Stay on Track with the Texas Bluebonnet Award Program
By Dr. Laura Sheneman,
Program Sub-committee of the Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee
The Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) program has a long standing history in the state of Texas of providing children from grades 3 – 6 an exciting opportunity to participate in a unique reading program where the students select the winning book from a preselected list of titles. This program was created in 1983 by Dr. Jan Paris, a professor of Library Science for Sam Houston State University. Eventually, the Texas Library Association (TLA) took over the program as participation grew. As the popularity increased over the years, the number of voting children soared as well. We recorded 187,759 children‘s votes in the 2011 selection of The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale by Willy Claflin.
While the popularity of the program remains strong, there are times new librarians, publishers, and other interested parties are mystified by the TBA calendar. The calendar needs to be viewed from different perspectives to address all of the questions that have arisen. In this article the calendar begins with October when the new titles are selected for the coming January.
Let’s examine the TBA Committee’s perspective first. It is important to know there are two subcommittees of the larger group collectively referred to as the Texas Bluebonnet Award committee. The selection committee is charged with reading the recommended titles and selecting the final list of twenty books which are available to students the following January. Suggested titles are gathered from librarians, teachers, parents, students and others. The program committee comes in to action after the new titles are selected. The program committee breaks down in to four focuses: 1) activities: assemble and create the activities related to the titles, 2) publicity: work on the website, publish the activities, and make general announcements, 3) video: oversee creation of a video to promote the new list of titles, and 4) youth participation: select and oversee the children who represent their TLA districts at the TBA luncheon at April’s TLA Convention.
As a public or school librarian you need to view your role in two separate areas. The chart shows your two roles as working with the current list and working with the next TBA list. As far as promoting the current list, you can encourage reading of the TBA titles from January to January. As soon as you arrange the opportunity to vote on the current list in January, you are free to begin promoting the next list. During this time, use the resources provided on the TBA website (http://www.txla.org/TBA) to plan some great activities for your young patrons. Many of the shared activities can even support family events. Now switching hats, you need to keep up with the announcement of the next TBA list which occurs at the Texas Book Festival, typically in October. Once this list is announced you should begin buying the titles (October – January) so you will have them in place once the new list begins in January.
The mission of TBA is to encourage Texas children to read more books, explore a variety of current books, develop powers of discrimination, and identify their favorite books. From the 3rd – 5th grade patrons’ perspective, they are simply having fun reading, which is our unspoken goal. The children’s charge is to “Read 5 and Then Decide”, which is the TBA slogan or motto. The committee realizes that all titles are not for all children. Librarians should purchase titles for their audience and encourage students to make wise choices as far as the content of titles designed for the older Bluebonnet reader. Likewise, older Bluebonnet readers would not necessarily enjoy the titles aimed at the younger Bluebonnet readers. After the Bluebonnet readers have read 5 or more titles from the current list, they are eligible to vote in January.
Use the chart below to stay on track as you promote the Texas Bluebonnet Award program to your 3rd – 5th grade patrons. If you have ever considered joining the TBA committee, use this chart to see what your time would entail. Librarians, use this chart to help you place orders for new titles and be prepared when January arrives. Also, use it to time your programming, including the January vote. We hope this chart has demystified the TBA calendar. Remember to view the calendar from different perspectives to address the specific timing questions you may have.
TBA Committee / Librarian using current voting list / Librarian planning for the next TBA list / 3rd – 6th grade patronsOctober / · Selection committee chooses new TBA titles.
· Program committee begins planning new activities.
· Announces new list of titles for the coming year at Texas Book Festival. (Currently month of October) / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Begins purchasing books for next year’s list which begins next January. / · Continues reading from list announced.
November / · Selection committee begins reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee begins planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues purchasing books for next year’s list which begins next January. / · Continues reading from list announced.
December / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list announced. / · Continues purchasing books for next year’s list which begins next January. / · Continues reading from list announced.
January / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities.
· / · Arranges voting for students
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END OF CURRENT LIST; NEW LIST STARTS NOW
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· Can begin to provide opportunities related to new list. / · Completes purchasing books for next year’s list which begins now. / · Votes on their favorite title.
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END OF CURRENT LIST; NEW LIST STARTS NOW
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· Begins reading from list announced.
February / · Voting results announced.
· Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.
March / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.
April / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities.
· Meeting at TLA
· TBA Luncheon to honor winning author / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.
May / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.
June / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.
July / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities.
· Meeting at TLA General Assembly in Austin. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.
August / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.
September / · Selection committee continues reading newly submitted titles for the next list.
· Program committee continues planning new activities. / · Continues to provide opportunities related to list. / · Continues reading from list announced.