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[CCBC-Net] Are there too many awards?
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From: Inpeacencw at aol.com <Inpeacencw>
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:10:32 EST
It would be wonderful, if everyone in our profession looked up Nancy Larrick's classic research article entitled the All White World of Children's Books
(1965), and then compared her findings with the list of Caldecott and Newbery Award and Honor books for the last 30 years.
What you might be please to find is while the availability of materials by and about human beings of color has increased, the number of Caldecott and Newbery awards given for books that might depict diverse cultures are few. Those that exist are awarded to African American authors and illustrators and I celebrate this advancement because slow steps will still take us to a better place. I might add that these awards are more often than not in the "honor" category.
As co-founder of the American Indian Youth Literature Award, I often ask myself the question ~ Why have there been no titles that have been illustrated or written about American Indians that have received either of these awards other than Jamake Highwater( Newbery Honor 1978)? When I look at the number of titles written on the topic of Native Americans and when I consider the state and national standards that require our youth to learn about our first Nations people, I wonder why this discrepancy?
This is a hard question that requires all youth services librarians to take a long and hard look at our collective actions.
The answer to this question for me is the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award.
I truly believe that when the day comes that the major awards committees seek out (as in small press titles), select worthy titles about diverse cultures and provide awards beyond the "honor" category there will be no need for the diversity of awards. Until then...
Given all the talk about providing our children with the best literature available, I must conclude that action speak louder than words.
In the meantime, we do the best we can -- until we can do better.
In peace,
Naomi R. Caldwell, (Ramapough/Lenape) Ph.D. Associate Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Studies University of Rhode Island 11 Rodman Hall Kingston, RI 02881-0815
(401)874-2278 office
(401)874-4964 fax email: inpeacencw at aol.com
_http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/People/caldwell.html_
(http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/People/caldwell.html)
Chair, American Indian Youth Book Award Committee American Indian Library Associationh_ttp://aila.library.sd.gov/activities/youthlitaward.htm_ (http://aila.library.sd.gov/activities/youthlitaward.htm)
Co-Chair, American Library Association, Joint Conference of Librarians of Color II Steering Committee
The Best is here and now and yet to come.
The triumph of the teacher is always in bringing his student to his own understanding, and even more than that, endeavoring to inspire within the student the possibility of going beyond himself in his search of knowledge and truth. J.G.Lake
All things are possible only believe. Mark 9:23
**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
Received on Mon 21 Jan 2008 02:10:32 PM CST
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:10:32 EST
It would be wonderful, if everyone in our profession looked up Nancy Larrick's classic research article entitled the All White World of Children's Books
(1965), and then compared her findings with the list of Caldecott and Newbery Award and Honor books for the last 30 years.
What you might be please to find is while the availability of materials by and about human beings of color has increased, the number of Caldecott and Newbery awards given for books that might depict diverse cultures are few. Those that exist are awarded to African American authors and illustrators and I celebrate this advancement because slow steps will still take us to a better place. I might add that these awards are more often than not in the "honor" category.
As co-founder of the American Indian Youth Literature Award, I often ask myself the question ~ Why have there been no titles that have been illustrated or written about American Indians that have received either of these awards other than Jamake Highwater( Newbery Honor 1978)? When I look at the number of titles written on the topic of Native Americans and when I consider the state and national standards that require our youth to learn about our first Nations people, I wonder why this discrepancy?
This is a hard question that requires all youth services librarians to take a long and hard look at our collective actions.
The answer to this question for me is the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award.
I truly believe that when the day comes that the major awards committees seek out (as in small press titles), select worthy titles about diverse cultures and provide awards beyond the "honor" category there will be no need for the diversity of awards. Until then...
Given all the talk about providing our children with the best literature available, I must conclude that action speak louder than words.
In the meantime, we do the best we can -- until we can do better.
In peace,
Naomi R. Caldwell, (Ramapough/Lenape) Ph.D. Associate Professor Graduate School of Library and Information Studies University of Rhode Island 11 Rodman Hall Kingston, RI 02881-0815
(401)874-2278 office
(401)874-4964 fax email: inpeacencw at aol.com
_http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/People/caldwell.html_
(http://www.uri.edu/artsci/lsc/People/caldwell.html)
Chair, American Indian Youth Book Award Committee American Indian Library Associationh_ttp://aila.library.sd.gov/activities/youthlitaward.htm_ (http://aila.library.sd.gov/activities/youthlitaward.htm)
Co-Chair, American Library Association, Joint Conference of Librarians of Color II Steering Committee
The Best is here and now and yet to come.
The triumph of the teacher is always in bringing his student to his own understanding, and even more than that, endeavoring to inspire within the student the possibility of going beyond himself in his search of knowledge and truth. J.G.Lake
All things are possible only believe. Mark 9:23
**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489
Received on Mon 21 Jan 2008 02:10:32 PM CST
