From: Deborah Hochman <DHochman>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 17:51:09 -0400

I too have been staying out of the discussion but watching it with great interest and I thought now would be a good time to jump in.

I agree that the review process is critical and a huge responsibility that I am certain people do not take lightly. I also agree that each book should stand on its own and be judged on its own. It is exactly for that reason that I find this review so disturbing. If Booklist makes it a policy to only publish positive reviews then this book was clearly an exception and it was an exception because it was a Chris Raschka book. This focus piece is so much more than a review. It delves into the motivations for publishing the book which is clearly outside the reviewers province.

Don't we want to publish children's books that educate and start discussions and teach kids that not everyone thinks the same way or even about the same things? This book is clearly hugely successful for the discussions it has started even if it is not for everyone...and does a book need to be for everyone? (Of course it is interesting to note that very few people have talked about death and reincarnation which is where I thought the discussion would go.) Just an interesting note--I just came back from a ten day tour with Chris and the kids (in bookstores, libraries and schools) reaction to the book was wonderful. Most kids loved it, got the humor and also loved that it opened a discussion about death in a non threatening way.

Debbie Hochman Orchard Books Marketing Manager

Since this is close to our last day of discussion, I'm writing a sort of
"all-in-one" post of thoughts inspired by comments from the last few days.

I have been deliberately staying out of the discussion of _Arlene Sardine_ because I thought Betsy Hearne's Big Picture was a remarkable summation, to which I had little of value to add (having stated earlier that the book does not make my bells chime, at least not harmoniously). Having been a reviewer for Booklist and having worked for Ilene Cooper, I must go on the record: the review editors at Booklist take their charge very seriously, and if they box a book for a negative review, it is only after a great deal of measured consideration and extensive discussion.

It is always difficult to write an unfavorable review- the reviewer must evaluate the title in hand on its merits (or lack thereof), while considering (in the case of many of the review journals we've mentioned) whether or not the title has *any* value to *any* collection. When the book is written or illustrated by a well-known, highly respected author and/or illustrator, writing an unfavorable review becomes even more difficult. It is easy to be cowed, awed, or just be plain uncomfortable writing a negative review of a book by a popular author and/or illustrator.

I think writing unfavorable reviews is much more difficult than writing positive ones. When I take into consideration that the review is going into print and will be "out there" for a very long time, it is not a responsibility I take lightly,and I believemMost reviewers take their reponsibility to their readers very seriously. (Warning: in the next paragraph I leap to the veritable top of my soapbox.)

Reviewers are responsible to their readers, especially reviewers who write for journals that are used as selection tools in school and public libraries. Their charge is to give their honest, professional opinion of a particular title to those who look to reviews for guidance in collection development. Fairness counts, but (and this may make me very unpopular in some quarters) reviewers are not responsible to authors, illustrators, or publishers, except to evaluate as honestly and professionally as possible the book in front of them. This includes comparing it to similar titles or to other books by the same author and/or illustrator, discussing its possible uses in a curriculum or in programming, and, finally, rendering a judgement as to the value of the book to a collection.

It is critical to be concrete and specific about what works and what doesn't work in a particular title; it is even more critical to be concrete and specific when you are *not* recommending a book for purchase.

The reality is that libraries don't have the money to buy everything. A review should provide enough information to aid in the decision-making process.

Are there reviews I wish I had edited one more time before they went into print? Lord, yes. Do I stand by them still? You bet.

Janice M. Del Negro

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books GSLIS/University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign delnegro at alexia.lis.uiuc.edu
Received on Tue 29 Sep 1998 04:51:09 PM CDT