ALA NOTABLE DISCUSSION LIST: Comfort Included

Fellow North Carolina author, Clay Carmichael notified me that both her WILD THINGS and my COMFORT are being discussed for inclusion in the American Library Association Notable Children's Books Discussion List.

Which means it would be fun to be a literary-minded fly on the wall at the Annual ALA Conference in Chicago in July. Wouldn't I love to hear the committee hashing out the strengths and weaknesses of Comfort! Trying to decide if it fits the criteria. For that matter, I'd love to hear how each of the 20 titles on the list fill the bill. I would learn so much that would help me with my writing!

There will be another wave of books discussed later in the year which means the competition gets even stiffer. But for now, it feels A-OK to know that Comfort is undergoing the scrutiny of savvy librarians.

And what exactly will those librarians be looking for?

NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
CRITERIA (from ALA webpage)

Notable is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, the term "notable" includes books for all age levels through age 14) of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry, folklore, and picture books that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

The evaluation criteria to be used are:
1. Literary quality
2. Originality of text and illustration
3. Clarity and style of language
4. Excellence of illustration
5. Excellence of design and format
6. Clarity of organization and accuracy of information
7. Subject matter of interest and value to children
8. The likelihood of acceptance by children.
(Board Action, June 1977

As Clay said, "Fingers and toes crossed for both of us!" Please!