I’m so excited that Melody Allen, a
retired librarian who served on the 2007 Sibert Medal committee, has agreed
to share the kid-friendly guidelines she developed for evaluating nonfiction
books based on the ALA’s official criteria. They are perfect for the Sibert Smackdown and other Mock Sibert programs. Thank you, Melody.
 |
| 2007 Sibert Medal and Honor Winners |
I was on the Sibert Medal committee, I read many, many informational books aimed
at children through age 13. Since I did not work directly with children at the
time, I felt it was important to see how young people would respond to books
that impressed me. I met with a fifth grade class over a four month period,
outlining the criteria for the award and listening to the students’ reactions
to the books. At the final session, the
kids enjoyed voting for their winners.
guide the students’ examination of the books in relation to the
official Sibert criteria, I devised a framework called The Three
“D”s—Delight, Design, and Documentation. Here’s the handout I gave students to
help them in their evaluation process:
the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing posts that describe The Three “D”s in detail.
Today, I’ll start with Delight,
which has three components.
of creators for subject
lively writing style
of explanations
book. Here are some questions to expand on the framework:
the book a satisfying reading experience, increasing your interest and expanding
your knowledge of the subject?
the language used vivid, clear, and readable?
you drawn into the book by questions, dramatic moments, and connections to
information and experiences familiar to you?
the information presented so that you felt like a fellow researcher/explorer/scientist/creative
artist/etc. on an exciting journey of discovery?
you sense the author’s enthusiasm for the topic?
that the illustrator as well as the author is recognized by the award. Did you enjoy the visual impact of the
book?
week, I’ll be discussing the second “D”—Design.
Melody Lloyd Allen is a retired
librarian who worked in public libraries and schools, and for 30 years, as the
state children’s services consultant in Rhode Island. She also taught at the
Graduate School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Rhode
Island, the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons
College, and the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons
College. She served on the Caldecott Medal Committee twice and once on the
Sibert Medal Committee.
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5 Responses
Thanks for your insights into the evaluation process! It must be so hard to narrow them down. There are so many excellent nonfiction books to choose from these days!
I love hearing how you involved kids in your process.
This is an interesting series and will help us authors as we write future NF books. Thank you!
Kids are so honest in their opinions but need help to go from "yuck" or "love it" to expressing why they had that reaction.
Definitely the hardest part of the process – trying to select one winning book.