Caroline Ward, Youth Services Coordinator at The Ferguson Library, was one of three distinguished panelists selected to choose the New York Times’ Book Review Ten Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2008. The Book Review has published a list of best illustrated children’s books since 1952.
Ms. Ward, who has been with The Ferguson Library for nine years, said “the three panelists came to the process with very different backgrounds, but we had remarkable agreement as we worked our way through the hundreds of books under consideration.” She added that “the ten books selected reflect the vibrant and vital state of children’s illustrated book publishing in the U.S. today.”
Caroline Ward is a past president of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, and was awarded that organization’s 2007 Distinguished Service Award. She is a regular reviewer for School Library Journal, and is a past chair of the John Newbery committee. She also chaired the first Theodor Seuss Geisel Beginning Reader Award committee in 2005. She received the 2005 Grolier Award from the American Library Association for Outstanding Service to Youth.
The other two judges were Luann Toth, the managing editor of School Library Journal’s Book Review, and Christopher Myers, an award-winning writer and artist.
The Ferguson Library is Stamford’s public library system, consisting of the Main Library downtown, the Harry Bennett Branch, the Weed Memorial & Hollander Branch, the South End Branch and a traveling Bookmobile. It provides free and equal access to print, audiovisual and evolving electronic resources. Its website, www.fergusonlibrary.org, offers remote access to information and resources 24 hours a day.
