May 2005

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Upcoming Events for Children's Librarians

NEWS AND NOTES

ACL Meetings back in Oakland: Oakland Public Library, Main, has completed the renovation of the Children's Room, so ACL's monthly meetings will move back to Oakland, beginning with the meeting in May, 2005. Meeting time is 9:00am-3:30pm. Thanks to Berkeley Public Library for hosting ACL's meetings for the past year and a half while the construction was taking place!

Pamela Munoz Ryan Will Lecture at San Francisco Public Library: The 9th annual Effie Lee Morris Lecture will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 6:30pm at the San Francisco Public Library, 100 Larkin St. The Guest Lecturer will be author Pamela Munoz Ryan, whose award-winning books include Becoming Naomi Leon, When Marion Sang, and Esperanza Rising.

Named in honor of the former head of the Children's department, Effie Lee Morris who is now retired, the lecture is free and open to the public. There will be a reception and book signing before the lecture, at 5:30pm in the Latino-Hispanic Community Room. For more information, see the website at www.sfpl.org.

Reviewers please note: Double-check the editorial guidelines on our website, www.bayviews.org, if you have any questions on
format or style matters.

BayNews needs you! BayNews welcomes any articles, news, ideas on storytime or programs, etc. Just send any articles as a Word attachment to email, to Penny Peck at Pikly@aol.com. Thanks!

OBITUARIES

Ted Rand, 89, Author and Illustrator:

Self-taught graphic designer Ted Rand, who illustrated nearly 80 children's books, died at his home in Washington state in March, at the age of 89.
Some of the many books illustrated by Rand include The Ghost Eye Tree by Bill Martin, Jr., and If Not For the Cat by Jack Prelutsky. Wife Gloria Rand wrote several books illlustrated by her husband, including Salty Dog, and Fighting for the Forest.

Mary Schrader, organizer of the ACL Institute on art and illustration, where Ted Rand spoke, remembers the research he did before illustrating his books. "He loved the sea which led to his life-long dream of illustrating the first book his wife wrote, Salty Dog. He and his wife liked to stay active playing tennis and taking long walks. He will be sorely missed," said Schrader.

The Seattle native served as a naval aviator in the South Pacific during WWII. He is survived by his wife Gloria and their children and grandchildren.

Charlotte S. Huck, 82; Author:

Charlotte S. Huck, an expert on children's literature who wrote children's books and organized festivals to encourage youngsters to read, has died. She was 82. Huck died of melanoma Thursday at her home in Redlands, CA, according to her nieces, Charlotte Burgess and Jean Gaylord.

A native of Evanston, Ill., Huck studied at Wellesley College and earned her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University. After teaching briefly in Midwestern elementary schools, she completed her master's and doctorate at Ohio State University and joined its faculty in 1955.

Huck also served on the American Library Assn. committees for the Newbery and Caldecott medals, awarded to outstanding writers of children's literature.
Huck retired from Ohio State in 1988. But she wasn't finished. Relocating to Redlands, she wrote five children's books: Princess Furball, Secret Places, Toads and Diamonds, The Black Bull of Norroway, and A Creepy Countdown.

Faith McNulty, 86, Nature Author:

New Yorker magazine staff writer Faith McNulty, who also wrote children's books, died in April at age 86. She was best known for the adult nonfiction book, The Burning Bed, which was later turned into an award-winning TV Movie on a woman who kills her abusive husband.

For children, McNulty wrote several books, including How To Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World, which was illustrated by Marc Simont. Her children's books celebrated nature, a topic she related to her home at a farm in Wakefield, Rhode Island.

Author/Illustrator Barbara Knutson Dies

Barbara Knutson died at age 45 from a rare autoimmune deficiency disease. She wrote and illustrated several African folk tales include How the Guinea Fowl Got Its Spots and Sungura and Leopard. Knutson was born in South Africa to American missionary parents, and moved to the U. S. when she was 12 years of age. Her latest book, Love and Roast Chicken, was drawn on the two years she and her husband spent in Peru.

Caldecott Winner Elizabeth Orton Jones

Illustrator Elizabeth Orton Jones died at age 94 on May 10th. She won the Caldecott Medal in 1945 for Prayer for a Child, which was written by Rachel Field. She wrote or illustrated more than 20 children's books, including her novel Twig.

Americas Awards

The winners of the Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, recognizing titles published in 2004:
Américas Award Winners

MY NAME IS CELIA/ME LLAMO CELIA by Monica Brown. Illustrated by Rafael López. Flagstaff: Northland, 2004. 32 pgs. ISBN 0-87358-872-X
SAMMY & JULIANA IN HOLLYWOOD by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2004. 291 pgs. ISBN 0-938317-81-4

The Américas Award is given in recognition of U.S. works of fiction, poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction (from picture books to works for young adults) published in the previous year in English or Spanish that authentically and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United States. By combining both and linking the Americas, the award reaches beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere. The award is sponsored by the national Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP).

The award winners and commended titles are selected for their 1) distinctive literary quality; 2) cultural contextualization; 3) exceptional integration of text, illustration and design; and 4) potential for classroom use. The winning books will be honored at a ceremony (September 2005) at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The award also recognizes the following titles:

Américas Award Honorable Mentions

CALL ME MARÍA by Judith Ortiz Cofer. New York: Orchard, 2004. 127 pgs. ISBN 0-439-38577-6

Américas Award Commended List

BECOMING NAOMI LEÓN by Pam Muñoz Ryan. New York: Scholastic, 2004. 246 pgs. ISBN 0-439-26969-5
THE DREAM ON BLANCA'S WALL/ EL SUEÑO PEGADO EN LA PARED DE BLANCA by Jane Medina, Illustrated by Robert Casilla. Honesdale: Boyds Mill Press, 2004. 48 pgs. ISBN 1-56397-740-0
ELENA'S SERENADE by Campbell Geeslin. Illustrated by Ana Juan. New York: Atheneum, 2004. 36 pgs. ISBN 0-689-84908-7
THE REMEMBERING STONE by Barbara Timberlake Russell. Illustrated by Claire B. Cotts. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004. 32 pgs. ISBN 0-374-36242-4
THE SANTERO'S MIRACLE by Rudolfo Anaya. Illustrated by Amy Córdova. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 2004. 32 pgs. ISBN 0-8263-2847-4
SÉLAVI, THAT IS LIFE: A HAITIAN STORY OF HOPE by Youme. El Paso: Cinco Puntos, 2004. 40 pgs. ISBN 0-938317-84-9

Christopher Awards

Fortitude and resilience distinguish the subjects of the feature films, TV/cable programs and books for children and adults that were honored during the 56th annual Christopher Awards gala at the Time & Life Building in New York City on March 10.

Five Books for Young People captured Awards for specially designated age groups. The winners for Pre-school and ages 6-8, respectively, Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Doug Cushman, and The Hungry Coat: A Tale from Turkey written and illustrated by Demi, take a fresh look at the meaning of freedom and deceptive first impressions. Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen, illustrated by Brian Biggs, celebrates the power of brains vs. brawn for ages 8-10. Author Richard Peck reflects on death's legacy of renewal in The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts for ages 10-12. And Thura Al-Windawi brings the current war experience home for young adult readers in Thura's Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq.

SCOTT O'DELL AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION GOES TO LAFAYE'S "WORTH"

The 2005 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction was announced last month. WORTH, by A. LaFaye, published by Simon and Schuster, will be given the $5,000 prize. The novel depicts the relationship between a boy from an Orphan Train named Worth, and his new family.
Begun in 1982, the award goes to a children's or young adult book in the historical fiction genre and set in Canada, Central or South America, or the United States. The award is named after the late author of ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS and other notable children's historical fiction novels. The chair of this year's award committee was Hazel Rochman, editor, young adult books, for Booklist magazine.

EDGAR AWARD FOR MYSTERIES NAMES "CHASING VERMEER"

The Mystery Writers of America awarded their annual Edgars last month for the best mysteries published in 2005. The award for Best Juvenile went to Blue Balliett for CHASING VERMEER. The award for Best Young Adult went to Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler for IN DARKNESS, DEATH.
The other nominees for Best Juvenile were Patricia Finney's ASSASSIN: THE LADY GRACE MYSTERIES, Peg Kehret's ABDUCTION!, Daniel Pinkwater's LOOKING FOR BOBOWICZ, and Zilpha Keatly Snyder's THE UNSEEN.
The other nominees for Best Young Adult were Edward Bloor's STORY TIME, Kate Morgenroth's JUDE, Marcus Sedgwick's THE BOOK OF DEAD DAYS, and Lee Weatherly's MISSING ABBY.

LEE & LOW NEW VOICES AWARD GOES TO OAKLAND AUTHOR CARMEN BOGAN

Carmen Bogan of Oakland, CA is the winner of the 5th annual Lee & Low New Voices Honor Award for 2004 for her story FIT LIKE FRANKIE. The story depicts the life of Frankie Parker, a sixth grade female athlete who some consider overweight.
Bogan is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. FIT LIKE FRANKIE was nominated in 2003 for the Sue Alexander Award for most promising new work.

Hopkins Award Winners

Penn State University announced the 2005 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Winners. The award is given to a volume of distinguished poetry for young people.
The winner is HERE IN HARLEM by Walter Dean Myers, (Holiday House).
Two Honor Books were chosen: CREATURE CARNIVAL by Marilyn Singer, (Hyperion Books), and IS THIS FOREVER OR WHAT? TEXAS POEMS, edited by Naomi Shihab Nye, (Greenwillow Books).

Northern California Book Awards

Gennifer Choldenko was named the winner of the Northern California Book Award in the category of Children's Literature, for her book Al Capone Does My Shirts.
The awards were handed out in April by the Northern California Book Reviewers Association. The other nominees in the Children's Literature category were: The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer, Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, The Gospel Cinderella by Joyce Carol Thomas, and Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by Pamela Turner.

E. B. White Readaloud Award

Judy Sierra was awarded the E.B. White Readaloud Award for Wild About Books, which is illustrated by Marc Brown. The award is given by the Association of Booksellers for Children. Established in 2004, the award encompasses both novels and picture books, and is awarded to a book that has "universal appeal as a terrific read aloud book for children."

JANE ADDAMS BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED

The 2005 Jane Addams Children's Book Awards were recently announced:

Books for Younger Children

Winner: Sélavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope, written and illustrated by Youme Landowne, from Cinco Puntos Press.

Honor Books

Hot Day on Abbott Avenue written by Karen English with illustrations by Javaka Steptoe, from Clarion.Books.

Henry and the Kite Dragon, by Bruce Edward Hall with illustrations by William Low published by Philomel Books/Penguin Young Readers Group.

Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing written and illustrated by James Rumford. Translation into Cherokee by Anna Sixkiller Huckaby. Published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Books for Older Children

Winner: With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman's Right to Vote, by Ann Bausum, published by National Geographic Society.

Honor Book: The Heaven Shop, by Deborah Ellis published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Since 1953, the Jane Addams Children's Book Awards annually acknowledge books published in the U.S. during the previous year. Books chosen for the Awards effectively address themes or topics that promote peace, justice, world community, and/or equality of the sexes and all races. The books must also meet conventional standards of literary and artistic excellence.

Board Books Roundup:

Patricelli, Leslie. BINKY. Candlewick, 2005. $6.99. ISBN 076362364-4.
Patricelli, Leslie. BLANKIE. Candlewick, 2005. $6.99. ISBN 076362363-6.
A little bald baby, with one curly hair sticking out of his beige head, describes two of his favorite things - his "Binky" which we would call his pacifier, and his "Blankie." He describes how he lost his pacifier, and how he found it in his crib, and talks about the many places he takes his favorite blanket. The boldly colored illustrations feature the baby done in think black ink outlines, without too many background details, making these two board books perfect for the intended age group.
Cousins, Lucy. MORE FUN WITH MAISY! Candlewick, 2005. $4.99. ISBN 0-7636-2632-5.

Cousins, Lucy. HA HA MAISY! Candlewick, 2005. $4.99. ISBN 0-7636-2633-3.

Originally from England, Maisy is a popular character on children's television. Her books are wonderful because they started out as books (not TV episodes). These two board books show Maisy (a little white mouse) and her friends doing everyday things, like riding a bike or taking a walk. Toddlers can open the cardboard flaps to see some of Maisy's friends. The construction is quite strong so these flaps should hold up to library circulation.

Horacek, Petr. RUN, MOUSE, RUN! Candlewick, 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-7636-2824-7.

Horacek, Petr. BIRD, FLY HIGH. Candlewick, 2005. $5.99. ISBN 0-7636-2823-9.

A realistic-looking mouse and green bird are shown in common situations in these sweet stories featuring die-cut holes and curved pages. The brightly colored illustrations remind me of the work of Eric Carle.

Kubler, Annie. SIGN & SINGALONG: BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP. Child's Play, 2004. $4.99. ISBN 1-904550-41-X.

Kubler, Annie. SIGN & SINGALONG: TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR. Child's Play, 2004. $4.99. ISBN 1-904550-42-8.

Kubler, Annie. SIGN & SINGALONG: TEDDY BEAR, TEDDY BEAR! Child's Play, 2004. $4.99. ISBN 1-904550-40-1.

Kubler, Annie. SIGN & SINGALONG: ITSY BITSY SPIDER. Child's Play, 2004. $4.99. ISBN 1-904550-43-6.

The popular nursery songs are introduced in this board books, which show babies signing the lyrics, using American Sign Language. The words are also written out for those that don't know ASL. The roly-poly babies featured in this series reminded me of the babies in Helen Oxenbury's I SEE and I HEAR board books.
Porter-Gaylord, Laurel. I LOVE MY MOMMY BECAUSE. Illus. by Ashley Wolff. Dutton, 2004. $6.99. ISBN 0-525-47247-9.

Porter-Gaylord, Laurel. I LOVE MY DADDY BECAUSE. Illus by Ashley Wolff. Dutton, 2004. $6.99. ISBN 0-525-47250-9.

These two animal-parent books originated as picture books and were first published in 1991; there are also bilingual Spanish/English editions of the board book versions but they were unavailable for review. In each story, a human parent and child begin and end the story, describing everyday things parents do for their children, like playing or reading a story. In between this framing devise, animal parents are shown in realistic scenes: a penguin father warms his chick, a beaver builds a house, etc. The full color illustrations are very effective at showing how animals look in the wild, and how they interact with their offspring. A very successful board book adaption.

Resources for Families of Deployed Military Personnel

Books
Heroes at Home by Ellie Kay
Surviving Deployment: A guide for military families by Karen N. Pavlicin
I Have Feelings by Terry Berger
The Goodbye Painting by Linda Berman
If You Go Away by Dorothy Corey
Dear Daddy by Phillipe Dupasquier
Will Dad Ever Move Back Home? By Paula Hogan
Just Me and My Dad by Mercer Mayer
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
All Kinds of Families by Norma Simon
I Wish I Had My Father by Norma Simon
A Father Like That by Charlotte Zolotow
A Tiger Called Thomas by Charlotte Zolotow
All Kinds of Families by Charlotte Zolotow
My Daddy is a Soldier by Kirk Hilbrecht
Uncle Sam's Kids in When Duty Calls by
Angela Sportelli-Rehak

Websites
Military Children And School: Educator's Guide to Military Child During the Deployment
www.mwrarmyhawaii.com/Deployment_schools_info.htm

Children and Deployment: Fleet and Family Support Centers of Hampton Roads, VA
www.25idl.army.mil/deployment/ACS/childdep.pdf

Military.com: Deployment Center-Families
www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Deployment_Family,00.html

Military Child Education Coalition: How to Prepare Our Children and Stay Involved in their Education During Deployment
www.lackland.k12.tx.us/District/literature/Deployment%20for%20web.pdf

Step Family Assoc. of America: Advice for stepparents when their spouse is being deployed.
http://www.saafamilies.org/advocacy/activities.htm

Operation Homefront: Fun Stuff for Kids
http://www.operationhomefront.org/Info/info_kids.shtml

Answers for Sailors and Marines
www.lifelines.navy.mil

Guidance Channel Online: Top Ten Websites On Military Children and Deployment
http://www.guidancechannel.com/default.aspx?lM=a&index=1440&cat=50

Reissues - Worth it?

Duvoisin, Roger. PETUNIA'S CHRISTMAS. Knopf, 1952/2004. $15.95. ISBN 0-394-80868-1.
Petunia is in love! She meets Charles at a neighboring farm, and is distressed to learn he is being fattened up to be the goose for Christmas dinner. Petunia earns enough money to buy Charles by making Christmas Wreaths, but the farmer frees Charles without taking payment due to Petunia's devotion. On the final page, we see Petunia and Charles lead a parade of baby geese.

This edition is word-for-word the same as the original, only the illustrations have been changed slightly. The old version had color on every other double-page spread; the new version has color on every page. But what is refreshing is that there is still plenty of white space, which effectively conveys the snowy countryside, and the colors are Duvoisin's original palatte or tomato red, bright yellow, and grassy green.

Modern parents may be distressed to see one of the farmers with a rifle, but it is an important plot element, and the gun is never fired. A story with humor that hasn't aged.

Kellogg, Steven. PINKERTON & FRIENDS: A STEVEN KELLOGG TREASURY. Dial, 2004. $30. ISBN 0-8037-2979-0.
Eleven of Steven Kellogg's picture books are gathered into this celebratory volume that is best suited to a home library. There is an introduction by actress Helen Hunt (a long-time family friend), and a ten-page biographical essay by Barbara Elleman, that includes photos of Kellogg from childhood to now. Titled "Born With A Crayon In His Hand," the essay describes his youth, years at the Rhode Island School of Design, and initial entry into the world of children's books. Readers get a clear idea on Kellogg's inspiration for Pinkerton, and his ability to portray the feelings and emotions of his young characters.

The eleven books included are CAN I KEEP HIM?, WON'T SOMEBODY PLAY WITH ME?, THE ISLAND OF THE SKOG, MUCH BIGGER THAN MARTIN, PINKERTON, BEHAVE!, THE DAY JIMMY'S BOA ATE THE WASH, RALPH'S SECRET WEAPON, BEST FRIENDS, THE CHRISTMAS WITCH, LIBRARY LIL, and THE MYSTERIOUS TADPOLE. As you can see, only one "Pinkerton" title is included, and noneof the tall tales he adapted. These seem to be aimed at his younger fans, not older school-age children, so these stories are a great introduction to his work.

Taking the original picture book of THE CHRISTMAS WITCH and matching it page for page with the one in this collection, it has every word. A couple of the illustrations are not included but the editing is relatively seamless; only those looking for changes will notice what is missing.

In THE DAY JIMMY'S BOA ATE THE WASH, just two illustrations are missing but as before, all the text is there and the missing pictures are not essential. For PINKERTON, BEHAVE!, every word and picture is included. The stories are arranged by publication date, and you can see the color palette become deeper as Kellogg's work becomes more elaborate, and as publishing techniques improved over time. Readers who haven't read some of Kellogg's original books will be reminded of his talent for capturing how a child feels, and his ability to create humorous stories.

A few of the titles in the collection are no longer in print as individual picture books, so fans will enjoy this and it makes a wonderful gift book. But for public libraries, this does not replace the individual books.

 

Penny Peck,
San Leandro PL