September 18, 2013

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*UPDATED* Applegate, Klassen Win Newbery, Caldecott Medals

Newbery and Caldecott 2013 winners

The audience erupted in cheers Monday after Katherine Applegate was named the winner of the Newbery Medal for The One and Only Ivan (HarperCollins), and Jon Klassen was awarded the Caldecott Medal for This Is Not My Hat (Candlewick) at the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards for 2012, which were announced during its annual Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, WA.

San Antonio Public Library’s Teen Services Awarded $50,000 for News Know-How Program

News Know-how vertical_0

The American Library Association’s News Know-How initiative has selected the teen services department of the San Antonio Public Library to receive more than $50,000 to train and support kids in grades 10–12 in learning how to distinguish fact from opinion, check news and information sources, and distinguish between propaganda and news, the library announced this week.

Librarians Sound Off: Not a Lack of Latino Lit for Kids, but a Lack of Awareness

Spanish-language books by Latin American publishers

Librarians who serve children in predominantly Latino communities were shocked this past December to read a New York Times article claiming that there is a dearth of Latino characters in books written for young readers—a notion that is at odds with their own experiences. In fact, they tell School Library Journal, there is actually a wealth of resources currently available to these kids, and librarians have the power (and the responsibility) to make those meaningful connections.

On the Radar: Top Picks from the Editors at Junior Library Guild: Star-Worthy Choices for Possible Award Contenders

seraphina

With the ALA Youth Media Awards just around the corner, Junior Library Guild takes a look at some star-studded titles.

Interview: Jason Shiga

Interview: Jason Shiga

On Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24, while attending the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, I ran around to as many of my favorite kids comics creators as I could and asked them all the exact same questions. Keep in mind, exhibit halls are crazy loud and crazy busy, so there [...]

Interview: Jerzy Drozd

Interview: Jerzy Drozd

On Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24, while attending the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, I ran around to as many of my favorite kids comics creators as I could and asked them all the exact same questions. Keep in mind, exhibit halls are crazy loud and crazy busy, so there [...]

O Come All Ye Faithful?

Don’t miss Leonard Marcus’s latest column about picture book covers, and speaking of that, SLJ stalwart Rocco Staino reports on a gallery of ‘em that would make Judy Blume blush. Or would they? The pictures were created by several well-known picture book artists in service of raising money for the National Coalition Against Censorship. They [...]

The post O Come All Ye Faithful? appeared first on The Horn Book.

Interview: Faith Erin Hicks

On Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24, while attending the American Library Association’s Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA, I ran around to as many of my favorite kids comics creators as I could and asked them all the exact same questions. Keep in mind, exhibit halls are crazy loud and crazy busy, so there [...]

Interview: Caldecott Medal and Honor winner Paul O. Zelinsky talks with SLJ

The golden bow tie that Paul O. Zelinsky created from gold Caldecott stickers.

School Library Journal speaks with Caldecott award-winning illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky as the 75th anniversary of the Medal approaches. Zelinsky discusses his working process, the awards ceremony, and “the call.”

News Bites: Free Video Series from NBC Learn: “Writers Speak to Kids”

writers speak to kids

Watch a series of 17 interviews with children’s author’s for free, apply for book donation and literacy grants, get free writing rubrics, and much more—just check out this week’s News Bites for lots of great information for librarians, teachers, and everyone involved in education.

News Bites: Win Big with Verizon’s App Challenge

verizon

Verizon’s App Challenge is designed to increase student interest in STEM while offering a project-based experience that develops teamwork among students. Groups of 5-10 students are encouraged to develop an app that addresses a need or problem in their school or community.

Librarians Flock to New York Comic Con

Comiccon1

Digital comics, gaming, and, of course, costumes were among the draws for teachers and librarians who attended New York Comic Con’s (NYCC) Professional Day on Thursday, October 11, featuring panels by the American Library Association, among other organizations. Once again, as in past years, New Jersey librarians dominated as presenters at Professional Day, covering collection development, library programming, and the history of the science fiction and fantasy genres.

“Big ALA” and the new School Library Resolution

“Big ALA” will be focused on school librarians even more after the 2012 Annual Conference recently held in Anaheim. We need it. So many school librarians want to join AASL or other divisions without paying dues that include the parent organization,  “Big ALA.”  I personally joined ALA and AASL as a new school librarian because [...]

Where I saw the folks I dig

Where I saw the folks I dig

Back from ALA (and vacation) and it’s already becoming a blur. In Anaheim, I spent the weekend at the booth five-questioning twelve award winners and honor book recipients, each interview fine but in toto too many; we videotaped them this year thanks to the mad skills of Guy Gonzalez and Mike Berse and will be [...]

Live Five Two

Live Five Two

Yesterday, Shane Evans had me making music noises like the young people do these days; who knows what’s in store today? Come to the Horn Book booth and see. (By the way, our guys Guy and Mike have been video-recording all of the interviews, and we’ll be posting them to our YouTube channel after the [...]

Live Five Begins

The Live Five interviews begin at 10:00AM this morning with Thanhha Lai, National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner for Inside Out and Back Again. (The whole schedule can be found here.) I think I’m ready–about fifty-four of the sixty questions I’ll be asking this weekend are completed and I know the missing six will [...]

ALA 2012, Graphic Novels, and Literacy: A Chat with the Inimitable John Shableski

ALA 2012, Graphic Novels, and Literacy: A Chat with the Inimitable John Shableski

“The next critical element in all of this? Reading specialists. When we see the formation of a group of reading specialists along the lines of the ALA’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens committee, then the game is really going to hit a new gear…”

Five Questions about Five Questions

1. What are the Live Five Questions? Live Five Questions sprang from the “Five Questions for . . . .” feature in Notes from the Horn Book, our monthly e-newsletter. A few ALA’s ago, we took this feature live, conducting brief, five-question interviews with authors and illustrators at the Horn Book booth on the exhibit [...]

Best in The West: ALA Program Guide

ala-opener

Planning to catch this year’s American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Anaheim, CA? If you’re anything like us, you’ll want to make every second count. That’s why we’ve asked seven savvy librarians to give us the skinny on the top five sessions they plan to attend during the June 21–26 event. As you’ll see, they came up with an eclectic mix that’s bound to make nearby Disneyland’s power couple, Mickey and Minnie, a mere distraction.

NLLD or VLLD: Time to “Take Action”

I am on my first train to get from Albany, NY to Washington, DC on a grey, chilly Sunday morning as part of the New York Library Association (NYLA)’s delegation. We will participate in the American Library Association’s National Library Legislative Day (NLLD) on Tuesday, April 24th.  I am fairly sure I will be the [...]