Librarian Oscars

While everyone knows about the Academy Awards, did you know that the Library world has its own Oscars? The American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards, given out last Monday, are as exciting to librarians as the Oscars are to filmmakers (though perhaps not quite as glamorous). The best known of these awards are the Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature, and the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year, the Newbery went to Katherine Applegate for “The One and Only Ivan,” about the friendship between a gorilla and an elephant. The Caldecott was awarded to Jon Klassen for his clever tale of a thieving fish who gets his comeuppance:  “This is Not My Hat.” The Ridgefield Library has these award winners as well as the winners of the rest of the Youth Media Awards: the Michael Printz Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, Theodor Seuss Geisel Award and more. Much like the Academy Award for best cinematography or best sound editing, the non-Caldecott and non-Newbery awards may not get all the press, but they highlight wonderful works of art. Come check them out!

Contributed by Geri Diorio, Teen Services Librarian and Head of Children's Services