Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award Winner Announcement

This year, 40 children at the Tigard Public Library submitted thier vote for their favorite 2015 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award book.  The votes were then submitted towads the state-wide tally.  The winning title was Third Grade Angels by Jerry Spinelli.  Congratulations Jerry!

For a list of the 2015-16 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award Nominees, click here.

ALA Youth Media Awards Announced!

You may have heard of the Newberry and the Caldecott awards, but there are quite a few awards given to literature for children and teens. The winners were announced this morning. For a complete list of all awards and winners, click here.

2015 Oregon Book Awards Finalists Announced

The Oregon Book Awards and Fellowships honor the state’s finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, drama, literary nonfiction, and literature for young readers.  The 2015 finalists were announced today and the winners will be announced at the 28th annual Oregon Book Awards Ceremony on April 13, 2015.  The awards include two categories of literature for youth, which includes the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature and the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature.  See the finalists listed below:

ELOISE JARVIS MCGRAW AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Kim T. Griswell of Ashland, Rufus Goes to School (Sterling Children’s Books)
Susan Hill Long of Portland, Whistle in the Dark (Holiday House)
H. Joseph Hopkins of Portland, The Tree Lady (Beach Lane Books)
Deborah Hopkinson of West Linn, The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, The Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel (Alfred A. Knopf)
Elizabeth Rusch of Portland, Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World
(Candlewick Press)

LESLIE BRADSHAW AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
April Henry of Portland, The Body In the Woods (Henry Holt)
Robin Herrera of Portland, Hope is a Ferris Wheel (Amulet Books)
Lisa Schroeder of Beaverton, The Bridge From Me To You (Scholastic)
Christina Struyk-Brown of Portland, Whisper (Orca Book Publishers)

75 Years of the Caldecott

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Caldecott Award. (1938-2013). I have to admit, this is my FAVORITE children's book award!The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Stop by the Children's Room at the library and check out a Caldecott Medal or Honor book from one of the many books we have on display. We've also got a quiz too! See if you can match an illustration to the title of a book from recent medal and honor books. Complete the quiz then turn it in to the children's desk to be entered into a darwing to win a fabulous prize. The last day to turn in completed quizes is October 29th. For a complete list of winners, click here.

So come celebrate 75 years of the Caldecott Award at the library!

2013 Beverly Cleary Childen's Choice Award Announced

The 2013 Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award winner has been announced!  The winning book is Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst.  This is the story about Lulu and how her parents refuse to give in when she demands a brontosaurus for her birthday.  So she sets out into the woods to find her own dinosaur.  But when Lulu finds a  brontosaurus, she learns that her potential pet has other intentions.

School children all over Oregon voted for their favorite book from a list of six suggested books.  The books nomiated for the award are targeted to the interests and reading level of second and third graders.  The award was created by and sponsored by the Oregon Association of School Libraries and is named after local children's author, Beverly Cleary. 

Oregon Readers Choice Award Voting Time!

March is the month to vote for the 2013 Oregon Reader's Choice Award winner! Every year, members of the Oregon Library Association compile a list of great books for upper-elementary, middle school and high school readers. Students in grades 4-12 can vote for their favorites in each division. All they need to do is read at least two of the books in the division(s) they are voting for. Have your kids stop by the Children's or the Young Adult room t day to fill out a ballot voting for their favorite books from the list of nominees. We usually select ORCA nominees for our Super Readers and BookTRON book discussion groups, so if your progeny are part of either of those groups, they've read some of these books!

2013 Youth Book & Media Awards Announced!

The 2013 American Library Association Awards have been announced.  (A.K.A. the Academy Awards for Librarians!)  Click here to go the the Youth Media Awards Facebook Page for the winners.  Congratulations to the winners!!!

It's Award Time!!!

Every year, on the Monday morning of the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting, the 2013 youth media awards are announced.  This includes the Newbery and Caldecott Awards and Honor books, which will be quite celebratory this year, as the Caldecott Award is celebrating its 75th Anniversary.  For librarians, this is a very exciting time to learn what books and media are announced to the world. These announcements are often referred to as the "Academy Awards for Librarians", and I attest, that that is very true!

You can watch the awards LIVE by following this link (and scrolling down to the video) on Monday, January 28th at 8:00 a.m.  (The award announcements usually run 40-50 minutes.)

Great Websites for Kids

The Association for Library Services to Children’s Great Web Sites Committee has announced their Spring 2012 selections of web sites.  Great Web Sites for Kids are those considered the best web sites for children ages birth to 14, outstanding in both content and conception. As applied to web sites for young people, “great” should be thought to include sites of especially commendable quality, sites that reflect and encourage young people’s interests in exemplary ways.  Selection criteria for these sites can be found at: http://www.ala.org/alsc/greatwebsites/greatwebsitesforkids/greatwebsites

Here is the list of the selections:

ABCya!
www.abcya.com
Make learning fun with a variety of educational computer games for kids. Learn new skills and improve old ones in areas such as math, language arts, and typing.

All About Birds

www.allaboutbirds.org
Learn all about birds in this website created by the Cornell Lab of Orinthology. Bird names, species, location and history are all featured. Also included are bird songs and videos.

CIA for Kids-Games

www.cia.gov/kids-pages/games/index.html
Find out what the CIA is all about, play games, and solve puzzles. Resources for various audiences including parents and teachers.

Common Sense Media

www.commonsensemedia.org
Common Sense Media helps parents make decisions about media and technology for their families. Information and advice is provided in a variety of formats including reviews, videos, and even lesson plans.

Generation on Youth Advisory Council

www.generationon.org
Whether you are looking for something to do after school or to fulfill a service requirement, you'll find inspiration to change the world around you here. This interactive website has a volunteer position search, blogs full of personal stories, and offers project tips from young people like you!

 Judy Schachner

www.skippyjonjones.com
Fun, festive, and full of fantastic resources, this author webpage includes interactive stories, games, print-outs, and educator resources.

PBS Kids Raising Readers Kids Island

www.pbskids.org/island
Helps children develop and practice basic reading skills through online games and activities with their parent, teacher or caregiver.

Poptropica

www.poptropica.com
Created by Jeff Kinney of "Wimpy Kid" fame, this virtual world invites young gamers to create a character and to undertake age-appropriate quests on over a dozen "islands" based on themes from history, nature, and human culture.

Seymour Simon

www.seymoursimon.com
Called by the New York Times "the dean of [children's science] writers," Simon offers information about himself and his books (over 250 and counting!) on his official site, along with study guides, science news and videos, a science dictionary and more.

The New York Times Learning Network

www.nytimes.com/learning
The New York Times Learning Network provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on NYT content. It includes lesson plans and resources for teachers as well as quizzes and activities for students 13 and older.

We Give Books

www.wegivebooks.org
We Give Books enables children to read a book online and after doing so, a physical book will be donated to a child in need through literacy programs around the world. Created by the Penguin Group and the Pearson Foundation, it combines the promotion of literacy, both to the child reading online and the giving of books, and the concept of giving.

ORCA & BCCCA Winners Announced!

Many children and teens participated in reader's choice awards here at the library.  The results are in and here are the winners:

Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award:
Winner: Nubs, the True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracle by Brian Dennis



Oregon Reader's Choice Award:
Junior Division--11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
Intermediate Division--When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Senior Division--The Maze Runner by James Dashner

2012 Hans Christian Anderson Winners Announced

The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) announced the winners of the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Awards from the Bologna Book Fair on Monday. María Teresa Andruetto from Argentina has won the 2012 Author Award and Peter Sís from the Czech Republic has won the 2012 Illustrator Award.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award, which is considered the most prestigious in international children’s literature, is given biennially IBBY to a living author and illustrator whose complete works are judged to have made lasting contributions to children's literature.  Click here to read a full announcement from Publisher's Weekly.

2012 Award Winners Announced

On Monday January 23rd, the 2012 Youth Media Awards were announced at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting in Dallas, TX.  This includes the annoucement of the Newbery Award (for the most outstanding American contribution to children's literature up to age 14) the Caldecott Award (for the most distinguished American picture book for children) and the Printz Award (for excellence in literature written for young adults, ages 12-18). 13 awards were announced in all.  For a complete list of all winners, visit the press release, http://ala.org/news/pr?id=9108

TINKERTOYS are a Winner!

In 2010 Eastern Connecticut State University’s Center for Early Childhood Education launched an annual study “that looks at how young children in natural settings play with a variety of toys. Each year, nominated toys are placed in preschool classrooms and videotaped using remote cameras. Researchers use a scientific instrument to determine which toys best promote children's development in three areas: thinking and learning, social interaction and cooperation, and self-expression and imaginative play.” The study is called Toys That Inspire Mindful Play and Nurture Imagination, but for short it is called: The TIMPANI Toy Study.  This year's winner is the classic Tinkertoys construction set.  To learn more visit: http://nutmeg.easternct.edu/mt-static/early_childhood_education/2011/11/tinkertoys-determined-to-be-timpani-toy-of-2011.html