The Winners!

On Monday the 2010 winners of the Caldecott Award and the Newbery Award were announced at the midwinter conference of the American Library Association. Here are photos of the book covers along with information quoted from the ALA website:

"The 2010 Caldecott Medal winner is The Lion & the Mouse, illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers). The screech of an owl, the squeak of a mouse and the roar of a lion transport readers to the Serengeti plains for this virtually wordless retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. In glowing colors, Pinkney’s textured watercolor illustrations masterfully portray the relationship between two very unlikely friends."



"The 2010 Newbery Medal winner is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books. Twelve-year-old Miranda encounters shifting friendships, a sudden punch, a strange homeless man and mysterious notes that hint at knowledge of the future. These and other seemingly random events converge in a brilliantly constructed plot."

Our library already has a copy of The Lion and the Mouse which I bought because of a tip from a local bookseller. When I saw it, I really admired the way "the pictures tell the story" (ask your child!) and had a hunch it might win. I hope to share it with Grade 1 students when I figure out the best way to "read" a nearly wordless book!

The Newbery Award is given for writing and a chapter book usually wins. Many times these books are better suited for middle school students, but I decide about adding a title to our collection based on reading it. This book will be challenging to most students but I hope it finds some appreciative readers at Charlestown when it is added to our library (soon!). If you want to read our school's "personal" connection to author Rebecca Stead, make sure you read my newest entry below in the "Books I've Read Recently"section.

Congratulations to the winning illustrators and authors - we all benefit!