Artistic expression of disability experience:

Childrens:  Dad, Jackie and Me by Myron Uhlberg, illustrated by Colin Bootman.

Middle School:  Tending to Grace by Kimberly Newton Fusco (Wonderful!)

Teen:  Under the Wolf, Under the Dog by Adam Rapp (Hurray!  This one got gasps of joy and great applause from the audience.)

The online interface seems to be working wonderfully, so I should be able to post as the awards are announced!

The Newbery and Caldecotte Medals (along with many others) are being announced today.  This article is a nice prelude to the Awards with some predictions of what might win.  I won’t be making predictions.  I am always, always wrong, though I sometimes get my pick for winner chosen as an honor.  I will be posting the award winners as soon as I find out, though I must say I am not at ALA Mid-winter and will not be posting live from the awards floor.  🙂

The new YALSA blog has great news for those of us not going to ALA Midwinter.  For the first time ever, the children’s and teen literature awards will be webcast!  The blog has a list of the many awards that will be given out on the morning of January 23rd, including the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, King, and the new Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for beginning readers.  Hurrah!

Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies by Carolyn Crimi, illustrated by John Manders is a book with the perfect amount of text to share with Kindergarten classes or very attentive preschoolers.  It is the story of Henry, son of a pirate captain.  Henry is a bookworm, learning all sorts of things from the books he loves.  The pirate crew makes fun of him mercilessly, but Henry just turns another page.  It is not until the pirate ship is sunk and the crew is shipwrecked that Henry is able to shine.  His book learning leads to the survival of the entire crew. 

The plot of the book is not the highlight here, rather this is a book that celebrates reading and the illustrations are wonderfully cartoonlike and fun.  Boys crazy for pirates will enjoy it, as will entire classrooms. 

Little Bird’s ABC by Piet Grobler is a tiny picture book the perfect size for small hands.  But inside, it is an alphabet book with a huge sense of humor.  It is a lot less about learning the alphabet than about being funny.  Because of the size and the humor, you will not want to share this one with a group of kids, but it is perfect for a child who likes potty humor and pure silliness. 

Booktrusted is a British site filled with information on children’s books, authors, illustrators, events, organizations, news, magazines, and much more.  There are resources for teachers, interviews with authors, and a recommended Book of the Month. 

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) has a new blog that covers their activities, teen books, library service to teens, and being an advocate for your teen patrons.

Learning Fun for Kids Online is a great blog that collects sites that are both education and fun.  Perfect for home schoolers, afterschool as the site says, or for educators themselves.