Do you know how many awards/award programs there are for children's literature and children's books? Until about three months ago when I started this "little" research project, I had no idea how many programs recognize outstanding children's books and children's literature. [Nope, sorry, you have to read to the end to get the answer.]
Why do I care about these author, illustrator and book recognition awards? Because for parents who want some help selecting books for their kids, award-winning titles are a great place to start.
There are national awards, regional awards, and state awards. There are awards for every audience (infant to teen) and book type (from picture to chapter), as well as some genre-specific awards. There are also unlimited sponsors, from library and reading associations to private foundations to TV networks and bloggers.
Most of the national awards are presented by institutions (foundations, professional associations, etc. in the reading/literacy business). At the regional and local level, the awards are often sponsored by these groups, but they are usually children's choice awards. Some programs let the kids nominate books for a list, read the books, and vote; others have the Committee collect nominations and prepare the list; then the kids read books from the list and vote.
So after lots and lots and lots of research, The Reading Tub, Inc. has put together an annotated directory of children's book award programs. Given the number of websites I had to go through to put together the lists, I am pretty comfortable in saying that The Reading Tub has one of the most comprehensive AND CURRENT directories of children's literature and book awards.
National Children's Literature & Book Awards Directory
State & Regional Children's Literature & Book Awards Directory
Children's book lovers will find the directories fun and a great place to start for finding books that are popular with kids.
Children's book authors will (hopefully) see the directories as a gold mine, particularly the State & Regional Directory. Visiting a school in Wyoming for a book signing? Ask the kids to consider your book for their student's choice Book Award program: Buckaroo (K to 2), Indian Paintbrush (grades 3 to 6); Soaring Eagle (grades 7 to 12). Wyoming is one of the states where the READERS not only vote for their favorite, they nominate them, too.
As it says in the directory: we will keep updating as we learn about new awards or changes in existing programs! Stop back here, or bookmark those links!
answer: There are more than 150 programs that present awards for children's literature. Reading industry awards, even children's choice, are book awards that recognize a book, author, and or illustrator. Commercially-sponsored programs (like iParenting, Dr. Toy, and the Quills) are generally Media Awards where "Children's Books" is one category of a broader award program.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Children's Book Award Trivia
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This is great information!! Thank you for all your hardwork on the research part of this. I did not realize all the possibilites for awards for children's books. How fun!
ReplyDeleteCapitol Choices is in the DC area:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.capitolchoices.com/