On February 2, 2015, at 9 AM, the children’s literature
world will be watching. What is happening, you might ask? The American Library
Association’s Youth Media Awards will be announced in Chicago. Now, most of you
will not be in Chicago that day, so you can follow along online here!
Why is this such a big deal? Some people call it the “Oscars
of Children’s Lit” . This is the day
that the winners of the 2015 Caldecott, Newberry, Corretta Scott King, Printz, and more are announced. For details,
visit this link.
The room in Chicago will be filled with thousands of
librarians, booksellers, media, and book lovers of all stripes. The only people who know ahead of time who the
winners are, are the winners themselves and the committees that chose the
winners. It is all very exciting, and
this year, even more exciting to me because I get to help choose one of those
winners. This year, I have the great honour of being a member of the 2015 Caldecott Committee!
Since January of last year, I have been reading, looking at
picture book art, and evaluating books. I read just over 500 picture books last
year, and many of those books I read and looked at multiple times. Some of
those books I spent hours poring over the art, comparing the books to other
books published in 2014. I read reviews, I read the books to children, I talked
about the books with artist friends, I shared the books with high school and college
classrooms. I immersed myself completely in the world of picture books, always
with the Medal terms & criteria in mind.
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| Members of the 2015 Caldecott Committee |
Now I head to Chicago to sequester myself in a room with 14
other committee members, to discuss the books and to choose a winner, which
will be announced to the world on February 2! Watch online, follow me on
Twitter @annavalley, or just Google “Caldecott winner” on February 2 to find
out which book is deemed the most distinguished American picture book for children!
--Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services
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