From: Megan Schliesman <Schliesman>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 09:40:59 -0600

Regarding Pete's a Pizza and the visual depiction of the parents as older, Nick Glass asked if, "for an award that consciously selects winners for the text... a potential inconsistency between the text and the illustrations can be construed as a problem."

As a member of this year's Zolotow Committee, I can say that at not time did the depiction of older parent's in the book strike the committee as an inconsistency. It was not an issue among children with whom the book was shared, although it may have been raised by one or two (I can't recall specifically). It's the kind of question that, when raised by a child, becomes a wonderful opportunity for adults to affirm a reality that may be new to some children, but is real for other children, perhaps even one or more who is present in a group where the question is raised.

Like Melody Allen, the committee actually appreciated the depiction of "older" parents. The book was ultimately cited for its text. But if the art had struck the committee as inappropriate or unfitting, it probably would have had an impact, as it would have lessened the effect of the book as a whole.

As Steven Engelfried wrote about Snow, Pete's a Pizza, and John Willy and Freddy McGee, "I...think it's interesting that these three books are deservingly honored for their text, but none of them use very many words. It confirms that the best written picturebooks are the ones where the words work closely with the pictures to tell the story."

Megan



Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education UW-Madison 608&2?03 schliesman at mail.soemadison.wisc.edu
Received on Wed 24 Mar 1999 09:40:59 AM CST