Reply to the Salon article on the Newbery's

["Peter G. Mohn" <pmohn@foxinternet.net>]

Dear LM_Net:

I thought the author of the Salon article was snobbish and a literary
bore.  She spent too much time telling us what a wonderful reader she
was when she was young.  Hello!!!  Very few kids are going to be reading
adult literature at age 12.  Yes, not all the Newberys have been popular
successes, but they
usually are well crafted children's literature.  The biggest point that
is missed in all the discussions is the fact that culture changes over
time.  The very early Newberys bore me to tears, but then again I was
not raised nor lived during those time periods.  Therefore, I'm going to
miss part of the underlining cultural themes being expressed by the
authors.  I remember picking up a 1927 joke book from my college library
when I was a senior and there was only one joke in the entire book that
I understood the cultural references.  Many of the Newberys that I
enjoyed reading as a child in the 1960s I can't get students today to
read because the times have changed in children's literature and in our
culture.  And most of the children's literature in the 1960s that didn't
win awards bored me to tears.  The Newberys were a breath of fresh air
to read compared to other children's literature of the times.

In addition, children's literature has grown over the years and we have
more authors writing today then 50 years ago.  Some of the Newberys
selected today (that kids think are great) are going to bore students 30
years from now.  It is rare that books transcend generations and it is
difficult for any selection committee to project the success of a book
30 years down the line, especially books that contain slang and speak to
an audience in current cultural
terms.  So blow this snob off, let your students enjoy the literature
that touches their hearts and celebrate this year's Newbery winners.

Peter G. Mohn, LMS
Snohomish Freshman Campus
Snohomish, WA
pmohn@foxinternet.net

> > David Bilmes wrote:
> >
> > > I couldn't help but chuckling while following the discussion about
the
> > > Newbery Awards. And I did find myself agreeing with many of the
points made
> > > in the Salon article.
> > >     My son, who is 12, has read many of the Newbery winners. He
groups them
> > > into two categories: the "goody-two shoes types of books" like
Johnny Tremain
> > > and Island of the Blue Dolphins, and books that are really good,
like Maniac
> > > Magee and Holes. Even now, one of the teachers in my school just
finished
> > > reading Blue Dolphins to her class of 4th and 5th graders and
admitted it
> > > didn't captivate them. I agree that the Newbery selections have
improved in
> > > recent years. Let's hope the trend continues!
> > >     David Bilmes, LMS
> > >     East Haven Academy/Tuttle Elementary School
> > >     East Haven, CT
> > >     dudu4tigers@aol.com

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