Issue 28 Spring 2000 Every Picture Tells a Story Teresa Scragg	Collections under which this       article appears:       Reading       Awards       Y L G

Judging the Carnegie Kate Greenaway Awards is one of the most important roles undertaken by members of the Library Association Youth Libraries Group, and to help this year's judges to prepare for this task, they all came together to Mayfair library in February for a Carnegie Kate Greenaway Seminar. The aim of the seminar was to set the awards process in context and in particular to provide the CKG judges with an opportunity to discuss and consider issues of visual literacy in connection with children's books, particularly focusing on the selection criteria for the Kate Greenaway Award. This should both ensure that the selection process for the CKG medals is as objective as possible, and enable the criteria to be interpreted by the judges in the most effective way.

Annie Everall, this year's Chair of the Youth Libraries Group, and so Chair of the judging panel for 2000, started the proceedings. She spoke of the selection criteria for the Award, and led a brainstorming session about the Unique Selling Points of the Kate Greenaway award, which acknowledged the prestige of the medal, and how highly regarded it is by illustrators.

Liz George, lecturer at The Centre for Language in Primary Education, gave a brilliant presentation about visual literacy and what it means for children in the 21st Century. Using a selection of wonderful books that were very familiar to the group, she demonstrated ways of looking at illustration, and helped to give judges the vocabulary to put their observations and feelings about illustration into words.

Following a practical discussion on a range of picture books from the past which gave the judges the opportunity to practice this 'new' vocabulary and also link their own experiences of using the stories with children, the seminar ended with an illustrator's perspective on the process. Pat Hutchins, who won the Kate Greenaway medal for 1974 with The Wind Blew, spoken about her favourite picture books and gave a very personal insight into what she considers to be outstanding in terms of illustration for children. She paid tribute to Carnegie Kate Greenaway judging panels for the professional way in which they undertake the awards process. She commented that even illustrators have very different views about what is outstanding in terms of illustration. She also felt that these are medals awarded by librarians, and, as such, was important to recognise that in interpreting the criteria, the judges should make their assessment from this perspective.

All in all it was a really brilliant day and, you will be pleased to hear, this seminar is just the start. A training pack is currently being prepared which will be available, probably at a small cost, to local groups and authorities in time for the 2000 nomination and award process. It's likely to include the following:

• Information on the nomination process
• Selection Criteria for both medals
• How to assess books against the criteria
• Ideas for using the pack in training
• List of previous winners
• Follow up information

Our aim is to provide you with the information you need to enable us all to maintain the highest standards for these most prestigious of awards.

If you have any suggestions from your own experience as to other items that you would find helpful to have included in the pack, please contact Teresa Scragg, Carnegie Kate Greenaway Assistant Co-ordinator at tscragg@solihull.gov.uk or telephone 0121 704 8401.