Celebrating African American Children’s Literature: An “Eye of the Beholder” Workshop

As an academic librarian at a liberal arts university, I was asked by our school’s art museum staff to collaborate on programming for an exhibition by African American illustrators of children’s books. The exhibition, called Telling a People’s Story: African-American Children’s Illustrated Literature, ran on campus through June 2018 as the first of its kind. To represent 33 different artists, the nearly 130 works on display included paintings, pastels, drawings, and mixed-media works. Artists included veterans like Jerry Pinkney, who has been illustrating award-winning books since the 1960s, and younger artists like Javaka Steptoe, whose Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat won the 2017 Randolph Caldecott Medal.

Couples Who Collaborate: Matthew Cordell and Julie Halpern

Considering the busy year this couple has had, Children and Libraries is lucky to have had the chance to interview current Caldecott Medal–winning author/illustrator Matthew Cordell and acclaimed YA author (and librarian!) Julie Halpern. The couple live in the Chicago area.

News and Announcements

Welcome to spring for many of our readers - except those of us in northern Alberta where winter, beautiful winter, just won’t let go this year. You can be sure that we will appreciate spring all the more when it finally takes hold.On a sad note, Andrea Deakin (for whom this publication is named), informed us that Jan Ormerod recently passed away. The Guardian’s obituary of Sunday, February 3, 2013 reminds us that Jan Ormerod “brought a fresh vision to children's picturebooks with her luminous images, storytelling genius and understanding of how children behave” and that she was “admired for her ability to cut away all that was unnecessary in her stories.” (www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/03/jan-ormerod).Although too late for interested groups to participate in the voting this year, the Rocky Mountain Book Award winners will be announced on April 23, 2013. This is a readers’ choice award in its 13th year where groups of students in grades 4-7 read, then vote for, their favourite book from a shortlist of “exemplary Canadian literature” chosen by a committee of teachers, librarians, parents, and students. The award is sponsored in part by the Lethbridge (Alberta) school district and the University of Lethbridge. All the information about participating and pervious winners is at http://rmba.lethsd.ab.ca/index.htm (although the website design is a little challenging to use).As indicated in our last issue, the various 2013 awards from the Association for Library Service to Children division of the American Library Association have been announced. The 2013 Newbery Medal (contribution to American literature for children) winner was The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The 2013 Caldecott Medal (picture book artist) winner wasThis Is Not My Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. For other medal winners as well as “honor book” recognition, see www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia.By the way, if keeping track of book awards is a favourite past-time, have a look at the Canadian Children’s Award Index posted by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre at www.bookcentre.ca/awards/canadian_awards_index. I hope you have lots of free time if you want to keep track of them all.On that note, have a wonderful spring and start setting aside piles of books for your summer reading pleasure.David Sulz, Communications EditorDavid is a Public Services Librarian at University of Alberta and liaison librarian to Economics, Religious Studies, and Social Work. He has university studies in Library Studies, History, Elementary Education, Japanese, and Economics; he formerly taught in schools and museums. His interests include physical activity, music, home improvements, and above all, things Japanese.

Wonderstruck by B. Selznick

Selznick, Brian. Wonderstruck. New York: Scholastic Press, 2011. Print. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Art and Design, Brian Selznick is an illustrator of children’s books and a professional puppeteer. He has received a Caldecott Honor Award for his illustrations in Barbara Kerley’s The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. In 2008, Selznick’s bestselling novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, was awarded a Caldecott Medal. Wonderstruck, a book aimed at readers aged 9 and older, tells the story of two children from two different time periods. A boy who has recently lost his mother finds a mysterious clue that leads him in search of his father. In a parallel storyline taking place 50 years earlier, a deaf girl runs away from home, seeking a famous actress. Each child’s quest eventually leads to New York’s American Museum of Natural History where they discover the wonders it contains. Following the format used in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, beautiful black and white illustrations combine with vivid descriptions and an engaging story. Selznick skillfully alternates between the two storylines and weaves them together. The hybrid of text and images will appeal to readers who enjoy visual aspects of the graphic novel genre. Readers who revelled in the museum intrigue of E.L. Konigsberg’s From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler will find this book a treat. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 starsReviewer: Maria Tan Maria is a Public Services Librarian at the University of Alberta’s H. T. Coutts Education Library. She enjoys travelling and visiting unique and far-flung libraries. An avid foodie, Maria’s motto is, “There’s really no good reason to stop the flow of snacks”.

News, Awards, and Announcements

With the 2012 spring reading season approaching full bloom, the first major cycle of children’s literature awards is upon us. Topping the news is the conferral of the prestigious ALSC Book and Media Awards. Among the winners were Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos, which received the John Newbery Medal for best new work of children’s literature, and A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka, which took home the Randolph Caldecott Medal for best illustrated children’s book. Overseas, the UK’s CILIP has announced its shortlists for the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals, two major awards recognizing the finest in children’s literature and illustration. The winners will be announced on June 14th. Speaking of shortlists, the Canadian Library Association disclosed the contenders for its three childrens’ literature awards, which will be conferred at the CLA Conference on May 31st. Among the nominees are several Deakin-reviewed titles, including Joy Ang’s The Qalupalik for best illustrated children’s book, Kelly Armstrong’s The Gathering and Kenneth Oppel’s This Dark Endeavour (reviewed by T. Chatterley in this issue) for best young adult book, and Rachna Gilmore’s That Boy Red for book of the year. Finally, the International Board on Books for Youth (IBBY) has been busy preparing its 2012 lists of the best children’s and young adult books. IBBY Canada announced its Honours List of five titles at the end of 2011, and USBBY (the U.S. national section of IBBY) announced its list of 36 Outstanding International Books early this year. Among the latter list are several Canadian titles, including the Deakin-reviewed Ten Birds by Cybèle Young.

Farmhands and Factory Workers, Honesty and Humility: The Portrayal of Social Class and Morals in English Language Learner Children's Books

Background/Context Although much research has evaluated children's books for depictions of gender, little has centered on the portrayal of immigrants and social class. This investigation utilizes Bourdieu's theory of capital reproduction in education, Durkheim's conception of collective conscience and morals, and Bowles and Gintis's critique of schooling to evaluate these depictions and to investigate the functions of English language learner (ELL) education. Focus of Study This analysis investigates the representation of immigrants and class in children's books read aloud in ELL classrooms. Research Design Using lists provided by a leading school of education, the investigation uses a content analysis of 50 books often read aloud to ELL students based on five economic and cultural capital indicators. Additionally, the research included a content analysis of the morals presented by these books and by the past 20 Caldecott Medal-winning books. Findings Findings suggest strong differences in class portrayals and morals between ELL classroom and Caldecott Medal-winning books. Additionally, the evidence shows that the ELL books portray various ethnic immigrant groups differently, often supporting popular stereotypes about these ethnicities. Conclusions and Recommendations The study provides possible implications of the findings on the educational and career aspirations of ELL students and suggests that future researchers focus on participant-observation to expand these findings.