And the winners are....

For a list of all the winners and honorees of this year's ALA Midwinter conference, please click here!


You're welcome. Looks like we all have quite a wonderful must-read list for the rest of the winter.


Congratulations to all!

Live streaming of Newbery/Caldecott ceremony

On Monday, February 2, there will be quite a lot of news coming out of the annual ALA mid-winter convention in Chicago. The announcement of the 2015 Youth Media Awards will take place at 8am Central time/6am Pacific.

This is the day the world finds out what books and authors and illustrators have won the highest awards for children's literature: the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Awards.


To follow along with the live streaming of the ALA Youth Media Awards, please click here.

Caldecott Honor winner Aaron Becker visits

On Friday, September 19, Aaron Becker, the Caldecott Medal Honor winner for the wordless picture book Journey,  will appear at Ballard's Secret Garden Books at 7pm.

Aaron's follows his beautiful debut with Quest, the second picture book in a planned trilogy.

Today Show skips Newbery and Caldecott winners for Snooki

From Alice Pope's SCBWI Children's Market Blog:

"With the national television news outlets providing wall-to-wall media coverage since Saturday of the tragedy in Tucson, it’s not surprising that two children’s book award winners would be overlooked during a week of breaking news. But, to some who tuned into the Today Show on Tuesday morning expecting to see the Newbery and Caldecott Medalists, insult seemed added to injury. The program did indeed take a break from its coverage of the shootings during the second hour to interview an author. But it was an author who's not likely to win a prestigious literary award any time soon: Nicole Polizzi, better known to the world as Snooki, the Jersey Shore star more famous for her trash talk and wild partying rather than her literary chops..."

Click here to read more, including the letter SCBWI's Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser sent to the Today Show.

Want to add your opinion? 

• Email the show at: TODAY@nbcuni.com
• Post a comment on their website  
• Spread the word! 

Mock Caldecott blog

Here's a great way to keep on top of all the new and excellent picture books coming out: the Mock Caldecott blog posted by the children's department of an Indiana library.

It's not quite the same as sitting on the floor of a bookstore surrounded by a stack of books, but it sure is easier (especially when you have small children who don't quite know the cost difference between a bookstore and a library).

Also, here's the list of Caldecott winners from 1938 to the present day.

(Thanks to Kjersten Anna Hayes, whose blog I pillaged for the mock-Caldecott link.)

Get This: thought-provoking articles and posts

Nikki Grimes thinks artists of African descent are getting robbed in the Caldecott Awards.

Replacing Best Books for Young Adults with a Reader's Choice Award: pros and cons.

Seven things every author's website oughtta have: a guest post on Nathan Bransford's blog.

How to read out loud: advice from Neil Gaiman.