The Best Award-Winning Children's Books and Powerful Strategies, Tools, and Resources for Using Them in Your Program Presented by Christina Dorr Nationally Award-Winning Librarian, Author and Presenter

K-6 Classroom Teachers, Media Specialists, Librarians, Children’s Librarians in Public Libraries, Library Aides, Reading Specialists, Resource Teachers, Special Education Staff, and Administrators

• The very best, award-winning books of the past five years, matched with dozens of engaging strategies, tools, and resources for ALL areas of your classroom or library program
• On target, honest assessments of awards given to books and many often-missed titles, given the hundreds of awards for children’s books
• Inside information on how major national awards work, as well as the scoop on BRAND NEW BOOKS in the running for the next award cycles
• Receive an extensive digital resource handbook with comprehensive, annotated bibliographies, ready-to-use activities and extensions, and digital tools that will bring these books alive for your students

Practical Ideas and Strategies

In this exciting seminar, award-winning librarian, author, and presenter CHRISTINA DORR shares her insider information on the ins and outs of award committees, list committees, and the world of book reviewing. Christina brings years of practical experience having served on a number of state and national book award committees over the last 20 years, and she regularly reviews for Hornbook Magazine. With hundreds of awards given annually to children’s books, teachers and librarians are keen to select only the best titles to use with their students. Going well beyond simply familiarizing you with the various awards, Christina will introduce you to scores of the most outstanding award-winning children’s books. Join Christina for an energizing and inspiring day full of the very best award-winning books of the last five years, plus a host of strategies and techniques that you can use immediately, successfully and powerfully to integrate these books into your classroom or library program.

Ten Key Benefits of Attending

1. Discover and Preview the Best and Most Overlooked Award Books!
   Learn about the BEST award books of the past five years, including possible FUTURE AWARD WINNERS! … Receive on-target, honest assessments of awards given to books
   
2. Explore Authentic Voices in Today’s Worldwide Book Awards
   With HUNDREDS of children’s book awards (and growing) the sheer number of awards are difficult to stay on top of … Discover awards that allow students to see themselves reflected in books and to discover many phenomenal stories!
   
3. Entice Your Students with Outstanding Books Across Genres and Formats
   There are award books for all sorts of genres and formats … Enhance and refresh your collection of outstanding, high quality titles with the best read-alouds, nonfiction titles, historical fiction, poetry, inclusive titles and more!
   
4. Powerful Ways to Link Great New Books with Reading and Writing
   Explore powerful activities and practical strategies you can use immediately to increase students’ interest, excitement and success with reading and writing
   
5. The Best, Award-Winning Picture Books for Grades K-6!
   We all know the Caldecott, but what about other awards that honor picture books or international award books? … Discover outstanding visual award winners and explore innovative ways to creatively use them in your program
   
6. Encourage Students to Create Their Own Book Awards
   Learn doable ways to build students’ excitement about reading by selecting their own award-winning books … Discover MANY great examples and ideas to support your program
   
7. Discover and Rediscover Overlooked or Forgotten Award Winners
   Christina will lead you in recognizing regional favorites, student favorites and more great books for students that are often overlooked … Entice your young readers and captivate their diverse interests
   
8. Catch Up on the Latest News and Newest Awards
   Hear the latest news from the children’s book publishing world and what this may mean for book awards … Inspire your students with tons of the best award-winning books
   
9. Award Books Your Reluctant Readers Will Love!
   Integrate award books into your teaching in every area … Help your reluctant students build context for the stories and informational text they read
   
10. Receive a Best of the Best Children’s Books Digital Handbook
    You will receive an extensive digital resource handbook filled with comprehensive, annotated bibliographies, ready-to-use activities, and dozens of practical tips, tools and ideas to bring these outstanding books alive for students
    

Outstanding Strategies You Can Use Immediately

• The very best, award-winning books of the past five years, matched with dozens of high interest, engaging strategies, tools, and resources you can use in ALL areas of your classroom or library program
• On-target, honest assessments of awards given to books (rightly and wrongly)
• “Under the radar” award books that will meet the academic needs and interests of all your students
• Ways to strengthen students’ reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills using award books
• How to rejuvenate, expand, and make new connections with your existing repertoire of great literary and informational books
• Practical reading, writing, and illustrating prompts that strengthen students’ responses to literature and analytical skills
• How to get your students reading with comprehension, expression, engagement, and joy using readers’ theater, read alouds, book talks, creative writing, poetry writing, and more!
• Strategies to foster higher order thinking skills that build beautifully upon the assets of award-winning books
• Ideas to regularly integrate award-winning nonfiction read-alouds and titles to increase student learning
• How to promote curiosity, engagement and lifelong learning using the best recent award-winning books

A Message From Your Seminar Leader

Dear Colleague:

Do you remember hiding under the covers in bed and reading with a flashlight when you were younger? That thrill has remained with me since I first learned to read. We all have the same mission today— to inspire young minds to fall in love with reading— to hide under their own blankets to finish reading that perfect book. We know that when we read with engagement, students are pulled into that reading zone where another world is entered, and time stands still.

I have eagerly awaited the winning and honored book titles each year, sometimes being thrilled with the selections, and sometimes scratching my head over them. However, many of the most outstanding books are the ones that did not win the high-profile awards. I love sharing these less well-known award-winning books every bit as much as the “big award” winners. I think you will be amazed, delighted and surprised to discover many of these. When we discuss ways to use these in your program, that will be the frosting on the cake!

With hundreds of different awards given to children’s books annually, keeping track of the best, most high-quality literature for our students can be daunting. But I can help! I have served on award and list committees for over 25 years and written for School Library Journal, Horn Book Magazine, Book Links, School Library Connection, and more. I have also presented on the best children’s and young adult books for many years. I am excited to share with you the very best of these award-winning books, and ideas that I have successfully used to excite my own students about reading, that you can also use in your program.

Though we will examine the best award-winning books from the last five years, we will also look at plenty of BRAND NEW books that will be in the running to win awards this coming year, if my past predictions are any indication. I think we will have a lot of fun complaining about some awards and even arguing with each other about what did or did not win. We will also examine outstanding books that should have been contenders. You will leave knowing dozens of the best award-winning books perfect for your grades K-6 students, and terrific ideas for using them in your classroom or library program.

Sincerely,
Christina Dorr

P.S. Prepare to laugh, have fun and argue politely (but with spirit). I look forward to meeting you at the seminar!

Who Should Attend

K-6 Classroom Teachers, Media Specialists, Librarians, Children’s Librarians in Public Libraries, Library Aides, Reading Specialists, Resource Teachers, Special Education Staff, and Administrators

Special Benefits of Attending

Extensive Resource Handbook
You will receive an extensive digital resource handbook giving you access to countless strategies. The handbook includes:

• Lists and links for HUNDREDS of awards and dozens of fabulous books you will want to have at your fingertips!
• Annotated awards and booklists with author, title and subject indexes
• Use-tomorrow activities for your classroom or library, plus numerous ways to pair titles or create thematic units
• Terrific read-alouds, apps, websites, activities and lesson ideas
• Tips and suggestions for working successfully with students and families— all honed, tested and proven over Christina’s years as an educator
• Bonus reviews of the best award books collated from Christina’s years as an author, reviewer, list committee, and award committee member

Consultation Available
Christina Dorr will be available to answer your specific questions and the unique needs of your own program.

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