award winner – Mom Read It

Youth Media Awards Winners!

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I was voluntarily #ALALeftBehind yesterday (online conference fatigue is real), but you know I was pinned to social media during the Youth Media Award announcements. I’m so happy with all the Medalists and Honorees!

Image source: AmericanLibrariesmagazine.org

This is a great chance to put together virtual and in-person Award Winner displays – those always get attention – and add these to your Readers Advisory toolkit. Make bookmarks with this year’s winners and honorees, update your current lists, and spread the word.

Lists of the winners are available via the ALA press release, American Libraries magazine, Book Riot, and watch the streaming replay on ALA’s Midwinter website (you don’t need to be registered for the conference to view).

Early Reader, Fiction

Say Gracias-Thanks! every day!

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Gracias ~ Thanks, by Pat Mora/Illustrated by John Parra. Translated by Adriana Dominguez, (2005, Lee & Low Books), $17.95, ISBN: 9781600602580

Recommended for ages 4-8

Told in English and Spanish, a biracial boy gives thanks for everyday things, from the bee that didn’t turn him into a pincushion to his brother making him laugh so hard he fell off his chair; for his friend, who showed him a book with a great idea about what to do with troublesome parents, to his abuelita, who always has a dollar to give him. It’s a sweet, lyrical look at the little things we encounter daily, but may not remember to be grateful for. A note from the author asks readers what they’re thankful for and notes that making a list helps keep track of all the little things to be thankful for.

The book is a gentle reminder to be thankful for things all year long – we don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to say “thank you” for things that make us happy! This can be a jumping-off point for a discussion about being grateful and saying thank you more often. Have the kids contribute with three things that they are grateful for today.

Gracias ~ Thanks received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus Reviews, and is a Pura Belpre Honor Book (2010). It has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2010/2011 Gelett Burgess Award – Children’s Book of the Year and the 2009 Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration.

Pat Mora’s author website includes some ideas and activities to use when reading Gracias, and a page dedicated to the book lists its multiple awards and honors, includes a video from the author.

I love anything by Pat Mora – she writes instant classics that draw focus to small moments, as with Gracias, folklore (Doña Flor), and love for our families (so, so many books). Her books, by virtue of being bilingual, invite all readers to sit down and enjoy a story. Together.

Preschool Reads

Book Review: I Want My Hat Back, by Jon Klassen (Candlewick Press, 2011)

Posted on August 23, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 4-8

Bear has lost his favorite hat and searches the forest, politely asking different animals he encounters if they have seen it. Just as he begins to despair ever seeing his hat again, Deer comes by and jolts his memory – he HAS seen his hat. The resolution is understated and sly, and adults will pick up on it right away; perhaps even before the children do. The book has won awards and accolades, including the Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor, but caregivers have voiced concerns over the implied ending being potentially disturbing or inappropriate for young children.

The Chinese ink illustrations are understated, as are the sandy hued backgrounds. Red is used to set off the color of Bear’s hat, and a change in emotion both in text and background. The endpapers set the mood for the story, with illustrations of the Bear and the animals featured in the story set on a dark brown background.

The book allows for a fun (and no doubt entertaining) discussion about the book’s ending. There are I Want My Hat Back-related activities on Candlewick’s website, including a printable world-building activity and a shape-identifying activity. There is also a Make Your Own Hat activity sheet that allows attendees to decorate, cut and tape together their own hat. For a bear-related read-aloud, decorate the reading area with toy bears of all sorts and encourage playtime afterwards.

Among the award and honors I Want My Hat Back has received are designation as an ALA Notable Children’s Books (2012), Colorado: Children’s Book Award Nominees (2013), Horn Book Fanfare (2011), Indies Choice Book Award for Picture Book (2012), Irma S. & James H. Black Picture Book Honor (2012), NY Times Best Illustrated Books (2011), NY Times Notable Children’s Books (2011), Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Books (2011), Texas: 2×2 Reading List (2012), Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor (2012), and Virginia: Readers’ Choice Award Nominees (2013).

Preschool Reads

Book Review: Fiesta Babies, by Amy Cordova (Tricycle Press, 2010)

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 2-5

A multicultural group of babies and their families take part in a cultural celebration, complete with colorful hats, dresses, foods, and dancing. The story, told in rhyme, uses English and Spanish words to bring babies of all ethnicities together in a celebration of Mexican heritage. Amy Cordova received 2011 Pura Belpre Illustration Honors for her bold acrylic colors and brushstroke paintings that bring Ms. Tafolla’s text to life. There are sombreros, serapes, salsa, and happy babies and grownups from diverse backgrounds together to celebrate a grand fiesta. The faces of the participants are joyfully expressive, spreading good feelings. A short glossary at the end of the book defines the Spanish words in simple-to-understand language for young audiences.

The book is a great read-aloud choice. The rhyming text will draw in young listeners, as will the bright colors and exciting new words, for those non-Spanish speakers. There can be a glossary handout for parents and guardians to practice the new words with children after the story time. Fiesta Babies, like Dora the Explorer, can teach children simple Spanish words; some preschoolers may recognize some of the words from Dora episodes. This would be a great multicultural language read-aloud with books like Linda Sue Park and Julia Durango’s Yum! Yuck! A Foldout Book of People Sounds, where children learn common words and phrases in a multitude of languages. There are several websites that offer Spanish language fingerplays and songs and can easily be slotted in to a bilingual story time.

Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: Green, by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook Press, 2012)

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 2-6

This award-winning concept book provides an illustrated explanation of the many shades of the color green, with beautifully depicted scenes in painted oils interpreting the color’s many nuances. The text, written in rhyme, explains the shade illustrated in each spread: “forest green, sea green, lime green, pea green”. There are references to what is “never green”, like a stop sign, and there are “wacky” greens like a green zebra. Die cuts on each spread add a level of complexity and playfulness, making the leaves in the “forest green” spread the outlines of the fish in the “sea green” spread. The white and black bold text simply describes each scene. Little hands will enjoy exploring the pictures and diecuts, but it could lead to accelerated wear and tear on the book.

Green received 2013 Caldecott Honors and has been designated as a Kirkus Best Children’s Book of 2012 and a Booklist Editor’s Choice for Youth.

This would be a great addition to a color-related read-aloud. Bright Hub Education’s and Preschool Express’ websites offer songs about color, many sung to the tunes of popular nursery rhymes, which children will enjoy. Printing out pictures of various objects – an apple, a leaf, a banana – and letting children color them in would be a fun coloring craft. Enchanted Learning has free printable color books that children can color in and take home.

The author’s website offers information about the author and her books, with some interviews and book trailers.

Fantasy, Tween Reads

Book Review: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman (illus. by Dave McKean) (HarperCollins, 2002)

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 10+

Coraline is a dark fantasy created by author Neil Gaiman. It was adapated into a graphic novel (2009) and an animated feature (2009).

Coraline is a young girl who moves into a new home with her parents and feels out of place. Her parents don’t seem to have too much time for her, so she goes exploring and meets some of her odd new neighbors and the neighborhood cat. One night, she discovers a hidden doorway that leads to a parallel world; it’s here that she meets her “Other Mother”, who seems to have all of the time in the world for Coraline and always makes delicious meals. She desperately wants Coraline to stay, but there’s something… strange… about the Other Mother. As Coraline visits more often, she discovers that the Other Mother is not at all what she seems, and she’ll need the help of the neighborhood cat – who isn’t exactly what he seems, either – to save herself and her family.

Neil Gaiman has been writing dark fantasy since the 1989, when he revived the DC Comics title The Sandman. He brings his creepy fantasy worlds to children as easily as he does to his older audience, and often makes some of his most unsettling characters adorable. His main characters often go against the grain, and Coraline is no exception – she is an independent, stubborn, curious girl who loves a good adventure; she’s also a smart heroine who can work her way out of a tight situation.

Mr. Gaiman creates memorable images with his words – visions of The Other Mother will stick with kids and adults alike and Coraline’s odd neighbors come with their own strange charm that smoothly made the transition from print to screen. His descriptions allow the reader’s imagination to run wild without ever worrying about going over the top – because there simply is no limit.

Coraline has won numerous awards, including the 2003 Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novella and the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers. Neil Gaiman’s Mouse Circus website – a Coraline reference – is geared toward his younger readers and offers information about the author, downloadable computer wallpaper, and video interviews and book trailers.

Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

Book Review: When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead (Yearling, 2010)

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 10-14When You Reach Me is a science-fiction novel set in a realistic fiction setting. It received the Newbery Award in 2010.

Miranda and Sal are best friends of the same age who live in the same building and both have single mothers. They spend all off their time together until the day when Sal is inexplicably punched in the stomach by a boy on the street. From then on, he shuts Miranda out of his life, leaving her hurt and confused. At about the same time, Miranda begins receiving strange notes from someone saying they are coming to save her friend’s life and his or her own, but that Miranda must write a detailed letter as the author will not be himself when he reaches her. She tries to figure out whether the notes or real or a joke as she navigates her situation with Sal, amkes new friends, and preps her mother to be a contestant on a game show, The $20,000 Pyramid. The notes continue to arrive, each with future predictions that come true, until the day Miranda witnesses an awful accident and brings the truth home: the notes are no joke.

The book is wonderfully addictive, with interesting characters and a realistic, New York in the 1970s setting. Ms. Stead layers plot upon plot, drawing the reader in and dropping little clues throughout the story to guide the reader along while never giving away the surprise until the climax of the story. Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time figures heavily into the story both as Miranda’s favorite book and a device to further the plot and is woven beautifully into the fabric of the story. Older readers will be better able to sit down and spend some time with this complex book and have great discussions afterwards.

In addition to winning the Newbery, When You Reach Me has received numerous awards and honors including designation as a New York Times Notable Book and an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Children’s Book; it has also won School Library Journals’ Best Book of the Year (2009) and Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Book of the Year (2009).

The author’s website provides information and reviews on her books, a link to her blog, and contact information for libraries and schools that wish to host her.