From: Lisa Von Drasek <lisav>
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 2004 15:17:06 -0500

What a thrill to be present at this year's press conference. The room where the announcements were made was smaller than usual. by 8:30 it was a buzzing, bursting hive of energy. I was thrilled with the selections of the Awards committees. First to DESPEREAUX, like Robin , I had been reading aloud Despereaux to our 3rd and 4th graders. I always pick a novel that I had read in galley so that I am assured that the students had not read it yet. It was the best classroom management tool since Because of Winn Dixie. What I wasn't prepared for was how the students would react to often sly, sometimes dark humor. The timing was impeccable. As I was taking a breath at the end of a sentence the chuckles and laughter would flow from the students. It isn't often when we can praise punctuation yet I am here to say that DiCamillo's well crafted sentences made reading aloud a pleasure. This allegory of the importance of faith and courage , told in 52 short chapters is deceptively easy to read and share. To the Newbery Committee, quoting a very small mouse with very large ears, " I honor you." I also was ecstatic over the honor books, Kevin Henkes for OLIVE'S OCEAN. I was positive this quiet book of friendship and family would be easy to overlook. How wrong I was. And An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. This compelling non-fiction book is a remarkably satisfying read.

More as time permits, off to faculty meeting. Lisa







Lisa Von Drasek, MLIS Children's Librarian Bank Street College of Education School for Children Pre-K- 8 610 West 112th St NY NY 10025

lisav at bnkst.edu

212 875 4452

Teaching pre-K-8 Teaching Editor/Children's Books Best Children's Books of the Year Nick Jr.
Received on Wed 14 Jan 2004 02:17:06 PM CST