Karen Breen, 2008 Caldecott chair, presented the Caldecott Honor:

• to Laura Vaccaro Seeger for First the Egg, published by Roaring Brook Press/Neal Porter Books
• to Kadir Nelson for Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story of the Underground Railroad, written by Ellen Levine, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic
• to Mo Willems for Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, published by Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Book Group
• to Peter Sis for The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, published by Frances Foster Books/Farrar Strauss Giroux

Breen presented the 2008 Caldecott Award to Brian Selznick for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic.

Selznick began his speech as he began the book, with a stunning visual delight, taking us on a journey to Paris where a young man lay asleep until the phone startled him awake. Selznick’s illustrations (created especially for this occasion) were displayed on the big screen with dramatic musical soundtrack. The illustrations told the story of Selznick being informed that he would receive this award, with Hugo representing Selznick, traveling from Paris back to the very Hilton where we sat watching. Here Randolph Caldecott rode by on a horse in a flurry of excitement, and that image of the iconic award namesake became the medal on the cover of Selznick’s book. Bravo!

Several years ago, Selznick was feeling dissatisfied with his work when he had the opportunity to meet Maurice Sendak, who informed Selznick that he hadn’t come close to reaching his full potential. Selznick undertook an unofficial apprenticeship to Sendak, unbeknownst to the master. Selznick also found inspiration in the work of Remy Charlip, the author and illustrator of one of Selznick’s childhood favorites, Fortunately. Selznick had the good fortune to meet and become friends with Charlip, and they had many discussions about books and art and movies. Selznick says that beautiful little coincidences inspire his work, one of which is that Charlip turned out to also be a fan of Meliese’s Trip to the Moon, a great source of inspiration to Selznick.

Selznick had a flash of inspiration, desiring to make a book that read like a movie, as Where the Wild Things and Fortunately do. The secret, he says, is in the page turns – only the reader can move the story forward.

Selznick reminded us that, regardless of anything else, of the fanfare of these awards, kids want good books and that’s what we as librarians are in the business of doing.

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Nina Lindsay, chair of the 2008 Newbery committee, presented the Newbery Honor:

• to Christopher Paul Curtis for Elijah of Buxton, published by Scholastic Press, a division of Scholastic
• to Jacqueline Woodson for Feathers, published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
• to Gary D. Schmidt for The Wednesday Wars, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin

Lindsay presented the Newbery Award to Laura Amy Schlitz for Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, illustrated by Robert Byrd, published by Candlewick Press.

Schlitz was visibly overwhelmed by the thrill of the evening, but delivered her eloquent, witty speech from memory. She is a storyteller and held the audience in the palm of her hand the entire time.

I so enjoyed this evening, much more than I have some past years. It was my pleasure to listen to these two master storytellers, as different as they are brilliant.