2005 Language Learner Literature Award

2005 Language Learner Literature Award

について、Julian Bamford さんから連絡がきましたので、
お知らせします。

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Hi everyone,

On August 1st, the Extensive Reading Foundation named the four books that won its 2005 Language Learner Literature Award. For those of you interested, and for everyone who voted for their favorite books (thank you), here's the announcement.
I tried to get hold of all the books so that I and my students could vote. I did managed to get and read all but one (I carelessly ordered 'Little Red Riding Hood' instead of 'The Little Red Hen'), and can personally attest to the excellence of all the winners and most of the finalists!
Best wishes,
Julian

EXTENSIVE READING FOUNDATION
www.erfoundation.org

The Extensive Reading Foundation (ERF), an unaffiliated, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support and promote extensive reading in language education, takes pleasure in announcing the winners of the Second Annual Language Learner Literature Award.

Young Learners
Is It a Butterfly? by Claire Llewellyn and Ant Parker. Retold by Carol Read. Illustrated by Ant Parker (Macmillan Children痴 Readers, Primary, Level 1).

Adolescents and Adults
Beginners
Love among the Haystacks by D. H. Lawrence. Retold by Jennifer Bassett. Illustrated by Bob Harvey (Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 2).

Intermediate
Dead Cold by Sue Leather (World Wide Readers Intermediate [eBook])

Advanced
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. Retold by Mary Tomalin. (Penguin Readers Level 5).

The Award was for books published in 2004. The winning books were selected for their outstanding overall quality and likely enduring appeal. An international jury made the final choices, taking into account the Internet votes of students, teachers and others from around the world.

The Award Jury made the following comments about the winning books:

'Is It a Butterfly?' allows learners to gain information about interesting scientific facts as they learn to read. Even though it is a pop-up book, it will be enjoyed by learners of all ages, from children to adults. It is written from the viewpoints of a bee and a snail, which makes the story more interesting than just being simply narrated.

'Love among the Haystacks' is a simple but powerful tale about the loves of two brothers. The language is graded to make it easy to comprehend and enjoy. It is an exciting, well-rounded story.

'Dead Cold' is expertly done: clear writing, a sense of place, and the right number of well-drawn characters and amount of well-crafted plot for the length of the book. The fast-moving story line and the easy-to-understand English are the two winning features of this book.

'Cold Mountain' is storytelling at its best. This version intelligently pares down the characters and incidents of the original, yet vividly conveys its pastoral and anti-war themes, and depiction of humans at their cruelest and most generous. It is notable that, in spite of compression, the adaptation retains the leisurely, sometimes dreamlike mood of the original. Reteller Mary Tomalin inhabits this material as Charles Frazier did in the source book. Here is a masterwork of language learner literature. "I have watched the movie, but I prefer this book," commented one student. "You can't stop reading it." Used as a class reader, it is also sure to stimulate discussion and spark writing.

In addition to the winners, the following books were selected as the shortlisted "finalists" in each category:

Young Learners
Who's Stealing the Fish? by Gerald Rose. Illustrated by Gerald Rose (Cambridge Storybooks. Level 3, Elementary).
The Little Red Hen retold by Sue Arengo. Illustrated by Laurence Cleyet-Merle (Oxford Classic Tales Beginner 1).

Adolescents and Adults
Beginners
Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner. Retold by Joanna Strange.Illustrated by George Sharp. (Penguin Readers Level 2).
The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy. Retold by Jennifer Bassett. Illustrated by Bob Harvey (Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 1).

Intermediate
Tales of the Supernatural by Frank Brennan (Cambridge English Readers Level 3).
Bamboo Girl by Anthony Kwamlah Johnson (Macmillan Writer's Prize for Africa).

Advanced
The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler. Retold by Jennifer Bassett. (Oxford Bookworms Library Stage 5).
A Tangled Web by Alan Maley (Cambridge English Readers Level 5).

The ERF thanks the publishers who nominated books, the members of the ERF痴 Award Jury, and all those who voted in this year's Award. The nomination and voting procedures for the 2006 Language Learner Literature Award will be posted on the ERF website in December 2005.