American Indian Lit Awards: The American Indian Library Association, an affiliate of the American Library Association, has announced the winners of the 2013 American Indian Youth Literature Award in three categories—picture book, middle school, and young adult. The books selected “present American Indians in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts.” The top Picture Book award went to The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood (Holiday House, 2011) written by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve and illustrated by Ellen Beier. The Honor awards in that category were nabbed by Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light (Cinco Puntos, 2010) written by Tim Tingle and illustrated by Karen Clarkson, Kohala Kuamo’o: Nae’ole’s Race to Save a King (2010) written by Kekauleleana’ole Kawai’ae’a and illustrated by Aaron Kawai’ae’a, Mohala Mai ‘O Hau = How Hau Became Hau’ula (2011, both Kamehameha Schools Pr.) by Robert Lono ‘Ikuwa with pictures by Matthew Kawika Ortiz, and I See Me (Theytus Books, 2009) by Margaret Manuel.

In the Middle Grade category, the award went to Free Throw (1999) and Triple Threat (1999, both Lorimer), by Jacqueline Guest, while Jordin Tootoo: The Highs and Lows in the Journey of the First Inuit to Play in the NHL (Lorimer, 2011) by Melanie Florence, and Awesiinyensag: Dibaajimowinan Ji-Gikinoo’amaageng (Wiigwaas Pr., 2010) by Anton Treuer et al. received Honors. Adam Fortunate Eagle’s Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School (Univ. of Oklahoma Pr., 2010) won in the Young Adult category, with Native Defenders of the Environment (7th Generation, 2011) by Victor Schilling (and others in the series) taking the Honor award.

Established in 2006 and given in even years, the award was created to honor the best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians. Be sure to check out the evaluation criteria and previous winners of the award.

2013 Gryphon Awards: Jason Chin’s Island: A Story of the Galapagos (Roaring Brook, 2012) has received the 2013 Gryphon Award, sponsored by the Center for Children’s Books at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The book presents the story of the evolution of an island and its plant and animal life over six million years. The $1,000 award, given annually, recognizes “an English-language work of fiction or nonfiction for which the primary audience is children in kindergarten through grade 4. The title chosen best exemplifies those qualities that successfully bridge the gap in difficulty between books for reading aloud to children and books for practical readers.” Two Honor books were also announced: Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Dog Named Baltic (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks., 2012), written and illustrated by Monica Carnesi, and Kate DeCamillo and Alison McGhee’s Bink and Gollie: Two for One (Candlewick, 2012), illustrated by Tony Fucile.

Children’s Book Committee Awards: The Bank Street College of Education announced the winners of the 2013 Children’s Book Committee Awards. Wonder by R. J. Palacio (Knopf, 2012) was received the Josette Frank Award. Palacio’s memorable story about ten-year-old Auggie, a boy with facial abnormalities, who attends public school for the first time, shows how the experience changes him as well as all of those he encounters. The Award, given annually since 1943 (originally called the Children’s Book Award) honors an outstanding fiction title “in which children or young people deal in a positive and realistic way with difficulties in their world and grow emotionally and morally.”

The Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for a nonfiction title was given to Doreen Rappaport’s Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust (Candlewick, 2012), a chronicle of 21 courageous acts of defiance. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 2000 Poems with Photographs that Squeak, Soar, and Roar! by J. Patrick Lewis, “an exuberant celebration of the animal kingdom and a beautiful introduction to this genre of literature,” won the Claudia Lewis Award. Established in 1998, the award is given for the best poetry book of the year.

The Children’s Book Committee is a nonprofit affiliate of Bank Street College of Education. The Committee was founded 75 years ago to “guide librarians, educators and parents to the best books for children published each year.”

Scholarships

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) is offering two scholarships to students pursuing a master’s or advanced degree in children’s librarianship. The ALSC Bound to Stay Bound Books Scholarship, funded by Bound-to-Stay Bound Books, is an award of $7,000 that will be given to four candidates. The ALSC Frederic G.Melcher Scholarship, funded by contributions from librarians and others in the book world as a tribute to Melcher, consists of two $6,000 awards. Applicants must demonstrate academic excellence and leadership, be enrolled at an ALA accredited library school (U.S. or Canada) that offers a full range of courses in children’s materials and library services to children, must not have earned more than 12 semester hours towards an MLS/MLIS, and must take a position in the field of library service to children for at least one year after graduation. The deadline for applying for these two scholarships is March 1. Be sure to check out requirements and complete an application. The recipients will be announced at the ALA Annual conference in June.

Rare Books

First editions: The J.Willard Marriott Library’s Rare Book Division, Special Collections at the University of Utah has received first editions of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There (1872) from an anonymous donor. The books are valued at $30,000. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson first made up the story of Alice’s adventures for Alice Liddell and her sisters and gave her the manuscript in 1864. His friend and novelist, Henry Kingsley, encouraged the author to publish the book. He expanded the manuscript from 18,000 words to 35,000 words and published it under the Lewis Carroll pseudonym. Four thousand copies were printed.

BONNER, Hannah. When Dinos Dawned, Mammals Got Munched, and Pterosaurs Took Flight: A Cartoon Pre-History of Life in the Triassic. illus. by author. National Geographic Kids. 2012. ISBN 9781426308635. JLG Level SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)

Borrowing from the “Magic School Bus”-style, fun cartoons punctuate this look into the Triassic period. Fact-filled sidebars, maps, charts, and graphs deliver a plethora of information about the evolution of creatures large and small. Knowing that there are never enough dinosaur books may be cause for selection alone, but this title is note-worthy due to its supportive material, which includes a glossary, index, and bibliography. Humor and the voice of the author make a complicated subject more accessible and certainly more than a picture book of dinosaurs.

CHIN, Jason. Island: The Story of the Galapagos. illus. by author. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter Bk. 2012. ISBN 9781596437166. JLG Level: SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)

The perfect book to follow or precede When Dinos Dawned, Island is another new story about the evolution of animals. The Galapagos Islands were formed as lava spewed from a volcano. As years passed, seeds fell, birds flew over, and marine animals swam to this archipelago six hundred miles from the mainland. As they aged, they slowly began to sink. As the millions of years passed, animals that lived on the Galapagos adapted to their surroundings. Snails got thinner shells, beaks became larger, and wings became smaller. The island continued to sink. Plants and animals continued to adapt.

Back matter provided by the author explains Darwin’s theory of natural selection, the Galapagos Islands and how many of the plants and animals that survive there are endemic- they exist nowhere else in the world. It’s a fascinating story for your science nonfiction collection, beautifully illustrated by the author.

HAGUE, Bradley. Alien Deep: Exploring the Mysterious World of Hydrothermal Vents. National Geographic Kids. 2012. ISBN 9781426310683. JLG Level: SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)

Before 1977, scientists thought that there was no life in the deep ocean. However, scientists on the Knorr found vents on the ocean floor which bubbled boiling water.  Around the vents was life. Giant clams the size of dinner plates. Red-headed tubeworms as tall as men. Since the first discovery of the vents, a new deep-ocean species has been discovered about every ten days. In 2011, a team of scientists, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, set out to explore the same hydrothermal grounds of the Galapagos Rift.

Content focuses on the work of the scientists and crew of the Okeanos Explorer and their expedition along the Galapagos Rift in the Pacific. Supporting STEM curriculum and in collaboration with National Geographic’s television series of the same name, Alien Deep explores the work of an oceanographer. Amazing photographs compliment the appropriately sized font. Glossary bubbles on each page help the reader decode the text. It’s National Geographic for Kids at its finest.

HEARST, Michael. Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth’s Strangest Animals. Chronicle. 2012.  ISBN 9781452104676. JLG Level: SCE : Science Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)

With a good sense of humor, and a great deal of research, Michael Hearst delivers two-page spreads on fifty unusual creatures. From the depths of the sea to birds that fly, readers will read just enough information on these uncommon animals and insects to make them want more. Hagfish produce enough slime in a few minutes to fill five one gallon jugs. Saddleback caterpillars have stinging hairs that can cause swelling, rashes and nausea. The Texas Horned Lizard spurts blood from the corners of its eyes. Snakes in Asia leap out of trees and puff out their chests to fly. Try keeping this book to yourself and reading a section or two at the beginning of each class. You’ll have silence the second they see it in your hands.

JUDGE, Lita. Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why. Flash Point. 2012. ISBN 9781596436466. JLG Level: NE : Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)

Have you ever heard birds outside your window and wondered what they’re saying? Maybe you’ve been at the zoo and seen some dancing and prancing and wondered what that’s all about. Then Bird Talk is the book for you. Lita Judge, granddaughter of ornithologists, has written about her love of birds and what they do to communicate.

This fascinating look into bird behavior will have you spouting off facts to anyone who will listen. Indian Sarus Cranes mate for life. They do a wonderful ballet on the surface of the water, bowing and leaping. Western Grebes also dance on the water’s surface with their mates. The Blue Bird of Paradise hangs upside down to attract his partner. Lita finishes her informational picture book by giving more facts about each profiled bird.

SPINNER, Stephanie. Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird. Knopf. 2012. ISBN 9780375868467. JLG Level: NE : Nonfiction Elementary (Grades 2-6)

As further proof that animals communicate, this fall Stephanie Spinner releases the story of Alex, who was not an ordinary bird. In 1977 a graduate student named Irene Pepperberg bought an African grey parrot at a pet store. She believed that birds were intelligent. As a scientist, she was determined to prove it. Pepperberg taught Alex to speak and count during the ten years that she had to work with him. In a time when the world thought that the size of your brain coincided with how much you could learn, Alex the Parrot revolutionized what scientists believed about animal communication. Videos online abound, so be sure to show one of these when you introduce this story.

Junior Library Guild is a collection development service that helps school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Season after season, year after year, Junior Library Guild book selections go on to win awards, collect starred or favorable reviews, and earn industry honors. Visit us at www.JuniorLibraryGuild.com.