This morning, carrying on an 87 year tradition, the winner of the Newberry Medal for the year’s most distinguished contribution to American literature for children was announced.
I woke my kids up early and we watched a live web cast announcing the winner from the midwinter meeting of the American Library Association, this year in Denver. I am grooming them to be nerds. Ten other awards for children’s literature were also announced, including The Geisel Award, and Wilder Medal. But the Newberry, perhaps because it was the first children’s book award ever, remains the Gold Standard.
And the winner is… The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman
How did the Newberry originate and where does the name come from?
In 1921, at the American Library Association convention, Fredric Melcher, promoter of children’s literature, book seller, publisher, editor, and the man who helped create Children’s Book Week, proposed a new idea. His idea, to create an annual award to recognize excellence in children’s literature and name the award after John Newberry was immediately accepted.
Naming the award after John Newberry is the equivalent of recognizing the year's
most significant contribution to the chocolate industry by awarding the Milton Hershey Medal. Although John Newberry had been dead 154 years before an award was named after him, he is to many, the father of children’s literature.
John Newberry was born in 1713, in England, the son of a farmer. He is credited with being the first person to publish books specifically for children’s entertainment, creating an entirely new market. Newberry had very little formal education. At 16, he became an apprentice to William Carnan, helping to produce and print his Newspaper. Eight years later, when Carnan died, John Newberry inherited half of the newspaper (the other half went to his brother) and married his widow. That would for sure make the cover of People had it been around in the 18th century.
Now, I can’t wait to go get into bed and start reading The Graveyard Book. I’ll let you know my humble opinion (and my kids' not so humble opinions) soon.
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3 comments:
Your kids are not going to be nerds! They are going to be creative thinking and productive contributors to society who will no doubt make a difference in this world (just like you)!
Did you ever read anything by Fannie Flagg? I am reading a book called Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man. The main character is an 11 year old girl. It takes place in Mississippi in the early 1950's. It is hysterical; very creative plot lines! A friend gave it to me to read - Fannie Flagg is her favorite author. Flagg is most famous for her book Fried Green Tomatoes which later became a movie!
Well, as I have continued reading Daisy Fay I have to say that it seems like less and less of a kids' book as Daisy Fay grows up. This book is her journal, so even though it starts off with her at age 11, by the time she is 17 she has had to deal with some very adult issues. I would still recommend it; maybe not so much for little kids, but for young adults who can handle the mature subject matter. It continues to be very amusing and creatively written!
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