Dr. Smith and Dr. Dunkley with Charles R. Smith, Jr.–2010 CSK Winner

Dr. Henrietta M. Smith and Dr. Cora P.Dunkley with Charles R. Smith, Jr., 2010 Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration.
My People is Mr. Smith’s’ picture book adaptation of Langston Hughes’ famous 1923 poem of the same name:

The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people,
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people,
Beautiful also is the sun,
Beautiful also are the souls of my people.

Photo: Diane Austin. Post: KdlPMc

SLIS at the 2010 ALA Annual Conference

If you are attending the ALA Annual Conference, June 24-29 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C., please come visit USF SLIS at one of these events:

~JV

Dr. Cora P. Dunkley and the Coretta Scott King Award Jury. ALA 2010.

Dr. Cora P. Dunkley serves  on the  2011 jury for the Coretta Scott King Book Award.

She and Dr. Henrietta M. Smith, Professor Emerita, editor of the The Coretta Scott King Awards, 1970-2009, 4th ed., will participate in the CSK Celebration in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday June 29, 2010.

Given to African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions, the Coretta Scott King Book Award titles promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream of a pluralistic society.

The award is designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.

–KdlPMc

Dr. Henrietta M. Smith Featured Speaker at the January Meeting of the Florida Children and Youth Librarians Network

Fresh from a triumphant ALA mid-winter experience with Caldecott Award Committee, Dr. Henrietta M. Smith met on  January 22, 2010 with members of the Florida Children and Youth Librarians Network. Some of those in attendance had participated in a Mock Caldecott with Dr. Smith and were interested in details about the process. During the session the attendees were able to skim the THICK book of notes on titles and descriptive material about the over 500 books that were submitted as contestants.  Rules of procedure during the deliberation were shared, such as the discussion levels, time constraints, confidentiality, and especially the balloting process. From the final nearly 70 books as finalists, the committee chose One winner, Lion and the Mouse illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Jerry Pinkney will go down in Caldecott Award history as the first African American to win the award as an individual and the award is 72 years old!

Dr. Henrietta Smith with Illustrator Jerry Pinkney

Two Honor books were selected: All the World and Red Sings from the Treetops.  Dr. Smith brought for their perusal, the winners as well as a couple of titles that had been heavily discussed. During question and answer time, the attendees were made aware of the need to be able to separate a well done “concept book” from one that is judged for its high quality artistic merit. They were reminded that committee members were advised to study titles of those who wrote texts about judging illustrations in children’s books as a reminder that what looked “pretty” was not enough. The advice ranged from looking at end papers, to tightness of gutters on a double page spread to the use of type fonts and much more. The session closed with remarks that indicated that one never really thought of the depth of responsibility that was wrapped up in being a member of one ALA’s most prestigious award committees – a committee charged with selected the BEST picture book published in the United States in any given year! As is her wont, Dr. Smith included in her presentation, information about the winners of the Coretta Scott King Award, an award with which she has had long association.

-HMS

Dr. Henrietta M. Smith and Dr. Jim Andrews- East Coast Graduation-2009.

Dr. Henrietta Smith to serve on the Caldecott Award Selection Committee

SLIS Professor Emerita, Dr. Henrietta Smith

Dr. Henrietta Smith is a member of the 2010 Caldecott Award Selection Committee.  The Caldecott Medal is named for Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886), a British illustrator best known for his nursery storybooks, including The Babes in the Wood, The Hey Diddle Diddle Picture Book, and Sing a Song of Sixpence. Dr. Smith says of the election to the committee, “I am looking forward to the fun, the hard work the association with other commmittee members and the selection of the best illustrated book for the year 2010.