Schooliblit

Sunday, June 29, 2003

Children's Choices
I see that the preliminary lists for the Choices booklists are posted on the International Reading Association website. These annotated lists -- Children's Choices, Teachers' Choices and Young Adult Choices -- are cosponsored by the Children's Book Council and are published in the fall in IRA publications.

I was thinking that these lists are based on popularity, which does not necessarily mean quality. An interesting study -- for an article, maybe -- would look at the differences between lists like these, and perhaps some of the state choice awards, and the Award books, supposedly chosen for literary or artistic or some other merit. How often do award-winning books end up as readers' favorites? A look at the IRA webpage that explains the Choices lists, shows, however, that these lists at least ARE chosen on merit. The YA and Children's lists are based on recently published books that have received at least two positive reviews, and the Teachers' list specifically targets books that

might not be discovered or fully appreciated by children without introduction by a knowledgeable educator or other adult;

reflect high quality in style, content, structure, beauty of language, and artistic presentation;

have potential for enriching the curriculum. [From The Teachers' Choices Project]
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Graphic Novels
Libraries urged to carry more comic books. Comic books deserve a permanent place in public libraries and a legitimate spot in the pantheon of childrens literature, says a B.C. librarian who is making the case for this oft-derided art form to an international gathering of the children's book world. "People think they're easier to read, but they're not," said Kirsten Anderson, who works in the young adult section of the Richmond Public Library. "The word count is high, the language level is just as high. A comic book is not lowbrow." From The National Post. [LISNews.com]

The "gathering" referred to in this article is the International Forum on Canadian Children's Literature, something I would like to look into more.
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