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[CCBC-Net] Promoting Batchelder Books
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:10:26 -0600
As Katy wrote, Brown County Library (Green Bay, Wisconsin) was selected
- on the basis of our application - to be one of the ten libraries and schools across the nation to formally announce the Batchelder Award on International Children's Book Day. This was in 1975. Eons ago. We didn't receive funding from an ALA division to do this, just the opportunity. The honor. And our community took that honor seriously. We encouraged elementary school teachers and librarians to teach or promote former books honored through the Batchelder Award process. Children made book plates for the Batchelder books in their school libraries. The announcement was made to a fully packed auditorium a-buzz and full of area young readers. And more. This all took a lot of staff time (mine), but I had the green light to do it, possibly because of all the school/library/community connections involved. I remember writing up the project at great length afterwards and sending it to the chair of the national effort. I don't know if it or any of the other reports were ever published or summarized in print anywhere.
There's much that could be done in a local community now, not what we did, but other things, especially given the global reach of many community families today. Mildred Batchelder was convinced that there was a benefit for children in two or three nations who were reading the same book. (Think Harry Potter, not translated but often translated and read.) Think about last year's Batchelder books. The 2008 Batchelder books were each written by prominent authors in their nations, "rock stars," one commentator has observed. "Brave Story" (Japan); "The Cat," as it's now familiarly called in English (Germany); and "Nicholas and the Gang" (France). The names and works of the French author Ren? Goscinny & French artist Jean-Jacques Semp? are recognized by some U.S. adults. But there's probably little name recognition here in the children's book community for the Japanese author Miyuki Miyabe or the German author Jutta Richter, even though each is very big in her own nation. BTW another new Nicholas book was published in the U.S. last year, and a new book by Jutta Richter will be published in the U.S. this autumn.
It's my overall experience that trumpeting "translated books" does little or nothing to promote them to kids or adults. Unfortunately the same is probably true if we promote the honored books by using the award name. "Batchelder" never rings the same bell of recognition as
"Caldecott" or "Newbery" does. I've concluded that the current and past Batchelder Award & Honor Books books we want to bring to visibility can be successfully promoted according to their theme or topic: mystery, adventure, family story, Holocaust, etc. They can be included with other mysteries, adventures and family stories in the summer reading lists, bookmark listings, program bibliographies, and other ways teachers and librarians bring books to attention. For example, I've heard from several colleagues across the country that "Brave Story" is a winner with older kids who devour long, complex fantasies.
One of the reasons there is usually little CCBC-Net discussion of all the books honored through the Batchelder Award process each year is that most people haven't read them at the time of the ALSC press conference announcement. Often these books aren't available in sufficient numbers, or at all, in area libraries. That's also one of the reasons why it's difficult to stage a local "mock" Batchelder Award discussion prior to the announcement.
I'll write a separate message citing Batchelder Award and translated book resources. Stay tuned.
Peace, Ginny
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:10:26 -0600
As Katy wrote, Brown County Library (Green Bay, Wisconsin) was selected
- on the basis of our application - to be one of the ten libraries and schools across the nation to formally announce the Batchelder Award on International Children's Book Day. This was in 1975. Eons ago. We didn't receive funding from an ALA division to do this, just the opportunity. The honor. And our community took that honor seriously. We encouraged elementary school teachers and librarians to teach or promote former books honored through the Batchelder Award process. Children made book plates for the Batchelder books in their school libraries. The announcement was made to a fully packed auditorium a-buzz and full of area young readers. And more. This all took a lot of staff time (mine), but I had the green light to do it, possibly because of all the school/library/community connections involved. I remember writing up the project at great length afterwards and sending it to the chair of the national effort. I don't know if it or any of the other reports were ever published or summarized in print anywhere.
There's much that could be done in a local community now, not what we did, but other things, especially given the global reach of many community families today. Mildred Batchelder was convinced that there was a benefit for children in two or three nations who were reading the same book. (Think Harry Potter, not translated but often translated and read.) Think about last year's Batchelder books. The 2008 Batchelder books were each written by prominent authors in their nations, "rock stars," one commentator has observed. "Brave Story" (Japan); "The Cat," as it's now familiarly called in English (Germany); and "Nicholas and the Gang" (France). The names and works of the French author Ren? Goscinny & French artist Jean-Jacques Semp? are recognized by some U.S. adults. But there's probably little name recognition here in the children's book community for the Japanese author Miyuki Miyabe or the German author Jutta Richter, even though each is very big in her own nation. BTW another new Nicholas book was published in the U.S. last year, and a new book by Jutta Richter will be published in the U.S. this autumn.
It's my overall experience that trumpeting "translated books" does little or nothing to promote them to kids or adults. Unfortunately the same is probably true if we promote the honored books by using the award name. "Batchelder" never rings the same bell of recognition as
"Caldecott" or "Newbery" does. I've concluded that the current and past Batchelder Award & Honor Books books we want to bring to visibility can be successfully promoted according to their theme or topic: mystery, adventure, family story, Holocaust, etc. They can be included with other mysteries, adventures and family stories in the summer reading lists, bookmark listings, program bibliographies, and other ways teachers and librarians bring books to attention. For example, I've heard from several colleagues across the country that "Brave Story" is a winner with older kids who devour long, complex fantasies.
One of the reasons there is usually little CCBC-Net discussion of all the books honored through the Batchelder Award process each year is that most people haven't read them at the time of the ALSC press conference announcement. Often these books aren't available in sufficient numbers, or at all, in area libraries. That's also one of the reasons why it's difficult to stage a local "mock" Batchelder Award discussion prior to the announcement.
I'll write a separate message citing Batchelder Award and translated book resources. Stay tuned.
Peace, Ginny
-- Ginny Moore Kruse Emerita Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) gmkruse at wisc.edu phone: 608.238.9225Received on Wed 25 Feb 2009 10:10:26 AM CST
