The Jane Addams Book Award

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The Jane Addams Book Award

• A Presentation for High School English Students

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What is this award for?

• The Jane Addams Children's Book Awards are given
  annually to the children's books published the
  preceding year that effectively promote the cause
  of peace, social justice, world community, and
  the equality of the sexes and all races as well
  as meeting conventional standards for
  excellence.
• From http//www.janeaddamspeace.org/jacba/histor
  y.shtml

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History Significance

• Given annually since 1953 by the Women's
  International League for Peace and Freedom
  (WILPF) and the Jane Addams Peace Association.
• In 1993 a Picture Book category was added, and
  there can be a winner in each category (older
  younger childrens books) each year.
• Authors and artists receive certificates and cash
  prizes.
• Awards were originally given on Jane Addams
  birthday in September, now given on April 28th to
  celebrate the founding of the WILPF.

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About the Organizations

• WILFP Womens International League for Peace
  and Freedom
• Oldest and largest womens peace organization in
  the world.
• First organized in Europe to help the civilians
  in the midst of WWI.
• Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Works towards ending war an cultivating a lasting
  peace throughout the world.

• JAPA Jane Addams Peace Association
• 501(c)3 educational affiliate of WILFP
• Founded in 1915 with Jane Addams as its first
  president.
• Headquarters are in NYC.

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Criteria for Selection

• Must have a social justice theme and answer a
  significant conflict-resolution question.
• Can be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.
• Books must be for ages 2 12.
• Any length is acceptable.
• Writing and illustrations (if there are any) must
  be high-quality.

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Criteria for Selection

• Possible Themes
• Solving problems courageously and non-violently
• Overcoming prejudice
• Breaking cycles of fear
• Approaching life with self-confidence and
  strength
• Understanding human needs with compassion
• Broadening outlook to appreciate a variety of
  cultures
• Accepting responsibility for the future of all
  peoples.

• Significant Questions
• How can we begin to think more creatively and
  humanely about injustice and conflict, past or
  present, real or fictionalized?
• How can young people participate in creative
  solutions to the problems of war, social
  injustice, racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism,
  and the concerns of the physically challenged?
• Does the book promote an understanding of the
  role of women in society, gender roles, the need
  to overcome gender stereotypes, e.g. role models
  of both genders?

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Past Winners 2010 Winner of Books for Younger
Children

• Nasreens Secret School  A True Story from
  Afghanistan.
• Nasreens parents are gone, her father taken one
  night by soldiers, her mother lost on her search
  to find him.  Now living with only her
  grandmother, Nasreen stays inside herself, silent
  with trauma.  Whispers about a forbidden school
  reach her grandmother who, with stealth, bravery
  and hope, brings Nasreen to the secret school
  hidden in the home of an equally-brave woman, a
  teacher of girls. Framed stylized paintings in
  hues that symbolically reflect the path of
  Nasreens healing extend the story told in the
  plain, heartfelt voice of her grandmother. The
  power of education and resistance stand out in
  this all-too-true contemporary tale of the human
  toll exacted by war and the oppression of women.

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Past Winners 2010 Winner of Books for Older
Children

• Marching for Freedom  Walk Together, Children,
  and Dont You Grow Weary is a breathtaking
  tribute to the courageous, passionate
  African-American children who demanded voting
  rights through nonviolent action in the historic
  1963 March from Selma to Montgomery. Riveting
  chronology, stunning photographs, and telling
  details from oral history interviews recreate the
  childrens anger, terror, solidarity and purpose
  moment-by-moment. This palpable sense of
  immediacy crystallizes the commitment of young
  people who acted on behalf of human rights when
  they were most frightened and the end was
  unclear and out of sight. Vital and forceful,
  this testament to the power of youth and
  collective nonviolent action inspires activism by
  delving deeply into the heart of a pivotal moment
  in the history of youth and civil rights in the
  United States.

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Other Past Winners
2007 Younger Book Winner by Amy-Lee Tai for the
tale of Japanese-American child growing up in an
American Internment Camp.
2006 Winner for Older Children by Karen
Blumenthal about Title IX, a 1971 bill which
ensures that girls get an equal education.
Click Here for an Annotated List of 2004-2010
Winners!
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Your Assignment

• Browse through the list of the Jane Addams Book
  Award Winners in our library and pay close
  attention to some of the themes present.
• Imagine that there were a Jane Addams Adult Book
  Award. Then, choose a high-school or adult-level
  book (Ages 12 and up) that you feel would meet
  the theme and significant question requirements
  to win the Jane Addams Childrens Book Award if
  it were given to high-school level books.
• Write a persuasive essay expressing why your
  chosen title should win the Jane Addams Adult
  Book Award, how it shows demonstrates a social
  justice theme and answers a significant question.
  

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References

• Jane Addams Peace Association. (October 2010).
  Retrieved from http//www.janeaddamspeace.org/jacb
  a/history.shtml