In class and in our readings we learn how critical it is for teachers to choose intriguing, educational, and factual books in order to improve the minds of young, impressionable children. The Google Books project blog calculated that there are about 130 million published books worldwide. One blogger, John Brownlee, posted that if you were to read a book a day (which for many long novels would be impossible) it would take over 350 THOUSAND years to get through all the books ever published. So how do we pick the right books?
Many books are set apart from the others by the awards they win. The Association for Library Service to Children give many different awards out annually. One mentioned frequently in class is the Caldecott Medal but that is just one among nine others put on the covers of varying books. To name a few, there is the Newbery Medal, Geisel Award, and Wilder Medal etc. If we tend to gravitate towards books that have been acknowledged, I thought it would be important to have an idea of what these honors represent and how a book is voted for it.
To look up specific details on each award visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/index.cfm
So what criteria do they use distinguish an award winning book from the masses? They focus a lot on what audience the book is geared toward. A children’s book should written according to the age groups’ “understanding, abilities, and appreciations” states the ALSC guidelines. The book needs to be appropriate for young readers. They look at the development of a book’s theme, characters, plot, setting, and style. Other medals judge on how well books are translated from their native language to English. Other awards are for a book’s ability to remain a popular and memorable book through the ages, such as the ‘Little House on the Prairie’ series. Having a medal stuck on the front cover does not make the book perfect for all students but it can be one element in helping teacher’s decide when choosing literature.
350 thousand years?! That's so crazy, but also very believable. And I think you bring up a very valid point about choosing the right books for our students and children. How can we really decide if something is appropriate for our children to read? And can we trust the critics to decide for us? I think it would be a good idea for parents and obviously teachers to research why books are given a specific award, and what each award means. However, I've read books that have received awards and I've thought, "Why on earth did this receive an award?" (i.e. Weisner's "The Three Pigs"). So I think that this is where we encounter the issue of using awards as recommendations for books. The Three Pigs may have won an award, but I personally found little to no value in the book. So when can we really trust an award? If a book receives an award does that automatically make it worth-while?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. It really made me think about how it is impossible to read every book out there. I find it interesting that with so many books that come out every year schools tend to have students re reading the same books every year. I know that this is because these books are classics and there is so much to learn from them. Your post made me think about how many books there must be that people are not even talking about. I often chose my books based on hearing about them from other people or seeing an article about them in a magazine. Since most books don’t receive awards or even acknowledgement there must be many books out there that have only been read by a select few.
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