Meet the Artist: Michele Wood!

On Saturday, October 22, from 2:00-4:00 p.m., visit the Krull Gallery to meet, live and in-person, award-winning artist and illustrator Michele Wood.  Michele Wood was honored with the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award in 1999 for her book I See the Rhythm, written by Toyomi Igus. Come and see her amazing art, which will continue to be on display in the gallery through Sunday, October 23, 2011.   This event is FREE and is open to families and patrons of all ages.

Below is a brief video featured on ACPL's You Tube Channel about Michele Wood's exhibit "Not to be Forgotten":

Are You Looking for Great Kids Books...?

Then don't miss our Mock Election Kick-off, coming up soon! School-age children and adults are invited to attend and hear some stories from award-winning books...find out how to find great books for kids...and learn more about our Mock Elections, in which you are invited to vote for YOUR favorite children's books.

It's all happening on Tuesday, June 14, from 2:00-3:00.

Hope to see you there!

Children's Choice Book Awards

The Children's Choice Book Award winners were announced on May 2, as a kick-off to last week's Children's Book Week. Over 500,000 votes were collected from children from all over the United States! Winners included...

Author of the Year
Rick Riordan, for The Lost Hero, Book 1 in the Heroes of Olympus series









Illustrator of the Year
David Wiesner, for Art and Max








For a complete list of winners and more information about the Children's Choice Awards, see the Children's Book Week website.

It's Book Award Day! -- Part 2

It's all so exciting -- the waiting has ended!!! This morning, winners of the 2011 Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, and many other book and media awards were announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in San Diego.

Below is a list of some of the winners. For a complete list, visit the American Library Association's Youth Media Awards press release.

John Newbery Medal:
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Newbery Honors:
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Randolph Caldecott Medal
A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead

Caldecott Honors:
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill
Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

Coretta Scott King Author Award
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Coretta Scott King Author Honors:
Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor:
Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio

Robert F. Sibert Medal
Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery

Sibert Honor Books:
Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring by Jan Greenberg & Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca
Lafayette and the American Revolution by Russell Freedman

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Tony Fucile

Geisel Honor Books:
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! by Grace Lin
We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems


What do YOU think of the winning titles? Were any of your favorites chosen?

Congratulations to the winning authors and illustrators!

The REAL winners of the Youth Media Awards!

Do you want to be among the first to find out the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, Geisel, Sibert & Coretta Scott King Awards?

You can watch a live webcast which begins at 7:45AM PST (that means, 10:45am YOUR TIME) or you can wait for the press release. For more information about the award announcements click here.

2011 ACPL Mock Sibert Award

The 2011 ACPL Mock Sibert Award goes to:

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot
by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop




Three honor books were named:

They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)
by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham

Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors
by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beckie Prange

Congratulations to our mock winners, and thanks to everyone who participated in this year's program!

Greatest Day in Track and Field (in 1935!)

During the Big Ten Championships at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Jesse Owens, representing Ohio State University, broke three world records and tied a fourth in the space of 45 minutes ~ from 3:15 to 4:00 pm! The "Buckeye Bullet" (who was suffering from an injured back) set records in the running broad jump, the 220-yard dash and the 220-yard hurdles and tied the record for the 100-yard dash.
An amazing day in sports history!

Alien Baby??

From the pages of the New York Times and the pen of Printz Award winner Gene Luen Yang comes a tale of math, aliens, and new siblings.Thaddeus doesn't like his new sister (she's not that smart and she gets all the attention). He likes her even less when he discovers that she's an inter-dimensional conduit for peace-loving aliens (who are totally lame all they want to do is knit socks for the homeless and have sing-a-longs!). But what's even worse is that no one will believe him about any of this! How is he ever going manage to grow up to become the President of Earth?First serialized in the New York Times Magazine, Prime Baby is a laugh-out-loud look at sibling rivalry.

2010 Children's Choice Book Award Winners

On Wednesday, May 12th, the winners of the
2010 Children's Choice Book Award Winners
were announced, as part of
Children's Book Week.

They are:

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
Lulu and the Big Chick
by Paulette Bogan

3rd - 4th Grade
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute
by Jarrett Krosoczka

5th - 6th Grade
Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
by Rachel Renee Russell

Teen Choice
Catching Fire
by Suzanne Collins

Author of the Year
James Patterson, for Max

Illustrator of the Year
Peter Brown, for The Curious Garden

Congratulations to the winners!

2010 Edgar Award Nominees

The Mystery Writers of America have announced their nominees for the 2010 Edgar Awards, an annual award honoring "the best" in mystery fiction. This year's juvenile nominees are:

• The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett
• The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil
• Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn
• Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds
• The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer

Winners will be announced at a banquet in New York City on April 29th, 2010.

Are you a mystery-lover? Which is YOUR favorite?

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com

And the Winners Are...

This morning, the American Library Association announced the winners of its annual book and media awards for children and teens. This year's winners and honor books for children are:

John Newbery Medal Winner:
When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead

Newbery Honor Books:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Phillip Hoose

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by Kelly

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman Philbrick

Caldecott Medal Winner:
The Lion and the Mouse
by Jerry Pinkney

Caldecott Honor Books:
All the World
illustrated by Marla Frazee
written by Liz Garton Scanlon

Red Sings from the Treetops
illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
written by Joyce Sidman

Coretta Scott King Book Award (Author):
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Coretta Scott King Honor (Author):
Mare’s War
by Tanita S. Davis

Coretta Scott King Book Award (Illustrator):
My People
illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr.
written by Langston Hughes

Coretta Scott King Honor (Illustrator):
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
illustrated by E. B. Lewis
written by Langston Hughes

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award:
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!
written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes

Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Books:
I Spy Fly Guy!
written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold

Little Mouse Gets Ready
written and illustrated by Jeff Smith

Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends
written and illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee

Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day
written by Kate McMullan
illustrated by R. W. Alley

Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner:
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
by Tanya Lee Stone

Sibert Honor Books:
The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors
written by Chris Barton
illustrated by Tony Persiani

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
by Brian Floca

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
by Phillip Hoose

Pura Belpré Award (Author):
Return to Sender
by Julia Alvarez

Pura Belpré Honors(Author):
Diego: Bigger Than Life
by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
illustrated by David Diaz

Federico García Lorca
written by Georgina Lázaro
illustrated by Enrique S. Moreiro

Pura Belpré Award (Illustrator):
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros
illustrated by Rafael López
written by Pat Mora

Pura Belpré Honors (Illustrator):
Diego: Bigger Than Life
illustrated by David Diaz
by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand

My Abuelita
illustrated by Yuyi Morales
written by Tony Johnston

Gracias Thanks
illustrated by John Parra
written by Pat Mora

Schneider Family Book Awards:
Django
by Bonnie Christensen

Anything but Typical
by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Marcelo in the Real World
by Francisco X. Stork

Odyssey Award:
Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken
written by Kate DiCamillo
narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

Odyssey Honors:
In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber
written by L. A. Meyer
narrated by Katherine Kellgren

Peace, Locomotion
written by Jacqueline Woodson
narrated by Dion Graham

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
written by Kadir Nelson
narrated by Dion Graham

Andrew Carnegie Medal:
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
based on the book by Mo Willems
narrated by Willems and Jon Scieszka

Mildred L. Batchelder Award
A Faraway Island
written by Annika Thor
translated by Linda Schenck

Batchelder Honors:
Big Wolf and Little Wolf
written by Nadine Brun-Cosme
illustrated by Olivier Tallec
translated by Claudia Bedrick

Eidi
written by Bodil Bredsdorff
translated by Kathryn Mahaffy

Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness
written by Nahoko Uehashi
illustrated by Yuko Shimizu
translated by Cathy Hirano

Book Award Day!!

And the winner is: Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Grapes, by Margie Palatini, illustrated by Barry Moser -- according to our ACPL Kids' Mock Caldecott group. They chose to give honor awards to Tonya Hegamin's Most Loved In All the World: A Story of Freedom, illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera; The Lion and the Mouse, by Jerry Pinkney; and Mo Willems' Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.

You can compare their picks with the winners of the REAL Caldecott award by clicking here after 8:30 a.m. today. The Caldecott Award is given annually to the illustrator of the most distinguished picture book published. The winner will be announced today along with the Newbery, Geisel, and Coretta Scott King awards, among others. It's an exciting day for book-lovers!

Coming Soon! Mock Caldecott and Mock Geisel Elections!

Check it out! The best American picture books of 2009 AND the best American beginning reader books of 2009 will be discussed and debated this
Saturday, January 16th,
right here at the Main Library in Fort Wayne...and YOU can be a part of it. At the end of each program, we'll vote and elect our own Mock Award winners. There's still time to register, if you'd like to attend.

Mock Caldecott
9:00am to 1pm
Picture Books for Children

Mock Geisel
2:00pm to 6:00pm
Beginning Reader Books for Children

The "real" Caldecott and Geisel Awards will be presented on Monday, January 18th, by the American Library Association.

ACPL Mock Geisel!

Are you looking for the best early readers of the year? Check out the ACPL Mock Geisel blog for some ideas. The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author and illustrator of the best early reader book of the year.

At ACPL we hold a Mock Geisel Award program to decide the book that WE think should win. Join us!

Nominate Your Favorites for the CYBILS

Nominate your favorite book for a CYBILS (Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Award)! Nominations are being accepted now through October 15th.

Nic Bishop Frogs by Nic Bishop won the 2008 non-fiction picture book CYBILS.

Cybils 2009

It is almost time for nominations for the CYBILS (Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Award)! The award is presented in several categories with new panelists & judges being announced now on the CYBILS blog. I am happy to serve as an Easy Reader judge for the second year with a wonderful group of bloggers. Nominate your favorite book in each category (easy readers & short chapter books, graphic novels, non-fiction picture books, non-fiction middle grade & young adult, fiction picture books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, fantasy & science fiction, and poetry) after October 1st!

I Love My New Toy! by Mo Willems was the winner of the 2008-09 CYBILS easy reader award.

Milton Meltzer 1915-2009

Please stop by the Children's Department and check out our display highlighting
author Milton Meltzer.

In the fall of 1956 Milton published his first book, A Pictorial History of the Negro American, co-written with Langston Hughes.

Four of Milton's books went on to become National Book Award Finalists. He has written books on topics ranging from the history of the potato to a biography of George Washington.

Join us in honoring and remembering this great author.

Newbery Books Ranked!

Since 1922, the single "most distinguished contribution to children's literature" has been given the annual John Newbery Medal by the Association of Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. Every list you've probably ever seen arranges these award winners by year of award, or perhaps by author. Not this one.

Finally, the list everyone really wants... the awards, arranged--not by year--but by how much a totally biased group of readers enjoyed them. Which Newbery winner, in this group's opinion, is the most fun to read? Well, read on...

For nearly five years, the completely biased, non-scientific, Newbery Book Discussion Group met monthly to digest a randomly selected past Newbery book and an equally random pot luck dinner. Group members were primarily teachers and librarians. All liked to read children's and young adults' books. None could pass up a Dove Bar while arguing the merits of the book under discussion. This Group read, debated, and ate its way to creating a list of Newbery winners in rank order of what we liked best.

In November 2000, the Group "reordered" the list and decided to discuss and add the latest Newbery winner each year. The annotations, like the ranking itself, reflect the flavor of the Group's discussion. In June 2009, we added the most recent winner, The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, to our ranked list. See the list here.

If You Like Children's Picture Books...

...then you'll definitely want to check out the ACPL Mock Caldecott Blog. Here is where you can find many of the best American picture books published this year. And, if you like talking about books or book illustration, feel free to leave some comments and let us know what YOU think of the titles we've posted!

Mock Coretta Scott King Award

This year the Coretta Scott King Books Awards are celebrating their 40th anniversary. These awards are given annually by the American Library Association to recognize outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children.

Sound interesting?

Wanna know more about some of these books?

Check out the ACPL Mock Coretta Scott King Award discussion blog at http://acplmockcsk.blogspot.com/

You are invited to join the discussion as we explore books which might be considered for this year's award.