CCBCCHOICES1992 KathleenT.Horning,GinnyMooreKruseandMerriV.Lindgren Copyright81993,FriendsoftheCCBC,Inc. Acknowledgements ThankyoutoeachoftheparticipantsinmonthlyCCBCBookDiscussions during1992;toeveryonewhoparticipatedintheannualCCBCCaldecott, NewberyandCorettaScottKingAwardsDiscussionsinDecember,1992; allcontentandotherreviewers;totheCCBCstaff;totheFriendsofthe CCBC,Inc.,forproductionandtoDonaldL.Craryforout-of-state distributionofCCBCCHOICES.CCBCCHOICES1992wasunderwritten inpartbyagiftinmemoryofThedaClarkSmith. CCBCCHOICES1992wasdesignedbyWilliamKasdorfandproducedat Impressions,adivisionofEdwardsBrothers,Inc.,Madison,Wisconsin. ForinformationaboutCCBCpublications,Wisconsinresidentsmaysenda self-addressed,stampedenvelopeto:cooperativeChildren'sBookCenter, 4290HelenC.WhiteHall,SchoolofEducation,UniversityofWisconsin- Madison,600N.ParkStreet,Madison,WI53706.Out-of-stateresidents: inquirec/0FriendsoftheCCBC,Inc.,P.OBox5288,Madison,WI53705. CONTENTS 1.Introduction CommentsonPublishingin1992 ThisEditionofCCBCCHOICES OurProcessforSelectingCCBCCHOICES HowtoLocateBooksinCCBCCHOICES HowtoObtainAnotherCopyofCCBCCHOICES1992 HowtoObtainOtherCCBCPublications TheFriendsoftheCCBC,Inc. 2.History 3.PeopleandPlaces 4.TheNaturalWorld 5.SeasonsandCelebrations 6.IssuesinToday'sWorld 7.UnderstandingOneselfandOthers 8.TheArts 9.Poetry 10.BiographyandAutobiography 11.Folklore,MythologyandTraditionalLiterature 12.ConceptBooks 13.BooksforBabiesandToddlers 14.PictureBooks 15.FictionforChildren 16.FictionforTeenagers 17.NewEditionsofClassicLiterature 18.TheCompilers 19.TheCooperativeChildren'sBookCenter 20.Index 1.INTRODUCTION Publishingin1992 Anabundanceofbookswritten,editedandpublishedespeciallyfor childrenandyoungteenagersisavailablefortheyouthofthisnation.The 1992-1993editionofCHILDREN'SBOOKSINPRINT(R.R.Bowker)cites 81,198books"publishedintheU.S.forchildrenandcurrentlyavailablefor purchase,"aphenomenalincreaseofover8,000titlescomparedtothe samestatisticsoneyearearlier. Weestimatethatatleast4,500newbookswerepublishedintheUnited Statesforchildrenandyoungadultsduring1992.Annualstatistics compiledbyothersourcesarepublishedeveryMarch;thenumberfornew booksalwaysvaries,accordingtowhoiscountingandwhichnewbooks areincludedinthetotals.Oursisaconservativeestimate,excluding reprintsandpaperbackeditionsoftitlespublishedearlier. Ofthe179booksinCCBCCHOICES1992,31representthefirst publishedworksoftheirauthorsorillustrators;21wereoriginallypublished outsidetheUnitedStates,threeofwhicharetranslations;andeightwere publishedbyeightsmall,independentlyownedandoperatedpublishers. Ofthebookswerecommend,112didnotappearonanyoftheother nationallydistributedlistsoftheyear'sbestbooksasofmid-February, 1993. TheSearchforMulticulturalLiterature Theoverallquantityofmulticulturalliterature-booksinprintby,aboutand includingpeopleofcolor-increaseddramaticallyduringthefirstthree yearsofthe1990s.Manyoftheyear'sseasonalpublishinghousecatalogs in1992usedcoverartfromanewmulticulturaltitle.Somepublishing housesissuedaseparatecatalogoftheirmulticulturaltitles,tapping backliststoincludeawiderangeofbooksindicatingdiversityofonekindor another. Wesawanincreaseinthenumberofnewbookswhichweretrulyinclusive intermsofshowingchildrenfromvariedethnicandracialbackgrounds. Thesearechildrenwhoarenotmerely"coloredin"tofitanethnicquota; theyarerealchildrenlivinginarealworldofdiversityandincreasing complexity.LauraDwight'sphoto-essayaboutchildrenwithdisabilities, WECANDOIT!(Checkerboard)isanexcellentexampleoftrue inclusiveness. ThenumbersofbookspublishedeachyearbyAfrican-Americanbook creatorscontinuestoriseslowly.Oftheroughly4,500bookspublishedin theUnitedStatesin1992,94werecreatedbyBlackauthorsand/or illustrators.Thesetitlesrepresenttheworkof78individuals.In1992we choseseveralbooksbyAfrican-Americanauthorsbasedonchildhood reminiscencesaboutgrowingupintheruralSouth,includingDOWNIN THEPINEYWOODS(Knopf)byEthelFootmanSmothers;SHORTCUT (Greenwillow)byDonaldCrews;andWORKINGCOTTON(Harcourt)by SherleyAnneWilliams,withstunningillustrationsbyCaroleByard.Mildred PittsWalter'simportantbookofinformation,MISSISSIPPICHALLENGE (Bradbury),providesamuch-neededhistoricalcontextforthecurrent generationofyouthregardingthepoliticalchangesandsocialprogress African-AmericansintheSouthaccomplishedthroughcomplexorganizing ofthepeoplewhoweredirectlyaffectedbyinstitutionalizedsegregation. Wealsosawanincreaseinthenumberofchildren'sbooksbyNative Americanauthors.ShontoBegay,JosephBruchac,FergusonPlain,and C.J.TayloraresomeoftheNativeauthorsandartistsincludedinCCBC CHOICES1992.ThemostexcitingdevelopmentinNativeAmerican literatureforchildren,inouropinion,isthenewseriesestablishedby LernerPublishingcalled"WeAreStillHere."Thisseries,editedbyW. RogerBuffaloheadandJuanitaG.CorbineEspinosa,focuseson contemporaryNativechildrenengagedintraditionalactivities.Thefirst threevolumespublishedin1992featureOjibway,WampanoagandTewa childrenincolorphoto-essayswrittenbyOjibway,WampanoagandTewa authorsrespectively.WecommendLernerPublishingfortheirsensitivityto thesecultures,demonstratedbytheirwillingnesstoinvolveNativewriters andeditorsinthecreationofthesebooks.Otherphoto-essaysfeaturing contemporaryNativechildrenincludeDianeHoyt-Goldsmith'sARCTIC HUNTER(HolidayHouse)andABOYBECOMESAMANATWOUNDED KNEE(Walker)byTedWoodandWanbliNumpaAfraidofHawk. Althoughchildren(andevenelephants!)"playingIndian"continueto proliferateinnewlypublishedpicturebooksandnovels,thesephoto- essaysaboutrealchildrenareatleastastartinhelpingtocounteract hurtfulstereotypicalimagesthatseemtobeentrenchedinournation's popularculture,aswellasitsbooks. ItisstilldifficulttofindpicturebooksandnovelsaboutAsian-Americanand Latinochildren.SomeofthefewbookswedorecommendaboutLatino childrenarethepicturebooksABUELITA'SPARADISE(Whitman)by CarmenSantiagoNodarandONAHOT,HOTDAY(Greenwillow)byNicki Weiss.GarySotocontinuestoprovidethebulkofLatinofictionandpoetry forchildrenintheearly1990s:THESKIRT(Delacorte)isashortnoveland NEIGHBORHOODODES(Harcourt)isacollectionofpoetrynottobe missed. Therearevery,veryfewtitlesaboutcontemporaryAsianorAsian- Americanchildren.MostofwhatgetspublishedfromoraboutAsian culturesiseitherhistoricalorfolklore(or,mostoften,both).ClaudiaMills' AVISITTOAMY-CLAIRE(Macmillan),withillustrationsbySheila Hamanaka,standsoutasacontemporarypicturestoryfeaturingAsian- Americangirlswhocouldbechildrenofanyrace. TheSearchforSubstantialFiction Wenotewithregretagainthisyearthatveryfewsubstantial(oreven above-average)novelsforolderchildrenandyoungadultswerepublished intheU.S.A.in1992.Fictionwhichcanchallengetheintellectsaswellas movetheheartsofyoungreadersisdifficulttofind.Dynamicfictionis scarce. SomeoftheexcitingfictionfirstpublishedintheU.S.in1992includes DOWNINTHEPINEYWOODS(Knopf)byEthelFootmanSmothers, LETTERSFROMASLAVEGIRL(Scribner's)byMaryLyons SOMEWHEREINTHEDARKNESS(Scholastic)byWalterDeanMyers, TASTEOFSALT(Orchard)byFrancesTempleandWORDSOFSTONE (Greenwillow)byKevinHenkes. BooksFirstPublishedinEnglishinOtherNations Wecontinuetodiscoversomeofthemoreinnovativefictionintitles acquiredbyU.S.publishersfromtheircounterpartsinotherEnglish- speakingnations.WeappreciatethenovellaAJEEMAHANDHISSON (HarperCollins)writtenbyJamesBerrywholivesinEnglandandthe excitingbookUNDERRUNNERS(Viking)byMargaretMahy.THE LEAVING(Philomel),asuperbcollectionofshortfictionbyCanadianwriter BudgeWilson,deservesattention. Weappreciategenuinepicturebooks;occasionallysuchbooksarealso trulyhumorousasisFARMERDUCK(Candlewick),acollaborationfrom EnglandbywriterMartinWaddellandartistHelenOxenbury.Thewitin TonyBlundell'sBEWAREOFBOYS(Greenwillow)alsostandsoutduring 1992. Recentyearshaveseenseveralanthologiestobenefitacause.Such projectsdonotalwaysmeasureuptotheexpectationscreatedby promotion;however,theOxfambookSOUTHANDNORTH,EASTAND WEST(Candlewick)isa"benefitbook"worthnoticing,inthatthefolktales collectedfortheprojectoriginatedinnationsandculturesaboutwhichvery littleisusuallypublishedforchildreninthiscountry. TranslatedChildren'sBooks Thestatusoftranslatedchildren'sbooksrightnowlooksgrim,atleastin thisnation.Throughout1992wefoundonlyahandfultranslatedbooksof substantiallengthoriginallywritteninlanguagesotherthanEnglishand subsequentlyacquiredbyU.S.publishersforpublicationintheU.S.A.We wereunabletoscheduletheannualCCBCBatchelderAwardBook DiscussioninDecember,1992,duetoalackofbooksforaneveningof discussion.Thescarcityoftranslatedbooksrepresentsaseriousconcern foranynationpreparingitsyouthtoliveandworkintheglobalcommunity. THEANIMALS(McElderry),anelegantlyproducedvolumeofpoetrybythe JapanesepoetMichioMado,representsthefirsttranslationintoEnglishof worksforchildrenbyapopularandrespectedpoetinhisownnation.Pija Lindenbaum'spicturebookfromSweden,BOODILMYDOG(Holt),offers chuckleswhicheasilycrosstheAtlantic.AMexicanchildactivistis featuredinSAVETHERAINFOREST(Volcano),abookthatalso originatedinSweden. BiographiesandAutobiographies Handsomeproductionaccompaniesexcellentdocumentationinthe biographyofJohnF.KennedyTWILIGHTSTRUGGLE(Lothrop)by BarbaraHarrisonandDanielTerris.Illustratedeasy-to-readbiographies appearwithgreaterfrequencyintheseyears;JamesMarshallsetthe standardwithhisautobiographicalpicturebooks,thelatestofwhichis DON'TYOUKNOWTHERE'SAWARON?(Greenwillow). Therearecomparativelymoreautobiographiesbyauthorsandartistsof children'sbooks;THEMOONANDI(Messner)byBetsyByarsis exemplaryinthatshecraftedasuperiorpieceofwritingthroughher developmentofanoriginalliteraryshapeforherownstory. OtherBooksofInformation Nonfictionbooksareoftenpublishedaspartofaseriesandaretoooften