PULMAN, Wash.– A purple dinosaur, a grinning cat, a cow jumping over the moon. Children’s books use irresistible cover art to lure customers, but there’s one sure sign of a quality book: The metallic Newbery Medal seal. For 86 years, teachers and parents have relied on the wisdom of the Newbery judges to separate the ordinary from the awesome.
Judges for the 2009 medal include Sarah French, head of Washington State University’s Brain Education Library. She is among 15 librarians who will be reading piles of books recommended by their peers in order to determine the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children in the previous year.
Granted by the American Library Association since 1922, the John Newbery Medal is named after an 18th century English bookseller.
“It’s huge,” said French. “This is the most prestigious award given to what is perceived to be the finest piece of children’s literature in a given yearthough that doesn’t necessarily equate to the most popular.”
In other words, many best-sellers don’t bear the Newbery seal. So while author Anne Brashare’s “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series was flying off the bookshelves, the 2008 medal winner was “Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village” by Laura Amy Schlitz. (There are no “runners up” in the Newbery competition, although judges are free to bestow honor awards in addition to the medal.)
French was “totally surprised” by the appointment to the panel, which followed her participation in a workshop on how to evaluate children’s books. “The speakers were internationally known experts, people whose articles I’ve read. It became clear they were evaluating us, handing down their knowledge to less experienced librarians.”
The daughter of an English professor and an artist, French started reading at age 3 and grew up surrounded by books. After working as a child and family therapist, school counselor, talented and gifted coordinator, independent school administrator, and early childhood researcher, she added a graduate degree in library and information science to the mix.
She joined the WSU Libraries faculty in 2006. Her responsibilities at Brain Library include collection development, library instruction, research and reference assistanceand the occasional book reading for visiting youngsters.
“Sarah is at the top of her profession,” said Judy Nichols Mitchell, dean of the WSU College of Education. “Her appointment to the Newbery panel confirms the high quality of the assistance she provides to our students and faculty. She’s a great asset to our college.”
More information about the Newbery Medal is available at https://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberymedal.cfm
