For those of you who participate in Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday, how many of the books below were your picks to win?
Philadelphia
– Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore and illustrator Susan L. Roth of
“
Parrots over Puerto Rico,” were named the winners of the 2014 Robert F.
Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children
published in 2013. The award was announced today by the Association for
Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library
Association (ALA), during the ALA Midwinter Meeting held Jan. 24 – 28 in
Philadelphia.
“
Parrots over Puerto Rico,” published by LEE & LOW BOOKS Inc., is
the story of the rescue and return of the Puerto Rican parrot, a
species once so abundant it blotted out the sun. Through the efforts of
a valiant, dedicated and committed team of scientists and island
residents the fate of this native bird is now inching out of
extinction.
“The Sibert committee was swept into the lush collages and unique
layout of the exciting efforts to rescue the iridescent Puerto Rican
Parrot,” said Sibert Medal Committee Chair Cecilia P. McGowan.
Susan L. Roth resides in New York and has written and illustrated
numerous children’s books. Cindy Trumbore lives in New Jersey and is a
former children’s book editor and has written several children’s books.
Roth and Trumbore co-wrote “The Mangrove Tree,” featuring collage
illustrations by Roth, which was a 2012 ALA Notable Book and Orbis
Pictus Honor Book.
The Sibert Medal Committee selected four Honor Book(s).
“
A Splash of Red: the Life and Art of Horace Pippin,” written by Jen
Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and published by Alfred A. Knopf,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House,
Inc.
Readers will be inspired by the passion and perseverance of artist
Horace Pippin in this engaging picture book biography. The tightly woven
narrative coupled with mixed media collage, watercolor and gouache
illustrations capture the essence of Pippin's life and work.
Jen Bryant lives in Pennsylvania. She has written dozens of fiction,
nonfiction and poetry books for children. Melissa Sweet lives in Maine.
She is the winner of the 2012 Sibert Medal for “Balloons Over Broadway.”
Bryant and Sweet collaborated on "A River of Words: The Story of
William Carlos Williams,” for which Sweet won a 2009 Caldecott Honor.
“
Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard,” written and
illustrated by Annette LeBlanc Cate and published by Candlewick Press.
This spirited, accessible introduction to the art and science of
birding features immersive, fact-filled cartoon art punctuated with
tongue-in-beak bird commentary via word bubbles and humorous asides.
Cate's can-do tone empowers children and reminds them that they too can
be citizen scientists if they only, "Look Up!"
Annette LeBlanc Cate, a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston, is
the author/illustrator of "The Magic Rabbit." She resides in
Massachusetts.
“
Locomotive,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca and published by
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Children’s Publishing.
CHUG-CHUG! HUFF-HUFF! Brian Floca invites us back in time to
experience the excitement and danger of a family’s 1869 transcontinental
rail journey. Flowing, detailed blank verse text and warm, thoroughly
researched illustrations fuel the adventure. ALL ABOARD! for this
stunning aural and visual celebration of early rail travel. WHOO-WHOO!
This is author and illustrator Brian Floca’s fourth Sibert Honor Book. Floca lives and works in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“
The Mad Potter: George E. Ohr, Eccentric Genius,” written by Jan
Greenberg and Sandra Jordan and published by Roaring Brook Press, a
division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership.
Greenberg and Jordan provide a fascinating account of the life and
work of the eccentric and inventive ceramic artist, George E. Ohr. The
text is enhanced by photographs and information about where to see his
art today. He was, in his own words, “The Greatest Art Potter on Earth.
You prove the contrary.”
Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan have been award winning collaborators
since the 1990s. Greenberg lives in St. Louis and Jordan lives in New
York.
The award was established by ALSC and named to commemorate Mr. Robert
F. Sibert, founder of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., of Jacksonville,
Ill. Sibert is known for his early work in establishing standards of
bookbinding.
Members of the 2014 Sibert Medal Committee are: Chair Cecilia P.
McGowan, King County Library System, Issaquah, Wash.; Barbara A. Genco,
BAGenco Consulting, Brooklyn, N.Y.;
Christine A. Jenkins, University of Illinois, Champaign; Dr. Allison
G. Kaplan University of Wisconsin SLIS, Madison; Sally L. Miculek,
Austin (Texas) Public Library;
Catharine Potter, Falmouth (Maine) Elementary School; Victor Lynn
Schill, Fairbanks Branch, Houston; Letitia A. Wilson, Dayton (Ohio)
Metro Library; and Terrence E. Young, Jr., Metaire, La.
ALSC is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and
enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than
4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers
and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future
for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit their
website at
www.ala.org/alsc.
For information on the Robert F. Sibert Medal and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit
www.ala.org/yma.
