
WINNER--THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie
OTHER FINALISTS--SKIN HUNGER: A RESURRECTION OF MAGIC, BOOK 1 by Kathleen Duey
TOUCHING SNOW by M. Sindy Felin
THE STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr
Last week I attended the AZ Library Association state conference in Mesa where the highlights were hearing authors Gordon Korman & Janelle Cannon speak. I won't tell you about the food at the 40.00 lunch where the 2007 Grand Canyon Reader Awards were presented to these authors for SON OF THE MOB and PINDULI respectively! But thanks to Ann Ewbank for introducing me as the founder of that program.
Gordon Korman's books are extremely popular with older readers & have some controversial subjects, therefore making adults a little uneasy but sure winners with kids. His message, he said is, "lighten up". He isn't trying to send messages in his books but to deal with issues with humor. He urged us to teach humor in school among our literary skills. Many of his books are set in schools--he has a connection to schools as his wife is a 3rd grade teacher. He says that in order to be a teacher, one has to be able to laminate everything in sight. His ideas come from being observant like Jerry Seinfeld's bit of "did you ever notice....."When he was 12 his teacher told him he had written something good enough for others to read so he sent it to Scholastic Book clubs' address as he was the book club monitor. The manuscript got to the right place & he was published! He laughed that his mother had to drive him to his first author visit. He does about 50 school visits a year which is where he does "research". Kids tell him his books are so real which lead him to think kids have a different "willing suspension of disbelief" than adults.
Janelle Cannon first saw a striped hyena in the San Diego Zoo & was able to observe it with a handler & that became her character Pinduli. Pinduli means catalyst or change in Swahili. Her favorite book as a child was FERDINAND THE BULL which tells about a bull who does not want to fight but ends up in the bullring due to funny circumstances. She loved that art & began using some of those expressions on the animals faces she drew. She is inspired by anecdotes about animals from experts she knows. She never finished high school but has never stopped learning. She draws in colored pencils & is left handed. As a free lance graphic artist, she wrote & drew STELLALUNA, her first book on the weekends & nights & sent it to an agent she met who only dealt with adult books. But that agent took her on & her book was published within weeks of submission. Janelle says she tries to draw animals as real as possible so children will recognize them when they see them again. Her new book promised to be a new style & new format but about animals.
Happy Thanksgiving--there's still time to read my favorite T. book: 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING by Dav Pilkey. Notice the dedication page quote & the similarites to Van Gogh's skies & Grant Wood's American Gothic.
Cathy
