1. Why We Read & Awards for Books

2. Why do we read? There are basically two kinds of reading:
Immediate: the text draws us in
Long term: has accumulated benefits

3. Jim Trelease says: More you read, the more you know
More you know, the smarter you’ll grow
Smarter you are, longer you’ll stay in school
Longer you stay in school, the more diplomas you earn and the longer you are employed – thus the more money you’ll earn in a lifetime
The more diplomas you earn, the higher your children’s grades will be in school
More diplomas you earn, the longer you’ll live.

4. There are 2 basic reading categories:
Unengaged reading: done by necessity, work or school – called Aliterate Reading
Engaged reading: when you connect with a book, get pleasure or satisfaction from reading.

5. There are two kinds of engaged reading:
Informational reading: to find an answer
is called efferent reading
Aesthetic reading: involves images
and feelings – a craftsmanship of the
words.
The act of reading can’t be both ways – it is either engaged or unengaged.

6. So, how do we judge a good book?
Style and language 8. Design & layout
Character 9. Mood
Plot Accuracy
Illustrations Tone
Pacing Point of view
Setting Theme
Tension
The three most important are style
& language, character and plot.

7. Awards for Children’s Books
The four major awards we will examine are :
Newbery Award
Caldecott Award
Geisel Award
Nutmeg Award

8. Newbery Award Was named for John Newbery (1713 – 1767)
Was the first publisher to take children’s literature seriously
In 1921, Frederick Melcher proposed to the ALA that a special award be given annually for the “most distinguished” book.

9. The Newbery goes to:
The author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature.
The award is restricted to authors who are citizens or residents of the U.S.
Only the committee can decide who gets the award.
“Author” can mean co-authors.
“Original Work” means by the author and no one else.

10. Criteria for book selection:
Committee members focus on:
Interpretation of theme or concept
Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity and organization
Development of a plot
Delineation of characters
Delineation of setting
Appropriateness of style
Members can serve only once every four years.

11. Most recent Newbery winners:
Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard.
A collection of short one-person plays featuring characters, between ten and fifteen years old, who live in or near a 13th century English manor.

12. Caldecott Medal Was named for Randolph Caldecott
Illustrator best known for his nursery rhyme books
In 1937, Frederick Melcher suggested establishing a medal to honor the artist who had created the most distinguished picture book of the year. Meaning, marked by excellence in quality and marked by conspicuous eminence and individually distinctive.

13. Criteria for Caldecott Award
Excellence in execution in the artistic technique employed.
Excellence of pictorial interpretation of story, theme or concept.
Appropriateness of style, of illustration to the story, theme or concept.

14. Geisel Award
Geisel Award is given to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished beginning reader published in English in the U.S. during the past year.

15. Criteria for Geisel Award
Must be an original work
Must be a citizen or resident of the U.S.
Can be co-authors and illustrators
Must be directed at a K-2nd grader
“Distinguished” is defined as a need for significant achievement , individually distinct, a successful reading experience for beginning reader.

16. Nutmeg Award Only award chosen by the children of CT.
Encourages students to read quality literature and then choose their favorite from the 10 nominated titles.
Began in 1993 as an award for 4-6th graders.
In 2006, due to it’s popularity, the Nutmeg award was expanded to include older children with the Teen Nutmeg Award.

17. Nutmeg nominated books must be:
Works of fiction, with appeal to 4-6 or 6-8 graders.
Copyrighted in the U.S.
Available in paperback as well as hardcover.
Well written with strong characterization, vivid settings, striking language, well constructed plots and plausible conclusions.
The selection committee is comprised of children’s librarians, school media specialists, teachers and two students.

18. For next week: Reading: Chapters 2-4 and Appendix D in your textbook.
Read Book Made Into Movie
Writing Assignment # 2: Hollywood is Calling
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