SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

July 6, 2013 by Travis Jonker

Instagramming ALA Annual 2013: Part III

July 6, 2013 by Travis Jonker   9 comments

Click here for Part I
Click here for Part II

Here’s how Sunday went: Caldecott committee meeting, website advisory committee meeting, Newbery Caldecott Wilder Banquet time. This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Caldecott, so folks were encouraged to incorporate their favorite Caldecott winner into their clothing choices. For me, that meant opening my closet and reverse-engineering an outfit.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

“Okay, what article of clothing do I have that could in some way be associated with a Caldecott book? Do I own a taxadermied lion mask? No. Maybe I could sit on a giant red exercise ball all night? Hmm – bad idea. Ooh! Tie with sea turtles on it! Flotsam! Yes!”

If you’re interested in seeing some people who did a much better job of dressing than I, the ALSC Blog has a gallery of attendees. Click here to check it out.

As for the banquet itself, I quote Jarrett J. Krosoczka:

This is true. I may have captured some of them here:

One of the cool things about the banquet is seeing the program. Each year it incorporates the Caldecott winning book. This time out they  did a velum-covered This Is Not My Hat number that turned out very nice.

After mingling, dinner got rolling. This was the best part.

I tried to eat the marzipan Caldecott medal. Word to the wise: don’t try to eat the Caldecott medal. Stick to the chocolate dome and you’ll be good.

After dinner, the speechifying began with our Caldecott winner Jon Klassen. Before he got up to the mic, I mentioned to someone at my table that it was weird to see Mr. Klassen without a hat. Should’ve known. Once he got to the podium, he pulled out a Chicago Blackhawks cap and put it on. The crowd approved.

It was a beautiful speech. Funny, smart, touching. Eyes welled. Laughs were expelled. You could tell the medal meant a lot.

Up next, Newbery winner Katherine Applegate.

Her speech was memorable for so many reasons, but the most notable was because Applegate read a passage from one of her books. No, it wasn’t a solemn, weighty quote – in a genius move, Applegate read from one of the slightly tawdry romance novels she wrote. It was a moment of glorious self-deprecation that had the crowd rolling. But things did turn poignant, when she talked about the potential in every child.

Every other year of the Newbery/Caldecott Banquet, you get a bonus – the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award winner also speaks. This year’s Wilder winner was Katherine Paterson.

Yeah. Pretty solid pick.

It was nice to hear a legend like Paterson reflect on her lengthy, and prolific career. And it’s still swinging.

After the banquet, there was only one thing left to do.

Ride off into the sunset.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Moms Ride: A Q&A with Ishita Jain on Midnight Motorbike

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel | Review

by Esther Keller

Heavy Medal

Our Mock Newbery List is Up to 52 Titles

by Steven Engelfried

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Cover Reveal: Maple for the People by Kate McGovern

by Amanda MacGregor

The Yarn

How Colby Sharp Celebrates Reading with Students

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

6 Picture Books All About Dad

23 Titles to Welcome Little Ones Back to School

9 Titles to Learn About Juneteenth

Life During Wartime: 16 Untold World War II Stories | Great Books

4 Books for the 4th (July 4th, That Is!)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sondy says

    July 6, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    Sigh. Such a good banquet.

    I kept wondering during the rest of the conference if anybody stole Jon Klassen’s hat. I was sorely tempted when I saw him signing books the next day. It seemed so appropriate. Only, I didn’t want to get eaten. And I am smaller than he is.

  2. Monica Edinger says

    July 6, 2013 at 3:49 pm

    I ate the whole dang Caldecott medal on my dessert plate and swear that it was white chocolate (which I love) and not marzipan (which I detest).

    • Travis Jonker says

      July 6, 2013 at 7:44 pm

      My white chocolate/marzipan detection skills are obviously lacking!

      • Sondy says

        July 6, 2013 at 9:48 pm

        Yeah, I wasn’t going to say, but mine was yummy. Not as good as the chocolate domes, though. Mmm. I’m salivating….

  3. Bina says

    July 9, 2013 at 4:39 pm

    I asked Jon Klassen about his Caldecott/BlackHawks hat because I noticed writing all over it. The Caldecott Committee gave HIM a hat, in fact, this hat!

    • Bina says

      July 9, 2013 at 4:39 pm

      Oh and they all signed it!

      • Sondy says

        July 9, 2013 at 5:37 pm

        What a wonderful thing to do!

    • Travis Jonker says

      July 9, 2013 at 9:46 pm

      Thanks for your comment – I saw signatures and I was wondering who’s they were.

  4. Nina Lindsay says

    July 24, 2013 at 8:27 pm

    If you want to see Travis at the end of the evening, check out http://redcarpetinterviews.blogspot.com/2013/07/travis-jonker.html

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025