The winners of the 2012 major literary awards for children were recently announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in Dallas.
[Click on each title to view in the catalog and to place a hold.]
Caldecott Medal WinnerAny child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. This wordless picture book explores the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring.
Newbery Medal WinnerTwelve-year-old Jack's plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore-- typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative makes readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AMERICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICANS, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson
This is the story of the men, women, and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton for their masters; it’s about the America ripped in two by Jim Crow laws; it’s about the brothers and sisters of all colors who rallied against those who would dare bar a child from an education. It’s a story of discrimination and broken promises, determination and triumphs.
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner
UNDERGROUND: FINDING THE LIGHT TO FREEDOM, written and illustrated by Shane W. Evans
A pivotal moment in American history is shared with young readers by following a slave family's escape to the North by crawling on the ground, running barefoot through the woods, sleeping beneath bushes, and eventually reaching freedom.
Geisel Award Winner (for beginning readers)
TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS, written and illustrated by Josh Schneider
James is a very picky eater. His dad has to get creativ in order to get James to eat foods he thinks he doesn’t like. He presents James with a series of outlandish scenarios packed with fanciful and gross details-- like pre-chewed gum as an alternative to broccoli and lumpy oatmeal that grows so big it eats the dog-- in an effort to get James to eat. But it is eventually James himself who discovers that some foods are not so bad, after all, if you’re willing to give them a try.
Sibert Award Winner (for non-fiction)
BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY'S PARADE, written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Who invented the first balloons for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! Everyone's a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? Melissa Sweet tells the story of Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America-- the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy's Parade.
For the complete list of this year's award winners and honor books, take a look at the
ALA website.
When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a prosperous Syrian-American and father of four, chose to stay through the storm to protect his house and contracting business. In the days after, he traveled the flooded streets in a secondhand canoe, passing on supplies and helping those he could. But, on September 6, 2005, Zeitoun abruptly disappeared. Eggers's riveting nonfiction book, three years in the making, explores Zeitoun's roots in Syria, his marriage to Kathy—an American who converted to Islam—and their children, and the surreal atmosphere (in New Orleans and the United States generally) in which what happened to Abdulrahman Zeitoun became possible. 
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