This is always an exciting time for Children's Librarians and Teen Librarians around the country. I can't count the number of times I have pulled myself out of bed to either attend the announcements (held during the ALA Midwinter Conference in January each year) or at work or home to listen to the list of winners. When I served on the Batchelder and Odyssey Committees, it was especially exciting to call the winners on the phone first thing in the morning to let them know our decisions.
The American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, video and audio books for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.
This is always an exciting time for Children's Librarians and Teen Librarians around the country. I can't count the number of times I have pulled myself out of bed to either attend the announcements (held during the ALA Midwinter Conference in January each year) or at work or home to listen to the list of winners. When I served on the Batchelder and Odyssey Committees, it was especially exciting to call the winners on the phone first thing in the morning to let them know our decisions.
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I remember the excitement of visiting the public library as a child. The magic and suspense of reading favorites like The Velvet Room and The Secret Garden tugged at my imagination. Biographies of George Washington Carver and Betsy Ross allowed me to see the lives of those who came before me and to appreciate their accomplishments. Poetry collections like my favorite The Tall Book of Poems, which I took with me on sleepovers, introduced me to a range of poetry where I could consider how the placement and rhythm of words affected your mood – sometimes bouncy, other times melancholy. Plus, I really loved the way that book felt in my small hands. My goal in writing children’s books, I think, is an attempt to recreate those feelings, those early years of reading books where everything seemed possible.
I received an M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University and won the Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award from SCBWI. I worked as a Children's Librarian for 20 years and still prefer to read books written for young people. I have two Cavapoo dogs named Prince Albert and Daisy Wu, and a black kitten named Mortimer. I am married and split time between homes with my husband Rod in Dayton, OH and in Cadiz, KY where we enjoy our pontoon boat on Lake Barkley.
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