Chicken Spaghetti

Children's Literature Cafe at the NYPL

On November 7th I took part in a panel discussion at the New York Public Library. What an honor to have been asked! Led by Elizabeth Bird, NYPL librarian and moderator extraordinaire, our group of bloggers—Pam Coughlan (MotherReader), Anne Boles Levy (Cybils), Elizabeth Burns (A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy), and I—talked about the Cybils awards, children's book blogs in general, and recent book controversies. There was a lot to cover in an hour.

I mentioned how much I appreciated the reviews of the books nominated in the various Cybils categories. The blogs Carol's Corner and Literate Lives are writing up many nonfiction picture books; I'm making note of titles to share with my first-grade reading buddies. Nugget on the Flight Deck, a fun book about aircraft-carrier lingo, is one I first learned about from the critique at Not Just for Kids. As a result of our talk, reviews are now linked to the nominated titles at the Cybils blog.

You'll find other writeups at Bookish Blather, who was in the audience, as well as at Tea Cozy, MotherReader, the Cybils blog, and Elizabeth Bird's A Fuse #8 Production.

Author and illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg kindly took pictures. 

Left to right: Elizabeth Bird, me, Elizabeth Burns, Anne Boles Levy, and Pam Coughlan

Wish Lists: Holiday Gift Ideas

Just published at PBS Parents Booklights blog: "Wish Lists," my short guide to great book lists for kids. An online resource for holiday gift ideas!

The List of Lists Begins: Best Children's Books of 2009

Last year I started compiling all the year-end "best of" lists in newspapers, magaziness, and other sources. I added in many of the various children's literature prizes throughout the year, too. (You can peruse "The Best of the Best: Kids' Books '08" right here.) A person who chooses titles from these lists will read—and give and recommend to children—many good books. 

In the process, I discovered that there is no such thing as awards season. Children's books are honored and feted throughout the year from the Newberys and Caldecotts in January to the Cybils in February to the American Horticultural Society/Junior Master Gardeners' "Growing Good Kids" in July to the Children's Book Council of Australia's Books of the Year in August. I'll admit to a soft spot for March's National Science Teachers Association's Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12. Those are books I would have loved as a kid. I tried to be comprehensive, but I know that I missed some lists and prizes. 

It's time to start the roundup for books published in 2009. I hear that School Library Journal is working away on its "best of," as we speak. The magazine's Twitter update said recently,"SLJ Best Books update: Not much I can say yet - they're working on it. 'But is it a BEST book?' is the primary debate."

The first two entries for Chicken Spaghetti's "Best Children's Books of 2009: The List of Lists"  are the finalists for the National Book Award in "young people's literature" and the long list for the Amercican Association for the Advancement of Science Prizes for Excellence in Science Books for children (currently linked to School Library Journal until the AAAS puts it up on its own site). 

I'll keep the big list under Pages, to the right, across from the chicken portrait at the top.

Prize-Winning Mexican American Children's Books & the Texas Book Fest

Earlier this year, I mentioned two books that tied for the 2009 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award. Published in 2008, both are for young-adult readers. The award will be officially presented this week at Texas State University-San Marcos, the prize's sponsor. The books are

The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans, by Carmen Tafolla (Wings Press)

He Forgot to Say Goodbye, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)

Sáenz's novel also made the honorable mention list for the Américas Book Award, given last summer. 

Marjorie Coughlan reviewed The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans, a collection of short stories, at PaperTigers. She wrote,"The story contents demand a certain level of maturity from young adult readers; for those who are ready to embark on The Holy Tortilla’s journey, this is quite a ride!"

For those attending the Texas Book Festival in Austin on Saturday, October 31st, both Tafolla and Sáenz will be reading from their work. (The festival continues on November 1st.) The schedule for the kid & teen-related goings-on is here (PDF file). 

Have any of you readers ever attended the Texas Book Festival? What's it like? The literary version of the Texas State Fair? I wish I could go!

Australian Kids' Book Awards

Each of the following won a Book of the Year award sponsored by the Children's Book Council of Australia.

Tales from Outer Suburbia, by Shaun Tan

Perry Angel's Suitcase, written by Glenda Millard and illustrated by Stephen Michael King

How to Heal a Broken Wing, by Bob Graham

Collecting Colour, by Kyle Dunston

Alive in the Death Zone, by Lincoln Hall

Full information here, at the CBCA site.

Heaps o' Reading Suggestions: Updated List

Are you looking for a children's book to read or recommend to your favorite young reader?

I have updated this page: The Best of the Best: Kids' Books '08, which is a collection of 

• links to newspapers' and magazines' end-of-the-year lists
• prizes for children's books, including the Newbery, Caldecott, Greenaway, and Carnegie 

The final additions will most likely be the Book of the Year winners from the Children's Book Council of Australia. Those awards will be announced on Friday, August 21st.