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July 4, 2008
by Miriam Lang Budin
One of the joys of working with children’s literature is the discovery of new, talented authors and illustrators.
That has been my happy task for the past year, as I chaired the Ezra Jack Keats Award committee. It’s an especially interesting committee because it’s comprised of authors, illustrators, academics and librarians, so we have varied perspectives on what constitutes excellence in picture books. The discussion is enlightening and lively, sometimes to the point of being heated.
The 2008 New Author Award winner is David Ezra Stein, author of “Leaves,” which is the story of a young bear’s perplexity as he notices the change of seasons: “It was his first year. Everything was going well until the first leaf fell. ‘Are you okay?’ he wondered. . . .” Stein’s own fluid bamboo pen and watercolor illustrations accompany his enviably economic text to perfection. Children will recognize and identify with the young bear’s modest discoveries about the ever-changing natural world, which make “Leaves” a book for all seasons.
The 2008 New Illustrator Award was presented to Jonathan Bean for his illustration of “The Apple Pie That Papa Baked,” by Lauren Thompson. Bean’s curvilinear, three-color drawings are nothing short of delicious. Our first sight of that gently steaming pie sets our mouths watering in anticipation, but we quickly see that much needs to be done before dessert can be served.
The lucky farmer’s little daughter is in a perpetual state of excitement, her pigtails flying behind her from the moment she sits up in bed to run in headlong pursuit of the pie fixings while followed by a contingent of hungry barnyard animals. Bean’s work is both an homage to the classic illustrations of Wanda Gag and Virginia Lee Burton and a foray into new technology. Bean created single-color drawings on sheets of vellum for each illustration, then scanned and combined them via computer.
Every major publisher in the United States submitted books to the committee, which considered 156 titles this year. Authors and illustrators must have published three or fewer picture books to have their work considered. We’re truly recognizing these writers and artists at the beginning of their careers. That’s part of what makes it so exciting.
More information about the Ezra Jack Keats Awards is available at http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/bookawards.
Both “Leaves” and “The Apple Pie That Papa Baked” are available for circulation from the Chappaqua Library. Check them out to see if you agree with the committee!
Miriam Lang Budin is a librarian in the children’s reading room of the Chappaqua Library.
Copyright 2008 NewCastleNOW.org