The FOCAL Award was instituted by Janet McOuat, a founding member of the Friends of Children and Literature. The award, which is presented annually to children's books with California content, was first given to Leo Politi whose charming illustration of reading children has become the FOCAL logo.

Annotated FOCAL Award List on LAPL's KidsPath.

Each year a group of teachers, librarians, writers and others interested in children's literature meets to determine the new FOCAL winner. Winners are presented with their award -- a unique puppet representing a character from their award-winning book which has been created for them by artist Carol Onofrio.

Also present at the awards luncheon are children who have won the FOCAL writing contest.  (See below for links to the contest rules and application.)

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The 2010 FOCAL Award winner is...

Redwoods by Jason Chin, LAPL Call #x 582 C539.

You can find it in the Children's Department of your local library.

To view the LAPL catalog page, click here.

Thank you to our hard-working award committee.

 

 

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FOCAL Award Committee 2010

Teri Markson, Chair

Teri Markson has been working with children in libraries for over 18 years.   As a public librarian she has read to countless numbers of kids and developed dozens of programs connecting children with books including storytimes, craft & storytimes, book clubs and creative dramatics. While working as a school librarian Teri especially enjoyed talking to children about what they were reading and recommending new wonderful titles.   Teri has been a book reviewer for School Library Journal for many years, and is still delighted when a children's book makes her laugh, or cry, or both.   She is currently working as the Acting Senior Librarian at the Valley Plaza Branch of LAPL.

Joanna Fabicon

Joanna Fabicon has been with Los Angeles Public Library since 2005.  She is currently a Children's Librarian at Central Library's Children's Literature Department.

Vivienne Khan
I started working for LAPL in January of 2005 as and still am the Children's Librarian II at El Sereno Branch. I received my MLIS from SJSU in 2005. My favorite children's book authors are Maurice Sendak, Gail Carson Levine, and Lois Lowry.

Marlin More

Born in Hollywood and a product of LAUSD schools, I have always chosen reading as one of my favorite ways to spend time.  I graduated from the University of Oregon School of Librarianship and before returning to LA in 1986, worked in elementary, middle and high school libraries in Washington and Indiana.  Since returning I have worked for LAUSD at both the middle and high school level as well as being a member of the LAUSD Library Services staff for 11 years. I am currently the teacher librarian at Dana Middle School where I tell everyone about the annual FOCAL AWARD  and how proud I am to be a new member of this special committee.

Carol Raby

Carol Raby has worked in the library at Paseo Del Rey Elementary School in LAUSD for the last 12 years. She is a graduate of UCLA. For the past two years Paseo's Library has been the LAUSD Model Library. Carol is passionate about bringing authors, students and teachers together using the library as the setting. She is honored to participate in the FOCAL awards committee to recognize excellence in children's literature with a California focus.

Nancy Reich

A Los Angeles native and product of LAUSD schools, I have been a life-long reader of children's and young adult literature. After earning my MLIS from the University of Washington, I returned to the Los Angeles area where I served as a middle school librarian for 10 years and as a member of the LAUSD Library Services staff for the past 20 years where I am currently Specialist. I am honored to once again be a member of the FOCAL Awards Committee where I look forward to participating in lively discussions about the titles under consideration.

Barbara Solarz

I come to the FOCAL awards committee via a circuitous route which includes Punahou
Academy in Honolulu, BA in English from Mills College (a women's college in Oakland), an
MBA from UCLA, a stint as a financial auditor, a banker, a stay-at-home mom, and in 2006,
finally settling in as a seventh and eighth grade English teacher and GATE/SAS Coordinator
at Palms Middle School. I am unique among my colleagues in that my first reading choices are
non-fiction, but I am devoted to my students who avidly read fiction, and serve as a teacher
group leader and mentor at Caroline Gill's weekly student book club at lunchtime. This year, the students taught me how to read graphic novels. I enjoyed being on this year's FOCAL committee and sincerely loved reading all the books.

Non-voting Participants:

Kerry Lum, Past Chair

Kerry received her MLIS degree from UCLA in 2004. She has been the Children’s Librarian at the Little Tokyo Branch for several years.

Caroline Gill, President FOCAL Board

Caroline is a middle school teacher librarian in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  She was the FOCAL Board Treasurer for many years before becoming Board President.