Library Notes
January 23, 2011
Dara L. Cain


2011 Newbery and Caldecott Winners

The Newbery Award is the first children's book award in the world established in 1922. It is named in honor of eighteenth-century English bookseller John Newbery and is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. The purpose of the award is "to encourage original creative work in the field of books for children.” This year’s Newbery winner is Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Set in 1936, 12-year-old Abilene Tucker feels deserted in Manifest, Kansas where she has been sent by her father to live for the summer with an old friend while he works a railroad job. Abilene is saddened to learn that her father’s hometown is desolate and boring until she discovers a box containing some old letters that refer to a spy known as the Rattler. These letters send Abilene and her new friends Lettie and Ruthanne on an exciting spy hunt to uncover Manifest’s long-held secrets. Also worthy of attention are this year’s honor books which are Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, and Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm.

After the Newbery Award was created it became apparent to many people that the artists designing picture books for children were equally deserving of recognition and encouragement. As a result, a second annual medal known as the Caldecott Medal was established in 1938. “This medal is to be given to the artist who had created the most distinguished picture book of the year and named in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott.” This year’s Caldecott winner is A Sick Day for Amos McGee illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by her husband Philip C. Stead. In this kindhearted story zookeeper Amos McGee spends quality time each day with his animal friends at the zoo from playing chess with elephant to conducting races with tortoise. Everything is status quo until Amos gets sick with a cold and must stay home in bed. To Amos’s surprise his animal friends make a surprise visit to his home and reciprocate kindness by taking care of him. Penguin helps by keeping Amos’s feet warm and when Amos sneezes rhinoceros is there to provide a handkerchief. Erin Stead’s use of woodblock-printing techniques and soft flat colors portray a gentle story about friendship and love. This year’s honor books are Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein and Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave illustrated by Bryan Collier and written by Laban Carrick Hill.