Congratulations to the 2015 Newbery Medal: Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson. Here is why de la Peña and Robinson’s win is very important to all picture book authors, present and future. (From Tara Lazar’s award-winning blog.)
If you’re seeking to understand the significance of yesterday’s Newbery Medal being awarded to a picture book, grab a cuppa and settle in.
Photo courtesy of author Carter Higgins from AlltheWonders.
Five years ago, The New York Times published an article that caused consternation among picture book creators: “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.” In fact, the words within plunged a dagger directly into our hearts.
Parents have begun pressing their kindergartners and first graders to leave the picture book behind and move on to more text-heavy chapter books. Publishers cite pressures from parents who are mindful of increasingly rigorous standardized testing in schools.
It felt as though No Child Left Behind was leaving we authors and illustrators behind. A children’s bookseller was even quoted as saying that picture books sat languishing on their shelves, dying sad little deaths.
OUCH.
As a parent of young…
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Kids Lit Review 
In being perfectly honest, the only thing I like about this year’s award is that it validates the value of picture books. I have very strong opinions about it otherwise and won’t voice them online :-\
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