The Best of the Best!

It’s a new year and time to honor the best of the best books written in 2011 for children. Many awards are given, but there are two that stand above all the rest. The first one is the John Newbery Medal. This award dates back to 1922 and it was the first children’s literary award ever given in the world. The award was named after John Newbery, an 18th century English publisher of books, and it was given for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. The honor for this award for 2011 goes to “Dead End in Norvelt” by Jack Gantos. This story is a blending of true and fictional events. 12-year old Jackie Gantos (does the name sound familiar?) is looking forward to 2 fantastic months of summer vacation when out of the blue, he is grounded for life. All he has to look forward to now is helping some little old lady, who types obituaries about fellow townspeople, each with their own story to tell. Who knew that a summer filled with molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, Hells Angels and a possible murder would take Jack on an unexpected adventure in this quirky little town. Readers will laugh at all the twists and turns as this story unfolds Jack’s summer.
We have a change of pace with the first Newbery Honor Book, “Inside Out & Back Again”, by Thankha Lai. Ha’ has lived her whole 10 years in Saigon. As the Viet Nam war comes ever closer to Saigon, Ha’ and her family are forced to leave Saigon for a new home and a new hope in America. That first year is a year of change from the warmth of friends to the coldness of strangers, from the exciting aromas and tastes of her marketplace to food that is dull in comparison, and from the beauty of her own papaya tree to the strange shape of a new landscape in Alabama. The one constant in her life is the strength of her family. You come to know all of Ha’s dreams, grief, and healing as she adjusts to her new home.
“Breaking Stalin’s Nose” by Eugene Velchin is the second Newbery Honor book. From age 6, Sasha has known all the laws of the Soviet Young Pioneers. He lives and dreams about being the perfect Soviet comrade, just like his dad and Stalin; then, when he can finally join the Young Pioneers, his world changes in a heartbeat. It’s bad enough when he breaks a schoolmate’s glasses with a snowball or when he accidentally damages a bust of Stalin, but the worst is yet to come-- his father’s arrest. Velchin, born and educated in Russia, shows in this story the fear that Russians lived with during the Stalin regime.

The Newbery award honors writers, but many people believe that the artists creating the book are also deserving of an honor for their artistic skill. In 1937 , a prestigious second medal was established in honor of the nineteenth-century English illustrator, Randolph J. Caldecott. This honor is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
The honor of this award in 2011 goes to “A Ball for Daisy”. Through the use of watercolor, gouache, and ink, Christopher Raschka is able to convey the joy and sadness of a little dog as he plays with his prize possession without writing a single word.
The first Caldecott Honor book is “Grandpa Green”, written and illustrated by Lane Smith. Reading this book is like entering a secret garden. Line drawings and sponge drawings create whimsical topiaries that tell the story of Grandpa Green’s life. Even though Grandpa struggles with his memory, the garden helps him to remember his past. You can easily see the love between the grandson and the grandfather conveyed through the illustrations. Words aren’t necessary to describe their feelings for one another.
The second Caldecott Honor book, “Blackout”, is written and illustrated by John Rocco. We’ve all been there-- a hot summer night, storm breaks, and the lights go out. All that you were busy with has come to a screeching halt because there is no electricity. At first it’s frustrating, but then, if you’re lucky, you get out the candles and give in to the moment and enjoy it. That’s what happens in this beautifully illustrated book. Everyone in this story is “too busy” to play a board game and then the blackout occurs. Because the apartment is too hot, the family goes up to the roof where they can actually see the stars. As Rocco puts it “It was a block party in the sky”. Eventually the lights come back on, but the family chooses to turn them off and take the time to be together.
In the third Caldecott Honor book, “Me… Jane”, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, we get a short biography of Jane Goodall. Done in India ink and pastels, we see from the very beginning that Jane was meant to be a chimpanzee researcher and conservationist. Her favorite stuffed animal was a chimpanzee named Jubilee, she loved the outdoors, she loved learning about nature, and she dreamed of someday traveling to Africa. This book is so highly thought of that, on March 3rd, it will receive the 2012 Charlotte Zolotow Award, given for outstanding writing in a picture book.
Hope you enjoy reading the best of the best.

Newbery picture courtesy of Google images