Snooki bumps 2011 Caldecott, Newbery winners

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It's my week to pick on Snooki, the loudmouthed star of the MTV reality show Jersey Shore. Yesterday, I dissed her for giving an 11-year-old a trashy makeover in an AOL video. And now, it's time to blast her for bumping the winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals off the "Today Show."

A Sick Day for Amos McGee won the Caldecott.

'A Sick Day for Amos McGee' won the Caldecott.

The day after the American Library Association announces the winners of America's most prestigious children's book awards, the "Today Show" always hosts the winning writer and illustrator. The NBC morning show has done so for the past 11 years, but not this year.

Moon Over Manifest won the Newbery.

'Moon Over Manifest' won the Newbery.

On Monday, writer Clare Vanderpool learned she won the Newbery for Moon Over Manifest while illustrator Erin Stead found out that she received the Caldecott for A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Both winners were in New York by Tuesday for media interviews and they expected to drop by the "Today Show," according to Publisher's Weekly.

But the two women never received the invite, and media are speculating that Nicole Polizzi, aka Snooki, who just came out with her book A Shore Thing, took their spot.

On Tuesday, Snooki gave host Matt Lauer a lesson in Jersey slang. It was very important for him to learn that "bedunk" means butt, far more important than it was for him to recognize two wonderful children's book authors.

"The media love to write that people aren't reading any more, but when they overlook Newbery and Caldecott winners and interview Snooki, what do they expect?" an unnamed publicist told Publishers Weekly.

Snooki didn't win an award for A Shore Thing, but she did make it onto the

Snooki didn't win an award for 'A Shore Thing,' but she did make it onto the 'Today Show.'

Stead's A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by her husband Philip Stead, tells the story of an elderly man, Amos, who works at a zoo and takes special care of his animals. The tables turn when one day Amos gets sick and stays at home in bed. The concerned animals escape from the zoo to take care of Amos. Stead's quiet illustrations are done in woodblock and pencil using soft flat colors and occasional bits of red.

Vanderpool's Moon Over Manifest is a 346-page novel aimed at fifth to eighth graders. It's set during the Depression and tells the story of Abilene Tuker, a feisty, motherless 12-year-old girl whose father goes away to work on the railroad and leaves Abilene with a friend in his hometown in Kansas. Abilene quickly makes friends and uncovers a local mystery.

And then there's A Shore Thing, which Snooki co-wrote with ghostwriter Vallerie Frankel. It follows a girl named Gia who hops from night club to hot tub, leading a party lifestyle that will be familiar to anyone who has watched Jersey Shore.

Anyone find it sad that the children's book writer and illustrator were scrapped for a woman who once told The New York Times that she has only read two books in her life?

Posted By: Amy Graff (Email, Twitter, Facebook) | January 14 2011 at 06:33 AM

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