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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marilyn Courtot CLCD Company, LLC (301) 469-2070 marilyn@childrenslit.com Bethesda MD - March 7, 2003 - Children's Literature, dedicated to promoting literacy and enthusiasm for reading among children, is pleased to present its annual Choice List. This national book award recognizes 150 children's books of excellence chosen from the 4,000 books read by its team of reviewers in 2002. The reviewers include librarians, editors, children's book authors, teachers, and children's literature specialists. In recommending titles, the reviewers take into consideration a number of factors: exceptional writing, the creativity of the storyline in books of fiction, the factual accuracy in nonfiction and historical fiction, the age appropriateness of the subject matter, the freshness of the themes, the originality brought to known stories, and the relevance to the lives of today's children. The list is divided into six categories that are comprised of five age level groupings that include both fiction and nonfiction, and a separate category for poetry. In the category of books for children age three and younger, eight sets of books were named; among them are Olivier Dunrea's Gossie and Gossie and Gertie (Houghton Mifflin). What's better than a pair of red boots? Gossie discovers it is finding a friend who shares her passion. Kevin Henkes captures a child's thoughts and actions perfectly in Owen's Marshmallow Chick (Greenwillow/HarperCollins). Construction workers create a bridge but only after rescuing a turtle in Don Carter's Get to Work, Trucks! (Roaring Brook/Millbrook Press). Thirty-five books were named in the picture book category for children ages four to eight. Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming ( Holt) features a clever choice of verbs as little mouse builds the alphabet. An amusing A to Z of garbage is found in I Stink! by Kate and Jim McMullan (Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins). This year's list includes some old, traditional tales that sparkle with fresh illustrations: Noah's Ark by Jerry Pinkney, (SeaStar Books/North-South), The Spider and the Fly illustrated by Tony Di Terlizzi (Simon & Schuster), and This is The House That Jack Built by Simms Taback (Putnam). Children ages five to ten will discover fabulous nonfiction as well as fiction among the thirty-seven books selected in the list of Short Books or Picture Books with More Text Than Usual for Younger Readers. There are a number of wonderful picture book biographies this year. When Marian Sang, a moving portrait of singer Marian Anderson, by Pam Muņoz Ryan (Scholastic Press) beautifully blends the text with illustrations by Brian Selznick. Space pioneers soar in To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Wendie Olds (Clarion/Houghton) and Talkin' About Bessie by Nikki Grimes (Orchard/Scholastic), the story of Bessie Coleman. Patriotism abounds in books such as The Declaration of Independence by Sam Fink (Scholastic Reference) in which Fink's cartoons and commentary provide insight into this great American document. Bill Martin, Jr. has teamed up with Michael Sampson to create I Pledge Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance with Commentary (Candlewick). Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman (Putnam) presents its history, its rescue from the scrap heap and its usefulness on Sept. 11, 2001. The nineteenth-century folk-hero firefighter, Mose Humphreys, is brought to life through Mary Pope Osborne's tall tale telling and Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher's illustrations in New York's Bravest (Knopf/Random House). The group of longer books with more sophisticated themes for middle readers ages eight to twelve is comprised of thirty-six titles. Orphans from a wide range of time periods are the heroes of many of the top books published this past year. Avi's Crispin: The Cross of Lead (Hyperion), which won the Newbery Medal, is set in the Middle Ages. In a smooth translation from the German, The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (The Chicken House/ Scholastic) takes the reader to Venice, Italy in a story full of twists and turns that mimic its magical carousel. Saffy's Angel (McElderry/Simon & Schuster) by Hilary McKay is a hilarious adventure peppered with zany, unconventional individuals. Thirteen-year-old Saffron who, upon learning she was adopted, is determined to go to Italy to find a stone angel she played with as a baby. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House) presents a heroine with a tough exterior but inwardly longing for a family. Steve Jenkins contributes to high quality nonfiction with Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution (Houghton), while Fossil Fish Found Alive: Discovering the Coelacanth by Sally Walker (Carolrhoda Books/Lerner) provides a fascinating account of the discovery in 1938 of a fish thought to be extinct. It is a marvelous presentation of the scientific process as well as a great mystery. Twenty-eight books were named in the young adult category. Several historical fiction, including Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch (Holt), a riveting account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire by a sixteen year-old Irish immigrant. Postcards From No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers (Dutton/ Penguin Putnam) brings the past and present together in a multilayered and moving work about Jacob Todd who goes to Amsterdam in search of his grandfather's experiences in World War II. A vividly written, complex science fiction/fantasy, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster) presents a young clone struggling to find his place in a world that reviles him. Well-crafted nonfiction shares the limelight. The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin (Clarion/Houghton) is a wonderfully researched in-depth study of the psyche of one of the most notorious figures in history. This Land Was Made for You and Me by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking/Penguin Putnam) is a well-documented biography of the troubled life of Woody Guthrie, America's best known folk singer and composer, and champion of the poor. Eight books were honored in the poetry category. Among them are titles for all ages, such as Summersaults by Douglas Florian (Greenwillow/HarperCollins), who celebrates the joys of summer and Peacock and Other Poems (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) in which Valerie Worth's observations of the ordinary make each item seem extraordinary. In 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East Naomi Shihab Nye (Greenwillow/HarperCollins) presents a cultural viewpoint very much in the news these days for young adults. Also for older readers is The Body Eclectic compiled by Patrice Vecchione (Holt) presenting classic and new voices drawn from all cultures on the subject of the human body. The Children's Literature web site contains the complete Children's Literature Choice List 2003. To reach the web site, access www.childrenslit.com and select the Awards and Prizes menu item. For more information contact Marilyn Courtot, toll free at 800 469 2070.
About the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
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