BOOK NOTES by Joan Ruddiman: Focuses attention on works for children and young adults.
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The Association for Library Service to Children has created the ALSC/Robert F. Sibert Information Book Award to focus attention on nonfiction for children and young adults.
Sibert was the long-time president of Bound-to Stay-Bound books. The award, established in his memory, will be given annually to honor the author whose work of nonfiction from the preceding year has made a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature.
The field is huge. Information books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize, and interpret documented factual material for children. Even with the award restricted to U.S. citizens or residents, it is a major task for the appointed committee to read and evaluate nonfiction works for quality of writing and illustration, accuracy, clarity, organization, documentation, and presentation.
Suzanne Manczuk, often cited in this space as a leading expert on young adult literature, has long read, reviewed and promoted nonfiction for middle school readers. She knows from first hand experience how teens really enjoy and seek out "true stories," biographies and memoirs. Teens also read for information how-to books and manuals. (How do you think they know so much about computers?) Teens build skills, knowledge and a sophisticated understanding on wide-ranging topics by teaching themselves through books. The Sibert is an important addition to the world of young adult literature.
In a fascinating article in a recent "School Library Journal," Susan Faust, the chairperson of the first Sibert committee, shares how they chose a winner. With guidance and instruction from expert book reviewers, and the use of information books and articles on the topic of nonfiction works (practicing what they preach!), the committee learned two valuable lessons. One, there is no checklist or formula that insures excellence. Two, there is no perfect information book. It is hard to compare an illustrated children’s book to a scholarly history, for example.
Over a year of what she describes as "thoughtful and thorough deliberation," the committee learned to focus on the central question: Is information presented for a child audience in a distinguished way?
From the experiences of this first committee, Faust looks at qualities of truly distinguished information books.
As in life, we value authority, expert opinions based on experiential and educational knowledge. But the "truly distinguished" work is underscored by a passionate interest in the subject by the author that fully engages the reader.
The Sibert Award honors authors who respect children. The books are "genuinely child friendly," but as Faust notes, not one of the winners "encases the facts in a phony story."
The winner and the honor books in 2000 reflect the quality of good writing. Joan Dash’s "The Longitudinal Prize," is an honor recipient. She tells the story of how the concept of longitude was scientifically marked by a seagoing instrument. Never has physics and math been so riveting! Her tale of John Harrison, the country clockmaker, doggedly overcoming the challenges of technology and politics of his 18th century era makes for a compelling tale.
The 2000 Sibert winner is Marc Aronson’s "Sir Walter Raleigh and the Quest for El Dorado." The committee values "accuracy and clarity, thorough and thoroughly explained documentation, and clear delineation of fact." Facts are up-to-date, and carefully delineate what is verifiable and what is conjecture or theoretical. Moreover, the authors "enumerate, explain, and sometimes even evaluate their sources," which Faust aptly points out is "fine modeling in this Internet world that makes such evaluation required practice."
The committee looked for books that were "apt and appealing" in their design. They value format that followed the function of the work, such as Judd Winick’s memoir in telling how he lost a beloved friend to AIDS in "Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned," or Sophie Webb’s use of her own field journals and sketches in "My Season with Penguins."
As Faust writes, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The committee looked for "stimulating overall presentation." Another honor book, Jim Murphy’s "Blizzard," is unforgettable. History comes vividly to life in photographs, personal narratives, maps of weather patterns, all in sepia tone suggesting a bygone era.
In her final reflections, Faust writes, "It is the whole package that simultaneously satisfies and stimulates young readers, the whole package that successfully garners "distinguished status."
We know to look for Newbery winners for best in children’s literature and now the Printz for best in young adult fiction. The Caldecott honors the best in picture books. But kids also appreciate and avidly read nonfiction. Kudos to the industry for reaching out to honor and acknowledge the best in so many meanings of that word of children’s nonfiction.
Joan Ruddiman is a teacher and a friend of the Allentown Public Library.