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[CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
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From: Neal Porter <nporter>
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:52:20 -0400
I think this is my cue to say that Roaring Brook will be launching a new (as yet unnamed) non fiction imprint next spring. In truth we've been publishing successful non fiction TRADE titles since our first list five years ago but we've felt that these titles had perhaps been overshadowed by our other endeavors, and that the market would support a list that mirrored the sort of books we were doing on the fiction side. Deirdre Langeland, formerly of Kingfisher, will be stewarding the imprint but we'll all be contributing titles. The Spring '08 list has ten titles, including work by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan and noted celebrity (!) author Sally Ride. Onwards . . .
Neal Porter On Jun 14, 2007, at 1:00 PM, ccbc-net- request at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: celebrity books (Steward, Celeste)
> 2. Re: celebrity books (Hendon, Alison)
> 3. Re: celebrity books (Molly Warren)
> 4. Re: celebrity books (Kathleen T. Horning)
> 5. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Meghan McCarthy)
> 6. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Bookmarch at aol.com)
> 7. Re: celebrity books (James Elliott)
> 8. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Jennifer Bromann)
> 9. Re: celebrity books (Sugoodman at aol.com)
> 10. Re: celebrity books (Connie Rockman)
> 11. Re: celebrity books (Gerber Daniel T)
> 12. Re: celebrity books (Maia Cheli-Colando)
> 13. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Hopkinson, Deborah)
> 14. Re: celebrity books (Steward, Celeste)
> 15. Re: celebrity books (Meghan McCarthy)
> 16. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Meghan McCarthy)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:12:58 -0700
> From: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: "Vicki Cobb" <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>,
> <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <B5B11B26733B3A4E9F67AF092F4CAA850277F651 at LETTERMAN.ACLIBRARY.ORG>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> "There are all kinds of reasons why good books fail to make it in the
> marketplace. Competition with celebrity books for $$ and attention is
> only a part of the problem." --very true, and worthy of further
> discussion...maybe sometime in the future?
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I recently enjoyed Senator Edward Kennedy's "My Senator and Me: a
> dog's-eye view of Washington, D.C." It's illustrated by one of my
> favorites, David Small. And, I'm looking forward to Cap Ripken Jr.'s
> "The Longest Season," which received some very nice reviews.
>
> I wouldn't write off Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton
> altogether...they are
> young and damaged by fame...they may pull it together, you never know.
>
> Celeste Steward,
> Collection Development Librarian
> Alameda County Library
> 2450 Stevenson Blvd.
> Fremont, CA 94538
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Vicki
> Cobb
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 5:56 AM
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
> When I reported to this list-serve what I had been told about the new
> direction in HC publishing, I did not mean to single them out as a
> target for criticism or to complain about my plight. Over the years I
> have been well treated by them and the fact is that non-fiction
> (particularaly in science) has dropped off many publishers' lists.
> This
> month (I think) there is an article in Children's Writer about
> publishing science for children. I was one of the people interviewed
> for that piece and got a chance to preview the article. A list of
> publishers for this kind of material was included and I was struck by
> how short it was. One reason is that kids are doing homework using
> the
> internet for their research instead of books. To survive, publishers
> must go where the market is so I understand and even sympathize with
> HC's position.
>
> I do believe, however, that a new market for higher quality books
> and nonfiction is just now opening up in a big way. That market is
> classroom libraries. Tony Stead, a leader in teaching literacy
> with the
> use of nonfiction books, has done a study of classroom libraries in
> finds that most are 75% fiction and that the nonfiction in these
> libraries is geared towards boys. Teachers are finally getting the
> message that they can teacher reading AND science or social studies
> simultaneously by reading good nonfiction. Obviously, there is room
> here
> for growth. Lerner Books, one of the few publishers still focusing on
> nonfiction, is responding by putting lots of books into paperback to
> make them affordable for the classroom.
>
> There are all kinds of reasons why good books fail to make it
> in the
> marketplace. Competition with celebrity books for $$ and attention is
> only a part of the problem. Vicki Cobb
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:26:29 -0400
> From: "Hendon, Alison" <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <CA0B679B2B94D74FAF3F771BF8260CCF10E4D3 at bplwired3.BPL-CENTRAL.local>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Celeste Steward wrote:
> <snip>
>> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
>> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> Alison
>
> Alison Hendon
> Youth Selection Team Leader
> Brooklyn Public Library
> a.hendon at brooklynpubliclibrary.org
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:05:07 -0500
> From: Molly Warren <mjwarren at scls.lib.wi.us>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <200706131912.l5DJCYCv043740 at mail.scls.lib.wi.us>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> I think there is a significant difference between celebrity and
> talent. Some celebrities are highly and multi-talented, while
> others, not so much.
>
> Some celebrity books may be great, others, not so great. Same with
> any genre, really.
>
> As a child, I loved Mandy by Julie Edwards (Andrews). I haven't read
> the book as an adult, but I consider Julie Andrews to be a very
> talented person. Is Mr. Rogers considered a celebrity? Because I
> wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of the Fred Rogers First
> Experiences or Let's Talk about It books for children and families;
> they definitely serve a purpose. I think he was a brilliant educator
> and TV persona. And as an adult, I think that comedians Craig
> Ferguson and Steve Martin write highly enjoyable books.
>
> If you read a lot of good stuff, a lot of garbage and some of what's
> in between, it's a lot easier to identify the good stuff. And in my
> opinion, it doesn't
> matter if the author is a celebrity or not.
>
> But that's just my opinion.
>
>
> Molly Warren
> Madison Public Library
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:25:46 -0500
> From: "Kathleen T. Horning" <horning at education.wisc.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <467044BA.1000406 at education.wisc.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> One subset of celebrity publishing is adult authors who try their hand
> at writing for children. Some writers of excellent adult books are
> far
> less successful when it comes to writing for children and teens.
> Others
> are quite good. One of the best, I think, is Louise Erdrich, who
> excels
> at both children's fiction (eg "Birchbark House") and picture books
> (eg
> "Grandmother's Pigeon"). Another adult author who writes well for
> children is Joy Harjo, author of the outstanding picture book, "The
> Good Luck Cat." I'd love to see more children's books from both of
> them..
>
> I remember coming across an article in an early 1960s Horn Book which
> complained about celebrities writing for children. In this case,
> all of
> the celebrities in question were adult authors. The writer of the
> article was especially critical of John Ciardi's poetry for
> children, as
> I recall.
>
> KT
>
>
> Kathleen T. Horning
> Director
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> 4290 Helen C. White Hall
> 600 N. Park St
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> Phone: 608-263-3721
> FAX: 608-262-4933
>
> horning at education.wisc.edu
> http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:32:52 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Meghan McCarthy <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>, Vicki Cobb
> <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>, CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <299724.87410.qm at web30710.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> As a bookseller I?ve seen a lot of nonfiction books
> come and go. In a big chain, they?re likely to get
> lost. People DO come in with their children and ask
> for nonfiction for book reports, science projects,
> etc. The internet is a great resource but it?s hard to
> sift through and sometimes and it?s hard to determine
> which sites are legitimate and which are
> not--especially for kids! It's still nice to have a
> book to flip through while sitting on the couch or at
> the kitchen table as opposed to having to sit at the
> computer for hours. I think that?s why parents still
> buy SOME nonfiction books!
>
> I will say that I think there are a lot of boring
> nonfiction books out there. Times are changing.
> Perhaps nonfiction has to keep up with the trends a
> bit and get more exciting. I think kids need
> nonfiction that?s easy to relate to...books that don?t
> cover the standard boring topics such as Abe Lincoln
> and the like. I was not a stellar student in
> elementary school and I won?t blame the boring topics
> on my attention problems but I think they certainly
> didn?t help!
>
> I do think publishers are williing to publish
> nonfiction but maybe not as much of the same old...
>
> meghan mccarthy
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ______________
> Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added
> security of spyware protection.
> http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/norton/index.php
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:42:37 EDT
> From: Bookmarch at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com, csteward at aclibrary.org,
> vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net, CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <bd1.13c38369.33a1a2ad at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> I apologize for interrupting this thread on celebrity books, but since
> nonfiction has come up as a subtheme I can't help mentioning that
> my blog,
> Nonfiction Matters, will be starting on the SLJ site, as soon as I
> figure out what
> to say.
>
> Marc Aronson
>
> 973-763-9343
> 917-257-7072 (cell)
> 973-763-6601 (fax)
> WWW.Marcaronson.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at http://
> www.aol.com.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:05:57 -0400 (EDT)
> From: James Elliott <libraryjim at embarqmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: Alison Hendon <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>
> Cc: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID:
> <20543282.20621181761557563.JavaMail.root at md08.embarq.synacor.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> I think it's cyclical... in a few years we may very well see a
> resurgence of childrens non-fiction coming from publishing houses.
> (I hope!)
>
> Jim Elliott
> North Florida
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Alison Hendon <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Sent: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:26:29 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
> Celeste Steward wrote:
> <snip>
>> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
>> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> Alison
>
> Alison Hendon
> Youth Selection Team Leader
> Brooklyn Public Library
> a.hendon at brooklynpubliclibrary.org
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:59:52 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Jennifer Bromann <bromannj at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <964512.51945.qm at web56910.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> There is no 2006 yet, but it does seem that book
> production overall has decreased according to these
> statistics. I use these stats when talking to a
> creative writing class about publishing nonfiction.
> http://www.bookwire.com/decadebookproduction.html
> http://www.bowker.com/press/bowker/2006_0509_bowker.htm
>
> Jennifer Bromann
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:05:15 EDT
> From: Sugoodman at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org,
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <bf5.1518370e.33a1a7fb at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
>
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2007 2:26:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org writes:
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> As some who writes nonfiction for children exclusively, I can't
> agree with
> you more. Another huge problem for nonfiction is that Barnes and
> Noble and
> Borders won't buy much of it, even titles that seem both fun and
> commerically
> viable. I've spoken to many editors who say that once even great
> nonfiction
> picture books are shelved in the nonfiction section, it's the kiss
> of death. How
> do we deal with that? One way some major houses are dealing with
> it is by
> cutting way, way back.
>
>
> It's too bad. Relatively new national awards like the Siebert are
> beginning
> to help people see that nonfiction involves creativity as well as good
> information. And I see a lot of interesting, beautiful stuff
> coming out. But
> without the budgets in schools and the access in stores...
>
> While I was writing this, Marc Aronson announced his nonfiction blog.
> Congrats! It will be great to have someone bring more attention
> to the genre.
>
> Susan Goodman
>
> Susan Goodman
> 5 Oakview Ter.
> Jamaica Plain MA 02130
> 617-522-0158
> www.susangoodmanbooks.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at http://
> www.aol.com.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:35:58 -0400
> From: Connie Rockman <connie.rock at snet.net>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: CCBC Net <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <744ffbd39ccc351d3d8b4a91ddd2cf11 at snet.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
>
> On Jun 13, 2007, at 3:25 PM, Kathleen T. Horning wrote:
>
>> One subset of celebrity publishing is adult authors who try their
>> hand
>> at writing for children. Some writers of excellent adult books
>> are far
>> less successful when it comes to writing for children and teens.
>>
> Let's not forget Carl Hiaasen, whose first children's book - Hoot -
> won
> a Newbery Honor award.
>
> Not only has this adult author, journalist, and ecology advocate
> crossed successfully over into the children's field, but he is also
> savvy enough about youth literature to help launch the career of
> one of
> the youngest and, now, most "lionized" authors of young people's
> fantasy - Christopher Paolini. Hiaasen and his family found the
> self-published edition of Eragon while vacationing in Montana and
> brought it to the attention of Random House. The rest, as they
> say, is
> publishing history . . .
>
> Connie Rockman
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:44:14 -0500
> From: "Gerber Daniel T" <gerber.dani at uwlax.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: <Sugoodman at aol.com>, <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>,
> <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <9E066826ABB63A428E084D059489ECD10B279E30 at FACMAIL.intra.uwlax.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> While we are on the non-fiction children's book subtopic, there are
> many
> great non-fictions books out there and awards too. The Siebert was
> already mentioned however, Science Books and Films (SB&F) has an award
> for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) books called the
> SB&F Prize Winners which you can access at
> http://www.sbfonline.com/prizes
>
> SB&F also puts out a Best Books for Children list which is put out
> every
> year which you can access at http://www.sbfonline.com/bestlists.htm
> The 2006 winners are not online yet, however, you can access the 2006
> winners if your library has a subscription to SB&F. Each annual list
> comes out in the Jan/Feb issue.
>
> The National Science Teachers Association also puts out an Outstanding
> Science Trade Books for Children at
> http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/
>
> The trick is putting the trade books together with teacher information
> which we have done at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. We have
> combined these outstanding non-fiction trade books with information
> from
> STEM professional societies which have educational information at
> http://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/departments/curriculum/stem/
> index.htm
> l
>
> Click on "The Living Environment" for example. The trade books
> (primarily at the PK-8 grade level) listed are related to life and
> environmental sciences. Scroll to the bottom and there are related
> websites which give teachers, school LMC, librarians, etc more
> information on specific topics.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of
> Sugoodman at aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 3:05 PM
> To: A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org;
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
>
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2007 2:26:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org writes:
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> As some who writes nonfiction for children exclusively, I can't agree
> with
> you more. Another huge problem for nonfiction is that Barnes and
> Noble
> and
> Borders won't buy much of it, even titles that seem both fun and
> commerically
> viable. I've spoken to many editors who say that once even great
> nonfiction
> picture books are shelved in the nonfiction section, it's the kiss of
> death. How
> do we deal with that? One way some major houses are dealing with
> it is
> by
> cutting way, way back.
>
>
> It's too bad. Relatively new national awards like the Siebert are
> beginning
> to help people see that nonfiction involves creativity as well as good
> information. And I see a lot of interesting, beautiful stuff coming
> out. But
> without the budgets in schools and the access in stores...
>
> While I was writing this, Marc Aronson announced his nonfiction blog.
> Congrats! It will be great to have someone bring more attention
> to the
> genre.
>
> Susan Goodman
>
> Susan Goodman
> 5 Oakview Ter.
> Jamaica Plain MA 02130
> 617-522-0158
> www.susangoodmanbooks.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at
> http://www.aol.com.
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:04:12 -0800
> From: Maia Cheli-Colando <maia at littlefolktales.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <467069DC.6090908 at littlefolktales.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> So many conversational tangents, it's hard to know where to start!
>
> Let's see, first off, I am delighted to learn that Marc will be
> doing a
> nonfiction blog on the SLJ. :)
>
> Second -- and many of you know more about this than I do -- the
> beast is
> really different when you are talking about libraries versus
> bookstores,
> in regard to nonfiction. We have been trained to go to libraries
> (and/or onto the internet) for nonfiction, and libraries are
> expected to
> have decent nonfiction collections. But I don't think that most folks
> associate bookstores -- unless they are specialty stores, or something
> lovely like Powell's or Cody's -- with challenging* nonfiction,
> certainly not children's nonfiction. (*By challenging, I don't mean
> mass market self-help books, or anything For Dummies, etc...)
>
> To ponder only bookstores for a moment, and the "death" of books
> shelved
> in nonfiction... I have to think that a lot of that has to do with
> poor
> shelving practices. In specialty stores, I have little difficulty
> ascertaining if a book I want is in stock -- because the staff know
> their stock and the topic well enough to shelve it intelligently. But
> many chain bookstores have frighteningly incoherent nonfiction
> sections... where all nonfiction books are treated alike and shelved
> together, as if nonfiction titles were all (and only) for "those" sort
> of readers. The sense of impending chaos in those collections can be
> painful. I think that nonfiction would do better in bookstores if
> bookstores treated nonfiction as something more precious, unique and
> interesting.
>
> Which leads back to the celebrity question. When stores are paid for
> turnouts, and the turnouts are junk, and so junk does well, it's
> hard to
> say where the cycle started. We could compare it to organic and
> otherwise healthier food, where it is clear that there is a market for
> it, and that many folks will eat healthier if given the choice. With
> organics, though, there is a cost difference that inhibits many folks
> from choosing organic. A bad book and a good book (however one
> chooses
> to judge them!) cost the same to the customer. If they were given
> equal
> visibility, equal reporting, equal attention and love from the
> publisher
> and press and sellers, would good books rise above?
>
> Libraries have historically been given permission to have good books,
> whether or not they were glamorous. Some of this is changing as
> libraries (like most public services) are being starved for
> dollars, and
> are being told to "compete" for attention in the public service market
> and to "prove" their usefulness. Likewise, schools (for whatever else
> they might be damned) were once expected to create libraries for
> children's pleasure, delight, education and edification. Their main
> function was not seen as to bribe unwilling media-saturated non-
> readers
> into reading and regurgitating something, anything. Who is
> changing the
> rules and purposes, and why?
>
> Third -- to Meghan's note, this doesn't mean that I think that we
> should
> print boring books. But I question how "boring" is being defined.
> I've
> seen a number of dramatically styled books that are confusing to the
> reader, lack substance, and feel as if the author was ADD. It
> seems it
> is a recent marketing strategy, to make books that are like TV. But I
> don't think that this will develop good thinkers, and I believe that
> even media-saturated children need a mental respite from
> overstimulation. Books can be a quiet place. Books can be a sacred
> place. Books don't have to be, and shouldn't be, TV!
>
> I guess that my whole premise comes down to this: we (writers,
> editors,
> publishers, librarians, booksellers, book lovers) need to figure out
> what we do well. What we book makers do that is unique to book
> making.
> We need -- as individuals, companies, associations -- to have a firm
> mission statement, clear objectives in mind. If we are trying to
> compete with the trashier parts of media, I think that we will
> fail. TV
> is going to do Rob Lowe better than we ever can -- it's a better fit.
> I'm not saying that we ought not to think outside the box, but I think
> that we spend a heck of a lot of time chasing the back end of someone
> else's horse. If we know what horse we are riding, and why, we can
> even
> lobby for it. But if we are chasing the tail of mainstream media, I
> think we are going to end up eating dust.
>
> It's a big step, but I think that every time we can each use our
> purchasing power (as publishers or book buyers) to not make more crap,
> we are making an argument for the relevance and importance of our
> world. Of literature. Of books that can change a person's life, a
> generation's direction, or impel a country to revolution.
>
> Maia
>
> p.s. Julie Andrews Edwards is a writer. And a singer. And an
> actress. She's been very successful, yes, but she's hardly a
> celebrity. When interesting people write, interesting things happen.
> And aren't those the books we want to read?
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:18:24 -0700
> From: "Hopkinson, Deborah" <Deborah.Hopkinson at oregonstate.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: "Meghan McCarthy" <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>, "Steward,
> Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>, "Vicki Cobb"
> <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>, <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <8A8D37D236DAEF4FB9589A4AC2B0EAD7053C05C3 at NWS-
> EXCH2.nws.oregonstate.edu>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> Sorry, but I simply can't resist jumping in here to comment on the
> reference to "boring topics such as Abe Lincoln" to say that not all
> Lincoln books are automatically boring!
>
> I've have had the pleasure of working recently with Candace
> Fleming, who
> will publish a book next year in time for the 2009 Lincoln
> Bicentennial
> entitled Abraham and Mary: A Scrapbook Look at the Lincolns. I've read
> the introduction, and it's fantastic. And, like Candy's other
> award-winning nonfiction works on Ben Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt,
> this promises to be a fascinating book that will engage readers and
> entice them to develop a questioning approach to history.
>
> Deborah Hopkinson
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Meghan
> McCarthy
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 12:33 PM
> To: Steward, Celeste; Vicki Cobb; CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
>
> As a bookseller I've seen a lot of nonfiction books come and go. In a
> big chain, they're likely to get lost. People DO come in with their
> children and ask for nonfiction for book reports, science projects,
> etc.
> The internet is a great resource but it's hard to sift through and
> sometimes and it's hard to determine which sites are legitimate and
> which are not--especially for kids! It's still nice to have a book to
> flip through while sitting on the couch or at the kitchen table as
> opposed to having to sit at the computer for hours. I think that's why
> parents still buy SOME nonfiction books!
>
> I will say that I think there are a lot of boring nonfiction books out
> there. Times are changing.
> Perhaps nonfiction has to keep up with the trends a bit and get more
> exciting. I think kids need nonfiction that's easy to relate
> to...books
> that don't cover the standard boring topics such as Abe Lincoln and
> the
> like. I was not a stellar student in elementary school and I won't
> blame
> the boring topics on my attention problems but I think they certainly
> didn't help!
>
> I do think publishers are williing to publish nonfiction but maybe not
> as much of the same old...
>
> meghan mccarthy
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> __
> ____________
> Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added
> security of
> spyware protection.
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> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:28:09 -0700
> From: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: "Gerber Daniel T" <gerber.dani at uwlax.edu>, <Sugoodman at aol.com>,
> <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>,
> <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <B5B11B26733B3A4E9F67AF092F4CAA850277F708 at LETTERMAN.ACLIBRARY.ORG>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Thanks! This is very helpful.
>
> But I didn't mean to suggest there isn't a lot of good non-fiction for
> children out there...I actually think the situation is better than
> ever.
> When I first became interested in children's literature (20 years
> ago),
> the non-fiction situation was dismal...
>
> Now---it's fabulous. Many well-written, entertaining and graphically
> pleasing non-fiction kids' books have appeared in the past 15 years or
> so.
>
> I am concerned about children's perception that most research,
> including
> homework help materials can be found exclusively on the Internet. And
> more and more teachers are assigning web-friendly projects too.
> Whether
> this is because libraries simply couldn't meet students' needs for
> multiple print sources and multiple copies, I don't know. But
> something
> has happened in the last few years to change the manner in which
> homework is being assigned and handled.
>
> "A bad book and a good book (however one chooses to judge them!) cost
> the same to the customer. If they were given equal visibility, equal
> reporting, equal attention and love from the publisher and press and
> sellers, would good books rise above?" Now there's an interesting
> proposition!
>
> "Libraries have historically been given permission to have good books,
> whether or not they were glamorous. Some of this is changing as
> libraries (like most public services) are being starved for
> dollars, and
> are being told to "compete" for attention in the public service market
> and to "prove" their usefulness. Likewise, schools (for whatever else
> they might be damned) were once expected to create libraries for
> children's pleasure, delight, education and edification. Their main
> function was not seen as to bribe unwilling media-saturated non-
> readers
> into reading and regurgitating something, anything. Who is
> changing the
> rules and purposes, and why?"
>
> Who indeed, or is it what is changing the rules? Technology? The
> economy? The media? Or all of the above?
>
> Celeste Steward,
> Collection Development Librarian
> Alameda County Library
> 2450 Stevenson Blvd.
> Fremont, CA 94538
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Gerber
> Daniel T
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 1:44 PM
> To: Sugoodman at aol.com; A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org;
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
> While we are on the non-fiction children's book subtopic, there are
> many
> great non-fictions books out there and awards too. The Siebert was
> already mentioned however, Science Books and Films (SB&F) has an award
> for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) books called the
> SB&F Prize Winners which you can access at
> http://www.sbfonline.com/prizes
>
> SB&F also puts out a Best Books for Children list which is put out
> every
> year which you can access at http://www.sbfonline.com/bestlists.htm
> The 2006 winners are not online yet, however, you can access the 2006
> winners if your library has a subscription to SB&F. Each annual list
> comes out in the Jan/Feb issue.
>
> The National Science Teachers Association also puts out an Outstanding
> Science Trade Books for Children at
> http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/
>
> The trick is putting the trade books together with teacher information
> which we have done at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. We have
> combined these outstanding non-fiction trade books with information
> from
> STEM professional societies which have educational information at
> http://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/departments/curriculum/stem/
> index.htm
> l
>
> Click on "The Living Environment" for example. The trade books
> (primarily at the PK-8 grade level) listed are related to life and
> environmental sciences. Scroll to the bottom and there are related
> websites which give teachers, school LMC, librarians, etc more
> information on specific topics.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of
> Sugoodman at aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 3:05 PM
> To: A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org;
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
>
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2007 2:26:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org writes:
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> As some who writes nonfiction for children exclusively, I can't agree
> with
> you more. Another huge problem for nonfiction is that Barnes and
> Noble
> and
> Borders won't buy much of it, even titles that seem both fun and
> commerically
> viable. I've spoken to many editors who say that once even great
> nonfiction
> picture books are shelved in the nonfiction section, it's the kiss of
> death. How
> do we deal with that? One way some major houses are dealing with
> it is
> by
> cutting way, way back.
>
>
> It's too bad. Relatively new national awards like the Siebert are
> beginning
> to help people see that nonfiction involves creativity as well as good
> information. And I see a lot of interesting, beautiful stuff coming
> out. But
> without the budgets in schools and the access in stores...
>
> While I was writing this, Marc Aronson announced his nonfiction blog.
> Congrats! It will be great to have someone bring more attention
> to the
> genre.
>
> Susan Goodman
>
> Susan Goodman
> 5 Oakview Ter.
> Jamaica Plain MA 02130
> 617-522-0158
> www.susangoodmanbooks.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at
> http://www.aol.com.
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 15
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:38:28 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Meghan McCarthy <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: Maia Cheli-Colando <maia at littlefolktales.org>,
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <450915.21865.qm at web30707.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Third -- to Meghan's note, this doesn't mean that I
>> think that we should
>> print boring books. But I question how "boring" is
>> being defined. I've
>> seen a number of dramatically styled books that are
>> confusing to the
>> reader, lack substance, and feel as if the author
>> was ADD.
>
>
> Well, I am an author and I do have ADD! Seriously
> though, what I meant by "boring" is books that read
> like textbooks... books that are so verbose and ramble
> on that I wonder why anyone would bother buying them
> when the kids already get the same thing from school.
> I can't get through some of the nonfiction books in
> the bookstore. Snore! Please note that I said SOME and
> certainly not ALL!
>
> This does not mean that the books need to have a
> million colored pictures and one sentence per page
> (unless we're talking about PBs!) but I think the
> topics need to be more varied. I aim to put more books
> in the store that I would have liked to read?maybe
> even a nonfiction graphic novel at some point. Of
> course, I was a weirdo so it's possible only I would
> have liked to read what I currently write... although
> I hope not!
>
> meghan
>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ______________
> Get the Yahoo! toolbar and be alerted to new email wherever you're
> surfing.
> http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/index.php
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 16
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:45:09 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Meghan McCarthy <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: "Hopkinson, Deborah" <Deborah.Hopkinson at oregonstate.edu>,
> "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>, Vicki Cobb
> <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>, CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <386572.35084.qm at web30710.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> I retract my statement slightly. I did really enjoy So
> You Want to Be President. I loved the fun details! I
> especially liked the bit about Lincoln that reads- "
> Someone once called Lincoln two-faced. "If I am
> two-faced, would I wear the face that I have now?"
> Lincoln asked."
>
> So, yes, not ALL Abe Lincoln books (and other pres.
> books) are boring.
>
> meghan
>
>
> --- "Hopkinson, Deborah"
> <Deborah.Hopkinson at oregonstate.edu> wrote:
>
>> Sorry, but I simply can't resist jumping in here to
>> comment on the
>> reference to "boring topics such as Abe Lincoln" to
>> say that not all
>> Lincoln books are automatically boring!
>>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ______________
> Luggage? GPS? Comic books?
> Check out fitting gifts for grads at Yahoo! Search
> http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=oni_on_mail&p=graduation+gifts&cs=bz
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 23, Issue 12
> ****************************************
Received on Thu 14 Jun 2007 06:52:20 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:52:20 -0400
I think this is my cue to say that Roaring Brook will be launching a new (as yet unnamed) non fiction imprint next spring. In truth we've been publishing successful non fiction TRADE titles since our first list five years ago but we've felt that these titles had perhaps been overshadowed by our other endeavors, and that the market would support a list that mirrored the sort of books we were doing on the fiction side. Deirdre Langeland, formerly of Kingfisher, will be stewarding the imprint but we'll all be contributing titles. The Spring '08 list has ten titles, including work by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan and noted celebrity (!) author Sally Ride. Onwards . . .
Neal Porter On Jun 14, 2007, at 1:00 PM, ccbc-net- request at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu wrote:
> Send CCBC-Net mailing list submissions to
> ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
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>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of CCBC-Net digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Re: celebrity books (Steward, Celeste)
> 2. Re: celebrity books (Hendon, Alison)
> 3. Re: celebrity books (Molly Warren)
> 4. Re: celebrity books (Kathleen T. Horning)
> 5. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Meghan McCarthy)
> 6. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Bookmarch at aol.com)
> 7. Re: celebrity books (James Elliott)
> 8. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Jennifer Bromann)
> 9. Re: celebrity books (Sugoodman at aol.com)
> 10. Re: celebrity books (Connie Rockman)
> 11. Re: celebrity books (Gerber Daniel T)
> 12. Re: celebrity books (Maia Cheli-Colando)
> 13. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Hopkinson, Deborah)
> 14. Re: celebrity books (Steward, Celeste)
> 15. Re: celebrity books (Meghan McCarthy)
> 16. Re: celebrity books - RE: nonfiction (Meghan McCarthy)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 11:12:58 -0700
> From: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: "Vicki Cobb" <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>,
> <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <B5B11B26733B3A4E9F67AF092F4CAA850277F651 at LETTERMAN.ACLIBRARY.ORG>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> "There are all kinds of reasons why good books fail to make it in the
> marketplace. Competition with celebrity books for $$ and attention is
> only a part of the problem." --very true, and worthy of further
> discussion...maybe sometime in the future?
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I recently enjoyed Senator Edward Kennedy's "My Senator and Me: a
> dog's-eye view of Washington, D.C." It's illustrated by one of my
> favorites, David Small. And, I'm looking forward to Cap Ripken Jr.'s
> "The Longest Season," which received some very nice reviews.
>
> I wouldn't write off Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton
> altogether...they are
> young and damaged by fame...they may pull it together, you never know.
>
> Celeste Steward,
> Collection Development Librarian
> Alameda County Library
> 2450 Stevenson Blvd.
> Fremont, CA 94538
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Vicki
> Cobb
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 5:56 AM
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
> When I reported to this list-serve what I had been told about the new
> direction in HC publishing, I did not mean to single them out as a
> target for criticism or to complain about my plight. Over the years I
> have been well treated by them and the fact is that non-fiction
> (particularaly in science) has dropped off many publishers' lists.
> This
> month (I think) there is an article in Children's Writer about
> publishing science for children. I was one of the people interviewed
> for that piece and got a chance to preview the article. A list of
> publishers for this kind of material was included and I was struck by
> how short it was. One reason is that kids are doing homework using
> the
> internet for their research instead of books. To survive, publishers
> must go where the market is so I understand and even sympathize with
> HC's position.
>
> I do believe, however, that a new market for higher quality books
> and nonfiction is just now opening up in a big way. That market is
> classroom libraries. Tony Stead, a leader in teaching literacy
> with the
> use of nonfiction books, has done a study of classroom libraries in
> finds that most are 75% fiction and that the nonfiction in these
> libraries is geared towards boys. Teachers are finally getting the
> message that they can teacher reading AND science or social studies
> simultaneously by reading good nonfiction. Obviously, there is room
> here
> for growth. Lerner Books, one of the few publishers still focusing on
> nonfiction, is responding by putting lots of books into paperback to
> make them affordable for the classroom.
>
> There are all kinds of reasons why good books fail to make it
> in the
> marketplace. Competition with celebrity books for $$ and attention is
> only a part of the problem. Vicki Cobb
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:26:29 -0400
> From: "Hendon, Alison" <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <CA0B679B2B94D74FAF3F771BF8260CCF10E4D3 at bplwired3.BPL-CENTRAL.local>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Celeste Steward wrote:
> <snip>
>> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
>> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> Alison
>
> Alison Hendon
> Youth Selection Team Leader
> Brooklyn Public Library
> a.hendon at brooklynpubliclibrary.org
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:05:07 -0500
> From: Molly Warren <mjwarren at scls.lib.wi.us>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <200706131912.l5DJCYCv043740 at mail.scls.lib.wi.us>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
> I think there is a significant difference between celebrity and
> talent. Some celebrities are highly and multi-talented, while
> others, not so much.
>
> Some celebrity books may be great, others, not so great. Same with
> any genre, really.
>
> As a child, I loved Mandy by Julie Edwards (Andrews). I haven't read
> the book as an adult, but I consider Julie Andrews to be a very
> talented person. Is Mr. Rogers considered a celebrity? Because I
> wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of the Fred Rogers First
> Experiences or Let's Talk about It books for children and families;
> they definitely serve a purpose. I think he was a brilliant educator
> and TV persona. And as an adult, I think that comedians Craig
> Ferguson and Steve Martin write highly enjoyable books.
>
> If you read a lot of good stuff, a lot of garbage and some of what's
> in between, it's a lot easier to identify the good stuff. And in my
> opinion, it doesn't
> matter if the author is a celebrity or not.
>
> But that's just my opinion.
>
>
> Molly Warren
> Madison Public Library
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:25:46 -0500
> From: "Kathleen T. Horning" <horning at education.wisc.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <467044BA.1000406 at education.wisc.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> One subset of celebrity publishing is adult authors who try their hand
> at writing for children. Some writers of excellent adult books are
> far
> less successful when it comes to writing for children and teens.
> Others
> are quite good. One of the best, I think, is Louise Erdrich, who
> excels
> at both children's fiction (eg "Birchbark House") and picture books
> (eg
> "Grandmother's Pigeon"). Another adult author who writes well for
> children is Joy Harjo, author of the outstanding picture book, "The
> Good Luck Cat." I'd love to see more children's books from both of
> them..
>
> I remember coming across an article in an early 1960s Horn Book which
> complained about celebrities writing for children. In this case,
> all of
> the celebrities in question were adult authors. The writer of the
> article was especially critical of John Ciardi's poetry for
> children, as
> I recall.
>
> KT
>
>
> Kathleen T. Horning
> Director
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> 4290 Helen C. White Hall
> 600 N. Park St
> Madison, WI 53706
>
> Phone: 608-263-3721
> FAX: 608-262-4933
>
> horning at education.wisc.edu
> http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:32:52 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Meghan McCarthy <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>, Vicki Cobb
> <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>, CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <299724.87410.qm at web30710.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> As a bookseller I?ve seen a lot of nonfiction books
> come and go. In a big chain, they?re likely to get
> lost. People DO come in with their children and ask
> for nonfiction for book reports, science projects,
> etc. The internet is a great resource but it?s hard to
> sift through and sometimes and it?s hard to determine
> which sites are legitimate and which are
> not--especially for kids! It's still nice to have a
> book to flip through while sitting on the couch or at
> the kitchen table as opposed to having to sit at the
> computer for hours. I think that?s why parents still
> buy SOME nonfiction books!
>
> I will say that I think there are a lot of boring
> nonfiction books out there. Times are changing.
> Perhaps nonfiction has to keep up with the trends a
> bit and get more exciting. I think kids need
> nonfiction that?s easy to relate to...books that don?t
> cover the standard boring topics such as Abe Lincoln
> and the like. I was not a stellar student in
> elementary school and I won?t blame the boring topics
> on my attention problems but I think they certainly
> didn?t help!
>
> I do think publishers are williing to publish
> nonfiction but maybe not as much of the same old...
>
> meghan mccarthy
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ______________
> Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added
> security of spyware protection.
> http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/norton/index.php
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:42:37 EDT
> From: Bookmarch at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com, csteward at aclibrary.org,
> vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net, CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <bd1.13c38369.33a1a2ad at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> I apologize for interrupting this thread on celebrity books, but since
> nonfiction has come up as a subtheme I can't help mentioning that
> my blog,
> Nonfiction Matters, will be starting on the SLJ site, as soon as I
> figure out what
> to say.
>
> Marc Aronson
>
> 973-763-9343
> 917-257-7072 (cell)
> 973-763-6601 (fax)
> WWW.Marcaronson.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at http://
> www.aol.com.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:05:57 -0400 (EDT)
> From: James Elliott <libraryjim at embarqmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: Alison Hendon <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>
> Cc: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID:
> <20543282.20621181761557563.JavaMail.root at md08.embarq.synacor.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> I think it's cyclical... in a few years we may very well see a
> resurgence of childrens non-fiction coming from publishing houses.
> (I hope!)
>
> Jim Elliott
> North Florida
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Alison Hendon <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Sent: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:26:29 -0400 (EDT)
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
> Celeste Steward wrote:
> <snip>
>> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
>> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> Alison
>
> Alison Hendon
> Youth Selection Team Leader
> Brooklyn Public Library
> a.hendon at brooklynpubliclibrary.org
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:59:52 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Jennifer Bromann <bromannj at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <964512.51945.qm at web56910.mail.re3.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> There is no 2006 yet, but it does seem that book
> production overall has decreased according to these
> statistics. I use these stats when talking to a
> creative writing class about publishing nonfiction.
> http://www.bookwire.com/decadebookproduction.html
> http://www.bowker.com/press/bowker/2006_0509_bowker.htm
>
> Jennifer Bromann
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:05:15 EDT
> From: Sugoodman at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org,
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <bf5.1518370e.33a1a7fb at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
>
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2007 2:26:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org writes:
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> As some who writes nonfiction for children exclusively, I can't
> agree with
> you more. Another huge problem for nonfiction is that Barnes and
> Noble and
> Borders won't buy much of it, even titles that seem both fun and
> commerically
> viable. I've spoken to many editors who say that once even great
> nonfiction
> picture books are shelved in the nonfiction section, it's the kiss
> of death. How
> do we deal with that? One way some major houses are dealing with
> it is by
> cutting way, way back.
>
>
> It's too bad. Relatively new national awards like the Siebert are
> beginning
> to help people see that nonfiction involves creativity as well as good
> information. And I see a lot of interesting, beautiful stuff
> coming out. But
> without the budgets in schools and the access in stores...
>
> While I was writing this, Marc Aronson announced his nonfiction blog.
> Congrats! It will be great to have someone bring more attention
> to the genre.
>
> Susan Goodman
>
> Susan Goodman
> 5 Oakview Ter.
> Jamaica Plain MA 02130
> 617-522-0158
> www.susangoodmanbooks.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at http://
> www.aol.com.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:35:58 -0400
> From: Connie Rockman <connie.rock at snet.net>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: CCBC Net <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <744ffbd39ccc351d3d8b4a91ddd2cf11 at snet.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
>
> On Jun 13, 2007, at 3:25 PM, Kathleen T. Horning wrote:
>
>> One subset of celebrity publishing is adult authors who try their
>> hand
>> at writing for children. Some writers of excellent adult books
>> are far
>> less successful when it comes to writing for children and teens.
>>
> Let's not forget Carl Hiaasen, whose first children's book - Hoot -
> won
> a Newbery Honor award.
>
> Not only has this adult author, journalist, and ecology advocate
> crossed successfully over into the children's field, but he is also
> savvy enough about youth literature to help launch the career of
> one of
> the youngest and, now, most "lionized" authors of young people's
> fantasy - Christopher Paolini. Hiaasen and his family found the
> self-published edition of Eragon while vacationing in Montana and
> brought it to the attention of Random House. The rest, as they
> say, is
> publishing history . . .
>
> Connie Rockman
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:44:14 -0500
> From: "Gerber Daniel T" <gerber.dani at uwlax.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: <Sugoodman at aol.com>, <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>,
> <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <9E066826ABB63A428E084D059489ECD10B279E30 at FACMAIL.intra.uwlax.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> While we are on the non-fiction children's book subtopic, there are
> many
> great non-fictions books out there and awards too. The Siebert was
> already mentioned however, Science Books and Films (SB&F) has an award
> for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) books called the
> SB&F Prize Winners which you can access at
> http://www.sbfonline.com/prizes
>
> SB&F also puts out a Best Books for Children list which is put out
> every
> year which you can access at http://www.sbfonline.com/bestlists.htm
> The 2006 winners are not online yet, however, you can access the 2006
> winners if your library has a subscription to SB&F. Each annual list
> comes out in the Jan/Feb issue.
>
> The National Science Teachers Association also puts out an Outstanding
> Science Trade Books for Children at
> http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/
>
> The trick is putting the trade books together with teacher information
> which we have done at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. We have
> combined these outstanding non-fiction trade books with information
> from
> STEM professional societies which have educational information at
> http://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/departments/curriculum/stem/
> index.htm
> l
>
> Click on "The Living Environment" for example. The trade books
> (primarily at the PK-8 grade level) listed are related to life and
> environmental sciences. Scroll to the bottom and there are related
> websites which give teachers, school LMC, librarians, etc more
> information on specific topics.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of
> Sugoodman at aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 3:05 PM
> To: A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org;
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
>
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2007 2:26:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org writes:
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> As some who writes nonfiction for children exclusively, I can't agree
> with
> you more. Another huge problem for nonfiction is that Barnes and
> Noble
> and
> Borders won't buy much of it, even titles that seem both fun and
> commerically
> viable. I've spoken to many editors who say that once even great
> nonfiction
> picture books are shelved in the nonfiction section, it's the kiss of
> death. How
> do we deal with that? One way some major houses are dealing with
> it is
> by
> cutting way, way back.
>
>
> It's too bad. Relatively new national awards like the Siebert are
> beginning
> to help people see that nonfiction involves creativity as well as good
> information. And I see a lot of interesting, beautiful stuff coming
> out. But
> without the budgets in schools and the access in stores...
>
> While I was writing this, Marc Aronson announced his nonfiction blog.
> Congrats! It will be great to have someone bring more attention
> to the
> genre.
>
> Susan Goodman
>
> Susan Goodman
> 5 Oakview Ter.
> Jamaica Plain MA 02130
> 617-522-0158
> www.susangoodmanbooks.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at
> http://www.aol.com.
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:04:12 -0800
> From: Maia Cheli-Colando <maia at littlefolktales.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <467069DC.6090908 at littlefolktales.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> So many conversational tangents, it's hard to know where to start!
>
> Let's see, first off, I am delighted to learn that Marc will be
> doing a
> nonfiction blog on the SLJ. :)
>
> Second -- and many of you know more about this than I do -- the
> beast is
> really different when you are talking about libraries versus
> bookstores,
> in regard to nonfiction. We have been trained to go to libraries
> (and/or onto the internet) for nonfiction, and libraries are
> expected to
> have decent nonfiction collections. But I don't think that most folks
> associate bookstores -- unless they are specialty stores, or something
> lovely like Powell's or Cody's -- with challenging* nonfiction,
> certainly not children's nonfiction. (*By challenging, I don't mean
> mass market self-help books, or anything For Dummies, etc...)
>
> To ponder only bookstores for a moment, and the "death" of books
> shelved
> in nonfiction... I have to think that a lot of that has to do with
> poor
> shelving practices. In specialty stores, I have little difficulty
> ascertaining if a book I want is in stock -- because the staff know
> their stock and the topic well enough to shelve it intelligently. But
> many chain bookstores have frighteningly incoherent nonfiction
> sections... where all nonfiction books are treated alike and shelved
> together, as if nonfiction titles were all (and only) for "those" sort
> of readers. The sense of impending chaos in those collections can be
> painful. I think that nonfiction would do better in bookstores if
> bookstores treated nonfiction as something more precious, unique and
> interesting.
>
> Which leads back to the celebrity question. When stores are paid for
> turnouts, and the turnouts are junk, and so junk does well, it's
> hard to
> say where the cycle started. We could compare it to organic and
> otherwise healthier food, where it is clear that there is a market for
> it, and that many folks will eat healthier if given the choice. With
> organics, though, there is a cost difference that inhibits many folks
> from choosing organic. A bad book and a good book (however one
> chooses
> to judge them!) cost the same to the customer. If they were given
> equal
> visibility, equal reporting, equal attention and love from the
> publisher
> and press and sellers, would good books rise above?
>
> Libraries have historically been given permission to have good books,
> whether or not they were glamorous. Some of this is changing as
> libraries (like most public services) are being starved for
> dollars, and
> are being told to "compete" for attention in the public service market
> and to "prove" their usefulness. Likewise, schools (for whatever else
> they might be damned) were once expected to create libraries for
> children's pleasure, delight, education and edification. Their main
> function was not seen as to bribe unwilling media-saturated non-
> readers
> into reading and regurgitating something, anything. Who is
> changing the
> rules and purposes, and why?
>
> Third -- to Meghan's note, this doesn't mean that I think that we
> should
> print boring books. But I question how "boring" is being defined.
> I've
> seen a number of dramatically styled books that are confusing to the
> reader, lack substance, and feel as if the author was ADD. It
> seems it
> is a recent marketing strategy, to make books that are like TV. But I
> don't think that this will develop good thinkers, and I believe that
> even media-saturated children need a mental respite from
> overstimulation. Books can be a quiet place. Books can be a sacred
> place. Books don't have to be, and shouldn't be, TV!
>
> I guess that my whole premise comes down to this: we (writers,
> editors,
> publishers, librarians, booksellers, book lovers) need to figure out
> what we do well. What we book makers do that is unique to book
> making.
> We need -- as individuals, companies, associations -- to have a firm
> mission statement, clear objectives in mind. If we are trying to
> compete with the trashier parts of media, I think that we will
> fail. TV
> is going to do Rob Lowe better than we ever can -- it's a better fit.
> I'm not saying that we ought not to think outside the box, but I think
> that we spend a heck of a lot of time chasing the back end of someone
> else's horse. If we know what horse we are riding, and why, we can
> even
> lobby for it. But if we are chasing the tail of mainstream media, I
> think we are going to end up eating dust.
>
> It's a big step, but I think that every time we can each use our
> purchasing power (as publishers or book buyers) to not make more crap,
> we are making an argument for the relevance and importance of our
> world. Of literature. Of books that can change a person's life, a
> generation's direction, or impel a country to revolution.
>
> Maia
>
> p.s. Julie Andrews Edwards is a writer. And a singer. And an
> actress. She's been very successful, yes, but she's hardly a
> celebrity. When interesting people write, interesting things happen.
> And aren't those the books we want to read?
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 13
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:18:24 -0700
> From: "Hopkinson, Deborah" <Deborah.Hopkinson at oregonstate.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: "Meghan McCarthy" <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>, "Steward,
> Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>, "Vicki Cobb"
> <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>, <CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <8A8D37D236DAEF4FB9589A4AC2B0EAD7053C05C3 at NWS-
> EXCH2.nws.oregonstate.edu>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
>
> Sorry, but I simply can't resist jumping in here to comment on the
> reference to "boring topics such as Abe Lincoln" to say that not all
> Lincoln books are automatically boring!
>
> I've have had the pleasure of working recently with Candace
> Fleming, who
> will publish a book next year in time for the 2009 Lincoln
> Bicentennial
> entitled Abraham and Mary: A Scrapbook Look at the Lincolns. I've read
> the introduction, and it's fantastic. And, like Candy's other
> award-winning nonfiction works on Ben Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt,
> this promises to be a fascinating book that will engage readers and
> entice them to develop a questioning approach to history.
>
> Deborah Hopkinson
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Meghan
> McCarthy
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 12:33 PM
> To: Steward, Celeste; Vicki Cobb; CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
>
> As a bookseller I've seen a lot of nonfiction books come and go. In a
> big chain, they're likely to get lost. People DO come in with their
> children and ask for nonfiction for book reports, science projects,
> etc.
> The internet is a great resource but it's hard to sift through and
> sometimes and it's hard to determine which sites are legitimate and
> which are not--especially for kids! It's still nice to have a book to
> flip through while sitting on the couch or at the kitchen table as
> opposed to having to sit at the computer for hours. I think that's why
> parents still buy SOME nonfiction books!
>
> I will say that I think there are a lot of boring nonfiction books out
> there. Times are changing.
> Perhaps nonfiction has to keep up with the trends a bit and get more
> exciting. I think kids need nonfiction that's easy to relate
> to...books
> that don't cover the standard boring topics such as Abe Lincoln and
> the
> like. I was not a stellar student in elementary school and I won't
> blame
> the boring topics on my attention problems but I think they certainly
> didn't help!
>
> I do think publishers are williing to publish nonfiction but maybe not
> as much of the same old...
>
> meghan mccarthy
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> __
> ____________
> Get the free Yahoo! toolbar and rest assured with the added
> security of
> spyware protection.
> http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/norton/index.php
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 14
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:28:09 -0700
> From: "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: "Gerber Daniel T" <gerber.dani at uwlax.edu>, <Sugoodman at aol.com>,
> <A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>,
> <CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID:
> <B5B11B26733B3A4E9F67AF092F4CAA850277F708 at LETTERMAN.ACLIBRARY.ORG>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Thanks! This is very helpful.
>
> But I didn't mean to suggest there isn't a lot of good non-fiction for
> children out there...I actually think the situation is better than
> ever.
> When I first became interested in children's literature (20 years
> ago),
> the non-fiction situation was dismal...
>
> Now---it's fabulous. Many well-written, entertaining and graphically
> pleasing non-fiction kids' books have appeared in the past 15 years or
> so.
>
> I am concerned about children's perception that most research,
> including
> homework help materials can be found exclusively on the Internet. And
> more and more teachers are assigning web-friendly projects too.
> Whether
> this is because libraries simply couldn't meet students' needs for
> multiple print sources and multiple copies, I don't know. But
> something
> has happened in the last few years to change the manner in which
> homework is being assigned and handled.
>
> "A bad book and a good book (however one chooses to judge them!) cost
> the same to the customer. If they were given equal visibility, equal
> reporting, equal attention and love from the publisher and press and
> sellers, would good books rise above?" Now there's an interesting
> proposition!
>
> "Libraries have historically been given permission to have good books,
> whether or not they were glamorous. Some of this is changing as
> libraries (like most public services) are being starved for
> dollars, and
> are being told to "compete" for attention in the public service market
> and to "prove" their usefulness. Likewise, schools (for whatever else
> they might be damned) were once expected to create libraries for
> children's pleasure, delight, education and edification. Their main
> function was not seen as to bribe unwilling media-saturated non-
> readers
> into reading and regurgitating something, anything. Who is
> changing the
> rules and purposes, and why?"
>
> Who indeed, or is it what is changing the rules? Technology? The
> economy? The media? Or all of the above?
>
> Celeste Steward,
> Collection Development Librarian
> Alameda County Library
> 2450 Stevenson Blvd.
> Fremont, CA 94538
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Gerber
> Daniel T
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 1:44 PM
> To: Sugoodman at aol.com; A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org;
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
> While we are on the non-fiction children's book subtopic, there are
> many
> great non-fictions books out there and awards too. The Siebert was
> already mentioned however, Science Books and Films (SB&F) has an award
> for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) books called the
> SB&F Prize Winners which you can access at
> http://www.sbfonline.com/prizes
>
> SB&F also puts out a Best Books for Children list which is put out
> every
> year which you can access at http://www.sbfonline.com/bestlists.htm
> The 2006 winners are not online yet, however, you can access the 2006
> winners if your library has a subscription to SB&F. Each annual list
> comes out in the Jan/Feb issue.
>
> The National Science Teachers Association also puts out an Outstanding
> Science Trade Books for Children at
> http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/
>
> The trick is putting the trade books together with teacher information
> which we have done at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. We have
> combined these outstanding non-fiction trade books with information
> from
> STEM professional societies which have educational information at
> http://www.uwlax.edu/murphylibrary/departments/curriculum/stem/
> index.htm
> l
>
> Click on "The Living Environment" for example. The trade books
> (primarily at the PK-8 grade level) listed are related to life and
> environmental sciences. Scroll to the bottom and there are related
> websites which give teachers, school LMC, librarians, etc more
> information on specific topics.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of
> Sugoodman at aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 3:05 PM
> To: A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org;
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
>
>
>
> In a message dated 6/13/2007 2:26:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> A.Hendon at BrooklynPublicLibrary.org writes:
>
> As for the decrease in non-fiction (particularly science) off
> publisher
>> lists: "One reason is that kids are doing homework using the internet
> for their research instead of books."--this is an area of serious
> concern for
>> librarians as well as teachers.
>
> I find the decrease in nonfiction disturbing. On the one hand, we are
> told that boys, especially, may read nonfiction where they don't/won't
> read
> fiction. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer "fun" nonfiction
> titles, especially for teen readers.
>
> As some who writes nonfiction for children exclusively, I can't agree
> with
> you more. Another huge problem for nonfiction is that Barnes and
> Noble
> and
> Borders won't buy much of it, even titles that seem both fun and
> commerically
> viable. I've spoken to many editors who say that once even great
> nonfiction
> picture books are shelved in the nonfiction section, it's the kiss of
> death. How
> do we deal with that? One way some major houses are dealing with
> it is
> by
> cutting way, way back.
>
>
> It's too bad. Relatively new national awards like the Siebert are
> beginning
> to help people see that nonfiction involves creativity as well as good
> information. And I see a lot of interesting, beautiful stuff coming
> out. But
> without the budgets in schools and the access in stores...
>
> While I was writing this, Marc Aronson announced his nonfiction blog.
> Congrats! It will be great to have someone bring more attention
> to the
> genre.
>
> Susan Goodman
>
> Susan Goodman
> 5 Oakview Ter.
> Jamaica Plain MA 02130
> 617-522-0158
> www.susangoodmanbooks.com
>
>
>
> ************************************** See what's free at
> http://www.aol.com.
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 15
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:38:28 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Meghan McCarthy <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books
> To: Maia Cheli-Colando <maia at littlefolktales.org>,
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <450915.21865.qm at web30707.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> Third -- to Meghan's note, this doesn't mean that I
>> think that we should
>> print boring books. But I question how "boring" is
>> being defined. I've
>> seen a number of dramatically styled books that are
>> confusing to the
>> reader, lack substance, and feel as if the author
>> was ADD.
>
>
> Well, I am an author and I do have ADD! Seriously
> though, what I meant by "boring" is books that read
> like textbooks... books that are so verbose and ramble
> on that I wonder why anyone would bother buying them
> when the kids already get the same thing from school.
> I can't get through some of the nonfiction books in
> the bookstore. Snore! Please note that I said SOME and
> certainly not ALL!
>
> This does not mean that the books need to have a
> million colored pictures and one sentence per page
> (unless we're talking about PBs!) but I think the
> topics need to be more varied. I aim to put more books
> in the store that I would have liked to read?maybe
> even a nonfiction graphic novel at some point. Of
> course, I was a weirdo so it's possible only I would
> have liked to read what I currently write... although
> I hope not!
>
> meghan
>
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 16
> Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:45:09 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Meghan McCarthy <meghanmccarthy007 at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] celebrity books - RE: nonfiction
> To: "Hopkinson, Deborah" <Deborah.Hopkinson at oregonstate.edu>,
> "Steward, Celeste" <csteward at aclibrary.org>, Vicki Cobb
> <vicki.cobb2 at verizon.net>, CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Message-ID: <386572.35084.qm at web30710.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> I retract my statement slightly. I did really enjoy So
> You Want to Be President. I loved the fun details! I
> especially liked the bit about Lincoln that reads- "
> Someone once called Lincoln two-faced. "If I am
> two-faced, would I wear the face that I have now?"
> Lincoln asked."
>
> So, yes, not ALL Abe Lincoln books (and other pres.
> books) are boring.
>
> meghan
>
>
> --- "Hopkinson, Deborah"
> <Deborah.Hopkinson at oregonstate.edu> wrote:
>
>> Sorry, but I simply can't resist jumping in here to
>> comment on the
>> reference to "boring topics such as Abe Lincoln" to
>> say that not all
>> Lincoln books are automatically boring!
>>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ______________
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>
> ------------------------------
>
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>
> End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 23, Issue 12
> ****************************************
Received on Thu 14 Jun 2007 06:52:20 PM CDT
