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Guest columnist Virginia McKee: Newbery award meets the strictest standards
Sunday, January 31, 1999 By Virginia McKee
Guest columnist Virginia McKee is chairwoman of the 1999 Newbery Award Committee and is youth services coordinator of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. The Newbery and Caldecott awards will be announced tomorrow at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.
Movies are awarded Oscars, and songs are given Grammys. For children's books, there are the Newbery Medal for writing and the Caldecott for illustrations.
The first Newbery was given to Hendrik Willem van Loon for his 1921 book "The Story of Mankind," which has been reissued this year. As evidence of the award's influence, all of the 78 winners remain in print.
But who picks these winners? Fifteen children's librarians, that's who.
They are members of the American Library Association; they work in school libraries; they teach children's literature; they work in public libraries. Seven of the committee members and the committee chair are elected by the membership of the Association for Library Service to Children.
The remaining seven members are appointed by the president of this division of the ALA. The committee members come together from across the country during the ALA's Midwinter Meeting to select the one book published in 1998 that deserves to be called "the most distinguished book for children."
How does a book achieve this high honor?
The committee spends the year reading the 1,000-1,500 eligible books, which are the ones written by an American citizen or resident for children through age 14. And their pick must be "distinguished."
There is much talk about what makes a book distinguished. According to the committee's definition, a book is noted for significant achievement, "marked by excellence in quality" and is individually distinct. The committee examines each of the titles on the list and discusses the qualities in each title that make it reach the highest standards.
After 10 to 12 hours of intense discussion, the committee votes and the winner is selected.
The voting process is very specific. Each committee member votes for three books. The first-place books receive four points, second-place three and third, two. The winner must receive eight first choices or 32 points, and it must have an eight-point lead over the second-highest.
If that eight-point gap isn't achieved, the committee goes back into discussion and ballots again until that clear winner is selected.
No one outside the committee is told how the winner was eventually reached. The committee's rules state that members will treat the committee's work as confidential.
When asked, committee members simply smile and nod their heads, for we never disclose the why and the how of the selection. We have spent the year reading the books that were eligible. We have talked about the books. We have listened to the other members. We have asked for thoughts from others who enjoy reading children's books.
Librarians love this award and the companion award for illustration, the Caldecott, for several reasons. This love, however, allows for disagreement. Not everyone agrees with the selection. Why that book? What is the distinguishing quality? Why continue this 78-year-tradition?
Children's librarians want to continue to recognize the outstanding quality that exists in books for children. We want to give authors and illustrators recognition for their efforts. The winners continue to be read by children as they seek out the best in books.
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