Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Diverse Literature Awards
Here is where you can post the blog you created with your team for the award you researched. (post as a comment) I'm looking for a summary of the information you gathered, but feel free to also include a link to the award's website if there is one, or list of winning books. Be sure to check out the other groups postings on the award they researched. This may be a good resource for the final project! Looking forward to seeing what you came up with.
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The Schneider family book award is an award for children’s literature about people with disabilities. We answered each of the questions Claire posted to make the information resourceful:
1. There is not an official website just for this award alone, however if you got to the American Library Association, there is a site linked which explains the award.
2. There are other resources which provide information about the award…
a. http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=awards
b. http://www.hcpl.net/kidsite/kidsread/schneiderfamilybookaward.htm
c. http://www.duluth.lib.mn.us/YouthServices/Booklists/SchneiderFamily.html
3. This award was created in 2004 for those books that portray a character in the novel having a disability.
4. Three awards are given per year and are awarded by nomination. The books which are nominated then get sent to a committee who determines the winners. The committee tries to have a wide range of geographical distribution amongst the members. They try to represent libraries in large and small cities. The authors of the winning novels receive 5,000 in cash plus a framed plaque. The award is broken down into three different age groups (0-8, 9-13, and 14-18).
5. The American Library Association
6. Juries are the people that choose the winners of the books. If someone is on the jury their book or their institutions can’t be chosen if they are on the jury. The committee consists of nine members appointed by the executive board based on the advice by the committee on appointments.
7. It was very easy to find the books online however it was difficult to actually be able to find the books in the library or bookstores.
8. No the novels do not have seals or any other indications that they are award winners.
Sarah Sparks, Michelle Russell, Kristin Trewhella
The Pura Belpre award is given biannually to an author or an illustrator, who writes children’s literature about Latina/Latino issues. It is named for Pura Belpre, the first Puerto Rican librarian in the New York City public library. The book is only given to authors/illustrators who are Latino/Latina which is defined as having background form a Spanish speaking country in the western hemisphere. The award is co-sponsored by the ALA and REFORMA. The committee is made up of Children’s librarians from the country. The books are only eligible within the first two years of their publication and if they were first published in the United States or Puerto Rico. The books can be written in Spanish or English or a combination of the two languages. The award was first given in 1996 and will begin to be given annually in 2009. Here is the offical website for the award http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/belpremedal/belprmedal.cfm
Katie Ingram, Becka Conway, Kara Donahoe
Our group researched the Lambda Literary Foundation Award, a.k.a. the “Lammies.” This award is given to books based on the quality of writing and GLBT content. Although the awards are granted mainly on the premise of the book’s content, the author’s sexual orientation is considered secondary. The awards were created in 1988 in an effort to celebrate GLBT literature and provide resources for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians. There are 21 separate categories, each which awards a piece of literature annually. The categories include Fiction, Memoir, Romance, Arts and Culture, and Poetry. The winners for each category are chosen by a panel of four judges who include writers, librarians, booksellers, teachers, book reviewers, journalist, and other members of the literary community. The identity of the judges is revealed after the winners are announced. Funds for the award come from a variety of people, places, and businesses that support the efforts of the foundation.
Gabrielle Goldsby, author of numerous novels – including GLBT books – discusses the Lambda Award on her blog: http://gabriellegoldsby.blogspot.com/2007/03/lambda-literary-awards-announces.html.
Our group found numerous novels at the East Lansing Public Library that have been either winners or nominees of the Lambda Literary Foundation Award. These books were easy to find within the library. Winners of the award do not have an emblem, but were noted as having won the award on the back cover. (Only a few included this note, but we assumed it was because the other books were published before the award had been won) The novels we chose to bring in are:
Out of the Ordinary by Noelle Howley and Ellen Samuels
The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Ann Peters
Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
Eight Seconds by Jean Ferris
Totally Joe by James Howe
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Desert Blood by Alicia Gaspar de Alba
More information about the Lambda Literary Foundation Award, including the full list of categories and books that have won/been nominated, can be found on their official web-site: www.lambdaliterary.org.
Emily Lewalski, Sarah Kurtz, Shalyne Love, Maggie Lewandoski
Schneider Family Book Award
Website of Info:
http://www.ala.org/ala/awardsbucket/schneideraward/schneiderfamily.htm
The Purpose:
This award was created to recognize books that were dedicated to educating others on disabilities.
Criteria for Award:
Three awards for children’s books are given annually to recognize and honor authors and illustrators for their distinguished portrayal of people living with a disabling condition, one in each age category, young children, ages 0 to 8, middle grades, ages 9 to 13 and teens, ages 14 to 18. The person with the disability may be the protagonist or a secondary character. Dr. Schneider has intentionally allowed for a broad interpretation by her wording, the book “must portray some aspect of living with a disability, whether the disability is physical, mental, or emotional.” This allows each committee to decide on the qualifications of particular titles. Books with death as the main theme are generally disqualified. The books must be published in English. The award may be given posthumously. The term of eligibility extends to publications from the preceding two years, e.g. 2007 awards given to titles published in 2006 and 2005. This may be changed to one year when the award is well established. Books previously discussed and voted on are not eligible again. When a picture book wins the award, the $5000.00 will be divided equally between the author and illustrator.
Criteria for the book:
1. Content
May be fiction, biography, or other form of nonfiction.
Must portray the emotional, mental, or physical disability as part of a full life, not as something to be pitied or overcome.
Representation of characters with disabilities should be realistic avoiding exaggeration or stereotypes.
Person with disability should be integral to the presentation, not merely a passive bystander.
The theme must be appropriate for and respectful of the intended audience age.
Information on a disability must be accurate.
2. Style
Should be engaging with distinctive use of language for plot and character development and setting delineation.
Book should be judged on its own merit as a self-contained entity, not as part of a series, and irrespective of supportive materials such as a CD or other supplemental material.
3. Illustration in picture books
Text and images should complement each other, with differentiated contrast between text, pictures, and background.
Format and typeface must be of age appropriate size, clearly readable, and free of typographical errors.
Layout should be easy to follow enhancing the flow of the story or information.
Dr. Katherine Schneider and her family endowed this American Library Association Award in 2003. This award is sponsored by American Library Association.
The committee selected three winners in early 2004 to be honored at the ALA Awards presentation at ALA Annual.
The Selection Committee:
1. The Committee shall be comprised of seven American Library Association members with experience in book selection and knowledge of disability experiences.
2. Committee members are appointed by the staff liaison and the Chair of ALA Awards from the Office of Governance of ALA who also appoints the Committee Chair.
3. The Committee shall include one current member from each of the following ALA divisions:
ALSC, the Association for Library Service to Children
YALSA, the Young Adult Library Service Association
ASCLA, the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies
4. One member shall be the children’s or young adult librarian from the Library of Congress, NLS/BPH, who is an ALA member and who may serve for unlimited terms. Alternatively, a librarian from the NLS network of state libraries may be appointed to fill this position on the committee.
5. The normal term on the committee shall be one year with the option of reappointment for one additional year, from July to June.
6. Previous members may be reappointed after a two year hiatus.
The Seal:
Children’s book awards traditionally have a medal signifying excellence for publishers to place on award-winning book covers. As there is no universally recognized symbol or sign designating disability, it was difficult to create a medal reflecting the purpose of the Schneider Family Book Award. The original committee worked with a graphic designer and responded to publisher feedback to create a circular seal similar in size to other ALA literary awards. Boys and girls holding hands encircling a small world symbolize the ideal of equal treatment for all children everywhere. The colors silver and blue were selected to differentiate this seal from the usual gold of others. The words at the top of the medal, Schneider Family Book Award, are repeated in Braille at the bottom in homage to Dr. Schneider.
Our group studied the Coretta Scott King Award.
Out of all of the awards that we studied in class on Wednesday, it is the most well known. The Coretta Scott King award is an award for children’s books written by an insider African American and has something to do with the African American experience, whether in the past, present or future. There is one given out each year for excellence in writing, and one given out for excellence in illustration. The writing award was established in 1969 while the illustration award followed ten years later in 1979. The award is a part of the American Library Association. It is easy to find these books in libraries and online. They do have their own seal, but about half of the ones that we were able to find did not have a seal on them. As with ALA’s other awards it is given to a book that was published in the previous year, with a submission deadline of December 1st. In addition to the Coretta Scott King Award, the Coretta Scott King Task Force has started a new award named the John Steptoe Award. This is given to an author or illustrator who is an insider and has less than three published works. It’s to encourage up and coming authors and illustrators who are African American.
The website for the award is through the ALA. The link is
http://www.ala.org/ala/emiert/corettascottkingbookaward/corettascott.cfm
Author Awards
2008 Elijah of Buxton Christopher Paul Curtis
2007 Copper Sun Sharon Draper
2006 Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue Julius Lester
2005 Remember: the Journey to School Integration Toni Morrison
2004 The First Part Last Angela Johnson
2003 Bronx Masquerade Nikki Grimes
2002 The Land Mildred Taylor
2001 Miracle's Boys Jacqueline Woodson
2000 Bud, Not Buddy Christopher Paul Curtis
Illustrator Awards
2008 Let It Shine Ashley Bryan
2007 Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom Kadir Nelson, text by Carole Boston Weatherford
2006 Rosa Bryan Collier; text by Nikki Giovanni
2005 Ellington Was Not a Street Kadir Nelson; text by Ntozake Shange
2004 Beautiful Blackbird Ashley Bryan
2003 Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman E.B. Lewis; text by Nikki Grimes
2002 Goin' Someplace Special Jerry Pinkney; text by Patricia McKissack
2001 Uptown Bryan Collier
2000 In the Time of the Drums Brian Pinkney; text by Kim L. Siegelson
CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD (CSK)
The Coretta Scott King award is named for the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. This award recognizes outstanding African American authors and illustrators.To be considered for this award the book must be about the African American experience and be written for a youth audience. The CSK was incepted in May 1970, the official affiliation with SRRT came in 1980, and in 1982 it was recognized as an American Library Association award.
The history of the award begins in 1969 at an American Library Association Meeting in New Jersey. Two librarians, Mabel McKissick and Glyndon Greer, were discussing that African American authors and illustrators had not been distinguished with awards for their work. John Carroll, a publisher, overheard them and asked them why they didn't start an award to do so. And that is how the Coretta Scott King Award was born.
The committee can select up to two authors and two illustrators to win the award each year. Additionally, the committee can choose to award the John Steptoe New Talent Award to an author or illustrator who has not published more than three books and has not won the CSK award previously.
The seal for the Coretta Scott King Award is very symbolic of Dr. King's teachings and doctrines. It was designed by Lev Mills in 1974. The circle represents continuity in movement, revolving from one idea to another. In the center is a black child reading a book. From this book stem the 5 main religious symbols to represent nonsectarianism. The pyramid symbolizes strength and Atlanta University where the award was headquartered at the time. The Dove symbolizes peace and rays from the dove shine toward "peace" and "brotherhood".
Some recent authors and illustrators that have won the Coretta Scott King Award include:
Sharon Draper in 2007 for Copper Sun
Julius Lester in 2006 for Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
Nikki Grimes in 2003 for Bronx Masquerade (You should recognize this one!)
The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature:
Website:
http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/st_books.htm (Association of Jewish Libraries Website)
Note: All of the following information came from the AJL website.
Purpose:
To encourage the publication of outstanding books of Jewish content for children, books that exemplify the highet literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. To inspire authors, encourage publishers, inform parents and teachers, and intrigue young readers. To engender pride in Jewish readers while building bridges to readers of other backgrounds.
History:
The award was created in 1968 and was originally the Shirley Kravitz Children's Book Award, but then was renamed in memory of loved author Sydney Taylor known for the "All-of-a-Kind" Family series.
Selection Criteria:
There are 2 categories: younger readers and older readers. Judged on "Jewish Content" and "Literary and Artistic Excellence"
JEWISH CONTENT-
1. Accuracy
2. Age appropriateness
3. Authenticity
4. Depth of Jewish content
5. Positive focus and values
6. Sensitivity
LITERARY & ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE
1. Fiction
2. Non-Fiction
3. Picture books
4. Illustrated books
Award Sponsor:
Association of Jewish Libraries
Selection Committee:
The Sydney Taylor Book Award committee members must be members of AJL and must have a general base knowledge about Judaic children's literature. The member's are also required to have experience in writing evaluative reviews. The term lasts 4 years. The book award committee consists of 6 members who select a winner each year in each category.
Syndey Taylor Award Winning Books:
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie by Mirjam Pressler
The White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac by Mordicai Gerstein
Shlemazel and the Remarkable Spoon of Pohost by Ann Redisch Stampler
Vive La Paris by Esme Raji Codell
Incantation by Alice Hoffman
Finding Books:
Books were not hard to find however most do not have any indication that they are winners of the award. The Association of Jewish Libraries' website provides a list of award winners on their website as a reference to find these books.
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
To honor and recognize individual work about Asia/Pacific Americans and their heritages based on literary merit and artistic merit.
Goal: The goal is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit.
Website: www.apalaweb.org
Eligible works:
1. Works eligible must have had premier publication during the calendar years from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and must have been published for general commercial release in the U.S.
2. Award categories are:
A. Adult (fiction and nonfiction)
B. Young Readers fiction and nonfiction-for text
C. Young Readers fiction and nonfiction-for illustrators
3. Works must be released to Asian/Pacific Heritage, not necessarily written by or illustrated by an Asian/Pacific American. The individual must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
4. Works must have been published by a large publishing house, trade, or small press/publisher located in the United States or one of its territories. Self-published works and exclusive internet publications are not eligible.
5. Anthologies or books containing the work of more than one author are not eligible.
6. Works must be originally written in English.
7. Works that have previously won other prizes or recognition are eligible.
8. If no books are found to meet the selection criteria, no award will be given.
Past Winners and Honorable Mention:
Yin. Brothers. Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. New York: Philomel. 2006.
Headley, Justina Chen. Nothing But the Truth. New York. Little, Brown, and Co., 2006.
Lin, Grace. Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2006.
Hamamura, John. Color of the Sea. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
`
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
To honor and recognize individual work about Asia/Pacific Americans and their heritages based on literary merit and artistic merit.
Goal: The goal is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit.
Website: www.apalaweb.org
Eligible works:
1. Works eligible must have had premier publication during the calendar years from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007, and must have been published for general commercial release in the U.S.
2. Award categories are:
A. Adult (fiction and nonfiction)
B. Young Readers fiction and nonfiction-for text
C. Young Readers fiction and nonfiction-for illustrators
3. Works must be released to Asian/Pacific Heritage, not necessarily written by or illustrated by an Asian/Pacific American. The individual must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
4. Works must have been published by a large publishing house, trade, or small press/publisher located in the United States or one of its territories. Self-published works and exclusive internet publications are not eligible.
5. Anthologies or books containing the work of more than one author are not eligible.
6. Works must be originally written in English.
7. Works that have previously won other prizes or recognition are eligible.
8. If no books are found to meet the selection criteria, no award will be given.
Past Winners and Honorable Mention:
Yin. Brothers. Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. New York: Philomel. 2006.
Headley, Justina Chen. Nothing But the Truth. New York. Little, Brown, and Co., 2006.
Lin, Grace. Year of the Dog. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2006.
Hamamura, John. Color of the Sea. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
`
Lambda Literary Foundation Award
The purpose of this award is to celebrate LGBT and provide resources for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians; the whole literary community. It recognizes excellence in gay and lesbian writing and publishing in the U.S. The Lambda Literary Awards are based principally on the quality of the writing and the LGBT content of the work. The sexual orientation of the author is secondary. The book must be published in English, although translations from other languages into English are accepted (and encouraged). Another criterion is that the books can only be nominated by its publisher or author. The awards are sponsored by the non-profit Lambda Literary Foundation, a national organization dedicated to the recognition and promotion of gay and lesbian literature. Each category will be judged by four individuals. Judges can be writers, booksellers, librarians, teachers, book reviewers, journalists. The identity of the judges will be announced when the winners are announced. Two books that have won this award include: Luna By: Julie Anne Peters and Swimming in the Monsoon Sea By: Shyam Selvadurai. Swimming in the Monsoon Sea is about incest, where a boy falls in love with his Canadian cousin. Luna is about Transgender, where a boy changes his name to Luna and tries to become a female.
The website for this award is: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/
Jennifer Metz, Meghan Ort, Stacy Michelson
Lambda Literary Foundation Award
The purpose of this award is to celebrate LGBT and provide resources for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians; the whole literary community. It recognizes excellence in gay and lesbian writing and publishing in the U.S. The Lambda Literary Awards are based principally on the quality of the writing and the LGBT content of the work. The sexual orientation of the author is secondary. The book must be published in English, although translations from other languages into English are accepted (and encouraged). Another criterion is that the books can only be nominated by its publisher or author. The awards are sponsored by the non-profit Lambda Literary Foundation, a national organization dedicated to the recognition and promotion of gay and lesbian literature. Each category will be judged by four individuals. Judges can be writers, booksellers, librarians, teachers, book reviewers, journalists. The identity of the judges will be announced when the winners are announced. Two books that have won this award include: Luna By: Julie Anne Peters and Swimming in the Monsoon Sea By: Shyam Selvadurai. Swimming in the Monsoon Sea is about incest, where a boy falls in love with his Canadian cousin. Luna is about Transgender, where a boy changes his name to Luna and tries to become a female.
The website for this award is: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/
Jennifer Metz, Meghan Ort, Stacy Michelson
Lambda Literary Foundation Award
The purpose of this award is to celebrate LGBT and provide resources for writers, readers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians; the whole literary community. It recognizes excellence in gay and lesbian writing and publishing in the U.S. The Lambda Literary Awards are based principally on the quality of the writing and the LGBT content of the work. The sexual orientation of the author is secondary. The book must be published in English, although translations from other languages into English are accepted (and encouraged). Another criterion is that the books can only be nominated by its publisher or author. The awards are sponsored by the non-profit Lambda Literary Foundation, a national organization dedicated to the recognition and promotion of gay and lesbian literature. Each category will be judged by four individuals. Judges can be writers, booksellers, librarians, teachers, book reviewers, journalists. The identity of the judges will be announced when the winners are announced. Two books that have won this award include: Luna By: Julie Anne Peters and Swimming in the Monsoon Sea By: Shyam Selvadurai. Swimming in the Monsoon Sea is about incest, where a boy falls in love with his Canadian cousin. Luna is about Transgender, where a boy changes his name to Luna and tries to become a female.
The website for this award is: http://www.lambdaliterary.org/
Middle East Book Award
Official Website: http://www.meoc.us/
Other Helpful URLs:
http://socialscience.tyler.cc.tx.us/mkho/MEOC/Newletters/2005MEOCPerspectives.pdf
MEOC (Middle East Outreach Council) established the Middle East Book Award in 1999 to recognize books for children and young adults that contribute meaning-fully to an understanding of the Middle East. Books are judged on the authenticity of their portrayal of a Middle Eastern subject, as well as on their characterization, plot, and appeal for the intended audience. Awards are announced in November for books published during the period from January of the previous year through September of the current year.
Not much is known about the selection criteria and who actually selects the books. As a group we emailed the committee and we are currently awaiting a response.
We’re happy to report that the East Lansing Library had many of the books available as well as the local Barnes and Noble store for online purchase.
Some books that have won the award…
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, by Ibtisam Barakat
Lugalbanda, The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War by Kathy Henderson
A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird
The Illustrator’s Notebook by Mohieddin Ellabbad
Breadwinner By: Deborah Ellis
Habibi By: Naomi Shibab
The Pura Belpre Award was first established to recognize and honor Latino writers and illustrators whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience in a work of children's literature. This award was first presented in 1996 and is presented biennially to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator. It has been in the works of changing this award to an annual award because there are more and more authors and illustrators and will begin taking place in 2009. The terms and criteria are extremely complicated within the criteria for the text and the criteria for the illustrations but I will sum up the overall terms:
1. Two medals shall be awarded biennially, one to a Latino author and one to a Latino illustrator.
2. The award-winning books must be published in the United States or Puerto Rico.
3. Recipients of the Pura Belpre Medal must be residents or citizens of the United States or Puerto Rico.
4. Only eligible books within these terms may be considered.
5. Fiction and nonfiction books for children published in Spanish, English or bilingual.
Within each of the different medals (text and illustrations) there are their own terms and criteria as well. They differ but stay along the same type of theme:
1. Identifying an author/illustrator of an outstanding book while having an accurate and positive portrayal of the Latino culture.
2. Considering other aspect of the book that make the book whole (illustrations vs text).
3. Not only is this award based on the illustrations and text but it is on how it portrays and celebrates the Latino culture.
4. Particular attention will be paid to the "insider's voice" and cultural authenticity.
etc.
The award is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA).
The selection committee is those that are part of the co-sponsoring committees.
There is no official website for the award but there are different resources that provide information about this award. Many library websites have posted a description of the award as a link. Some websites included:
1)ALSC: Association for Library Service to Children
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/belpremedal/belprmdeal.cfm
2)http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/is/enroom/awards/purabelpre.htm
3)Book Spot: http://www.bookspot.com/awards/belpre.htm
This award was first created in 1996 to acknowledge Latino authors or illustrators who best depict and celebrate the Latin cultural experience in children's literature. Pura Belpre was the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. This award was named after her to recognize all of her hard work to address the misconceptions as well as to promote the Latino culture as a children's librarian, an author, and a storyteller.
Some books that we chose to display in class were:
-"Parrot in the Oven" by: Victor Martinez
-"The Tequila Worm" by: Viola Canales
-"Magic Windows" by: Ventanas Magicas
-"Chato and the Party Animals" by: Gary Soto and Susan Guevara
-"Snapshots from the Wedding" by: Gary Soto
Nikole, Allison, Sarah
The Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, APAAL, was created to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit. Eligibility for this award is based on the following criteria:
- Works must be published in English in the United States during the previous year
- Works must be related to Asian/Pacific heritage
- Works must be published by a publishing house
- Works must be submitted in the the following 3 categories
1. Adult (fiction & nonfiction)
2. Young Readers for text
3. Young Readers for illustrations
It is important to note that eligible works do not necessarily have to be written or illustrated by Asian/Pacific Americans. Individuals just have to be either US citizens or permanent residents.
Our group had a relatively easy time locating literature that has received APAAL recognition at the local East Lansing library. Latter this semester we will all be reading Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park which received honorable mention for text in 2005. Other familiar books that have received awards include Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata and Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan.
The following link will take you to the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association website where you can find more information about the APAAL:
http://www.apalaweb.org/awards/awards0405.htm
Caitlin Knapp, Jenna Kraft, Rachel Kerr
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is an award that is given to children and adolescent literature that involves the Jewish faith. The thought behind the award, the purpose, is to engender pride in Jewish readers while building bridges to readers of other backgrounds by educating readers about the Jewish experience. The award was established in 1968 by the Association of Jewish Libraries and the books are judged by a panel of Judaica children's librarians. The Sydney Taylor award is sponsored by the AJL and the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee. The criteria for earning such an award is threefold: First, the book must have a positive Jewish focus and content. Two, there must be authentic detail and accurate research in the book. Finally, the book must display a quality of writing and an ability to engage the target age group. The author does not have to be Jewish, but Jewish content is required.
Kate Jamnik, Tiffany Kaid, Allison Lavoie
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