Television had a big year in 1963, among the news coverage of President Kennedy’s assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” and the first live televised murder of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald. Although much of this was unpleasant, media had its good turns in the 1960’s. In 1966, Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” explores the narrative style in a non-fiction book. The movie based on the research for this book, starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is wonderful, by the way. 1961 Medal Winner: “Island of the Blue Dolphins” by Scott O’Dell Honor Books “America Moves Forward: … Continue reading →

Newbery Medal Winners: 1951-1960 In 1951, color television sets went on sale for the first time. Imagine what a big step that was for media then. 3-D movies were introduced in 1952 and today we can get movies in our homes on discs. Isn’t that incredible? The Grammy Awards debuted in 1959, giving awards for music from 1958. Literature had leaps and bounds in the 1950’s. Ray Bradbury’s novel about fascism and censorship — “Fahrenheit 451” — became a huge smash. In 1957, ALbert Camus won the Nobel Prize in Literature and the 1958 novel “Exodus” took a look at … Continue reading →

Several technological breakthroughs were made in the 1940s, including two-way AM police radios and the discovery of microwave transmission. Many media stepping stones were reached, as well. The first television commercial was broadcast in New York in 1941 and touch-tone dialing was tried in Baltimore. Radio allows Americans to hear many somber events, including the broadcast of the Pearl Harbor attack and Franklin Roosevelt’s funeral. Jukeboxes went into mass production in 1946 and the presidential State of the Union address is televised for the first time in 1947. As for literature, Pocket Books began the first mass distribution system for … Continue reading →

During the 1930’s, the Great Depression affected all of America. As a result of the collapse of the American stock market, one third of the population of America was unemployed. Since television was not introduced to the public at the 1939 World’s Fair, many children still turned to books for entertainment. More great books were obviously penned during this time of hardship in America. 1931 Medal Winner: “The Cat Who Went to Heaven” by Elizabeth Coatsworth Honor Books “Floating Island” by Anne Parrish “The Dark Star of Itza: The Story of A Pagan Princess” by Alida Malkus “Queer Person” by … Continue reading →

What story do children know better than that of the famous John Dolittle? I am not talking about the movie character played by Eddie Murphy. I am speaking of the original storybook character created by Hugh Lofting. The 1923 winner of the Newbery Medal is none other than Lofting’s “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle.” I had never read any of Lofting’s books about Doctor Dolittle when I was younger. I only knew that he was a fictional character who could talk to animals. I knew of the 1967 film which starred Rex Harrison as the title character and that there … Continue reading →