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2004 Newbery/Caldecott/Sibert/King Awards
And The Winners Are...
The American Library Association (otherwise known as the ALA) has announced its 2004 awards, honoring the best books published in 2003. And we've got them all for you right here!
Curious about the ALA and its awards? Here's a little background...
Since 1921, the American Library Association has awarded prizes to the best of the best children's books. Each year, one exceptional book receives the John Newbery Medal --- and runners up may be named Newbery Honor Books. Also, one awesomely illustrated book is awarded the Randolph Caldecott Medal, with other cool picture books named Caldecott Honor titles. And though the names and works of contenders are hotly debated each year, no one really knows who will win. Committee members are sworn to secrecy, until the announcement is made at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in January.
The Robert F. Sibert Award is presented to the author who has written the most distinguished informational book for children, while the Coretta Scott King Award is given to authors and illustrators of African descent whose books "promote an understanding and appreciation of the 'American Dream.' " These prizes are also announced at the Midwinter Meeting.
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Winning Books
2004 Newbery Winner
 THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763617229
Ages 7-12
272 pages
September 2003
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Read a Review and Excerpt
Desperaux Tilling is a mouse in love with music, stories and a princess named Pea. Roscuro is a rat obsessed with light and soup, and Miggery Sow is a slow-witted serving girl with a grand wish. These characters are about to embark on a journey that will ultimately lead them into each other's lives.
2004 Newbery Honors
 OLIVE'S OCEAN
by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow
ISBN: 0060535431
Ages 10-up
224 pages
August 2003
Martha Boyle and Olive Barstow could have been friends, but they weren't. Following the tragic death of Olive, all that is left are eerie connections between two girls who were in the same grade and who both kept the same secret without knowing it. Now Martha can't stop thinking about Olive. And this year Martha's routine at her beloved grandmother's beachside house is complicated by the four Manning boys, especially Jimmy.
For more about Kevin Henkes, go to KevinHenkes.com.
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 AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
by Jim Murphy
Clarion Books
ISBN: 0395776082
Ages 10-14
192 pages
June 2003
Read a Review
In a powerful and dramatic narrative, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the residents of Philadelphia in 1793, relating the epidemic to the major social and political events of the day and to 18th-century medical beliefs and practices.
2004 Caldecott Winner
 THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS
by Mordicai Gerstein
Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 0761317910
Ages 4-8
40 pages
July 2003
In 1974, as the World Trade Center was being completed, a young French aerialist named Philippe Petit threw a tightrope between the two towers and spent almost an hour walking, dancing, and performing tricks a quarter of a mile in the sky. In this unforgettable picture book, highly regarded author and illustrator Mordicai Gerstein captures the drama of this daring feat with lyrical words and lovely ink and oil paintings.
2004 Caldecott Honors
 DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS!
by Mo Willems
Hyperion Press
ISBN: 078681988X
Ages 4-8
36 pages
April 2003
When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer emerges to take his place --- a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. As he pleads, wheedles and begs his way through the book, children will love being able to answer back and decide his fate.
*****
 WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS?
by Steve Jenkins
illustrated by Robin Page
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0618256288
Ages 4-8
32 pages
March 2003
A nose for digging? Ears for seeing? Eyes that squirt blood? Explore the many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails in this beautifully illustrated interactive guessing book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.
*****
 ELLA SARAH GETS DRESSED
by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Harcourt
ISBN: 0152164138
Ages 4-8
40 pages
May 2003
Ella Sarah may be little, but she has a BIG sense of style --- and it isn't at all like that of her mother, father and older sister. Yet they all want her to dress just like them! Ella Sarah will have none of it --- and when her flamboyantly dressed friends arrive, it's clear that Ella Sarah's favorite outfit is just right for her.
2004 Robert F. Sibert Winner
AN AMERICAN PLAGUE: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
by Jim Murphy
Clarion Books
ISBN: 0395776082
Ages 10-14
192 pages
June 2003
Read a Review
In a powerful and dramatic narrative, critically acclaimed author Jim Murphy describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the residents of Philadelphia in 1793, relating the epidemic to the major social and political events of the day and to 18th-century medical beliefs and practices.
2004 Robert F. Sibert Honor
 I FACE THE WIND
by Vicki Cobb
illustrated by Julia Gorton
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0688178405
Ages 4-8
40 pages
April 2003
Have you ever lost your hat in a strong wind, or felt the wind pushing you from side to side? Do you know why you can feel the wind, but never see it? After reading this book, you'll know the answers to these and other questions --- because renowned science author Vicki Cobb makes scientific principles easy for even the youngest kids to understand.
2004 Coretta Scott King Author Winner
 THE FIRST PART LAST
by Angela Johnson
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689849222
Ages 12-up
144 pages
June 2003
Bobby is a typical urban teenage boy: impulsive, eager and restless. On his sixteenth birthday he receives news from his girlfriend Nia that is sure to change his life forever --- she is pregnant with his baby. Suddenly school, house parties and hanging out with friends no longer seem important. Instead, Bobby spends much of his time accompanying Nia to the obstetrician and visiting with a social worker who believes that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption.
2004 Coretta Scott King Author Honors
 THE BATTLE OF JERICHO
by Sharon Draper
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689842325
Ages 12-up
304 pages
June 2003
When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he's on cloud nine. But initiation week is an excruciating experience, and Jericho is forced to make choices he's not entirely comfortable with. Meanwhile, the sole female pledge in the group will do anything to show that she can handle the pressure. But is she being pushed too far? Should Jericho and his friends risk losing their places in the pledging process to stand up for her?
*****
 LOCOMOTION
by Jacqueline Woodson
Putnam
ISBN: 0399231153
Ages 9-12
128 pages
January 2003
Lonnie's parents died in a fire when he was only seven years old. Now he's eleven and still misses them terribly. He also misses his little sister, Lili, who had to be put into a separate foster home. But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She has already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper.
*****
 DAYS OF JUBILEE: The End of Slavery in the United States
by Patricia McKissack and Fredrick McKissack
illustrated by Leo Dillon
Scholastic
ISBN: 059010764X
Ages 8-12
144 pages
February 2003
One of the most important events in our history was the end of slavery in the United States. But there wasn't one particular day when all the slaves were freed (some were freed for their service during the Revolutionary War, others were freed because of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution). So, whenever slaves learned of their freedom, that day became their Day of Jubilee. Patricia and Frederick McKissack use slave narratives, letters and diaries to document the days, weeks and years leading to the slaves' freedom. Young readers everywhere now have an opportunity to celebrate these Days of Jubilee.
2004 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Winner
 BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD
by Ashley Bryan
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689847319
Ages 4-8
40 pages
January 2003
Long ago, Blackbird was voted the most beautiful bird in the forest. The other birds, who were colored red, yellow, blue and green, were so envious that they begged Blackbird to paint their feathers with a touch of black so they could be beautiful too. Although Blackbird warns them that true beauty comes from within, the other birds persist and soon each is given a ring of black around their neck or a dot of black on their wings --- markings that detail birds to this very day.
2004 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors
 ALMOST TO FREEDOM
illustrated by Colin Bootman
written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 157505342X
Ages 4-8
40 pages
September 2003
Sally, a tattered rag doll, tells the story of a young girl and her parents as they escape from slavery and start the dangerous journey along the Underground Railroad to a place called Freedom. Lindy and Sally are best friends, and so Sally accompanies Lindy and her mom when they run away one night. At their first stop, Sally and Lindy are hiding in the basement when slave catchers approach. Lindy and her parents must escape quickly, and in the rush Sally is left behind. Will she be found?
*****
 THUNDER ROSE
illustrated by Kadir Nelson
written by Jerdine Nolen
Silver Whistle/Harcourt
ISBN: 0152164723
Ages 5-8
32 pages
September 2003
On a dark night of howling rain and booming thunder, Jackson and Millicent MacGruder welcome a new baby girl into their lives. Imagine their surprise when she sits up, thanks them for bringing her into the world, and informs them that she's quite partial to the name Rose. So begins the story of Thunder Rose, who drinks her milk straight from the cow and prefers the company of her bull, Tater, to any kitten or puppy. Rose is capturing outlaws by the time she's a teenager, but she always has time to find joy in a song.
2004 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Author Talent Award
 THE WAY A DOOR CLOSES
by Hope Anita Smith
illustrated by Shane Evans
Henry Holt & Company
ISBN: 080506477X
Ages 9-12
64 pages
May 2003
Thirteen-year-old CJ knows too much --- about losing his father, about his family's pain, and especially about what it means to hold things together when times are the toughest. In this beautifully written and powerfully moving novel in poems, Hope Anita Smith tells the story of a young man's struggle to accept a father who has walked out on his family.
2004 Steptoe New Illustrator Talent Award
 MY FAMILY PLAYS MUSIC
by Judy Cox
illustrated by Elbrite Brown
Holiday House
Ages 4-8
32 pages
September 2003
The music of bongos, cowbells, maracas, and even pots and pans fills the air. In this introduction to music, a spunky girl finds the perfect percussion instrument to play along with each member of her musical family.
-- Written by Tom Donadio
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