Bank Street Holds Best
Children’s Book Awards
by Pola Rosen, Ed.D.
The day war was declared in Iraq,
I shall never forget where I was: at a celebration of the
best books for children at the Bank Street College of Education,
a haven for those seeking refuge from the harsh reality of
the world outside. In her opening remarks, President August
Kappner expressed the sentiments of the audience in saying, “We
live in a world of such uncertainty, we need the world of
books and literature for children.”
The Children’s Book Committee has a 30-year history
of working in the community and in the New York City public
schools to guide librarians, educators and parents to the best
books for children published each year. The current committee,
led by Chairperson and Coordinator Alice B. Belgray, includes
educators, librarians, authors, parents and psychologists who
share a passion for the world of children’s literature.
Young reviewers from all over the country, ages 7-15, read
and evaluate many of the books as well. The Committee publishes
The Best Children’s Books of the Year and Books to Read
Aloud with Children of All Ages, an annotated list of over
400 books.
Caroline B. Cooney, one of the winning
authors felt that the role of a writer is to “transport kids to realms of gold.
Homer did that for me,” she said. Her book was entitled,
Goddess of Yesterday. Winner Kristine O’Connell George
always wanted to write a book based in the south, where her
mother was born, because it was such a foreign culture compared
to her hometown in Indiana. Her book, Little Dog and Duncan
won a poetry award. Her 71/2-pound dog and a neighbor’s
70-pound dog were the inspiration for the poems. The book’s
message is that whether large or small, canine or human, our
emotions are not much different; there are amazing rewards
in friendship; and that fairness, equality, differences and
mistakes are common threads in our lives.
Doreen Rappaport, author of No More!
Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance, was inspired to write
because “the
tragedy of slavery still lives with us.” She wanted children
to see how to take an experience that’s negative and
transform it to something positive and strong. “Children,” she
said, “have to learn that there are ways to resolve evil
and deal with it. People resist, rebel and survive.”
A young reviewer, Adam Bresgi, age
11, from the Solomon Schechter Day School in Bergen County,
New Jersey, enjoyed Little Dog and Duncan. “It was a really good book, fun and a quick
read,” he said, obviously enjoying his role as judge.
When asked what kind of books children
need in today’s
unsure world, Linda Greengrass, a member of the editorial committee,
responded that there are few resources to reassure very young
children, that stories can provide safe places, and can show
ways to resolve conflicts.#
For further information about Books of
the Year call 212-875-4540 or email: bookcom@bnkst.edu
