Serving on the CLEL Bell Awards Committee has given me a new way to look at picture books. I have always been passionate about early literacy, but this experience has encouraged me to think more intentionally about the books we share with young children. Instead of simply asking whether a book is engaging, funny, or beautifully illustrated, I now find myself asking a different question: Does this picture book model an early literacy practice?
Category: Literary and Related Awards
work of ALSC Priority Group IV (Awards) and other related items of interest
A Sunrise Breakfast at #alaac26
As the sun came up over Chicago, I headed to the Marriott for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table’s (CSKBART) 57th annual Breakfast and Awards event.
My Journey Through ALSC: From Less-Than-Stellar to a Life-Changing Experience
I’ve been an ALSC member since I was a student in 2014 and when I first joined I wasn’t the most engaged member. Shortly after landing my first job as a Children’s Librarian, I got involved with the children’s book award committee in my state. I also wanted to get more involved on a national level–but how?
Hooray! The YMA Is Almost Here! #ALSCJOY
You may have heard of many changes within the American Library Association (ALA), in particular changes brought about by the reunification of ALSC and YALSA, but some things will remain the same, and one of these is the ALA Youth Media Awards (YMA).
Celebrate Disability Pride Year-Round through Collection Development
This Disability Pride Month marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, the fact that I spend most of my time in school libraries (open every month except July) and that my blog falls at the end of the month is good reason to celebrate Disability Pride year-round through collection development.
Conjuring Magic at the #alaac25 Stonewall Book Awards Ceremony
Yesterday’s Stonewall Book Awards ceremony at #alaac25 was a Pride parade in and of itself. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 20 creators took to the stage—or the screen*—to accept honors and awards for works with “exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.”
“Let it Shine”: The Newbery Caldecott Legacy Awards at #alaac25
Everyone shone bright at the #alaac25 Newbery Caldecott Legacy Awards Banquet. That light reflected off a sea of red satin capes—a nod to Caldecott winner Chooch Helped. It reflected off the rhinestones in Erin Entrada Kelly’s necklace as she accepted her second Newbery medal in her lifetime.* And it reflected in the audience’s eyes as Legacy winner Carole Boston Weatherford led us in singing “This Little Light of Mine” after accepting the award for her body of work.
Volunteer With Me: #alaac25 Day Four!
Today, one of my colleagues referred to Monday of ALA as the day of “zombies.” While I definitely felt a bit sluggish after a jam-packed weekend, I was also still rearing to go because today was a day full of ALSC programming. I started my morning at the 2025 ALSC Awards Breakfast hearing about the amazing honorees and winners of the Robert F. Sibert Medal, Mildred L. Batchelder Award, Theodore Seuss Geisel Award, and Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award. I then headed back over to the exhibit hall for one last walk-through.