From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2006 15:20:16 -0600

Many thanks to everyone who has written so cogently about the Geisel Award. Because I've accepted the appointment as chair of the ALA/ALSC
'07 Geisel Book Award Committee, I'm paying special attention, and I hope other individuals will contribute to this discussion before the day ends. One of our greatest challenges as a committee will be to discern which books are within the scope of the award. We'll fulfill our responsibility without the guidance of a formal committee manual, although a draft is in progress at this time. We'll look carefully at what others have written and said about the Geisel Award, and we'll look at the aesthetics of the books under consideration in addition to deliberating about their function. We'll depend upon the considerable expertise brought to the table by committee members and upon the general insights gained by members of the '06 Geisel Committee. The first Geisel Award Committee and its chair Caroline Ward deserve hearty applause for achieving an enormously challenging goal.
  It's good that Lee Hopkins has already pointed out the fine poetry books published since 1984 in the "I Can Read" series (HarperCollins). Last year several easy to read biographies were published. Picture books are eligible for the Geisel Award. Hurrah for all the possibilities! In fact two picture books are among the '06 Geisel Honor Books. Thus a wider standard for eligibility has already been established, regardless of how wonderful the recently honored "leveled" books are - books such as Erica Silverman & Betsy Lewin's "Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa" (Harcourt), for example. From what Megan Lambert and others in the CCBC-Net community have written, I've deduced that a handsomely produced, wonderfully written, illustrated book such as Kate DiCamillo & Chris Van Dusen's "Mercy Watson to the Rescue" (Candlewick) apparently doesn't fit into the Geisel Award category. (Incidentally, that's my personal example, rather than being any kind of inside information.)
  I don't want to seem as if I'm a complete no-nothing about books eligible for the Geisel Award, but I'll confess that right now I'm revisiting anything I thought I once knew about this type of book. Anyone taking time to think about this award will do the same thing. There's serious responsibility involved in exercising such knowledge, insight and experience. Our committee will meet the challenge of helping to set a standard for this type of book when next January we name several exemplary books to be added to the official Geisel Award record. The greater responsibility, however, always rests with the teacher, parent, librarian, care-giver or bookseller who places a book in the hands of an emergent or newly independent reader. More importantly these honored books will appear on what will become a lengthening Geisel Award list of books for all who seek excellence in books for children during what can be a memorable, exciting time in their young lives.
  Between now and December 31, 2006, the ALA/ALSC '07 Geisel Award Committee will be grateful to receive formal suggestions for the second Geisel Award from ALSC members. Informal suggestions are also welcome from interested individuals who currently aren't ALSC members.
  Best, Ginny
 

Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu
 
 
Received on Tue 07 Feb 2006 03:20:16 PM CST