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 writing contest, "Why I would like to meet this year's FOCAL winner."

FOCAL Writing Contest Application (B/W)

FOCAL Writing Contest Application (Color)

The 2008 FOCAL Award winner is...

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, LAPL Call #x.

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

To view the LAPL catalog page, click here.

 

FOCAL Award Committee 2008

Ian Rosen, Chair

Ian graduated from the UCLA library school in 1994, and was working at the Westchester-Loyola Village Branch since 1997. He recently transferred to the West Los Angeles Branch where he is their Children's Librarian.  He enjoys promoting literacy to children, sharing books with them and seeing them enjoy books too.

Kerry Lum

Kerry received her MLIS degree from UCLA in 2004. She is the Children’s Librarian at the Little Tokyo Branch and oversees the children’s collection and programming. Kerry is excited to be on the FOCAL Award Committee again.

Teri Markson

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 a Children's Librarian at the Fairfax Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, where children and books go together like a cat in a hat.

Jennifer Murphy
Jennifer Murphy, a Los Angeles native, has worked as a Children's Librarian in Santa Monica and Los Angeles. She has been with the Los Angeles Public Library for seven years and is currently stationed at the Palms-Rancho Park Branch.

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.

Marilyn Robertson, Ed. D

Marilyn Robertson served the students of the Los Angeles Unified School District for 34 years as a teacher, library media teacher, and a District coordinating field librarian. In that role, she specialized in children's literature, wrote the elementary library manual of practice, and coordinated the opening of libraries in 56 new schools. She served on the state Reading/Language Arts Framework committee, served as president of both the CLC and CSLA, and earned her doctorate in education in 2003. Recently retired, she is pursuing her interests in poetry, photography, and hiking the hills of Northeast Los Angeles.

Teri Robertson

Native and perennial habituant of the LA basin. Educated entirely by the public school systems of California. Came to librarianship late in life on a whim. Landed a position in a large public library system as children's librarian. After decades of jobs that served to support snow, mud and voyeurism habits it's amazing to have finally found a "career" that pays for my information seeking "jones". Started listening to children's books at birth and never gave up the habit. Still the preferred mode to absorb literature -- being read to. Snookered onto the FOCAL committee by that sly Mr. Rosen. It will literally be awesome to serve with such an illustrious group of readers.

Non-voting Participants:

Heather Daugherty, Past Chair
After teaching third grade for two years, Heather Daugherty went back to school to earn her Masters of Library and Information Studies from UCLA. She graduated in 2004, worked as the Children's Librarian at the Westwood Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library for three years, and is currently Children's Librarian at the Mark Twain Branch of the Long Beach Public Library. Sharing beautiful and engaging books with children is one of her favorite things to do.

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.