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>From Tx-yac
FYI,
Amanda at CTLS
Forwarded by Request.
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The Texas Library Association and the Bluebonnet Award Committee extend
an invitation to all home schooled students of Texas to participate in
the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Since 1981 when Beverly Cleary was selected
as the first award-winning author, the Bluebonnet Award has been one of
the nation's most prestigious reading incentive programs. Traditionally,
this program has been administered in public and private schools for
students in 3rd through 6th grades. With the help of public librarians,
we now hope to reach our home schooled students.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) reading program encourages Texas
children to read, explore a variety of current literature, develop
powers of discrimination, and select their favorite book. The award
process provides librarians, teachers, parents, and writers with insight
into young students' reading preferences. It also affords an opportunity
to honor and encourage authors who create imaginative and appealing
books for children.
Public libraries have always been an integral part of the Bluebonnet
program by purchasing the titles, making the list available to patrons,
and encouraging students to read the books. Now, we are asking public
librarians to become more involved by registering for the TBA program
and providing a voting place for those home schooled students who
frequent the library and who are completing work equivalent to 3rd
through 6th grades. Participating students must read a minimum of five
books from the current TBA Master List before they may vote for their
favorite title in January. Librarians and parents are urged to build
interest by reading some of the books aloud.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee, comprised of ten librarians and
the TBA Coordinator, selects the TBA Master List each year. TBA
Committee members are public and school librarians who are selected from
each of the ten TLA Districts; therefore, they represent the state
geographically. The TBA Committee members are responsible for the
administration of the program.
The Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee is responsible for selecting the
books on each year's Master List. Any interested person may suggest book
titles for consideration by the TBA Committee. A new list of 20 books is
prepared and released each November. When selecting titles, the
committee considers student interests, appropriate content, reputable
reviews, literary quality, and reading level. Both fiction and
nonfiction books are represented. The author must be a living U.S.
citizen or an author who resides in the United States. The books must
have been published in the U.S. within the last three years. Textbooks,
new editions, and abridgements are not eligible.
For home schooled students, voting will be conducted in their registered
public library and will be directed by the person coordinating the
program in the library. Voting materials and instructions will be mailed
to the libraries in December. Any appropriate date in January can be
selected as voting day. The library's official vote totals must be
submitted electronically to TLA by January 31. Students are eligible to
vote if:
. The public library is registered for the current year.
. Students are in the 3rd through 6th grades or the
equivalent
for home-schooled students as determined by their parents.
. Students have read or heard read at least five of the
current Master List titles.
The author of the book receiving the most votes statewide is the
recipient of the Texas Bluebonnet Award. The Bluebonnet Medal is
presented to the winning author at the Bluebonnet Luncheon held annually
at the Texas Library Association Conference. Over 2000 librarians,
authors, publishers, and others who love the TBA program attend the
luncheon
The Bluebonnet Committee invites ten children from around Texas to
attend the luncheon each year. We've heard that this event is a
highlight of their young lives. We want all Texas students to have the
opportunity to join the excitement of this special day.
Just as we encourage school librarians to submit a child's name, we hope
the librarian from each registered public library will submit a Student
Participation Entry Form. Each application will then be placed with all
other submissions from the same TLA District for the random drawing held
in October. Any Student Participant who lives outside a 50-mile radius
of the TLA conference center will be eligible to apply for a travel
stipend based on individual need.
The TBA Committee has received many positive comments from public
librarians about this new avenue of participation. We will begin
including home schooled students in April 2003, which is the beginning
of the 2003-2004 Bluebonnet year. More information about the Texas
Bluebonnet Award program can be found on the TLA/TBA web site at
www.txla.org/groups/tba/index.html
<http://www.txla.org/groups/tba/index.html>.
We hope everyone interested in students and reading will share our
excitement and will assist us in making this new endeavor successful.
The TBA Committee welcomes your suggestions and comments as well as your
support in the initial stages of implementation. How can the inclusion
of home schooled students in the Texas Bluebonnet Award be anything but
a great success? How can we miss when we combine a tremendously
successful reading program, great books, students, and librarians?
That's a winning combination if there ever was one!
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