RESEARCH General Humanities

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE
New prize to recognize best books for 'transitional readers'

Andrea Lynn, Humanities & Social Sciences Editor
(217) 333-2177; a-lynn@uiuc.edu

5/1/03

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Like the fictional ugly ducking, there is an area of literature for children that has been overlooked. In the trade, that area is called "transitional reading."

Despite being crucial to the successful transition of children from picture-book viewers to new readers, transitional reading "doesn’t receive the critical recognition it deserves," says Janice Del Negro, who should know.

Del Negro is the director of the Center for Children’s Books (CCB), a special research collection of recent and historical books for youth located at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

According to Del Negro, children’s literature awards tend to go to material for older readers, "simply because the age range is so wide. It is very difficult for an easy chapter book to compete with an Avi or a Nancy Farmer, for example."

Also, despite the fact that transitional literature is crucial to the newly reading child, "the material isn’t as obviously intricate as works for older readers."
Because of this oversight, Del Negro and her colleagues at the CCB and GSLIS have established "The Gryphon Award for Children’s Literature." It is considered to be the first such award of its kind.

The Gryphon Award, a $1,000 prize, will be given annually to the author of an outstanding English language work of fiction or nonfiction for which the primary audience is children in kindergarten through grade 4. The title chosen, the award committee said, will "best exemplify those qualities that successfully bridge the gap in difficulty between picture books and full-length books."
The first winning title of the Gryphon Award will be announced on March 1, 2004.

The gryphon, also spelled griffin, is a mythological symbol – part eagle, part lion – which represents the characteristics of loyalty, bravery, strength and penetrating vision. "Ancient cultures believed the gryphon had an instinct for finding treasure, so you might say we are looking for some transitional treasure here," Del Negro said.

Selection criteria for the Gryphon Award include excellence of presentation for target audience; distinctive literary quality and appropriateness of style; for nonfiction, the presentation of information including accuracy, clarity and organization; and exceptional integration of text, illustration and design.

Great transitional books in the past, Del Negro said, include Eileen Christelow’s "What Do Illustrators Do?" Charlotte Graeber’s "Nobody’s Dog," Jesse Haas’ "Runaway Radish," Simon James’ "Days Like This: A Collection of Small Poems" and Shelley Thomas’ "Good Night, Good Knight."

For more information regarding the award, sponsored by the CCB at GSLIS, contact Del Negro at (217) 244-9304 or visit the CCB Web site.