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RE: ccbc-net digest: May 15, 2013
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From: Mary Ross <mary.ross_at_mcfls.org>
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 12:15:22 -0500
Whoops, you got hacked. Good luck getting it fixed. My sister and daughter had to get rid of their email accounts. Mary Ross
Message-----
From: CCBC-Net digest
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2013 12:01 AM To: ccbc-net digest recipients Subject: ccbc-net digest: May 15, 2013
CCBC-NET Digest for Wednesday, May 15, 2013.
1. Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) 2. Caldecott at 75: 3. one more question about Caldecott and bias 4. Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) 5. Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) 6. Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 7. Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 8. Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 9. RE: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 10. Diversity/the Caldecott
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) From: Jane Botham Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 05:31:32 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 1
I really hope you get this fast. I could not inform anyone about our trip, because it was impromptu. we had to be in Philippines for a program. The program was successful, but our journey has turned sour. we misplaced our wallet and cell phone on our way back to the hotel we lodge in after we went for sight seeing. The wallet contained all the valuables we had. Now, our passport is in custody of the hotel management pending when we make payment. I am sorry if i am inconveniencing you, but i have only very few people to run to now. i will be indeed very grateful if i can get a loan of $1700 from you. This will enable me sort our hotel bills and get my sorry self back home. I will really appreciate whatever you can afford in assisting me with. I promise to refund it in full as soon as I return. Let me know if you can be of any assistance. Please, let me know soonest. Thanks so much. Jane Botham 2579 N. Maryland Avenue Milwaukee WI 53211 (414)332 7086 jbotham_at_att.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Caldecott at 75: From: "K.T. Horning" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 08:30:10 -0500 X-Message-Number: 2
We had planned to spend this week discussing art in Caldecott Medal books, but since Rob Reid and Debbie Reese launched a discussion at the end of last week dealing with social issues and the Caldecott Medal books, let's just continue that discussion this week and plan to discuss art next week.
Both Rob and Debbie note that racial diversity is not well reflected among the Caldecott Medal winners (either books or artists)? Another common critcism is that most Caldecott Medals (at least int he past few decades) go to male artists. How does the picture change if you take the Honor Books into consideration?
KT
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: one more question about Caldecott and bias From: bookmarch_at_aol.com Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 10:57:29 -0400 (EDT) X-Message-Number: 3
Friends:
As we examine the Caldecott and the trends and tendencies in what wins, we need to look at the (im)balance of fiction and nonfiction. I believe we have not articulated what would represent outstanding accomplishment in the Caldecott categories for nonfiction as well as we have for fiction. And, worse, this gap is rarely discussed or even noticed. What makes for great ALSC-age art, layout, design in nonfiction -- do we even know?
Marc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) From: "K.T. Horning" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 11:27:00 -0500 X-Message-Number: 4
Please ignore the message that came to CCBC-Net from Jane Botham. This is a common form of spam, designed to prey on people's generosity and good nature.
On 5/15/2013 7:31 AM, Jane Botham wrote: I really hope you get this fast. I could not inform anyone about our trip, because it was impromptu. we had to be in Philippines for a program. ...
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) From: "K.T. Horning" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 11:44:43 -0500 X-Message-Number: 5
Sorry, I should have indicated that the original message did not come from Jane herself. Jane is fine! And she is not soliciting your help.
I'm sure most of you have seen hundreds of these sorts of messages over the past several years, unfortunately, and you have learned to automatically delete them. But for some there is always a first time with this annoying fact of modern life, and we just want to clarify that the message is a scam committed by someone who "borrowed" Jane's address book, and should just be ignored and deleted.
KT
On 5/15/2013 11:27 AM, K.T. Horning wrote: Please ignore the message that came to CCBC-Net from Jane Botham. This is a common form of spam, designed to prey on people's generosity and good nature.
--KT
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) From: "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net)" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 15:41:28 -0500 X-Message-Number: 6
This is a very important topic and conversation. Thanks for the space for it, CCBC.
Thom Barthelmess gave a fantastic and most memorable talk at Carthage College last fall called "Caldecott Culture: Looking Back on their Diversity (or lack thereof)". He acknowledged at the beginning of his talk that his data was unofficial research, and not ready for publication. He categorized to the best of his ability the gender and race of all winners and honorees in the first 75 years of the Caldecottt, and knows that his data isn't fully accurate since he was identifying culture of individuals without their own self-identification. So please know that my notes below from his talk are based on unofficial research that Thom acknowledged was an early investigation and not ready for publication.
That said, I found his presentation to be so revealing that I still have my notes.
322 medal and honor winners recognized for 310 medal and honor books
63% male
87% caucasian
He broke it up by 25-year-periods, and more women were recognized in the early years.
The last medal or honoree who is not a caucasian man, caucasian women, or african american male was David Diaz in 1995.
12 times all the medalists and honorees were men. Only 2 times were all the medalists and honorees women.
He ended the presentation with questions about what to do with this information. Lots of them. And the room was ablaze with conversation, as I'm sure this conversation will be.
Nick
_______
Nick Glass Founder & Executive Director
TeachingBooks.net LLC
p 800 596.0710 e nick_at_TeachingBooks.net
TeachingBooks Take a Tour Video: http://TeachingBooks.net/Tour
On May 15, 2013, at 8:30 AM, K.T. Horning wrote:
We had planned to spend this week discussing art in Caldecott Medal books, but since Rob Reid and Debbie Reese launched a discussion at the end of last week dealing with social issues and the Caldecott Medal books, let's just continue that discussion this week and plan to discuss art next week.
Both Rob and Debbie note that racial diversity is not well reflected among the Caldecott Medal winners (either books or artists)? Another common critcism is that most Caldecott Medals (at least int he past few decades) go to male artists. How does the picture change if you take the Honor Books into consideration?
KT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) From: Kiera Parrott Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 18:40:47 -0400 X-Message-Number: 7
Hi everyone,
This is fascinating. Thom's question, "What do we do with this information?" is the central piece for me. Since the criteria only concerns itself with residency requirements for the illustrator (and since considering the gender or ethnic background of the artist would actually be a violation of the terms of the criteria) then what can we do? (Besides creating more awards.)
Having recently gone through the selection experience, I can speak for myself (not my fellow committee members or past committees.) When I personally looked at books during my term, I was concerned with 1) eligibility and 2) how the art, design, and story held up to the criteria. Oftentimes I wouldn't even look at the name of the author or illustrator until I wrote it in my notes. For me, it was purely about the merits of the art.
That said, it does trouble me when I look at Thom's numbers. It would seem that the major awards are a reflection of the times and the culture in which they are chosen. If we want more award-winning picture books by more women and from a more diverse array of artists, I think we need to start at the very beginning. We need to begin valuing the arts again in schools. Children and young adults who have a talent & passion for art & design need to be nurtured. They need to be told that YES, you can have a career in the arts. So many kids (especially those in lower socio-economic spheres) are discouraged from pursuing art as anything other than a hobby. There is a lot of misinformation about what it means to be a working artist or illustrator. Kids are told "that's not a real job" or "you'll never make any money."
That's clearly not a quick or easy solution! But if we in the public library treat art the way we treat book discussions and early literacy, perhaps we can help do our part in nurturing young artists to pursue their passions.
Kiera
Kiera Parrott Head of Children's Services Darien Library, CT kparrott_at_darienlibrary.org Twitter: @libraryvoice
On May 15, 2013, at 4:41 PM, "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net)" wrote:
This is a very important topic and conversation. Thanks for the space for it, CCBC.
Thom Barthelmess gave a fantastic and most memorable talk at Carthage College last fall called "Caldecott Culture: Looking Back on their Diversity (or lack thereof)". He acknowledged at the beginning of his talk that his data was unofficial research, and not ready for publication. He categorized to the best of his ability the gender and race of all winners and honorees in the first 75 years of the Caldecottt, and knows that his data isn't fully accurate since he was identifying culture of individuals without their own self-identification. So please know that my notes below from his talk are based on unofficial research that Thom acknowledged was an early investigation and not ready for publication.
That said, I found his presentation to be so revealing that I still have my notes.
322 medal and honor winners recognized for 310 medal and honor books
63% male
87% caucasian
He broke it up by 25-year-periods, and more women were recognized in the early years.
The last medal or honoree who is not a caucasian man, caucasian women, or african american male was David Diaz in 1995.
12 times all the medalists and honorees were men. Only 2 times were all the medalists and honorees women.
He ended the presentation with questions about what to do with this information. Lots of them. And the room was ablaze with conversation, as I'm sure this conversation will be.
Nick
_______
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) From: Colleen Kelley Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 20:47:22 -0400 (EDT) X-Message-Number: 8
I agree. And here is some perspective. If these numbers begin in 1938, when the first Caldecott was awarded, it is important to remember that in 1940, 89.8% of the US population was white You can see in this table that in 1950 the percentage was 89.5, 1960? 88.6%. In 1970, 87.5% of the US population was white. In 1980 it was 83.1%. In 1990, 80.3%. In 2000, 70.1%. And in 2010, 72.4%. Black Americans are the largest racial minority, comprising 13% of the population When you look back over such an expanse of time, I think you have to remember what these numbers represent historically and proportionately, and not simply look at numbers out of context.
Likewise with the representation of men and women. Women gained the right to vote in 1920. In 1941, a disproportionate number of men to women went overseas until at least 1945. And the percentage of women to men in the workplace over this same time period is worth considering. However, "Why Don't Women Illustrators Win Caldecott Awards?" at
poses the question and lists additional links at the end of the discussion. According to "The First American Women Illustrators" .html
), a big problem with early female illustrators is that they left their careers to marry and raise families.
FYI: There are some interesting numbers at http://www.vidaweb.org/three-years-to-stump-and-stack-and-stem
that give a clear picture as far as adult books go as to percentages of male and female who review and are reviewed for various publications. More information and discussion about this article can be found here http://www.salon.com/2011/02/09/women_literary_publishing/
and here ooks-world
, among others.
Colleen
-----Original Message-----
From: Kiera Parrott Sent: May 15, 2013 5:40 PM To: "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net)" Cc: ccbc-net ccbc-net Subject: Re:
Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of)
Hi everyone, This is fascinating. Thom's question, "What do we do with this information?" is the central piece for me. Since the criteria only concerns itself with residency requirements for the illustrator (and since considering the gender or ethnic background of the artist would actually be a violation of the terms of the criteria) then what can we do? (Besides creating more awards.) Having recently gone through the selection experience, I can speak for myself (not my fellow committee members or past committees.) When I personally looked at books during my term, I was concerned with 1) eligibility and 2) how the art, design, and story held up to the criteria. Oftentimes I wouldn't even look at the name of the author or illustrator until I wrote it in my notes. For me, it was purely about the merits of the art. That said, it does trouble me when I look at Thom's numbers. It would seem that the major awards are a reflection of the times and the culture in which they are chosen. If we want more award-winning picture books by more women and from a more diverse array of artists, I think we need to start at the very beginning. We need to begin valuing the arts again in schools. Children and young adults who have a talent & passion for art & design need to be nurtured. They need to be told that YES, you can have a career in the arts. So many kids (especially those in lower socio-economic spheres) are discouraged from pursuing art as anything other than a hobby. There is a lot of misinformation about what it means to be a working artist or illustrator. Kids are told "that's not a real job" or "you'll never make any money." That's clearly not a quick or easy solution! But if we in the public library treat art the way we treat book discussions and early literacy, perhaps we can help do our part in nurturing young artists to pursue their passions. Kiera Kiera Parrott Head of Children's Services Darien Library, CT kparrott_at_darienlibrary.org
Twitter: _at_libraryvoice
On May 15, 2013, at 4:41 PM, "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net
)"
wrote:
This is a very important topic and conversation. Thanks for the space for it, CCBC. Thom Barthelmess gave a fantastic and most memorable talk at Carthage College last fall called "Caldecott Culture: Looking Back on their Diversity (or lack thereof)". He acknowledged at the beginning of his talk that his data was unofficial research, and not ready for publication. He categorized to the best of his ability the gender and race of all winners and honorees in the first 75 years of the Caldecottt, and knows that his data isn't fully accurate since he was identifying culture of individuals without their own self-identification. So please know that my notes below from his talk are based on unofficial research that Thom acknowledged was an early investigation and not ready for publication. That said, I found his presentation to be so revealing that I still have my notes.
322 medal and honor winners recognized for 310 medal and honor books 63% male 87% caucasian He broke it up by 25-year-periods, and more women were recognized in the early years. The last medal or honoree who is not a caucasian man, caucasian women, or african american male was David Diaz in 1995. 12 times all the medalists and honorees were men. Only 2 times were all the medalists and honorees women.
He ended the presentation with questions about what to do with this information. Lots of them. And the room was ablaze with conversation, as I'm sure this conversation will be.
Nick ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ****__**** **__**_ ****
************************************** * _______* ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** _
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 12:15:22 -0500
Whoops, you got hacked. Good luck getting it fixed. My sister and daughter had to get rid of their email accounts. Mary Ross
Message-----
From: CCBC-Net digest
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2013 12:01 AM To: ccbc-net digest recipients Subject: ccbc-net digest: May 15, 2013
CCBC-NET Digest for Wednesday, May 15, 2013.
1. Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) 2. Caldecott at 75: 3. one more question about Caldecott and bias 4. Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) 5. Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) 6. Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 7. Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 8. Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 9. RE: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) 10. Diversity/the Caldecott
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) From: Jane Botham Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 05:31:32 -0700 (PDT) X-Message-Number: 1
I really hope you get this fast. I could not inform anyone about our trip, because it was impromptu. we had to be in Philippines for a program. The program was successful, but our journey has turned sour. we misplaced our wallet and cell phone on our way back to the hotel we lodge in after we went for sight seeing. The wallet contained all the valuables we had. Now, our passport is in custody of the hotel management pending when we make payment. I am sorry if i am inconveniencing you, but i have only very few people to run to now. i will be indeed very grateful if i can get a loan of $1700 from you. This will enable me sort our hotel bills and get my sorry self back home. I will really appreciate whatever you can afford in assisting me with. I promise to refund it in full as soon as I return. Let me know if you can be of any assistance. Please, let me know soonest. Thanks so much. Jane Botham 2579 N. Maryland Avenue Milwaukee WI 53211 (414)332 7086 jbotham_at_att.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Caldecott at 75: From: "K.T. Horning" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 08:30:10 -0500 X-Message-Number: 2
We had planned to spend this week discussing art in Caldecott Medal books, but since Rob Reid and Debbie Reese launched a discussion at the end of last week dealing with social issues and the Caldecott Medal books, let's just continue that discussion this week and plan to discuss art next week.
Both Rob and Debbie note that racial diversity is not well reflected among the Caldecott Medal winners (either books or artists)? Another common critcism is that most Caldecott Medals (at least int he past few decades) go to male artists. How does the picture change if you take the Honor Books into consideration?
KT
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: one more question about Caldecott and bias From: bookmarch_at_aol.com Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 10:57:29 -0400 (EDT) X-Message-Number: 3
Friends:
As we examine the Caldecott and the trends and tendencies in what wins, we need to look at the (im)balance of fiction and nonfiction. I believe we have not articulated what would represent outstanding accomplishment in the Caldecott categories for nonfiction as well as we have for fiction. And, worse, this gap is rarely discussed or even noticed. What makes for great ALSC-age art, layout, design in nonfiction -- do we even know?
Marc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) From: "K.T. Horning" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 11:27:00 -0500 X-Message-Number: 4
Please ignore the message that came to CCBC-Net from Jane Botham. This is a common form of spam, designed to prey on people's generosity and good nature.
On 5/15/2013 7:31 AM, Jane Botham wrote: I really hope you get this fast. I could not inform anyone about our trip, because it was impromptu. we had to be in Philippines for a program. ...
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Unexpected sad trip (Jane Botham) From: "K.T. Horning" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 11:44:43 -0500 X-Message-Number: 5
Sorry, I should have indicated that the original message did not come from Jane herself. Jane is fine! And she is not soliciting your help.
I'm sure most of you have seen hundreds of these sorts of messages over the past several years, unfortunately, and you have learned to automatically delete them. But for some there is always a first time with this annoying fact of modern life, and we just want to clarify that the message is a scam committed by someone who "borrowed" Jane's address book, and should just be ignored and deleted.
KT
On 5/15/2013 11:27 AM, K.T. Horning wrote: Please ignore the message that came to CCBC-Net from Jane Botham. This is a common form of spam, designed to prey on people's generosity and good nature.
--KT
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) From: "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net)" Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 15:41:28 -0500 X-Message-Number: 6
This is a very important topic and conversation. Thanks for the space for it, CCBC.
Thom Barthelmess gave a fantastic and most memorable talk at Carthage College last fall called "Caldecott Culture: Looking Back on their Diversity (or lack thereof)". He acknowledged at the beginning of his talk that his data was unofficial research, and not ready for publication. He categorized to the best of his ability the gender and race of all winners and honorees in the first 75 years of the Caldecottt, and knows that his data isn't fully accurate since he was identifying culture of individuals without their own self-identification. So please know that my notes below from his talk are based on unofficial research that Thom acknowledged was an early investigation and not ready for publication.
That said, I found his presentation to be so revealing that I still have my notes.
322 medal and honor winners recognized for 310 medal and honor books
63% male
87% caucasian
He broke it up by 25-year-periods, and more women were recognized in the early years.
The last medal or honoree who is not a caucasian man, caucasian women, or african american male was David Diaz in 1995.
12 times all the medalists and honorees were men. Only 2 times were all the medalists and honorees women.
He ended the presentation with questions about what to do with this information. Lots of them. And the room was ablaze with conversation, as I'm sure this conversation will be.
Nick
_______
Nick Glass Founder & Executive Director
TeachingBooks.net LLC
p 800 596.0710 e nick_at_TeachingBooks.net
TeachingBooks Take a Tour Video: http://TeachingBooks.net/Tour
On May 15, 2013, at 8:30 AM, K.T. Horning wrote:
We had planned to spend this week discussing art in Caldecott Medal books, but since Rob Reid and Debbie Reese launched a discussion at the end of last week dealing with social issues and the Caldecott Medal books, let's just continue that discussion this week and plan to discuss art next week.
Both Rob and Debbie note that racial diversity is not well reflected among the Caldecott Medal winners (either books or artists)? Another common critcism is that most Caldecott Medals (at least int he past few decades) go to male artists. How does the picture change if you take the Honor Books into consideration?
KT
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) From: Kiera Parrott Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 18:40:47 -0400 X-Message-Number: 7
Hi everyone,
This is fascinating. Thom's question, "What do we do with this information?" is the central piece for me. Since the criteria only concerns itself with residency requirements for the illustrator (and since considering the gender or ethnic background of the artist would actually be a violation of the terms of the criteria) then what can we do? (Besides creating more awards.)
Having recently gone through the selection experience, I can speak for myself (not my fellow committee members or past committees.) When I personally looked at books during my term, I was concerned with 1) eligibility and 2) how the art, design, and story held up to the criteria. Oftentimes I wouldn't even look at the name of the author or illustrator until I wrote it in my notes. For me, it was purely about the merits of the art.
That said, it does trouble me when I look at Thom's numbers. It would seem that the major awards are a reflection of the times and the culture in which they are chosen. If we want more award-winning picture books by more women and from a more diverse array of artists, I think we need to start at the very beginning. We need to begin valuing the arts again in schools. Children and young adults who have a talent & passion for art & design need to be nurtured. They need to be told that YES, you can have a career in the arts. So many kids (especially those in lower socio-economic spheres) are discouraged from pursuing art as anything other than a hobby. There is a lot of misinformation about what it means to be a working artist or illustrator. Kids are told "that's not a real job" or "you'll never make any money."
That's clearly not a quick or easy solution! But if we in the public library treat art the way we treat book discussions and early literacy, perhaps we can help do our part in nurturing young artists to pursue their passions.
Kiera
Kiera Parrott Head of Children's Services Darien Library, CT kparrott_at_darienlibrary.org Twitter: @libraryvoice
On May 15, 2013, at 4:41 PM, "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net)" wrote:
This is a very important topic and conversation. Thanks for the space for it, CCBC.
Thom Barthelmess gave a fantastic and most memorable talk at Carthage College last fall called "Caldecott Culture: Looking Back on their Diversity (or lack thereof)". He acknowledged at the beginning of his talk that his data was unofficial research, and not ready for publication. He categorized to the best of his ability the gender and race of all winners and honorees in the first 75 years of the Caldecottt, and knows that his data isn't fully accurate since he was identifying culture of individuals without their own self-identification. So please know that my notes below from his talk are based on unofficial research that Thom acknowledged was an early investigation and not ready for publication.
That said, I found his presentation to be so revealing that I still have my notes.
322 medal and honor winners recognized for 310 medal and honor books
63% male
87% caucasian
He broke it up by 25-year-periods, and more women were recognized in the early years.
The last medal or honoree who is not a caucasian man, caucasian women, or african american male was David Diaz in 1995.
12 times all the medalists and honorees were men. Only 2 times were all the medalists and honorees women.
He ended the presentation with questions about what to do with this information. Lots of them. And the room was ablaze with conversation, as I'm sure this conversation will be.
Nick
_______
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of) From: Colleen Kelley Date: Wed, 15 May 2013 20:47:22 -0400 (EDT) X-Message-Number: 8
I agree. And here is some perspective. If these numbers begin in 1938, when the first Caldecott was awarded, it is important to remember that in 1940, 89.8% of the US population was white You can see in this table that in 1950 the percentage was 89.5, 1960? 88.6%. In 1970, 87.5% of the US population was white. In 1980 it was 83.1%. In 1990, 80.3%. In 2000, 70.1%. And in 2010, 72.4%. Black Americans are the largest racial minority, comprising 13% of the population When you look back over such an expanse of time, I think you have to remember what these numbers represent historically and proportionately, and not simply look at numbers out of context.
Likewise with the representation of men and women. Women gained the right to vote in 1920. In 1941, a disproportionate number of men to women went overseas until at least 1945. And the percentage of women to men in the workplace over this same time period is worth considering. However, "Why Don't Women Illustrators Win Caldecott Awards?" at
poses the question and lists additional links at the end of the discussion. According to "The First American Women Illustrators" .html
), a big problem with early female illustrators is that they left their careers to marry and raise families.
FYI: There are some interesting numbers at http://www.vidaweb.org/three-years-to-stump-and-stack-and-stem
that give a clear picture as far as adult books go as to percentages of male and female who review and are reviewed for various publications. More information and discussion about this article can be found here http://www.salon.com/2011/02/09/women_literary_publishing/
and here ooks-world
, among others.
Colleen
-----Original Message-----
From: Kiera Parrott Sent: May 15, 2013 5:40 PM To: "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net)" Cc: ccbc-net ccbc-net Subject: Re:
Caldecott at 75: Diversity (or lack their of)
Hi everyone, This is fascinating. Thom's question, "What do we do with this information?" is the central piece for me. Since the criteria only concerns itself with residency requirements for the illustrator (and since considering the gender or ethnic background of the artist would actually be a violation of the terms of the criteria) then what can we do? (Besides creating more awards.) Having recently gone through the selection experience, I can speak for myself (not my fellow committee members or past committees.) When I personally looked at books during my term, I was concerned with 1) eligibility and 2) how the art, design, and story held up to the criteria. Oftentimes I wouldn't even look at the name of the author or illustrator until I wrote it in my notes. For me, it was purely about the merits of the art. That said, it does trouble me when I look at Thom's numbers. It would seem that the major awards are a reflection of the times and the culture in which they are chosen. If we want more award-winning picture books by more women and from a more diverse array of artists, I think we need to start at the very beginning. We need to begin valuing the arts again in schools. Children and young adults who have a talent & passion for art & design need to be nurtured. They need to be told that YES, you can have a career in the arts. So many kids (especially those in lower socio-economic spheres) are discouraged from pursuing art as anything other than a hobby. There is a lot of misinformation about what it means to be a working artist or illustrator. Kids are told "that's not a real job" or "you'll never make any money." That's clearly not a quick or easy solution! But if we in the public library treat art the way we treat book discussions and early literacy, perhaps we can help do our part in nurturing young artists to pursue their passions. Kiera Kiera Parrott Head of Children's Services Darien Library, CT kparrott_at_darienlibrary.org
Twitter: _at_libraryvoice
On May 15, 2013, at 4:41 PM, "Nick Glass (TeachingBooks.net
)"
wrote:
This is a very important topic and conversation. Thanks for the space for it, CCBC. Thom Barthelmess gave a fantastic and most memorable talk at Carthage College last fall called "Caldecott Culture: Looking Back on their Diversity (or lack thereof)". He acknowledged at the beginning of his talk that his data was unofficial research, and not ready for publication. He categorized to the best of his ability the gender and race of all winners and honorees in the first 75 years of the Caldecottt, and knows that his data isn't fully accurate since he was identifying culture of individuals without their own self-identification. So please know that my notes below from his talk are based on unofficial research that Thom acknowledged was an early investigation and not ready for publication. That said, I found his presentation to be so revealing that I still have my notes.
322 medal and honor winners recognized for 310 medal and honor books 63% male 87% caucasian He broke it up by 25-year-periods, and more women were recognized in the early years. The last medal or honoree who is not a caucasian man, caucasian women, or african american male was David Diaz in 1995. 12 times all the medalists and honorees were men. Only 2 times were all the medalists and honorees women.
He ended the presentation with questions about what to do with this information. Lots of them. And the room was ablaze with conversation, as I'm sure this conversation will be.
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---Received on Thu 16 May 2013 12:15:22 PM CDT
