FOCAL AWARD PRESENTATION 2024: Celebrating COOKIES AND MILK by Shawn Amos

FOCAL Award Ceremony, LAPL, with Shawn Amos and Dewi Ochoa.

On Saturday, November 16th, I joined friends, family, and members of FOCAL (Friends of Children and Libraries) gathered at the Mark Taper Auditorium of the LAPL Central Library for the annual FOCAL Award presentation, this year given to Shawn Amos for his book Cookies and Milk, a semi-autographical novel about a boy growing up in Los Angeles. In the tradition of the award, he was presented with a puppet of the main character of the book. A second identical puppet will go on display in the children's room of the library, joining puppets from previous years. The puppets were created by Jesse Kingsley and Moira MacDonald.  

The program was introduced by Marilyn Robertson, FOCAL President. After the presentation of the puppets and a short speech by Shawn Amos about how he came to write the book, the essay contest winners were introduced by Sandy Schuckett. The four students read their excellent essays to the audience. They wrote about how they responded to the book, a favorite part or character, and why they would like to meet the author. The program ended with a Q & A session with Shawn Amos led by Dewi Ochoa, Chair of Social Media for FOCAL. Then we all enjoyed chocolate chip cookies in the library patio.

Refreshments at the FOCAL event included chocolate chip cookies from the Homebay Bakery.

I have been a member of FOCAL for many years. In order to be awarded the FOCAL book award, the book must be of the highest literary and artistic quality, and must have California content. I know how hard it is to choose a winner–I served on the committee for four years. This year’s choice is excellent and a fitting book to celebrate.

Set in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard, Cookies and Milk features Ellis Bailey Johnson, a black kid in a white world, and his father, who start a cookie store in an abandoned A-frame

shack that they fix up. The book deals with racism, family issues, family secrets,

growing up, and character-building as well as business-building. The awards committee found it a lively and compelling read for all ages.

 

MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE Now Available at my Etsy Site

You can now find my book MY FRIEND FROM OUTER SPACE at my ETSY SITE along with giclee prints of my cut-paper illustrations from some of my other books.

"Sherry lives next door. She says she comes from outer space. I don't believe her." In this easy-read picture book story, Sherry tries to convince her best friend that she really is from outer space and takes her there in her homemade rocket. But do they really go to the Planet Tinbambam? Or is it just pretend?

Rewritten and newly illustrated with colorful anime style art by Paige Arnold, this graphic picture book is the perfect choice for young readers to read alone or aloud to younger children.

Sample illustration.

FICTION versus NONFICTION: What Do Young Children Prefer?

One of my favorite writers, Melissa Stewart, has just published a terrific article on her blog, Celebrate Science, about the reading preferences of children in the primary grades. Not surprisingly, many, or in some cases, most, of the children prefer nonfiction, especially boys. She cites two studies that looked at children's book choices:

Correia, Marlene Ponte. “Fiction vs Informational Texts: Which Will Kindergartners Choose?”Young Children, 2011, p. 100-104. And,
Mohr, Kathleen A. J. “Children’s Choices for Recreational Reading: A Three-Part Investigation of Selection Preferences, Rationales, and Processes.” Journal of Literacy Research, 2006, p. 81-104.

It is great to see numbers supporting what a lot of teachers and librarians already know--that young children either prefer nonfiction (they want to find out more about the world we live in) or like it just as well as stories. Yet, there are too many adults who think that kids just want stories. Kids like both, and we need to make sure that they have the option to choose the books they prefer.

Common Core's Impact on Children's Books: an AUTHOR'S VIEW

How will Common Core's impact books for children? Recently, I was asked to be on a panel to discuss the impact that Common Core will have on the future of children's books as seen from the point of view of an author of nonfiction books for children.  As I researched the topic, this is what I came up with:

1.  The Common Core emphasis on reading outside the textbook will hopefully lead to a wider use of trade books in the classroom.  This should be good for children’s book authors.
    And the emphasis on reading in all subject areas–science, math, social studies, the arts–opens all sorts of possibilities for topics to write about.
    Cautionary note: Common Core material refers to “texts” not “books” so it isn’t completely clear to me that all the extra reading will be in books. "Texts" can also be newspaper and magazine articles, pieces on the internet, diaries, interviews, video and all kinds of visual materials including maps, photographs and illustrations. 

2.  The shift to a greater emphasis on nonfiction–50% in the early grades and more as the students grow older–suggests a boon for nonfiction writers.
    My agent reports that she has seen a huge increase in nonfiction sales over the last year.
    In particular, I think there will be a demand for more informational texts for primary age children–both to read alone, and to listen to an adult read aloud.  While children just learning to read need texts that are short with limited vocabulary, they can listen to material much more complex.  Even so, the challenge for authors is that writing short is much harder than writing long.

3.  So what’s new?
    Primary sources: students are being asked to pay much more attention to primary sources, which means that as authors we must show the links to primary sources when we can.
    Back matter –maps, glossary, further reading, bibliographies, fun facts.
    When I asked the art director at my publisher if Core Curriculum had changed the way they designed books she said that the main thing is that they feel freer to have “the kind of back matter that makes a non-specialist reviewer understand the wonderful things the author has done.”
    Teacher guides: Many authors and  publishers are producing detailed guides for their books with questions and topics to discuss that are linked to particular curriculum areas.
    Many publishers are now including in their catalog copy all the relevant Common Core standards for each new book.
    Book proposals: I was asked if I still have to write query letters and proposals for new books.  Yes. The difference is that now, when proposing a new book to publisher, I include a section listing the relevant standards by grade level.
   
4.  Authors still have to write the best books possible.  Common Core won’t change that.
    But the emphasis on quality will reinforce the need to meet the highest standards.
    According to Common Core, the books must
         be worth reading and re-reading
         be well-written
         richly illustrated
    Students and teachers are going to be looking at text and pictures closely, so as authors and illustrators we have to be sure that our books and illustrations are worth a second look.

FICTION OR NONFICTION: What's Best for Your Story? UCLA Extension Writer’s Program, March 1st, 2014

My Writer's Program T-shirt!

Enrollment for Winter Quarter classes in the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program opens November 4, 2013.  I will be teaching a one-day class on Saturday, March 1, 2014: Fiction or Nonfiction, What’s Best for Your Story?  The class will focus on writing for school age children ages 5 to 12.  I have been teaching in the Writer’s Program since 1981 and have the distinction of being in the program the longest of the current instructors!

Here’s a description of the class:
Shaping your idea and turning it into a book just right for your intended audience involves many choices. This workshop will cover both fiction and nonfiction techniques and how to use them to create a book for children that is both fun and informative and just right for the child and just right for you. From picture books to chapter books, we will discuss developing an idea into a framework for a book or article, choosing a point of view, writing lively prose, and conducting research. Special attention will be paid to organizing material; selling your story to trade, school, library, and magazine markets; and editing your work.
Go to the UCLA Extension website for information about enrolling.