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[CCBC-Net] more Re: Are there too many awards?
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From: Betty Tisel <tiselfar>
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:45:06 -0600
Thank you Naomi, I am grateful for your work and for the creation of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award. I am also grateful to be pointed to the ?All White World of Children?s Books? article. If anyone has a pdf of that article or knows of a link to an online reproduction of it I would be happy to receive that information. I certainly do not mean to undermine any one particular award and hope that the new award has a long and influential life!
I spent about 6 years working with a nonprofit in Minneapolis called Rainbow Famiies. Several people suggested to me (in blissful ignorance), ?Why don?t you start an LGBT-related children?s book award?? Well, the answer is, because I don?t have thousands of dollars and thousands of hours to spend on creating an award. But also I thought, would such an award be the best way to increase the inclusion of LGBT families and characters in children?s books? Maybe it would be. I don?t know. As Naomi said, in the meantime, we do the best we can ? until we can do better.
And in the meantime, I?m glad there are so many thoughtful adults who are willing to spend thousands of hours reading and discussing books published in the last year, in order to bring some real treasures to light.
Betty Tisel parent, etc. Minneapolis MN
On 1/21/08 2:10 PM, "Inpeacencw at aol.com" <Inpeacencw at aol.com> wrote:
> 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
>
> Chair, American Indian Youth Book Award Committee
> American Indian Library
> Associationhttp://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> in
> the new year.
>
Received on Mon 21 Jan 2008 02:45:06 PM CST
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:45:06 -0600
Thank you Naomi, I am grateful for your work and for the creation of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award. I am also grateful to be pointed to the ?All White World of Children?s Books? article. If anyone has a pdf of that article or knows of a link to an online reproduction of it I would be happy to receive that information. I certainly do not mean to undermine any one particular award and hope that the new award has a long and influential life!
I spent about 6 years working with a nonprofit in Minneapolis called Rainbow Famiies. Several people suggested to me (in blissful ignorance), ?Why don?t you start an LGBT-related children?s book award?? Well, the answer is, because I don?t have thousands of dollars and thousands of hours to spend on creating an award. But also I thought, would such an award be the best way to increase the inclusion of LGBT families and characters in children?s books? Maybe it would be. I don?t know. As Naomi said, in the meantime, we do the best we can ? until we can do better.
And in the meantime, I?m glad there are so many thoughtful adults who are willing to spend thousands of hours reading and discussing books published in the last year, in order to bring some real treasures to light.
Betty Tisel parent, etc. Minneapolis MN
On 1/21/08 2:10 PM, "Inpeacencw at aol.com" <Inpeacencw at aol.com> wrote:
> 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
>
> Chair, American Indian Youth Book Award Committee
> American Indian Library
> Associationhttp://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> in
> the new year.
>
Received on Mon 21 Jan 2008 02:45:06 PM CST
