2002 Beatty Award Winner
Bueno! Fantástico!
Tony Johnston's Any Small Goodness, a literary gem set in an East Los Angeles barrio, received this year's John and Patricia Beatty Award. The honor is given to the children's book that most enhances our understanding of California, its history, culture, and people. "I just got really tired of negative stories set in Los Angeles: no good, too dirty, dangerous," exclaimed author Johnston. So she clipped positive articles from the Los Angeles Times, lacing bits and pieces into vignettes to recreate the city as see through the eyes of a Latino youth named Arturo. Any Small Goodness is filled with unusual twists and compelling characters. Like Papi, who persuades Arturo and his siblings to "become a painting machine" in order to surprise Mami. In another story, Arturo thinks the Anglicized name his teacher has given him is "cool" - that is, until he secretly listens through the wall as his abuela talks to her deceased husband. Unexpected assaults of hope and creativity spill over in scenes involving a lost cat, a demonstration against the school board, and a school dance threatened by outsiders. Arturo's planned "revenge" for a drive-by shooting is not only wildly funny but also joyous and life-giving. "The story gives voice to children and neighborhoods that can remain anonymous and misunderstood in contemporary Los Angeles," says Beatty Committee member Harriet Miles (Palmdale Public Library). "As a native Los Angelena, I see a celebration of family lawns, grandmas, school buildings, loitering cats, and ethnic foods. Eleven-year-old Arturo Rodriguez's big circle of family and friends allow the city to become smaller and friendlier."
Tony Johnston, a popular, award-winning and prolific children's author, accepted the award and spoke at the Beatty Breakfast at the CLA conference in November, 2002.