Assigned Reading

Today the American Library Association announced the winners of the most coveted awards in children’s literature.

The Newbery Award was presented to Rebecca Stead for When You Reach Me, published by Random House. Four other books received honorable mentions. The Newbery Award honors the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Jerry Pinkney was awarded his (surprisingly) first Caldecott Medal for The Lion and the Mouse, which he wrote as well as illustrated. Two other books received honorable mentions. The Caldecott honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Additional awards were presented, and can be found on the American Library Association website.

Elementary schools are often dominated by female teachers, and this creates unique problems when teaching and encouraging boys to read. Within the past decade or so, much attention has been brought to the disparity in reading ability between boys and girls. Fictional narratives favored more by girls filled classroom libraries and where more often chosen as whole-class reads.

Today teachers are more aware of the need to instruct using books from a variety of genre and subjects, and to fill their classroom libraries with books attractive to boys as well as girls. The struggle, then, is to help female teachers understand what types of reading will interest boys, and how to provide male role models to recommend books.

Mary Ann Zehr reported for Edweek on a Virginia conference that focused on boosting boys’ interest in reading. Most of the presenters were authors, such as Jack Gantos, Jerry Pinkney, and Jon Scieszka. The article is worth reading. Scieszka is passionate about the subject, and maintains the Guys Read website that can assist teachers with finding books for boys.

I recently read Work Hard, Be Nice by Jay Mathews.  It’s the story of Mike Feinberg and David Levin, who started the KIPP program in a couple of fifth grade classes in Houston.  Today KIPP has more than 60 urban charter schools across the country.

Mathews writes a narrative, revealing how the two Teach for America grads overcame the bureaucratic roadblocks of public education.  Feinberg and Levin work tirelessly to develop and expand a program that would prove successful even in the most struggling urban areas.

Most inspirational was the motivation of these young men.  They seemed to know early what many education decision-makers never learn, that a successful program must be developed based on the needs of the kids it services.  Feinberg and Levin put kids at the center of their efforts.

Mathews is an education reporter for the Washington Post, and he understands terminology and pedagogy.  Yet his story is engaging as it weaves the personal lives of the KIPP founders, excessively at times, into the tale.

I found Work Hard, Be Nice to be a fun read, and it has already influenced the way I teach my fifth graders.

Walden Media has become a very successful company by producing family movies based on children’s literature. Walden stays loyal to the original stories, evidenced in The Chronicles of Narnia films, Holes, Bridge to Terabithia, and How To Eat Fried Worms, and most recently City of Ember.

I was heartened to hear that Walden would be taking on one of my most favorite contemporary children’s books, The Giver by Lois Lowry. A film version of this modern classic has been in and out of planning stages since 2003, but recently went into pre-production through Walden.

It’s always a bit sad when books become popular films. The characters and places created in the reader’s imagination are forever changed. The folks at Walden seem to understand this, and produce movies that respect the literature upon which they are based.

The Giver is expected in theaters in 2011. I look forward to it.

The world of children’s literature is arguing the value of the Newbery Award. Once the pinnacle, the guarantee of increased book sales, the Newbery has been having less of an influence in recent years. An Internet debate has ensued.

Blogger Joanne Jacobs identifies an article entitled “Has the Newbery Lost Its Way?” in School Library Journal, written by Anita Silvey. She believes, based on conversations with librarians, teachers, and book sellers, that recent Newbery winners haven’t attracted readers. Simply, the award isn’t making a difference when kids choose books.

The Washington Post ran an article offering a similar proposal, that the Newbery may actually “dampen kids’ reading.”

I’ve long argued that children’s books are too serious. My students have often discussed why so many books involve children losing their parents and facing real hardship. The overwhelming success of books like the Harry Potter series, the Spiderwick Chronicles, and more recently Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid books, show that kids want to have fun reading.

I began taking notice when I read Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust shortly after it was awarded the Newbery in 1998. Set in the miserable conditions of the dust bowl, the main character is a 14 year old girl named Billie Jo. She attempts to put out a fire on her mother’s clothing with a nearby bucket of water, which turns out to be kerosene. The mother and her younger brother are badly burned and both eventually die. Billie Jo, whose only outlet is playing the piano, severely burns her hands. Like other Karen Hesse books, the story is beautifully written. But like the time period in which it is set, the book is depressing right to the end.

The Newbery shouldn’t be given to best sellers or the most popular among books. It should be reserved for those that stand out among all others, for the story told and the author’s ability to do so. But the American Library Association, which awards the Newbery, needs to keep in mind that children are the audience.