And the winner is...

The American Library Association announced the books that received their highest honors in Philadelphia at their Midwinter Conference on January 27, 2014.

The winner of the John Newbery Medal for outstanding writing in a children's book is Flora & Ulysses, written by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by K.G. Campbell. You can take a look at our Book Buzz review of Flora and Ulysses here.

The books receiving the Newbery Honor Medal are:
Doll Bones written by Holly Black (Our Book Buzz from back in July can be found here.)
The Year of Billy Miller written by Kevin Henkes
One Came Home written by Amy Timberlake
Paperboy written by Vince Vawter

The winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal for outstanding illustrations in a children's book is Locomotive, written and illustrated by Brian Floca. Check out our previous discussion of Locomotive here.

The books receiving the Caldecott Honor Medal are:
Journey written and illustrated by Aaron Becker
Flora and the Flamingo illustrated by Molly Idle
Mr. Wuffles! written and illustrated by David Wiesner
(We mentioned a few of these honor books in our discussion of wordless picture books.) 

The winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award for outstanding writing by an African American author is P.S. Be Eleven written by Rita Williams-Garcia.

The winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for illustrations by an African American is Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me illustrated by Bryan Collier.

 

Be sure to stop by and read one or all of these great books in the next few months. And then let us know, what did YOU think of the winners?

 

It's Almost Here! Last Minute Thoughts on Caldecott 2014...

At 8 a.m. tomorrow, the winners of the 2014 ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced.  We will find out which books will win the prestigious Newbery (the award for the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children), the Printz (the award for the author of the most distinguished contribution to literature for Young Adults), and the Caldecott (the award for the illustrator of the most distinguished contribution to picture books). The Horn Book just published the results of their Mock Caldecott over on Calling Caldecott. We did our own Mock Caldecott vote with the third-graders of Sharp Elementary.  They picked Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown as their winner

while also making some very astute observations about Journey by Aaron Becker and Train by Elisha Cooper. We can't wait to see if their pick is the same as the real Caldecottand we won't have to wait very long! We'll be live tweeting the results at@CHPLibrary. Follow us on Twitter for the results as they are announced!

This Week @ Story Time

What we read:
Little Listeners:

Snowballs written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert

Red Sled written by Patricia Thomas

and illustrated by Chris L. Demarest

Story Time:

All You Need for a Snowman written by Alice Schertle

and illustrated by Barbara Lavellee

Mouse's First Snow written by Lauren Thompson

and illustrated by Buket Erdogan

we also read Snowballs by Lois Ehlert.

This Week @ Story Time

What We Read:

Night Owls:

 

Baby Bear Sees Blue written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff

 

Bear Snores On written by Karma Wilson
and illustrated by Jane Chapman

 

 

Orange Pear Apple Bear written and illustrated by Emily Gravett

Little Listeners:

Bear Snores On written by Karma Wilson
and illustrated by Jane Chapman

 

We're Going On a Bear Hunt written by Michael Rosen
and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? written and
illustrated by Bill Martin Jr.

 

Story Time:

 

We also read Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff, Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and then We're Going On a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. The older Story Time kids enjoyed revisiting bear books they love and our younger guests came away with some new favorites!

 



Book Buzz January, 2014

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library  
by Chris Grabenstein

What could be more fun than an overnight adventure in the brand-new state of the art library?  Kyle Keeley and  his friend Akimi and 10 other lucky 7th graders in Alexandriaville get the opportunity to solve riddles so they can find their way out of the new library. All the rules must be followed, but they are on their own and must use their wits and the library to solve the puzzle and the way out by noon the next day.  Great fun and a lot of wonderful book references.  Kristin (J Fiction)

39 Clues: Day of Doom by David Baldacci

The time has come, the hunt for the clues are over, and now the end is near.  But will everyone make it out alive? That is the real question.  Amy, Dan, their friends and family are on their scariest hunt yet.  This time around it is all or nothing, and if they cannot stop Vesper 1, the world will come to an end.  This final book takes place here in the US, from Washington DC to the great state of Washington.  Will Amy and Dan be able to save the world, and if so, at what cost?  What a great ending to an amazing series.  Jacquie (J Fiction)

The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng

Fourth grade is tough for Anna Wang. While she can talk easily to the grownups in her life like her teacher Ms. Simmons, and Ray the crossing guard, navigating her way through friendships with the girls in her class is a lot harder. Her best friend Laura is suddenly more interested in hanging out with new friends, leaving Anna the odd girl out. Then there's Chinese school where Anna is the only one who doesn't speak any Chinese. Anna tries escaping into the books she reads but it soon becomes clear that she's going to have to overcome her introvert tendencies if she doesn't want to be left all alone.  Middle grade readers and book-lovers young and old will enjoy following Anna through her year of the book. Alia (J Fiction)

Ten Good and Bad Things About My Life 
(So Far) by Ann M. Martin

Pearl is a girl from New York City starting a new year at school—who is given a common assignment: an essay all about her summer vacation. This heartfelt and funny realistic fiction title flashes back to the summer vacation of a ten year old who is learning a lot about growing up while on a summer “staycation” and summer camp in New Jersey (of all places)! Why the staycation? Pearl’s father lost her job, which means giving up a few things, including a family trip out west and the beloved family Subaru. This book is a sequel to Ten Rules for Living with My Sister, but reads completely independently. Recommended for kids in grades 3-6 who love realistic fiction—sprinkled with a few drawings and notations “handwritten” by the narrator.  Cassie (J Fiction)

This Week @ Story Time

What we read this week at Night Owls,
Little Listeners and Story Time:

Magic Box written and illustrated by Katie Cleminson

 

Not a Box written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis

 

The Birthday Box written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli

Additionally, in Story Time we read:

My Book Box written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

January App of the Month

Rosetta Stone Kids Lingo Letter Sounds

By Rosetta Stone LTD
Updated: November 19, 2013
Version: 1.0.2
FREE


Open Rosetta Stone Kids and you are immediately greeted by an adorable animated “lingo” holding a bubble.  To the lower right is a sign for the Parents Corner where parents can provide an e-mail address and get additional information about their child’s progress.  There are two games that make up this app, Bubble Letter Sounds and Spanish Speak and Learn. Bubble Letter Sounds requires the user to match letter filled bubbles with the toy that begins with that letter.  Spanish Speak and Learn uses voice-recognition software that encourages kids to practice speaking Spanish words as the lingos follow their directions.  Of the two games Spanish Speak and Learn is the more innovative.  The voice-recognition aspect really takes interaction to the next level.  Finally the app has a section labeled Toy Shelf where kids can view the toys whose first letters have been identified.  This is probably beyond the interest of a two or three year old, but slightly older users will enjoy tracking their progress with the Toy Shelf.  There are better English reading apps out there (like Endless Alphabet and Endless Reader) but the Spanish portion of the app is a great introduction to learning a new language and makes it a worthy download! This app is best for children ages 2-6.  (Reviewed by Alia)

American Girl Dolls: A Call for Donations!

Happy New Year! Out with the old and in with the new! Are you looking for a way to get rid of unused toys while also getting in some charitable giving?  The Children’s Department is looking for donations of new or gently used Full-Sized Historical American Girl Dolls to start an educational circulating collection of dolls that would encourage an interest in local history.  We have a particular interest in the Rebecca, Addy and Julie dolls. Dolls can be sent to the Youth Services department of the Cherry Hill Public Library.  1100 Kings Hwy North, Cherry Hill, NJ, 08034.