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Dear Today Show: Do not piss off children's book authors. They are geeky, they write well, and they have the moral high ground.
This week, the the Today show is learning this lesson. On Monday the American Library Association announced that Clare Vanderpool has won the 2011 Newbery Award, and Erin Stead took the Caldecott Medal. As all GeekMoms are legally and ethically required to know, these two awards are our best navigational aids when sailing in the sea of children's books. They are the North Star.
Each year for the last eleven years the winners have gotten their moment of fame on Today. And of course there is always competing news that the producers must weigh against these appearances. Yet this year, the show declined to even schedule an appearance for the winners.
Instead, in their book segment on Wednesday they interviewed Snooki . Yes, Snooki. She of the hair poof and trashy reality show. She's written (well, hired a ghostwriter to write) a novel about a young woman who hits the clubs. (OK, I have nothing against Snooki personally, though I do greet her with a wall of indifference. She's expressing herself, whatever, go girlfriend. My beef is with Today.)
Some quick things from around the web:
To write a letter of protest to Today and enter a great video contest spurred by the outrage: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators blog.
To get this year's winners on Amazon:
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead
Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
To read about the Today Show's official lack of interest:Young Adult Library Services Association blog
