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OBITUARIES
ACL Member Bruce Vogel:
Longtime ACL Member Bruce Vogel died in May. He was retired from the Alameda County Library system, and had been a children's librarian in the Bay Area for many years before he retired. He was also a renowned storyteller, a library board member, a professor, and a mentor to many children's librarians.

Author Lloyd Alexander Dead at 83
Lloyd Alexander, a prolific writer of children's books including the five-book series "The Chronicles of Prydain," died in May. He was 83. The final book in his Prydain series, "The High King," won the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association in 1969, being recognized as the best children's book of the year. Another book in the series, "The Black Cauldron," was named a runner-up for the medal in 1966, a status now known as a Newbery Honor Book. His final novel, "The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio," is scheduled to be published by Holt in August. The publisher described it as an adventure in the tradition of Middle Eastern folk tales.

Chiori Santiago
Bay Area writer Chiori Santiago died in April at the age of 54. She wrote newspaper and magazine articles for adults, and wrote the 1998 children's book Home to Medicine Mountain, published by Children's Book Press.

Clyde Robert Bulla
Prolific children's author Clyde Robert Bulla died in May at the age of 93. His first book, The Donkey Cart, was published in 1946. One of his best known books is Shoeshine Girl, 1975.

ACL Spotlight Review

Occasionally there will be a review we believe should be highlighted - a book so extraordinarily well done, or a book with such egregious errors, that ACL will spotlight the review in BayNews. This month, we highlight a book because of its extensive problems:

Landau, Elaine. Suicide Bombers: Foot Soldiers of the Terrorist Movement. Lerner/Twenty-First Century, 2007, 120 pages, grades 4-12. $31.93, ISBN 978-0-7613-3470-5. Nonfiction. Rating: Unsatisfactory.

Suicide Bombers: Foot Soldiers of the Terrorist Movement is a psychological study of suicide bombers. There are chapters on Kamikaze pilots, 911, and global suicide bombers, but the bulk of the discussion centers around Palestinian suicide bombers. The book is prefaced by a delineation of its narrow scope: "It delves into the feelings and motivations of the young people who agree to blow themselves up for a cause. The text examines their backgrounds, families, and the societal personal pressures that can make a sizable group of young people believe that killing themselves and others can ever be a solution." This approach is inherently problematic, as it implies that suicide bombers are, by nature, pathological, but that members of the opposing side are normal people who use more appropriate methods of killing people. Worse, the attention given to the political background and complex historical issues involved in the context of suicide bombings is scanty and haphazard.

By presenting a handful of individual profiles and the speculations of psychologists and social theorists, Landau generalizes about the characteristics, experiences, and circumstances of suicide bombers. She discusses the cultural pressure, political propaganda, and indoctrination that contribute to the decision to become a terrorist, but does not touch upon the forces that motivate and lure the other sides. It seems that her aim is to translate what might seem a foreign and incomprehensible act to Americans, so that the human side is explored. Despite such a well-intended effort, the strong undercurrent of the book is that vulnerable, unfortunate Muslims are particularly susceptible to a pathological, monolithic Islamic culture. There is brief mention that most Muslim religious leaders are against suicide bombings. Nevertheless, Landau generally emphasizes the standard and simplistic depiction of "holy war" and perpetuates the misconception that Jihad (and all of Islamic scripture) is interpreted in the same way by all Muslims. Jihad is a complex religious concept. The impetus and conduct of warfare and martyrdom is only one (hotly debated) component of this religious concept.

The tone of the book makes it obvious that Landau believes that suicide bombing is a mistake perpetrated by seemingly normal, at risk youth, and she attempts to explain the contributing processes. However, the propaganda, brainwashing, and cultural pressures that she describes are undergone by all participants of warfare. Propaganda, brainwashing, and cultural pressures are hardly isolated to suicide bombers.

Landau's slanted presentation is most likely unconscious. Even so, it verges on inflammatory. Just imagine an equally imbalanced book for children called Israeli soldiers - Minions of the Occupationists or American G.I.s - Pawns of the Imperialist Tradition - with photographs and profiles of particular servicemen and questioning captions such as, "G.I. John Q was a well liked student with a nice girlfriend. No one could imagine that he would commit acts of torture in Abu Ghraib." Such is the presentation style of Suicide Bombers, which reveals an obvious bias. In addition, it is irresponsible, when representing any war, to only show pictures of the aftermath wrought by one side, as is the case in Suicide Bombers.

The Palestinian/Israeli conflict comprises the bulk of the discussion. In this conflict, both sides appeal to religion and political history as their justification for violence. They differ in their methods of warfare. By limiting her discussion to one practice of warfare (suicide bombing), Landau's approach offers a misleading and skewed picture.

Ongoing and discriminate mass violence always has historical roots and varying perspectives. A book for children that only focuses on one particular aspect of longstanding hostilities demands a hearty introduction to the conflicts' histories and a sensitive presentation of the numerous sides. Young readers may have not yet been exposed to the information needed to put only one aspect of a conflict into context, nor have they fully developed the critical thinking skills required to do so.

Though the other aspects of the book are acceptable, the overarching flawed approach makes Suicide Bombers unsatisfactory. Despite her acclaim as an excellent children's non-fiction writer, Elaine Landau has done a disservice to her readers. Backmatter includes source notes, selected bibliography, further reading and websites, and an index.

 

AWARDS ANNOUNCED

JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS

Winners of the 2007 Jane Addams Children's Book Awards were announced in April 2007 by the Jane Addams Peace Association:

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow, written by Amy-Lee Tai, illustrated by Felicia Hoshino and published by Children’s Book Press is the winner in the Books for Younger Children category. Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, is the winner in the Books for Older Children category. Both books draw on personal family history to create stories about Japanese-American girls living in internment camps in the United States during World War II.

Two books have won honors in the Books for Younger Children Category.

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom, is written by Tim Tingle, illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges and published by Cinco Puntos Press.
Night Boat to Freedom, is written by Margot Theis Raven, pictures by E. B. Lewis and published by Melanie Kroupa Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Two books have won honors in the Books for Older Children category.

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, by Russell Freedman and published by Holiday House.
Counting on Grace, by Elizabeth Winthrop, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

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

For additional information about the Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards and a complete list of books honored since 1953, www.janeaddamspeace.org.

CALIFORNIA YOUNG READER MEDAL

The California Young Reader Medal Committee is proud to announce the 2006-2007 CYRM winners. There were almost 500,000 votes this year! Thank you for your participation and keep on reading!

Congratulation to the 2007 Winners!
Announced May 1, 2007

Primary
My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2003)
Intermediate
Christopher Mouse: The Tale of a Small Traveler by William Wise, illustrated by Patrick Benson (Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2004)
Middle School/Junior High
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (Putnam, 2004)
Young Adult
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, 2002)
Picture Books for Older Readers
Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse (Scholastic Press, 2004)

http://californiayoungreadermedal.org/winners.htm

EDGAR AWARD WINNERS

Best Young Adult
WINNER * Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready (Penguin YR - Dutton Children's Books)
* The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks (Scholastic - The Chicken House)
* The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson (Penguin YR - Sleuth/Viking)
* Crunch Time by Mariah Fredericks (Simon & Schuster - Richard Jackson Books/Atheneum)
* The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci (Harcourt Children's Books)

Best Juvenile
WINNER * Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
* Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison (Penguin Young Readers - Sleuth/Dutton)
* The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl Publishing)
* The Bloodwater Mysteries: Snatched by Pete Hautman & Mary Logue (Penguin Young Readers - Sleuth/Putnam)
* The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer (Penguin Young Readers - Philomel/Sleuth)

76th CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARDS

The Commonwealth Club has announced this year's winners of the California Book Awards:

Katherine Sturtevant receives a Silver Medal for her Young Adult work A True and Faithful Narrative. Sturtevant's sequel to her young adult book At the Sign of the Star continues the story of Meg Moore in 19th-century England

Milly Lee wins a Silver Medal in Juvenile for her book Landed. This picture book chronicles a Chinese boy's coming to America through Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the West.

Notable Contribution to Publishing Awarded to Children's Book Press.

NEW VOICES AWARD – LEE & LOW

Lee & Low books announced the 7th annual “New Voices” award, which encourages writers of color to submit their work for children’s publishing. Glenda Armand Sheppard of West Covina, California is the winner for her book Love Twelve Miles Long, a story about Frederick Douglass. Sheppard receives $1,000 and will have her manuscript published by Lee & Low.

Mystery Picture Books/Easy Readers

Just in time for this year’s Summer Reading Program theme “Get a Clue @ Your Library,” here are some picture books and easy readers that fit the mystery theme. Thanks to the PUBYAC listserv for these suggestions:

Aardema – Who's in Rabbit's House?
Alarcon – Louella Mae, She's Run Away!
Alborough – Watch Out! Big Bro's Coming
Allen – Who Sank the Boat?
Base – The Eleventh Hour
Bateman – Hunting the Daddyosaurus
Berenstain – The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room
Berenstain – The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Honey
Brown – A Dark Dark Tale
Carle – Have You Seen My Cat?
Carle – The Very Lonely Firefly
Christelow – Robbery at the Diamond Dog Diner
Christelow – Where's the Big Bad Wolf?
Cushman – Dirk Bones and the Mystery of the Haunted House
Cushman – Inspector Hopper
Ditchfield – Cowlick!
Fox – Boo to a Goose
Geisert – Nursery Crimes
Gosling – The Top Secret Files of Mother Goose
Guarino – Is Your Mama a Llama?
Hill – Where's Spot
Hurd – Art Dog
Hurd – Mystery on the Docks
Kellogg – The Missing Mitten Mystery
Kelly – The Mystery of Eatum Hall
Kitamura – Sheep in Wolves' Clothing
Krosoczka – Annie Was Warned
Lass – Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?
Lexau – Who Took the Farmer's Hat?
Mayer – The Smelly Mystery
McBratney – The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
McCarthy – Steal Back the Mona Lisa
McClements – Case of the Greedy Granny
McClements – Jake Gander Storyville Detective
McGee – Winston the Book Wolf
McPhail - Lost
Miller – Who Uses This?
Nodset – Who Took the Farmer's Hat?
O'Malley – Who Killed Cock Robin?
Palatini – Bad Boys Get Cookie
Palatini – The Web Files
Pinkwater – Bad Bear Detectives
Quackenbush – Sherlock Chick and the Giant Egg Mystery
Root – Oliver Finds His Way
Rylant – High Rise Private Eyes series
Sharmat – Nate the Great stories
Sharrat – Shark in the Park
Tafuri – Have you Seen my Ducklings?
Walsh – Do Monkeys Tweet?
Walsh – Do Pigs Have Stripes?
Walsh – Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery
Walsh – Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery
Walsh – Dot & Jabber and the Mystery of the Missing Stream
Wilson – Moose Tracks!
Wisniewski – Tough Cookie
Yolen – Piggins
Young – Seven Blind Mice

Do-It-Yourself Geronimo Stilton program

Here are some easy-to-do ideas for a “Geronimo Stilton” program. This series appeals to the same audience as the “Captain Underpants” books, because of the easy chapter format and the abundance of color cartoon illustrations. Thanks to the PUBYAC listserv for these ideas:

*Cheese tasting contest – most kids haven’t had common cheese like Feta, Muenster, and Stilton!

*Make paper tube pyramids to go along with the book The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid.

*Create “Wanted” posters using Polaroid photos or digital photos of the kids.

*Do a relay race, where each player must put a sheet of newspaper on the ground to step on, using just the one piece of newspaper.

*Make hand-made paper.

*Make homemade cheese using yogurt.

*www.scholastic.com/geronimostilton will have even more ideas!