Through the Looking Glass Book Reviews: The Charlotte Zolotow Award

Welcome!

Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.

Friday, January 15, 2010

The 2010 Charlotte Zolotow Award

I know I just put up a post about the Cybil Awards, but I just have to mention the winner of the 2010 Charlotte Zolotow Award. Here are excerpts from a press release that I found online on the CCBC website about the award.

What Can You Do with a Paleta? by Carmen Tafolla is the thirteenth annual winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book. The award is given by the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC), a library of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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A delectable story of a young Mexican-American child’s delight with an ice pop on a hot summer day is at once culturally specific and universal. Author Carmen Tafolla playfully appeals to all of our senses with rich imagery and crisp language. She invites us to think of all the creative things that can be done with a paleta, from painting your tongue purple or giving yourself a blue mustache to making a new friend or learning to make tough decisions. A sprinkling of Spanish words and Magaly Morales’ sun-warmed acrylic illustrations add details of
life in a vibrant barrio where the daily arrival of the paleta wagon is met with anticipation and celebration. What Can You Do with a Paleta? was edited by Abigail Samoun and published in the United States in 2009 by Tricycle Press.

The 2010 Zolotow Award committee named three Honor Books:

Birds, written by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek, edited by Virginia Duncan, and published by Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins
Pouch! written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, edited by Nancy Paulsen, and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons / Penguin Group
Princess Hyacinth: (The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated), written by Florence Parry Heide, illustrated by Lane Smith, edited Anne Schwartz, and published by Schwartz & Wade Books / Random House Children’s Books.

The 2010 Zolotow Award committee also cited four titles as Highly Commended:

Hello Baby! written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Steve Jenkins (Beach Lane / Simon & Schuster)
Ready for Anything! written and illustrated by Keiko Kasza (G.P. Putnam’s Sons / Penguin Group)
Under the Snow, written by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Constance R. Bergum (Peachtree)
Who Will I Be, Lord? written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Sean Qualls (Random House Children’s Books).

Established in 1998, the Charlotte Zolotow Award honors the work of Charlotte Zolotow, a distinguished children's book editor for 38 years with Harper Junior Books, and author of more than 70 picture books, including such classic works as Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present (Harper, 1962) and William's Doll (Harper, 1972). Ms. Zolotow attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison on a writing scholarship from 1933 to 1936, where she studied with Professor Helen C. White. The award is given annually for outstanding writing in a picture book
for children in the birth through seven age range published in the United States in the preceding
year.

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I found an interesting article about awards chatter on the blogosphere yesterday. You can view it here on the Publisher's Weekly website, and I am beginning to wonder if I too should jump on this mock award bandwagon. It might be fun!