Newbery Committee at Work

As I read this article, I was really struck by what a daunting task it must be to select the “best” in children’s literature, specifically with the challenges faced by the committee. The first challenge is that of choosing from a variety of genres. When I ask my students what their favorite genre of literature is, many of them respond fantasy or historical fiction or realistic fiction. With such differing perspectives among a small group of children, how difficult it must be for adults to try to choose the best in children’s literature, from a literary perspective, and still remain true to work that would reflect the interest of a child! This also encouraged me, because as a librarian, I thankfully don’t have to choose a select few books for a collection, but can choose numerous titles based on a variety of criteria.

The portion of the article that stated, “But then, winning the Newbery medal could create readers for titles otherwise not chosen by some children” was interesting to me, because it made me wonder if that is the mindset that some bring to the committee table. Is some part of the purpose of the award to create readers of unpopular literature? I’m not saying that unpopular literature is “bad”, however I find that students tend to enjoy literature much more if they have some freedom in what they choose. Most children I know don’t gravitate to books simply because they have a shiny sticker on the front or a label that says Newbery winner, but rather for the quality of the illustrations on the cover, the appeal of the description on the back cover, etc. So, what part do these small glimpses of literature (illustrations and cover descriptions) play in the award process, if any?

Another intriguing part of the article was the more “political” portion, which stated, “Some say that the award committees are simply handmaidens of the publishing industry. If so, the industry could be better in making the books available.” I would love to be able to share lesser known works with students, just to show them how broad the spectrum is, but when titles are not readily available, how can I? Often times, it is not until several years later that materials are available to help guide teachers through teaching a novel or other body of work. By then, the book may be passé to kids.

Overall the article provided a unique look into the Newbery Committee and the process they go through. Reading the article really made me want to be a fly on the wall during some of the sessions, just to hear the differing opinions!