I work in an elementary school library. We recently finished reading a series of award-nominated books to second and third-graders; The Show-Me Readers Award nominees (for us in the Show-Me state- Missouri). The award is geared toward grades 1-3 and the purpose is to promote literature, literacy, and reading in Missouri, and also to recognize favorite authors and illustrators. There are certain criteria that nominees have to meet, such as they must be published in the United States, be an easy read-aloud with literary value, and appeal to young children. We read the books to the students and have them vote on their favorite. They quite enjoy the process.
The Special Topics paper coincided with the end of the the voting in our library for the Show-Me award. This led me to think about awards that are bestowed in the United States that are considered prestigious. The research into this topic led me to how people feel about awards; mainly the thought of "What are they good for?" On a positive note, I read that awards are good for the author's book sales, and it helps them with future publication. On the flip side, some feel that awards cannot please everyone; with every award that is bestowed, people will feel that certain authors were slighted, and that other "big name" authors monopolize the award scene.
There are quite a few book awards given in the United States. Every search I did on awards seemed to pull up another one of which I had not previously discovered. It would be quite an undertaking to discuss them all. I chose to write about two adult fiction-centered awards and one for children- The Man Booker Award, The Nobel Prize for Literature, and the John Newbery Medal. Each award has its own distinguishing characteristics and the award-winners, and often, the nominees, enjoy increased book sales and accolades.
Hi Kelly! Yeah, there are a lot of awards I'm sure people have not heard about. When I took Materials for Youth last year I was already aware of Newbery and Caldecott awards, but not about the YA Printz award. I loved the Newbery book I read for that class, but really questioned some of the Caldecott winners. Art is very subjective. I find book awards are helpful for readers' advisory. It sounds like you researched both the positive and negative aspects, like little known authors getting overlooked in favor of more popular writers/artists.
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