Each year a California Readers' committee reviews over 500 books, all written or illustrated by California authors and artists. Each of the three committees representing teachers and library staff from California elementary, middle, and high schools select 100 fiction and nonfiction books that they believe will create balanced school library collections and support classroom curriculums. The books are judged for general excellence in their genre and their appeal to children and young adults.
Said Candy Dardarian, Chairman of the Elementary California Collections Committee for California Readers, "My colleagues and I are proud of the distinguished new 2012 California Collections. The announcement of the list each year encourages publishers nationwide to publish talented California authors and artists and inspires young readers to support local talent. These collections play a vital role in stimulating the reading, writing, speaking, and illustrating skills of young Californians.
Karla Forbes, President of California Readers, explained, "These three collections of books should be the first purchase of books for school libraries in all of California's schools. They should be a high priority purchase for all school libraries in the United States. When these collections are used in implementing the Ed Pert Award, students become intimately familiar with local authors and encourage these talented writers and artists to come to our schools and work directly with the kids."
The other members of the 2012 California Collections committee have many years of teaching and library experience: Laura Graff, a teacher librarian at Sun Valley High School, chairs the High School Committee; Fran Oberman a retired English teacher who spent 38 years working in high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District and currently oversees new teachers for the California State University of Northridge, chairs the Middle School Committee; and Candy Dardarian, a retired teacher from Harding Elementary School, chairs the Elementary School Committee.
These 77 books, all published within the past 12 months, are new to the California Collections lists:
A MANGO IN THE HAND
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