LISNews: Librarian News

Bob Cox showed us This Washington Post Story on growing number
of parents who shudder at the books their children are asked to read -- tomes
they consider unsuitable because the words, structures or themes are simply
too difficult. Fueling the trend, experts say, is a growing emphasis on tougher academic
standards, not to mention some misguided teachers and overzealous parents.
They say Librarians see the trend and don\'t like it.

\"There are these yuppie parents who think: \'Oh my God, my child hasn\'t read
[Louis Sachar\'s] \"Holes\" yet. They are not going to get into a good prep
school and a good college and have a good life,\' which is ludicrous,\" said
Leslie Poyner, assistant professor of reading at the University of New
Mexico.\"

James Lileks bleats today about art in children\'s books (scroll down to second item).

After complaining about crap from the \'70s or England, he comments, "But there’s been a resurgence in the craft of children’s illustration, and the practitioners are almost entirely female."

Here\'s An LATimes story on BookEnds, \"nonprofit organization that collects books for schools and youth organizations that either do not have an operating library or have a library so depleted that it cannot adequately provide all of its students with books to read\".

ALA has just announced the winners of the Newbery Medal and
the Caldecott Medal, as well as other book awards for children and
young adults.
The Newbery goes to A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park, and the
Caldecott was won by David Wiesner\'s The Three Pigs.
You can read the press release here.