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ALA News Release
For Immediate Release
February 1, 1999
American Library Association announces 1999
Newbery, Caldecott medals, other major awards
PHILADELPHIA - Winners of the 1999 Newbery and Caldecott awards - the most
prestigious awards in children's literature - are Louis Sachar, author of "Holes,"
and Mary Azarian, illustrator of "Snowflake Bentley."
The Newbery and Caldecott medals and other awards were announced today at the
American
Library Association's 1999 Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. Considered the
"Academy Awards" of children's book publishing, the Newbery and Caldecott medals
honor outstanding writing and illustration of works published in the U.S. during
the previous year.
Sachar's "Holes," published by Frances Foster Books / Farrar Straus and Giroux,
tells the story of Stanley Yelnats. The heir to his family's curse of bad luck,
Stanley is convicted of a crime he didn't commit. He serves his sentence at Camp
Green Lake, a dry, flat wasteland where the warden assigns each inmate the task of
digging one deep hole every day. Hole by hole, Stanley and his friend Zero, dig
their destiny.
Committee Chair Virginia McKee said, "'Holes' is masterfully unified in character,
setting and theme. As timeless and as outrageously funny as a tall tale, 'Holes'
ultimately charts the heroic journey of two very real boys."
"Snowflake Bentley," winner of the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished
American picture book, was published by Houghton Mifflin Company. The book takes
children back to the days when farmers worked with ox and sled and cut the dark
with lantern light. It introduces Wilso Bentley, a boy who loved snow more than
anything in the world and is determined that one day his camera would capture the
extraordinary and unique beauty of snowflakes.
Committee Chair Barbara Barstow said, "'Snowflake Bentley' has a beautiful and
thoughtful
design, a poetic and informative text, distinguished illustrations, universal
appeal and resonance. Mary Azarian, a Vermont artist who loves snow as much as
Wilson Bentley, has created strong and skillfully carved woodcuts that portray
sensible, sturdy characters and a timeless rural landscape."
One Newbery Honor Book was chosen. Richard Peck received the distinction for "A
Long Way from Chicago," published by Dial Books for Young Readers.
The Caldecott Committee cited four Honor Book illustrators. They are: Brian
Pinkney for "Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra," written by Andrea
Davis Pinkney and published by Hyperion Books for Children; David Shannon for " No,
David!" published by The Blue Sky Press,an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.; Uri
Shulevitz for "Snow," published by Farrar Straus Giroux; andPeter S’s for "Tibet
Through the Red Box," published by Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux.
Coretta Scott King Awards
The winner of this year's Coretta Scott King Author Award is Angela Johnson for
"Heaven,"
published by Simon & Schuster. The Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award goes to
Michele Wood for "i see the rhythm," published by Children's Book Press.
The King Awards, which this year celebrate a 30th anniversary, honor African
American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young
adults -- fiction or nonfiction -- that demonstrate sensitivity to the true worth
and value of all people.
In "Heaven," a teenage girl's life is altered by shattering truths that lead her to
question the
endearing and secure family relationships that she enjoys. Unforeseen
circumstances thrust her into a state of confusion when she learns that her parents
are not her birth parents.
King Award Jury Chair Deborah Taylor said, "The author's compelling first-person
narrative is a
finely tuned vehicle for an engaging protagonist who speaks with refreshing candor
typical of
adolescence. Powerful characters and a precise story line give a resonant voice to
a credible plot and
provocative theme. Johnson's fluid writing is an invitation for the reader to
deepen an appreciation
for the universal search for self identity."
"i see the rhythm" is a multi-layered history of African American music that
celebrates the
far-reaching impact of this art form. The rich text includes words from songs of
the various eras,
definitions of musical styles and valuable chronological time lines.
"Vibrant, expressionistic paintings blend with innovative fonts and creative page
design to enrich
this visual chronicle of African-American music from the drum beats of Africa to
stirring gospel to
the contemporary rhythms of fun, rap and hip hop," Taylor said.
The King Committee selected three Author Honor Books: "Jazmin's Notebook," by Nikki
Grimes,
published by Dial Books; "Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New
York's African
Burial Ground," by Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan, published by Henry Holt and
Company;
and "The Other Side: Shorter Poems," by Angela Johnson, published by Orchard Books.
The committee selected three King Illustrator Honor Books: "I Have Heard of A
Land," illustrated
by Floyd Cooper and published by Joanna Cotler Books, an Imprint of
HarperCollinsPublishers;
"The Bat Boy & His Violin," illustrated by E.B. Lewis, published by Simon &
Schuster Books for
Young Readers; and "Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra,"
illustrated by Brian
Pinkney, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and published by Hyperion Books for
Children.
Margaret A. Edwards Award
The 1999 winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement is
popular science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey.
The Margaret Edwards Award, established in 1988, honors an author's lifetime
contribution in
writing books of enduring popularity with teenagers. The award is sponsored by
School Library
Journal and is administered by ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association.
Criteria include
literary quality and popularity with young adults.
McCaffrey is the author of many popular books including the Dragonriders of Pern
Series, which
includes, "Dragonflight," "Dragonquest" and "White Dragon," from Del Rey
Publishers. She is the
author of "The Ship Who Sang," from Del Rey. She wrote the Harper Hall Trilogy:
"Dragonsong,"
"Dragonsinger" and "Dragondrums," published by Bantam.
Committee Chair Jana Fine said, "Anne McCaffrey's books have become science fiction
classics
and have impressed young adult readers for 30 years. Although set in imaginary
worlds,
McCaffrey's focus on the personal and emotional needs of human beings mirrors the
quest of
today's teens to find their own place in society."
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Dial Books for Young Readers is the recipient of the 1999 Mildred L. Batchelder
Award for
"Thanks to My Mother." The award is given for the best children's book first
published in a foreign
language in a foreign country and subsequently translated into English for
publication in the United
States.
Originally published in Hebrew and translated into German and then into English,
"Thanks to My
Mother" was written by Schoschana Rabinovici, edited by Cindy Kane and translated
by James
Skofield.
In "Thanks to My Mother," 8-year-old Schoschana Rabinovici recounts her harrowing
childhood
experiences from the time that the German Army invades her home in Lithuania to
her liberation
from a concentration camp by the Russian Army at the end of World War II. It is her
mother's
indomitable spirit and awe-inspiring steadfastness that rescues them both from the
Holocaust's
shadow of death.
The Batchelder Committee chose one Honor Book. Viking receives the distinction for
"Secret
Letters From 0 to 10," originally published in French, written by Susie
Morgenstern, edited by Jill
Davis and translated by Gill Rosner.
Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video
Producer Frank Moynihan is the winner of the 1999 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in
Children's
Video for "The First Christmas." The award, now in its ninth year, honors an
outstanding American
video production for children released during the previous year.
"The First Christmas" was directed by Linsay van Blerk and distributed by billy
budd films, inc.
Moynihan has produced and distributed over 50 films and videos. Using clay
animation, the video
tells the well-known story of the birth of Jesus. Narrated by Christopher Plummer,
accompanied by
traditional Christmas music, this rendition is enhanced by colloquial dialogue and
delightful touches
of humor.
May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Award
Hazel Rochman, assistant editor, books for youth, for Booklist, the review magazine
of the
American Library Association, has been selected to deliver the May Hill Arbuthnot
Lecture in spring
2000.
Each year, an individual of distinction in the field of children's literature is
selected to deliver the
lecture, a paper prepared by the recipient that will make a significant
contribution to children's
literature. Rochman, noted critic and reviewer, was born and raised in South Africa
under apartheid
and worked there as a journalist until she left the country in 1963. A former
teacher and school
librarian, she is an ardent advocate for all people to explore and understand other
cultures.
Rochman received the 1994 G.K. Hall Award for Library Literature for her book
"Against Borders:
Promoting Books for a Multicultural World."
Copyright © 1999, American Library Association.
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