How do Caldecott and Newbery winning books get their shiny stickers?

I just got an interesting comment on this post:

Kim asks: "I was wondering if you could share how long it takes for copies of the winners get the medals on the covers? My daughter and I have been reading and picking our own Caldecott and Geisel favorites for the past couple of months. She understands what the medals on the covers mean now and I'd like to get some of this years winners but want to get them with the stickers on them. I can't seem to find an answer on how long this takes to happen. I assume book stores are sent stickers to put on their current stock?"

Brian responded with this comment: "It generally takes about a month."

I've always been curious about the stickers myself. I'm not sure that I have the definitive answer, but I've worked as a bookseller, a librarian, been a member of the organization that gives out the awards and had a talk with the publisher of an award winning book. I think I have a pretty good idea of what happens. To the best of my knowledge, here's the story behind the stickers.

Kim, before we get to your question, let's back up a little and talk about print runs and the incredible selling power of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. When a book is published, a publisher decides how many copies to print. These initial copies are all first editions. If a book sells out its print run, the publisher will do additional printings and editions, but not every books gets a second printing.

There's no way a publisher can expect or predict a Newbery or Caldecott. Regardless of the pre-awards buzz, you never know what the committees will actually decide. No matter what the winning books initial print run was (with Hugo Cabret for example, it was quite large) there will never be enough copies to meet the demand. Available copies are purchased immediately by bookstores, libraries, schools, and a huge influx of customers. Typically, within a few hours of the announcements, all available copies of the book are sold out.

By that point, it's impossible to get the book, no matter what. The publisher has no more copies and thousands (I'm not exaggerating) of orders are pouring in. The publisher immediately starts a new and much larger print run to meet the sudden demand. Those copies typically come out within 1-3 months of the award announcement, depending how long the printing takes.

For booksellers, especially ones at independent stores like the ones I worked at, it is crucial to have as many of the winning and honor books in stock at the time of the announcement. If you don't, you won't get that initial rush of sales and you won't be able to get the book back on the shelf for at least a month. See this post for more about that.

Now, let's get back to the stickers. I wish I could tell you that on the day of the award announcement, everyone stops what they're doing and puts the stickers on the books. But really, it's much more mundane and gradual than that.

Nobody gets sent a batch of stickers. (That would be lovely, though). You have to pay for the stickers and they're purchased through the American Library Association Store. Anyone can buy them, incidentally, not just bookstores and libraries.

Even the publisher has to pay for the stickers, plus the cost of paying someone to physically put the sticker on the book. No publisher minds this, though, because of the enormous increase in sales the stickers represent. The publisher puts the stickers on the second printing and every printing thereafter.

Sometimes, with paperback books or books that are perennially popular, the publisher will put a photograph of the sticker on the book. That way, for example, they don't have to keep buying Newbery honor stickers for every copy of Charlotte's Web that is ever published. Sometimes, in later printings, they don't even put the stickers on... it will just say "Newbery Medal Winner" above the title. I don't really understand that, though. My feeling is if you've got it, flaunt it.

Libraries typically have many of the medalists and honor books already on their shelves. Whatever they don't have, they'll order immediately (budget permitting), and they'll receive the second printing a month or two later. My library has rolls of all the various stickers in the area they process books. Eventually, they'll go through the books currently in the collection and add the stickers and will put them on the new books as they come in. School librarians do the same thing.

Bookstores are a different story. All of the copies purchased on the day of the announcements don't have stickers... if for no other reason than that there is simply no time. When I was a bookseller, I watched the winning books go out the door before I could blink. Booksellers typically wait for the second printing of the book which already has the stickers on it.

So the short answer is : it generally takes about a month. Usually a bit longer.

But your question raises an interesting point, which is that not everybody wants the edition with the sticker on it. Sometimes, I'm proud of the unstickered books, because I bought them before everyone else. And at other times, the book look naked to me without the sticker.

So, now you know. Travis at 100 Scope Notes wrote a great post last year predicting where the stickers would end up on the predicted winners. But, since the stickers go on gradually and (except for the ones put on by the publisher) haphazardly, the stickers can end up any place on the book.

Thanks for asking. It's a good question.

Q and A about ALA

Question: There were so many excellent blog accounts with compelling text and terrific pictures of the 2008 American Library Association conference that people posted immediately after returning from Anaheim. Does anyone have mediocre pictures with scanty text posted a month after the event?
Answer: Absolutely! Wizards Wireless is happy to fill that need.

Question: Hey, Susan, where have you been? Why haven't you posted here for a while? Do you have a dramatic and compelling reason for not blogging?
Answer: No, it's a pretty boring reason, really. I've been busy with term papers, the ALA conference, a family vacation, work, etc. etc. But I keep meaning to post. Does that count?

Question: Did you know that you're in a YouTube video that's been making the rounds of the Internet?
Answer: You mean this one?

Question: Did you feel slighted by the Project Runway people?
Answer: Why did they have a problem with the color black? Seriously, though, I'm honored to have been in it, and extremely impressed with all the editing and effort that Jim Averbeck and Maria van Lieshout put into it. And I think the whole video is hysterical, even though I've never seen the real Project Runway.

Question: How on earth did you get in the video?
Answer: I was at the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet. Jen Robinson (of Jen Robinson's Book Page) and I were walking by Betsy Bird (of Fuse #8), and Betsy asked if we'd do an interview. I was hoping they'd lose the footage or at least film it without sound, like what accidentally happened with Mo Willems' interview, but, nope. You can see all the interviews at On the Red Carpet at ALA.

Question: If you had a time machine, what would you do?
Answer: Stop myself from yanking the straps of my dress back up during the interview. I think you could play a drinking game by counting the number of times I did this. Ironically, the dress was originally strapless and I added the straps to make it more comfortable. Also, as long as I had a time machine, I'd change the answers I gave to the questions Betsy asked me. As soon as she asked me about books that I thought should have won, my mind went completely blank. Plus, maybe I'd use my time machine to prevent a few world wars.

Question: What, in fact, did you wear to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet?
Answer: I said in the Red Carpet interview that it was a bridesmaid's dress. That's true, but not the whole story. It was actually the bridesmaid dress from my own wedding... I liked it so much that I bought one for myself after the wedding and it's my favorite formal gown to wear. (Don't worry, I wore a white dress at my wedding).

Question: Do you have a good picture of Brian Selznick's sparkly shirt from the Newbery/ Caldecott banquet?
Answer: Here's a close-up of the shirt he made himself (or at least, he put the sparkles on it himself).

Question: Brian Selznick doesn't look happy enough in that picture and he was absolutely euphoric that evening. Do you have a picture of him with his eyes closed, standing next to Caldecott chair Karen Breen?
Answer: Sure.


Question: What about a picture of you standing with Mo Willems where you both look like deer in the headlights? Ideally, the picture would have Jacqueline Woodson standing behind you half obscured, and an unidentified person walking in front of you.
Answer: Here you go.

Question: How about a picture where Mo looks really cool and goofy and you look like an idiot because you had an impossible time keeping a straight face?
Answer: Try this one.


Question: Did the lovely Jen Robinson take both pictures, after you elbowed people out of the way so that you could stand next to Mo?
Answer: Yes, she did. And talking to Jen at the banquet was definitely one of the highlights of the whole conference for me.

Question: Did you use the thirty seconds you had in the receiving line talking to Mo to mention that you're in a book club with MotherReader? Did Mo know exactly who Pam was and ask if she was at the banquet? Did this make Pam's day when you mentioned it to her at a book club meeting?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Did Jacqueline Woodson speak to you in sign language after you complimented her on the excellent ASL descriptions in Feathers?
Answer: Yes. She seemed very touched that someone noticed her descriptions, and she signs quite well.

Question: Did you give any accurate advice in this post about the Newbery/Caldecott banquet?
Answer: No, not really. It wasn't as formal as I said, and I ended up caving in and wearing my nametag over my evening gown (which Wendie Old astutely pointed out).

Question: Were you surprised at the lack of quality totebags on the exhibit floor this year?
Answer: Definitely. I had to actually buy a totebag, because I couldn't fit everything into the bright orange one included with the conference registration.

Question: How could you possibly buy a totebag when you own a million free totebags that you've picked up at various conferences?
Answer: (I think this question may have been submitted by my husband). Because it was an incredibly cool one from Unshelved, and I'm always happy to support Unshelved.

Question: What did the table in your hotel room like like before you packed?
Answer: Like this, but this doesn't include all the stuff I had in my totebag.

Question: Do you have a good picture of Laura Vaccaro Seeger signing books?
Answer: Yes, and for once, it's actually a decent photo.


Question: Did you have an amazing time at the blogger get-together at the Feiwel and Friends suite?
Answer: It was terrific. I felt like I was one of the cool kids for probably the first time in my life.

Question: Do you have a photo of Laurie Halse Anderson and Betsy Bird about a second before they met for the first time where neither of them are looking at the camera? Is Betsy wearing a Minnie Mouse dress? Are Monica Edinger and Jen Robinson in the background?
Answer: Yes, yes, and yes.Question: Do you have a better picture of Jen and Betsy?
Answer: Yes. Here's one from the Newbery/Caldecott banquet.


Question: Will you ever learn to use Photoshop?
Answer: Probably not any time soon. But if I did use Photoshop, you wouldn't be able to see this slightly demonic picture of Horn Book Editor in chief, Roger Sutton with red eyes. (If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll see what I mean).

Question: Could you drop Mo Willems' name any more in this post?
Answer: No, I don't think that would be possible.

Question: Are you blatantly ripping off Dave Barry's "Ask Mr. Language Person" columns by interviewing yourself?
Answer: I prefer the word "homage."

Assorted Poll Results

Looks like I'm not the only one who was thrilled that The Invention of Hugo Cabret won the Caldecott Medal. Hugo was the decisive victor in my poll about the 2008 ALA awards.

Question: Which 2008 ALA Award winners are you the happiest about?

Answers:

1st place (21 votes)

• Caldecott: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
  

2nd place (10 votes)

• Newbery: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!

3rd place (9 votes)

• Geisel: There Is a Bird on Your Head!

4th place (5 votes)

• Siebert: The Wall

5th place (4 votes)

• Edwards: Orson Scott Card
  

6th place (3 votes)

• King Author: Elijah of Buxton

7th place (2 votes each)

• King Illustrator: Let it Shine
• Odyssey: Jazz
• Printz: The White Darkness
• Schneider middle grade: Reaching for Sun
• None of the above
• I haven't read any of the winning books

8th place (1 vote each)

• Arbuthnot: Walter Dean Meyers
• Belpré Illustrator: Los Gatos Black on Halloween
• Carnegie: Jump In
• Schneider young children: Kami and the Yaks
• Schneider teen: Hurt Go Happy

9th place (0 votes each)

• Batchelder: Brave Story
• Belpré Author: The Poet Slave of Cuba
• King/Steptoe New Talent Author: Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It

Let's wrap up some other polls while we're at it. Here are the results from my poll about traveling in the Harry Potter world.

Question: My preferred method of travel in the Harry Potter world would be:

Answers:

1^st place (14 votes)

• Appartition

2^nd place (8 votes)

• All of the above

3^rd place (7 votes)

• Hogwarts Express

4^th place (4 votes each)

• Broomstick
• Portkey

5^th place (2 votes each)

• Floo Powder
• Flying car
• Hippogriff
• Walking

6^th place (1 vote each)

• Dragon
• Knight Bus

7^th place (0 votes each)

• Deluminator
• London Underground
• Phoenix
• Thestral
• None of the above

I have to agree with the results on this one. After a few recent plane trips, I think apparition is definitely the way to go. I'm willing to deal with the uncomfortable physical side effects and the possibility of splinching in order to get where I want to go instantaneously.


And, here's the results of the poll that had the fewest choices available of any poll I've run so far.

Question: Are you in a book club?

Answers:

1^st place (14 votes)

• No

2^nd place (11 votes)

• Yes

3^rd place (4 votes)

• I have been in the past

Want to vote for something? No problem. I have two polls currently up. One is about subjects that you'd like to study at Hogwarts. And I just added a new one asking which business establishments in the Harry Potter world you'd like to visit. Happy voting!

Sum it up

As a bookseller, I spend a lot of time answering this question:

"What's this book about?"

Sometimes this is easy to do, and sometimes it isn't. Let me give you an example of a book that you're probably familiar with... Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

What's it about? Well, we can take the easy route and say it's about a guy named Mike who has a steam shovel. But, that's obvious from the front cover and it doesn't really answer the question. More importantly, it doesn't make anyone want to read the book.

Here's a better answer: "It's about a man and his steam shovel who try to dig the cellar of a town hall in just one day. It's a classic and it was one of my favorite books when I was younger."

Why would my answer be so short? Why didn't I go into what else Mike and Mary Ann did, and talk about digging four corners nice and square, and how much I love Virgina Lee Burton's books? Because, time is of the essence. Most people want a quick summary, not a review. And usually we're discussing two, three or ten other books.

If I have good feelings or memories about the book, I'll usually mention that. It helps give a frame of reference. In this case, the fact that I read it when I was younger points out that the book has stayed in print for a while. And with Mike Mulligan, I usually say that loved it when I was a little girl, because people are often hesitant to buy a book for a girl with construction equipment on the front cover. (For more about Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, which really is a terrific book, see this post.)

Picture books are pretty easy because people can sit down and read them right in the store. But try summing up Good Night Moon. "It's about a bunny who says good night to every object in his room before falling asleep." Doesn't exactly grab you, does it?

Chapter books are even harder to describe quickly and effectively. Plus, you want to introduce the plot without giving any of it away. Here's a question I was asked a few months ago that I had a surprisingly hard time with:

"What's the Lord of the Rings trilogy about? I don't want a lot of detail, just give me the general idea in two sentences."

Wow. Um, okay. Summarize hundreds of papers and complex writing in two sentences? What would you say? I think I said something to this effect:

"It's about a small, insignificant creature (a hobbit) who has come to possess a magic ring, which is the most powerful object in the world. He has to travel to the other end of his universe to destroy it, and the books are about his amazing journey."

Remember, you've got to do these summaries on the spot... and you want to do the books justice. It's not enough to use the summary on the back of the book or the dust jacket or the Library of Congress notation... people can read those for themselves. They want to hear someone talk about the book.

Can you describe Charlotte's Web in a few sentences that would make me want to read it? How about Mr. Popper's Penguins? Harry Potter? Anne of Green Gables? Pride and Prejudice? The Wizard of Oz? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? I've been asked the "what is this book about" question for all of the books mentioned above... usually from a person who hasn't heard of the book before. And I recently got asked what Mother Goose rhymes were. It can sometimes be difficult to put aside the history and reputation of the book or poems, and just state the basic plot in an intriguing way.

Try the book I've been asked about all week: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. (I wonder why I've been asked about it so much. Could it be the fact that I've displayed it in every available space in the store?) For Hugo, I usually show people the first page... and it's pretty hard to put down after the fantastic introduction. But I don't have a really good short summary of it yet. Currently, I've been saying something along these lines (while flipping through the book to show off the pictures):

"It's about an orphan boy who lives in the walls of a train station in Paris and makes a tremendous discovery. The book is a unique combination of pictures and words and when you read it, you feel as though you're watching a movie."

Needs work. Got any suggestions?

More Caldecott reactions

Do you wish you were on the Caldecott committee? (Don't we all?)

Listen to this wonderful podcast by Roger Sutton (a member of the 2008 Caldecott committee, the Editor in Chief of The Horn Book, and author of the blog Read Roger). You'll feel like you were were a part of the committee for the big announcement.

Wake up with Roger in his hotel room (not literally) as he calmly talks about the winner. Follow him through the excitement of the committee before and after the magic phone calls. (He turned off his recorder for the actual phone calls, but he provides a recap.) Sit next to him during the press conference and hear the show stopping applause when the winner of the Caldecott is announced. And then mingle with Roger in the crowd afterwards and hear what other folks have to say.

Once you've heard what the moment was like for the committee, head over to Publisher's Weekly to read their article about the experience of the winners themselves. I particularly loved this quote from the article about Brian Selznick's plane trip to New York a few hours after the announcement:

"Unable to concentrate, Selznick watched his seatmate pull a few folded sheets of paper out of her bag. He recognized the ALSC seal, and realized she was reading the press release for that morning’s awards. Compelled to remark on the coincidence, Selznick asked her, “Excuse me, are you a librarian?” “No," she replied, “I work for PBS.” She then explained that these big children’s awards had been announced earlier in the day. Selznick’s response: “I know—I won one!”

A Caldecott Adventure

Today I took a journey
through the titles of
70 years of Caldecott winners.

Here are my thoughts
as I traveled back in time
in chronological order
from 2008 to 1938.

I was thinking about
the invention of Hugo Cabret
as I watched flotsam float by
the hello goodbye window.

It was the night of kitten's first full moon as
the man who walked between the towers
strolled past with my friend rabbit
and the three pigs.

“So you want to be president?” asked the pigs.
“Joseph had a little overcoat,” I answered,
which I could have borrowed for the inauguration.

But he lost it.

“Ask Snowflake Bentley, Rapunzel and Golem,”
replied the pigs.
“Or try Officer Buckle and Gloria.
They never go anywhere without a buddy.”

I left the pigs on that smoky night to set off on
my grandfather's journey.
I passed Mirette on the high wire
(who gave her regards to the man who walked between the towers.)

It was Tuesday and I had
my black and white overcoat with me
(although I would have preferred Joseph’s.)

I met Lon Po Po as I traveled
through the forest.
Up ahead we could hear
the song and dance man.

I waited for the owl moon.
Just as it appeared in the sky,
I saw my best friend.
“Hey, Al!” I called.

He was waiting for me on the Polar Express
along with Saint George and the dragon.
The train broke down so we took a glorious flight
through the shadow land.

It was a long trip so we played
a game of Jumanji
and told each other fables.

Finally, our plane landed.
The ox-cart man and the
girl who loved wild horses
brought us to Noah’s ark.

There we learned all the letters
from ashanti to zulu
and found out why mosquitoes
buzz in people's ears.

Noah shot an arrow to the sun
and the ark stopped.
Duffy and the devil
and the funny little woman
met us when we arrived.

Because it was
one fine day
they told us a story.

It was a story about
Sylvester and the magic pebble and
the fool of the world and the flying ship.

They tried to introduce us to drummer Hoff
but he was too busy firing it off
with Sam, Bangs & Moonshine.

By now, we’d gathered quite a crowd.
“There’s always room for one more,” said Al.
“May I bring a friend?” I asked.

I knew it was scary to travel through the land
where the wild things are
especially on a snowy day.

“There was once a mouse,” said Al,
“who was brave enough to visit
Baboushka and the three kings.

"You are just as courageous as he was.
But, since it's nine days to Christmas
take Chanticleer and the fox with you."

My travels became a time of wonder and
I realized that a tree is nice,
especially when you need a place to rest.

The amphibian I had met on Tuesday disappeared.
I think that frog went a-courtin'
at Cinderella’s house.

Fortunately, he returned in time for
Madeline's rescue
from the biggest bear.

He tried to take Madeline’s dog,
but she told him:
“finders, keepers.”

The frog left us again under
the egg tree when he heard the
song of the swallows.

We started to head home
but suddenly there was a big snow.
We persevered, although
we were surrounded
by white snow.

The bright snow was blinding
so we stopped for the night on
the little island
where the rooster crows.

I bid goodbye to all my friends
and said a prayer for a child,
especially the youngest one,
Madeline.

I think I accomplished the
journey my grandfather dreamed about
many moons ago, before
the little house had to move
to make way for ducklings.

I thought about all the travelers I had
encountered on my adventure
and realized that
they were strong
and good.

I wish I had met
Abraham Lincoln and Mei Li
but maybe they’ll come
next time.

Finally, I parted from
the animals of the Bible
that I had met on Noah’s ark
and headed home on
the repaired Polar Express.

Hugo Cabret said he’d meet me
at the train station.

by Susan Kusel, copyright 2008

Score card

About 10 days ago I wrote a post about how tough it is to predict the ALA award winners. It's also important, though... and as a small independent bookseller, you want to have all the books in stock when the winners are announced.

Now that the big moment has come and gone, a lot of people have asked me about my predictions. Was I right? Did I have the Newbery and Caldecott books on hand at my store? Here's my score card:

Newbery Medal: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Yes.
Newbery honor: The Wednesday Wars. Yes.
Newbery honor: Feathers. Yes.
Newbery honor: Elijah of Buxton. Yes.

Caldecott Medal: The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Yes.
Caldecott honor: First the Egg. Yes.
Caldecott honor: The Wall. Yes.
Caldecott honor: Knuffle Bunny Too. Yes.
Caldecott honor: Henry's Freedom Box. No.

Eight out of nine. Not bad. And I got Henry's Freedom Box in the next morning.

Remember my post last week about how Hugo Cabret wasn't going to win anything? It seems that I convinced a lot of people, except myself (and fortunately, the Caldecott committee). Hugo Cabret was the only book that I ordered heavily in advance a few weeks prior to the announcement. But my books from Scholastic hadn't arrived yet and at the moment the Caldecott was announced, I only had one copy of Hugo in stock. Yikes. It seemed that all my pre-planning had gone to waste.

However, the stars aligned perfectly for me on Monday. Around lunch time, the U.P.S. delivery guy came in with a cart laden with beautiful Scholastic boxes. I think I may have hugged him. I rifled through the boxes, found all my magical copies of Hugo Cabret... and put them proudly on the shelf. Talk about perfect timing. Did I mention the U.P.S. guy thought I was nuts?

Award reactions

After all that build-up to the American Library Association awards, I haven't talked about the winners and honor books yet, except for Hugo Cabret. Let's correct that. You can find a full list of all the books that were honored here on ALA's website.

On to the books that I'm particularly overjoyed about...

I'm absolutely thrilled that The Invention of Hugo Cabret won the Caldecott Medal... in fact, I wrote a whole post on the subject. If you haven't been able to get your hands on this extraordinary book yet, here are a few things you can do. To see the images from the first chapter of the book, go the Hugo Cabret website. And be sure to go to Teachingbooks.net to hear the first chapter narrated by Brian Selznick, and find out that the correct pronunciation of the title character is Hue-Go Cab-Ray. Then, head to the nearest library or bookstore, because you won't want to stop reading.

After I'm done with my standing ovation for the 2008 Caldecott committee, I'd like to give another one to the 2008 Newbery committee for awarding the Newbery medal to Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz. It's a quiet, powerful book that slowly takes hold of you. It's a unique combination of poetry, theater, non-fiction and superb storytelling. The research that went into it is excellent and it has some of the funniest and informative footnotes that I've ever found in a book written for children. I really felt like I gained an understanding of the Middle Ages, particularly what life was like for children, in a way that I never have before. I also felt like I made friends with each character in Schlitz's village and I loved when their stories connected. Most importantly, Schlitz never talks down to her audience. This understated book could have easily been lost in the shuffle. I'm so glad that through the power of the Newbery Medal, kids will have a chance to discover it.

To hear Schlitz read the last monologue from the book (which also happens to be one of my favorite pieces in the book), go to TeachingBooks.net. For Schlitz's reaction to winning the Newbery, see "Children's Book Award Winners Break the Mold" by Bob Thompson in the Washington Post and "Fairy tales do come true at Park School" by Mary Carole McCauley and Jill Rosen in the Baltimore Sun. Also, see Newbery committee member Monica Edinger's description of the magic phone call on her blog Educating Alice.

First the Egg by Laura Vacarro Seeger received not one, but two honors. It was awarded a Caldecott Honor and a Geisel honor. I think this book is extraordinary in subtle ways. Through the magic of LookyBook, I can give you a glimpse into this lovely book.



Unfortunately, this doesn't really convey the die-cuts, which I think are the best part. There are strategically placed holes throughout the book (the best example in the LookyBook version is on the title page where you can see the cut-out of the egg). Seeger is a brilliant artist and and I am so happy that she's finally received well deserved recognition.

I'm also quite happy that Henry's Freedom Box garnered a Caldecott honor. It's a straightforward, true and moving account of a slave who literally mailed himself to freedom in a large box. And the pictures are wonderful. Author Ellen Levine has written a number of books I've enjoyed such as I Hate English and If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island. It's great to see her gripping and engaging text honored. Illustrator Kadir Nelson is becoming a bit of a superstar and picked up a Caldecott honor last year for Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom.


As for There is A Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems, which won the Geisel Award, I agree with MotherReader (see here and here) that it's the best of the four Elephant and Piggie books. The humor and slapstick in this book is absolutely brilliant. I read it aloud at a storytime yesterday to a group that ranged from 6 months to 6 years old. Kids and parents were hanging on every word, and practically every page was greeted with uproarious laughter. Also, it makes excellent use of white space and contains large text and simple words which combine to make it a terrific early reader. And the jokes don't hurt either.

One last comment... and it's about Harry Potter, of course. I was watching the live webcast of the awards. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was mentioned as an Odyssey Honor, my heart sank. Because that meant that it hadn't won the Odyssey Award. And it's unfair to gripe about, because I haven't heard the winner yet. Jazz, which did win, is based on an excellent book, and I look forward to hearing the audio edition. And, I applaud the Odyssey committee for looking at the entire spectrum and awarding honors to audio productions created from picture books, informational book and traditional chapter books. And really, I'm delighted that Deathly Hallows received an Odyssey honor, so I can't complain.

Congratulations to all the committees and all the award winners. Now that the big moment is over, what do you want to do? Go to Disneyland, of course. The ALA annual convention is in Anaheim this year, and I can't wait to hear the acceptance speeches in June.

I've never been so happy to be wrong

Did you hear shouts of joy at 8:28 a.m. this morning, Eastern time? That would have been me, screaming and cheering in delight as I heard the news that The Invention of Hugo Cabret had just won the Caldecott Medal.

It's been a busy day in the children's book selling world. There was frantic dictation as the awards were announced. There were hurried phone calls to distributors, publishers and reps to secure as many of the winning books as possible. There was scouring of bookshelves and overstock to find every last copy of every book that had just been anointed with a magic sticker. There were signs that had to be made, and books that had to be organized and re-organized to make room for the winners. There were conversations with colleagues about which books won. Oh, and there was all the other business of a regular Monday to attend to. So, it's been a long day.

But now, I finally have a minute to sit down. And here's the first thing I want to do: stand up.

I want to give a standing ovation to the 2008 Caldecott committee. I want to applaud you for making a brave and gutsy choice and for recognizing the most distinguished book of the year.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I wrote a very detailed post about why Hugo Cabret wasn't going to win the Newbery Medal, even though I really, really, really wanted it to. Not because it's not a great book, but because the Newbery is all about text, not illustrations. And Hugo Cabret is all about illustrations. And while Hugo Cabret was eligible for the Caldecott, selecting something that isn't a "picture book" would fly in the face of Caldecott tradition.

And yet, they did it. They awarded it the Caldecott Medal. Now, the book will be in schools and libraries everywhere and will be in print for decades to come. And it's an excellent, timeless book and it deserves to be where children can get their hands on it. Bravo to the courageous members of Caldecott committee. And, thank you.

Incidentally, when I put signs above the 534 page Caldecott winner and the 85 page Newbery winner today, it looked like I made a mistake. But I didn't... and neither did the committee.

Update: Now that I've had a chance to look around at other blogs, I see that several people commented on the huge ovation Hugo Cabret received when it was announced as the Caldecott winner. Although I was watching the webcast, I didn't hear the applause of the crowd. Why? Because I was too busy screaming.

Additional Update: I just watched the webcast again, this time in far calmer circumstances. I can't believe that I missed the unbelievable amount of applause that stopped the show when Hugo was announced. I must have been really screaming.

Yet Another Update: Here are my reactions to the other 2008 ALA awards. And, did I correctly predict the winners and have them in stock at our store? See my scorecard. And this post tells you where to go to hear the Hugo Cabret Caldecott announcement cheer for yourself.

One More Update: Nah, I don't have anything to say this time. False alarm.

Why Hugo Cabret is going to break my heart

Ask me what book I want, more than anything, to win the 2008 Newbery Medal. Go ahead, ask me.

Susan, what book do you want, more than anything, to win the Newbery Medal?

Answer: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It's a brilliant fusion of pictures and text. It's a masterful work, full of mystery and intrigue. I think it's a major contribution to the field of children's literature.

Question: Will it win?

Answer: No. Regrettably, tragically... it probably won't win.

Question: Why not?

Answer: Take a look at the Newbery criteria:

"The Medal shall be awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year. There are no limitations as to the character of the book considered except that it be original work."

Let's check Hugo Cabret against the criteria:

• Most distinguished contribution to American literature for children? Yes, in my humble opinion, I think it is.
• Published in English in the United States? Yes.
• No limitations as to the character of the book. Excellent. That leaves the door open for any genre to win.

We're okay so far. (That is, if you agree with me that the book is the most distinguished, and the majority of mock Newbery committees and Best of the Year lists do agree with me.)

What does distinguished mean? Let's check the criteria again.

"Distinguished" is defined as:

• "marked by eminence and distinction: noted for significant achievement." Yes, it's definitely distinct, eminent and a significant achievement.
• "marked by excellence in quality." Absolutely.
• "marked by conspicuous excellence or eminence." Yes, the excellence is conspicuous. It pours out of the book.
• "individually distinct." Definitely. There's no other book like it.

We're still okay. But then, right at the bottom, is the paragraph that destroys all hope for Hugo Cabret to win the Newbery:

"Each book is to be considered as a contribution to literature. The committee is to make its decision primarily on the text. Other aspects of a book are to be considered only if they distract from the text. Such other aspects might include illustrations, overall design of the book, etc."

And, there we have it. Game over. The Newbery committee judges the text, not the illustrations. Take away all of Hugo Cabret's illustrations, and you're left with a shell of a book. And, alas... that shell isn't strong enough to win the Newbery. The book is, rightfully so, completely dependent on the pictures. That's what makes it so incredible.

But, wait! If the pictures are so amazing (and they are), couldn't Hugo Cabret win the Caldecott? Here you have an award that's all about illustration.

Okay, worth a shot. Traditionally the Caldecott goes to a picture book, but the eligible age range is much larger than you'd think. Let's take a look at the Caldecott criteria:

"'A picture book for children' is one for which children are a potential audience. The book displays respect for children's understandings, abilities, and appreciations. Children are defined as persons of ages up to and including fourteen and picture books for this entire age range are to be considered."

So, according to that, Hugo Cabret would be eligible. It would be a dramatic departure from tradition, and a huge deal if the Caldecott went to a non-picture book. It's happened in the past, but not that recently. So, maybe, just maybe....

Wait a minute. Look at the bottom of the criteria:

"Each book is to be considered as a picture book. The committee is to make its decision primarily on the illustration, but other components of a book are to be considered especially when they make a book less effective as a children's picture book. Such other components might include the written text, the overall design of the book, etc. "

Argh!!! The Caldecott committee judges primarily on illustrations, not the text. If you take the words away from Hugo Cabret, you're left with an empty shell again. Not as empty as if you removed the pictures, but certainly a far less poignant work.

Sigh. So there you have it. A book that is a combination of illustrations and text doesn't really stand a chance for either award. And I think that's too bad, but that's the way the awards are structured. Sorry, Hugo.

Despite all that, if I were Brian Selznick, I'd be waiting by my phone on Monday morning. You never know....

Update: The Invention of Hugo Cabret won the Caldecott Medal! See this post for my reaction.

Predicting the winners

I'm really looking forward to the ALA awards announcement on January 14th, but the stakes are much higher for me this year. As a children's book buyer (for an independent toy and book store), I need to have the winning books available in the store as soon as possible after they are announced. Part of this involves immediately calling distributors and publishers on January 14th at 7:46 am. The other, and more difficult part, is to guess correctly at what the winners might be and to already have copies on hand before the announcement.

Now, if the Caldecott and the Newbery awards were similar to the Oscars, it would be relatively straightforward. You'd simply order the five nominated books for each award, perhaps getting a few extra copies of the ones that were heavily favored. But it doesn't work like that. The Caldecotts and Newberys (and the other ALA awards) are decided by committees and discussions. There are no nominees. ANY eligible book could win.

How on earth can you guess? You can start by listening to the buzz. You can read all the mock Newbery and mock Caldecott winners. You can look at listservs and blogs and see which books are mentioned the most often. You can read Best of the Year lists produced by newspapers and journals.

But there's one big problem with that method... it doesn't always work. 2007 is an excellent example. If you followed all the buzz about who the winners would be in 2007 (and I did) you'd have heard two titles mentioned over and over for the Caldecott... Flotsam by David Wiesner and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by Carole Boston Weatherford. It turns out that Flotsam won the Caldecott Medal, and Moses won a Caldecott Honor. But, what about the other honor? It went to Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans, which I never even heard of until it won the Caldecott honor.

And the 2007 Newbery is an even better example. The book that won, The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, wasn't on anybody's radar screen. In fact, in her Newbery acceptance speech, Susan Patron mentioned how sad she was that a book she'd poured ten years of her life into wasn't getting any buzz. It won anyway... even without the buzz. And then it was very difficult to find a copy anywhere for weeks (see my review of The Higher Power of Lucky for my struggle to find the book.)

Really, no matter how hard you try, you're never going to be completely right, because you're not sitting in the room with the committees listening to the discussions. And you haven't read every eligible book, like the committees have. But you can at least stock some of the most buzzed-about books... because they probably have a pretty good shot. And, even if they don't win or receive honors... they're still excellent books and deserve to be on the shelves.

In alphabetical order, here are some of the books I'll have on hand at my store on January 14th... just in case. Keep in mind, these are just wild guesses and they are primarily books that have been appearing on multiple lists. Also, in addition to my hunches for the 2008 Caldecott and the Newbery, this list includes some of my guesses for awards such as the Printz, Geisel, Siebert and Odyssey.

• A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson
  
• At Night by Jonathan Bean
• The Bearskinner retold by Laura Schlitz
• The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice N. Harrington, illustrated by Shelley Jackson
• A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
  
• Dog and Bear by Laura Vacarro Seeger
  
• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson
  
• First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Schlitz
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (audio book)
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• Jabberwocky by Christopher Myers
  
• Old Penn Station by William Low
• Pssst! by Adam Rex
• The Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (audio book)
  
• Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
• The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
• Who Was First?: Discovering the Americas by Russell Freedman
• And all the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Willems

I'd love to add The Arrival by Shaun Tan to this list... but since it's not eligible for the Caldecott or the Newbery, I just don't know what award it would win.

Are there any books you would add to this list? I'd love to hear what you think. Remember, though... it's not about the books that you want to win (although there are certainly a lot of books on this list that I'd love to see win). It's about the books that you think will win.