Book description
Winners of the most respected prizes in children's literature speak out
in an exclusive collection of acceptance speeches, culled from the
archives of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and
The Horn Book magazine. Featuring authors and illustrators selected
during the past 10 years, the book includes speeches by * Neil Gaiman
(Newbery 2009) * David Wiesner (Caldecott 2002, 2007) * Kate DiCamillo
(Newbery 2004) * Jerry Pinkney (Caldecott 2010) * Avi (Newbery 2003)
Each speech is accompanied by the Horn Book review of the winning title
and a biographical profile of its celebrated creator. Three insightful
introductory essays examine changes in youth publishing during the last
decade, rounding out an engaging glimpse at the originality of the
writers and artists whose work informs the direction of children's
literature. For more than eight decades, librarians from the
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) have intensely
scrutinized the children's books published each year, selecting the
winning and honor books for the Newbery and Caldecott Awards. In
addition, the ALSC division of the ALA is committed to creating a nation
of readers, starting with the youngest. ALSC supports all those
providing library services to children, including youth librarians,
teachers, families, literature experts, publishers, and child advocates.
