Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Finalists Announced

Winner to be Revealed at ALAN Workshop in November

The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the finalists for the inaugural Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. The honored titles for 2009 are:

After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson (Putnam)
Graceling, by Kristin Cashore (Harcourt)
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
Me, The Missing, and the Dead, by Jenny Valentine (HarperCollins)
My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park, by Steve Kluger
(Dial)

Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author, Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for the sum of $5,000 to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.

The winning title will be announced at an open reception and reading at the 2009 ALAN Workshop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year’s workshop is titled “Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century: ‘Scattering Light' on our Freedom to Think, See, Imagine” and will take place November 23-24. Registration is still open. Register here.

Sneak Preview!! The Exquisite Corpse Adventure!!!

THE EXQUISITE CORPSE ADVENTURE BEGINS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26!!!!

Here is a sneak peek, a small crop from the larger eerie illustration Chris Van Dusen has created for the very first Exquisite Corpse Adventure episode written by Jon Scieszka!!! When the Library of Congress launches its new www.read.gov website on September 26th you will be able to read the very first episode!!!

We cannot wait to read it! We cannot wait to see the rest of Chris's illustration! If you cannot wait either, do come to the Library of Congress's National Book Festival on September 26th, and join the NCBLA and the Library of Congress in a special hour long presentation hosted by NCBLA president Mary Brigid Barrett celebrating The Exquisite Corpse Adventure and meet
Jon Scieszka, Kate Di Camillo, Megan McDonald,
Nikki Grimes, Shannon Hale, and Steven Kellogg!!!!

And all you parents, teachers,and librarians remember to check out the NCBLA's main website -- www.thencbla.org-- because beginning on September 26th we launch a new Exquisite Corpse Adventure special section on our website with great information, ideas, activities, pertinent web links, literacy resources, and discussion questions all inspired by The Exquisite Corpse Adventure!!!!


For more information about the National Book Festival go to: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

Celebrate Librarians!!!

Hurrah for Cindy DiRusso at the O'Neil branch of the Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts!

"Sitting under the paper ice-cream cones hanging from the ceiling, DiRusso leads the group in “Open, Shut Them,’’ which always begins her weekly, half-hour sing-alongs at the O’Neill branch of the Cambridge Public Library.

DiRusso, 51, has been doing her songfests at O’Neill, formally or informally, for 28 years. Neither snow nor rain nor heat has kept her from her appointed rounds of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat’’ - only vacations, holidays, the occasional illness, and two maternity leaves." The Boston Globe

Librarians across the country dedicate years of service to children and literacy, and like our teachers, their gifts are often unappreciated by our culture and unacknowledged. It was refreshing to wake up this morning and find a photo and article on the front page of The Boston Globe's "Metro" section, celebrating the career and gifts of Cindy DiRusso. The NCBLA joins in the applause of Ms. DiRusso and hopes the Globe continues to feature articles on teachers and librarians and their invaluable work.

To read more, go to: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/09/09/library_sing_along_is_music_to_cambridge_parents_ears/

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure Begins September 26th!!!

What's Worrying Joe?
A Talking Pig?
A Ticking Clock? . . .Two Meatballs?

Find out when the National Children's Book Ambassador JON SCIESZKA begins The Exquisite Corpse Adventure at the Library of Congress' National Book Festival on the National Mall, September 26th, 2009!!

AND -- even if you cannot get to Washington D.C., you can read all 26 year-long Exquisite Corpse Adventure episodes at www.read.gov/kids/ beginning September 26th!!

AND-- Parents, Grandparents, Teachers, Librarians, Guardians, Aunt Keisha, Uncle Ray, Mrs. Perez-Stable who lives down the street and makes wicked chocolate chip cookies, Boy Scout Leaders, Girl's Volleyball Coaches, everyone who loves kids, games, and really hilarious adventures -- you will be able to find all kinds of wonderful companion activities and lots of pertinent educational support materials for The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, including lots of great book suggestions, on the NCBLA's main website, www.thencbla.org, beginning September 26, 2009!!!!!

Who is writing the the second
Exquisite Corpse Adventure?
Stay tuned!

Back to School: ACTIVIST ALERT!

Banned Books Week:

Celebrating the Freedom to Read--September 26−October 3, 2009

It is not too early to start planning how you can celebrate the First Amendment with your family, friends, students-- with all the young people in your life!

The American Library Association has great ideas and activities to inspire you on their website at: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm

Of interest: Here are the top 30 challenged books from 1990-2000 from the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books from 1990-2000" compiled by the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom:

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz

2. Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite

3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling

8. Forever by Judy Blume

9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman

12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

14. The Giver by Lois Lowry

15. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine

17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck

18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

19. Sex by Madonna

20. Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel

21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard

27. The Witches by Roald Dahl

28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein

29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry

30. The Goats by Brock Cole

For the complete list, as well as the listing for individual recent years, go to: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/index.cfm

Family Field Trip!

Take Your Kids to the

ERIC CARLE MUSEUM OF PICTURE BOOK ART

this Fall!

Experience the vivid colors of fall in New England and journey to the Eric Carle Museum to see a great line-up of fascinating children's book illustration exhibits. Current exhibits highlight the work of Tomie dePaula, creator of Strega Nona, and Ernest Shepard, whose charming pen and ink illustrations for the Winnie-the-Pooh books are imbued with such an energy that A.A. Milne's characters---Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga, and Roo---have enthralled children for generations.

Upcoming exhibits include: work by illustrator and designer Leo Lionni; and illustrations from Golden Books "golden years;" and of course, ongoing exhibits of the work of beloved illustrator Eric Carle.

Many more art exhibits, family events and programs, and professional development workshops are planned for this year. For detailed information about the Eric Carle Museum, as well as directions, visit the website at:

http://www.picturebookart.org/Home

America's Young People Have Lost a Champion

"Every American should have the opportunity to receive a high quality education, a job that respects their dignity and protects their safety, and health care that does not condemn those whose health is impaired to a lifetime of poverty and lost opportunity."

Senator Edward Moore Kennedy 1932-2009

For over forty years he fought for all of our children. He never gave up. He never wavered.

He championed Head Start, Early Head Start, and fought to reauthorize and expand Head Start programs over the years to include Native American children, and the children of migrant workers. He fought for the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act that expanded funding and supported state programs for abused and neglected children. He sponsored the Military Child Care Act to increase funding for child care in the armed forces. He worked continually to make college more affordable and accessible for young people eager to learn. He worked continually to get federal dollars into public schools and libraries.

He brought his favorite books to schools and read to children on a weekly basis, loving every minute of it. He fought for federal funding to support Reading is Fundamental and worked with First Book to create a National Book Bank for Children.

He cared for black children and white children and every shade in between. He cared for children with intellectual disabilities and physical challenges. He cared for poor children, rich children, immigrant children, and native born. He cared for the tall and the small; the weak and the strong. His heart was big enough to hold them all.

Because of the life work of Edward Moore Kennedy all of our children lead healthier, safer lives--all of our children have a better chance to fulfill the gifts given to them by their Creator.

Thank you Senator Kennedy.

Mary Brigid Barrett
President
The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance

To read Senator Kennedy’s full record on educational issues, go to:

http://kennedy.senate.gov/issues_and_agenda/issue.cfm?id=e156cb3b-204a-4edb-b487-c9ee07cde3a9

To hear Senator’s Kennedy thoughts on young people’s civic education, go to:

http://bigthink.com/tedkennedy/ted-kennedy-on-education-and-democracy

ALA Announces 2009 Great Website for Kids

NCBLA's OurWhiteHouse Website

Named a Great Website for Kids!

The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance is thrilled to announce that its educational website ourwhitehouse.org has been selected for inclusion in the American Library Association’s Great Web Sites for Kids, located at: www.ala.org/greatsites. The ourwhitehouse.org website is now listed with other distinguished sites in the "US History-General" category.

Great Web Sites for Kids are those considered the best websites for ages birth to 14, outstanding in both content and conception. As applied to websites for young people, “great” should be thought to include sites of especially commendable quality, sites that reflect and encourage young people’s interests in exemplary ways. The ALA's selection criteria can be found at: http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/greatwebsites/greatwebsitesforkids/greatwebsites.htm.

The NCBLA developed www.ourwhitehouse.org to support and expand the content of its literature and art anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. With a guiding mission of creating a book that would encourage young people to read more about America’s rich history and culture, to think more about America’s future, to talk more about our nation’s leadership, and to act on their own beliefs and convictions, the NCBLA worked with a dream team of over 100 authors and illustrators to create Our White House. Our White House is available in libraries and bookstores everywhere.

Learn more about the book and discover its rich online supplemental materials at: www.ourwhitehouse.org.

The Adventure Begins This September!

Join the Library of Congress and the
National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance on the Hilarious Exquisite Corpse Adventure!

Come along with National Children s' Book Ambassador Jon Scieszka and his award-winning motley crew of authors and illustrators--M.T .Anderson, Natalie Babbitt, Calef Brown, Susan Cooper, Kate Di Camillo, Timothy Basil Ering, Nikki Grimes, Shannon Hale, Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snickett, Steven Kellogg, Gregory Maguire, Megan McDonald, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, Linda Sue Park, Katherine Paterson, James Ransome, and Chris Van Dusen-- as they embark on a rollicking story adventure game to discover The Exquisite Corpse!!!!

Jon Scieszka will reveal the first Exquisite Corpse episode at the National Book Festival on Saturday, September 26, 2009. Joining Mr. Scieszka on stage in the Children's Pavilion will be fellow Exquisite Corpse contributors Kate Di Camillo, Nikki Grimes, Shannon Hale, Steven Kellogg, and Megan McDonald all participating in a special launch event moderated by NCBLA president and founder, Mary Brigid Barrett.

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure will continue over the course of one year with each new episode and illustration appearing on the Library of Congress's new READ.gov website every two weeks!

With the assistance of the Butler Children's Literature Center at Dominican University, the NCBLA is developing educational support materials for the The Exquisite Corpse Adventure which will be posted on special pages on the NCBLA's home website, www.thencbla.org beginning September 26th. The NCBLA hopes that every episode of the Exquisite Corpse will inspire young people to find more great books to read and is thrilled that Thomas Barthelmass, Curator of the Butler Center and new Association for Library Service to Children (ALA) President, is creating an annotated bibliography for each Exquisite Corpse episode. In addition, Assistant Dean of Dominican University's Graduate School of Education Marilyn Ludolph will be working with faculty and students to develop educational activities and discussion questions for the use of parents, teachers, and librarians.

The National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance and the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress hope the Exquisite Corpse Adventure will introduce young people to the new Read.gov website, and we also hope it will encourage young people to read books just for the fun of it . . . and read more!!!!

For more information about the Library of Congress National Book Festival, go to:
http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

For more information about the NCBLA, go to: www.thencbla.org

For more information about the Butler Children's Literature Center at Dominican University,
go to:
http://www.dom.edu/events-news/newsroom/press_Releases/2008-12/article_0003.html