Strong At The Heart

Good news just came in. Strong at the Heart has been chosen for California Collections.

Each year California Readers, a group of educators, librarians, parents, booksellers, authors, illustrators, and business representatives choose one hundred books each for three collections: Elementary School, Middle School and High School.

The purpose is to chose the best books for young readers written by Californians and to assemble them in a list that provides a balanced collection. A librarian who purchased the whole collection would find that fiction, poetry, and a wide spectrum of nonfiction, representing diverse experiences, would all be included.

The criteria are that books in the collections:

— meet the qualifications of excellent literature
— reflect the entire spectrum of curriculum areas in a balanced collection
— focus on the diversity of California population
— illuminate the various California geographical areas and
— raise awareness about issues important to California.

This year Laurence Yep is being honored as the Californian whose books have most often appeared on the list over time. Seven of his novels have been chosen for thirty lists. He, and the rest of us, will be honored at a luncheon in Burbank in February 2007.

You can check out the three lists online.

The books are excellent and so is the overall shape of each collection. This is great company to be in!