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Illustrations in This Year's Sibert Award Winners
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From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:56:53 -0600
Russell Freedman certainly set the standard with his photo-biographies when he won the Newbery Award for "Lincoln: A Photobiography" back in 1988. The level of photo research he did at the time raised the bar for children's nonfiction that uses photographs to document the text, as well as to illustrate it. His style has been widely imitated since then, and the neologism "photobiography" has entered the lexicon in the world of children's literature.
Two of this year's honor books, "Walt Whitman: Words for America" written by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by Brian Selznick, and "Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing" written and illustrated by James Rumford are both picture book biographies. The third honor book, "The Tarantula Scientist" written by Sy Montgomery, with photographs by Nic Bishop, is a photo-essay about the work of arachnologist Sam Marshall.
In all of these selections, the illustrations are an integral part. They convey, document, and extend information in the text. Unfortunately, the Sibert Medal is awarded only to the authors. It's a shame that Brian Selznick and Nic Bishop don't get the level of recognition that the authors of their books receive.
I'm wondering if anyone who has ever served on a Sibert Committee can address this issue: do you discuss the text as separate from the illustrations? Or do the illustrations make a difference in your evaluation?
KTH
Kathleen T. Horning, Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706
horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608&3721 Fax: 608&2I33 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Wed 23 Mar 2005 11:56:53 AM CST
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:56:53 -0600
Russell Freedman certainly set the standard with his photo-biographies when he won the Newbery Award for "Lincoln: A Photobiography" back in 1988. The level of photo research he did at the time raised the bar for children's nonfiction that uses photographs to document the text, as well as to illustrate it. His style has been widely imitated since then, and the neologism "photobiography" has entered the lexicon in the world of children's literature.
Two of this year's honor books, "Walt Whitman: Words for America" written by Barbara Kerley and illustrated by Brian Selznick, and "Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing" written and illustrated by James Rumford are both picture book biographies. The third honor book, "The Tarantula Scientist" written by Sy Montgomery, with photographs by Nic Bishop, is a photo-essay about the work of arachnologist Sam Marshall.
In all of these selections, the illustrations are an integral part. They convey, document, and extend information in the text. Unfortunately, the Sibert Medal is awarded only to the authors. It's a shame that Brian Selznick and Nic Bishop don't get the level of recognition that the authors of their books receive.
I'm wondering if anyone who has ever served on a Sibert Committee can address this issue: do you discuss the text as separate from the illustrations? Or do the illustrations make a difference in your evaluation?
KTH
Kathleen T. Horning, Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706
horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608&3721 Fax: 608&2I33 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Wed 23 Mar 2005 11:56:53 AM CST
