January 2012 Calendar / News & Notes MARK YOUR CALENDAR Upcoming Events for Children's Librarians

: Congratulations to the San Francisco Public Library's director Luis Herrera, who was named Librarian of the Year by Library Journal. For details, see: lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/01/managing-libraries/luis-herrera-ljs-2012-librarian-of-the-year/# .

Former ACL Member Dies::

Charlotte Lorraine O'Keefe, a resident of Larkspur since 1964, has died after a short illness at the age of 83. A native of Bayonne, New Jersey, Charlotte was one year old when her family moved to San Francisco. She graduated from Lincoln High School and received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a librarian with the San Rafael City Schools for many years. A long-time member of ACL, Charlotte was active in many roles, including the pre-review committee. Preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, James J O'Keefe and her son, James A. O'Keefe. Charlotte is survived by her daughter, Laura O'Keefe, son-in-law Joe Pierce, her grandsons, Devin and Grady O'Keefe, and many loving friends. Charlotte's interests included the theater, gardening, and cheering on the 49ers and especially the San Francisco Giants. At her request, no services will take place. Donations to Susan G. Koman Foundation would be welcome.

Walter Dean Myers Named Young People's Literature Ambassador:

Young adult author Walter Dean Myers was named as the newest National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a position previously held by authors Jon Scieszka and Katherine Paterson.Skip to next paragraph Myers said "I think that Jon and Katherine were admirable. I think that I can be riskier in what I bring to the position because of who I am, but I don't feel our message is that much different."

Former ambassador Scieszka says he thinks Myers will have no problem attracting kids' attention. "He has such a presence when he speaks, he just commands a room," the author told Publishers Weekly. "Little kids, big kids, adults - everyone sits up when he starts speaking. He's like a combination of Darth Vader and Pat the Bunny."

As ambassador, Myers will travel around America and stop at libraries as well as schools to talk to students and encourage them to read. "Reading is not an Option!' is my platform," he told the School Library Journal. "As a young man, I saw families prosper without reading because there were always sufficient opportunities for willing workers who could follow simple instructions. This is no longer the case. Children who don't read are, in the main, destined for lesser lives. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to change this."

A committee chooses an author for the position of ambassador, which was created in 2008. Members of the committee are selected by the Center of the Book in the Library of Congress and an organization associated with the Children's Book Council titled Every Child a Reader. An author holds the job for two years. Myers is scheduled to be awarded a medal in Washington D.C. at the Library of Congress next week. During the ceremony, he will officially accept the job of ambassador. He has received the Michael L. Printz Award and was a three-time National Book Award finalist, in addition to having won two Newbery Honors and other awards.

Caldecott Medalist Simms Taback Dies:

Simms Taback, author, graphic artist, illustrator, and winner of the Caldecott Medal for Joseph Had a Little Overcoat (Viking, 2000), died peacefully in his home December 25 surrounded by his family and friends. He was 79. Taback died from pancreatic cancer, which he had been fighting for over a year, but he managed to fulfill his dream of traveling to Israel and London before his death.

Taback wrote or illustrated more than 40 children's books, winning many awards, including the Caldecott Medal for his adaptation of a Yiddish folk song and a Caldecott honor for There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Viking, 1997), which was designated as a New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book and the Children's Book of the Year selection from the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). He also received several notable book designations from the American Library Association, Parents' Choice Gold awards, and the Sidney Taylor Award. He designed the first McDonalds Happy Meal box in 1977.

Author Russell Hoban dies:

Russell Hoban, a prolific author who created Frances, a girl who appeared in the guise of a badger in seven books for children, and Riddley Walker, the eponymous narrator of a widely praised postapocalyptic novel for adults, died in December, 2011, in London. He was 86. His death was confirmed by his daughter Phoebe, who said that she was unsure of the exact cause but that her father had recently received a diagnosis of congestive heart failure.

Hoban had several distinct careers. Trained as an illustrator, he wrote copy for advertising agencies and produced paintings for books and magazines, including several for Sports Illustrated and for Time magazine. He began writing children's books in the late 1950s. His first, What Does It Do and How Does It Work?, featured Hoban's own drawings of dump trucks, steam shovels and other heavy machinery. But he didn't care for illustrating his own books, and his second title, Bedtime for Frances, a gentle tale about the delaying tactics of a child being sent off to bed, was illustrated by Garth Williams, with Frances as a furry little badger. In the six Frances books that followed, including A Baby Sister for Frances, A Birthday for Frances and a poetry collection, Egg Thoughts and Other Frances Songs, the illustrator was Mr. Hoban's first wife, Lillian.

VOYA Co-founder Dorothy M. Broderick dies:

Dorothy M. Broderick, co-founder of VOYA magazine and an avid intellectual freedom advocate for young adults, died December 17, 2011. Broderick led the publication of VOYA magazine with her partner and co-founder, Mary K. Chelton, for nineteen years. She began her career in the mid 1950s as a children's librarian, later becoming a junior high school librarian in Harlem. Broderick was a professor in five major library schools and lectured at many more, and was a speaker in nearly every state and Canadian province. She served several terms on the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee. In 1987 she won the prestigious Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award. Broderick published in most major library journals, wrote several books, including a young adult novel, and won the ALA Grolier Award in 1991.

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