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Promising Debuts
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From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:34:38 -0600
First, thanks to everyone who contributed to the "Reluctant or Not? " discussion the first part of this month. It was a wonderful exchange of perspectives, experience, and thoughts.
Our topic for the second half of February is "Promising Debuts: First Books.":
**The future of children's and young adult literature is dependent in part on a constant influx of new authors and illustrators to the field. Sometimes a debut is more than memorable, garnering critical accolades as well: The 2011 Newbery award went to a first book for an author (/Moon Over Manifest /by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press/Random House in 2010), and the 2011 Caldecott award went to a first book for an illustrator (/A Sick Day for Amos McGee /illustrated by Erin E. Stead, published by Roaring Brook Press in 2010). The recently established William Morris Award, administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association, goes to a first young adult novel each year. Of course, not every first book receives such distinguished honors, but many first books show promise even when they aren't masterpieces. What are the challenges (and rewards) if you are a first-time author or illustrator? A publisher? A reviewer/critic? And what are some memorable or promising recent "firsts" in children
's and young adult publishing? (Check out the 2011 debut authors blog !)
From my perspective, so often a first book comes out that I think shows immense promise but doesn't quite work as a whole. Because our primary evaluation focus here at the CCBC is ultimately on creating a best-of-the-year list (CCBC Choices), there are many promising new authors and illustrators who end up being someone about whom we note internally: "a writer (illustrator) to watch." Yet not everyone can write a great book the first time out (or the second, or the fifth) but the first or second books need support if there is going to be a third or a fourth or a fifth that might be amazing.
So how do we as a profession support the work of promising authors and illustrators whose books don't quite rise to the top? It's one of the reasons I am glad there are so many "perspectives on excellence" (to use a phrase I learned working here at the CCBC under Ginny Moore Kruse) in children's and young adult literature--not only because the wide variety of award and best-of-the-year lists offer a wide range of perspectives on the publishing year, and a wide range of resources for librarians and teachers to turn to for finding books for their libraries and classrooms, but because they also mean a greater number of books, including promise books by newcomers to the field, get attention. What a horrible burden it would be for any body creating a best-of-the-year list or conferring an award if their's was the ONLY perspective on excellence in children's and young adult literature.
I would love to hear from reviewers how mindful (or not) they are of "first books" in their work.
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Thu 17 Feb 2011 09:34:38 AM CST
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:34:38 -0600
First, thanks to everyone who contributed to the "Reluctant or Not? " discussion the first part of this month. It was a wonderful exchange of perspectives, experience, and thoughts.
Our topic for the second half of February is "Promising Debuts: First Books.":
**The future of children's and young adult literature is dependent in part on a constant influx of new authors and illustrators to the field. Sometimes a debut is more than memorable, garnering critical accolades as well: The 2011 Newbery award went to a first book for an author (/Moon Over Manifest /by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press/Random House in 2010), and the 2011 Caldecott award went to a first book for an illustrator (/A Sick Day for Amos McGee /illustrated by Erin E. Stead, published by Roaring Brook Press in 2010). The recently established William Morris Award, administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association, goes to a first young adult novel each year. Of course, not every first book receives such distinguished honors, but many first books show promise even when they aren't masterpieces. What are the challenges (and rewards) if you are a first-time author or illustrator? A publisher? A reviewer/critic? And what are some memorable or promising recent "firsts" in children
's and young adult publishing? (Check out the 2011 debut authors blog !)
From my perspective, so often a first book comes out that I think shows immense promise but doesn't quite work as a whole. Because our primary evaluation focus here at the CCBC is ultimately on creating a best-of-the-year list (CCBC Choices), there are many promising new authors and illustrators who end up being someone about whom we note internally: "a writer (illustrator) to watch." Yet not everyone can write a great book the first time out (or the second, or the fifth) but the first or second books need support if there is going to be a third or a fourth or a fifth that might be amazing.
So how do we as a profession support the work of promising authors and illustrators whose books don't quite rise to the top? It's one of the reasons I am glad there are so many "perspectives on excellence" (to use a phrase I learned working here at the CCBC under Ginny Moore Kruse) in children's and young adult literature--not only because the wide variety of award and best-of-the-year lists offer a wide range of perspectives on the publishing year, and a wide range of resources for librarians and teachers to turn to for finding books for their libraries and classrooms, but because they also mean a greater number of books, including promise books by newcomers to the field, get attention. What a horrible burden it would be for any body creating a best-of-the-year list or conferring an award if their's was the ONLY perspective on excellence in children's and young adult literature.
I would love to hear from reviewers how mindful (or not) they are of "first books" in their work.
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Thu 17 Feb 2011 09:34:38 AM CST
