The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books-Website Review
The Bulletin is one such journal organization among many for professionals, parents or patrons to use. It was founded in 1945 and has served as a resource for selecting books for children. It is published almost 12 times a year by the Johns Hopkins University Press for the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 11 people make up The Bulletin reviewing staff, some of who are professors and librarians with a variety of social backgrounds and educational experiences. Deborah Stevenson, the Editor of The Bulletin has held the position since 1989. In the initial page of the website, there is a video which provides a glimpse into what a session looks like at the BCCB. Stevenson says she enjoys discussing books with her staff because it is a positive high-energy environment in which everyone can collaborate, challenge each other and have critical discussions about books.
Upon arriving to the website for BCCB, it looks very simple and plain with a cream yellow background and simple heading. There is a short welcome section on the main page with an overview of their purpose as well as a paragraph about their highlighted book of the month. For January the reviewers have selected, This Bridge Will Not Be Gray by Dave Eggers and illustrated by Tucker Nichols, which is a true account of how the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco received its unusual color. There is a small picture to the left of the screen of the book’s cover. Also included on the left side of the page is a link to the 2015 Blue Ribbons, Bulletin Stars (which are stars of the month), and a Bulletin Quote of the Month to provoke critical thinking and analysis. This month’s quote by Mindy McGinnis (A Madness so Discreet) states, “It’s a madness so discreet that it can walk the streets and be applauded in some circles, but it is madness nonetheless.”
The main page also features an Archives and Awards List featuring the Bulletin Homepage and Blue Ribbons Archive. I clicked on the Blue Ribbons Archive and browsed the dates starting from 1990. Blue Ribbons are given by BCCB Reviewers annually for books from the previous year they deem notable. The categories for winners are picture books, fiction, folklore, poetry, and non-fiction. Some years see a multitude of books chosen and often there is a “Dissent” list printed for books the reviewers would have liked to have made the list but didn’t. I scrolled through a lot of the lists and immediately started making mental notes of a lot of books I had never heard or read based on their descriptions.
When BCCB does reviews, there is an explanation on its site for what the codes stand for in the summaries. An asterisk (*) denotes books of special distinction, R=Recommended, Ad=Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area, M=Marginal book that is slight in content or has a lot of weaknesses in style or format that it should be given careful consideration before purchase, NR=Not Recommended, SpC=Subject matter or treatment will tend to limit the book to specialized collections, and SpR=A book that will have appeal for the unusual reader only. It is recommended for the special few who will read it.
The Bulletin has a special feature for people who like to give books as gifts for special occasions. It is featured on the main page titled under the 2015 Guide Book to Gift Books. You can click on the link and look through about 300 of the best annotated books for free. You can search by age group, author, title, publisher, and the price. BCCB advertises that you can even use the guide on a smart phone. I personally like this feature because I always think the value of great literature can’t be underscored enough. I enjoy giving books as gifts to friends or family with kids. I love the variety of books they review and it really gives options beyond popular titles and awards, but the one downside is that you have to have a subscription to the BCCB. However, for individuals it is relatively inexpensive at $55 a year for print issues and about 150 dollars for print and online versions a year. For institutions, each different format of the issue is a little over a hundred dollars each. For Canada and Mexico, they add on $13.75 and for international subscribers, they would pay $16.50.
When you think about all the guesswork the BCCB takes out of picking high-quality children’s books each year, the value seems justifiable. BBCB also accepts submissions for children’s books from publishers since it only sees about 900 of the 5000 trade books annually according to its website. There is a list of requirements for publishers to send books for the BCCB’s review. In order to access the journal for BCCB to get an idea of its offerings, it states the website Project Muse produces free samples of its content to interested potential subscribers or publishers of children's books. For any additional information on collection development or the BCCB Center itself, the website provides a link at the bottom of the main page as well as the University of Illinois Resources of Interest.
