New York,
NY (January
25,
2005) --
Weston Woods, the industry leader in adapting award-winning children's literature for educational films and videos, and a division of Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, was honored with the 2005 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video for their adaptation of
The Dot. The award-winning children's picture book adaptation was co-produced by FableVision, Inc., a children's multimedia firm. The industry's top honor was announced at the American Library Association (ALA) mid-winter conference on January 17 in Boston, MA.
Several Weston Woods videos have also been recognized on ALA's 2005 Notable Children's Videos List, including
Diary of a Worm,
The Dot,
Duck for President,
The Pot that Juan Built,
This is the House that Jack Built,
I Stink! and
The Wheels on the Bus. Weston Woods recordings featured on ALA's 2005 Notable Recordings List include,
Duck for President (both English and Spanish versions),
I Lost My Bear,
I Stink! and
The Pot that Juan Built.
This is Weston Woods' sixth Andrew Carnegie Medal. Previous Medal-winning videos include
Giggle, Giggle, Quack in 2004,
So You Want To Be President? in 2003,
Antarctic Antics in 2001,
Miss Nelson Has a Field Day in 2000, and
Owen in 1996.
The winners of the Carnegie Medal are selected based on quality, reflecting respect for a child's intelligence and imagination, use of special techniques such as visuals and music, and adaptation of material from its original work. The adaptation of
The Dot is based on the award-winning picture book written by Peter H. Reynolds and narrated by acclaimed actress Thora Birch, with music by Jerry Dale McFadden.
“It is an honor to be the recipient of the Carnegie Medal for
The Dot,” said Paul R. Gagne, Director of Production for Weston Woods Studios. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Peter Reynolds and FableVision to bring this engaging and heart-warming story of a girl's journey to self-discovery to life.”
“The warmth and simplicity of Reynolds' minimalist art is beautifully enlivened in this animated adaptation,” said Carnegie Award Chair Elizabeth Simmons.
In the award-winning video,
The Dot, Vashti doesn't think she can draw, but her teacher encourages her to "just make a mark and see where it takes you." Vashti at first ventures one small and unremarkable dot, but is soon making big dots and small dots, red dots, blue dots, and purple dots. At the school art show, her entire collection of dots turns heads and wins praise.
Weston Woods/FableVision's
The Dot also received 2nd Prize for an Animated Short Film from the Chicago International Children's Film Festival in October 2004, and an Honorable Mention from the Columbus International Film & Video Festival in November 2004.
The Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video honors outstanding video production for children. Established by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the annual award is administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), through a Carnegie endowment.
Weston Woods, a leading producer of audiovisual adaptations of picture books, continues to provide schools and libraries with videos, DVD's, 16mm films, book/read-along audio packages and filmstrips of award-winning children's stories. Weston Woods materials are used as supplemental resources in more than 50,000 schools and libraries nationwide and are distributed in more than 20 countries. Weston Woods has made it easy for schools to order catalogues or products through a special toll-free hotline 800-243-5020. More information on Weston Woods is available at
www.scholastic.com/westonwoods .
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries, and television networks; and the Company's Internet Site,
www.scholastic.com .