We Told You They Weren’t Quiet

Librarians like to stir up a ruckus when they can: The Newbury and Caldecott Medals were awarded this morning at the American Library Association’s Mid-Winter meeting down at the Convention Center, and the choices are, to put it mildly, “bold.” Most of us remember elementary school reading lists filled with past Newbury winners (The Westing Game was our favorite), and the Caldecott denotes excellence in what are called picture books, which are basically what you read before elementary school—think Where the Wild Things Are. The Newbury this year went to Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, which is odd only in that it is a collection of monologues with historical info thrown in between for good measure. But the bigger surprise, at least to those not in the know, was the Caldecott, which went to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a story of an orphan living in a train station, written and illustrated by Brian Selznick. The book is known to librarians, though, and their raucous applause at the announcement came because, as one noted, “the librarians knew the works well - and approved of them highly.” Why the surprise? Well, Invention, which Selznick wrote over 10 years, is a 500-page book. Yes, you read that right. No Knuffle Bunny here. The format is also odd in that it is “short and fat” as opposed to the oversized, thin picture books most of us are used to seeing. One librarian noted that shelving it is going to be a nightmare. Ah, we love a good scandal! (P.S. There were a bunch of other awards presented too—but maybe none as “bold.”)

Image Credit: Flickr user emilywaltonjones