2013 Writer Award Winner
Julie Fogliano
“I always wanted to write,” says Julie Fogliano. “I was a writing major in college, and spent some time fine-tuning the kind of writing I wanted to do. Then, being around children’s literature in different capacities, teaching kindergarten, and working in children’s publishing and in a children’s bookstore, there was no question about who I would write for.” And Then It’s Spring, beautifully illustrated by Erin E. Stead, is Julie’s first book; her second is If You Want to See a Whale, published in May 2013. She lives in Olive, New York, with her husband and three children.
And Then It’s Spring
Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press
After months of snow, a boy and his dog agree that enough is enough, and decide to plant a garden. They dig, plant, play and wait…and wait…until at long last, shades of green begin to replace the brown. Spring is in the air!
2013 Illustrator Award Winner
Hyewon Yum
“Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten, is based on a true story,” says Hyewon Yum. “My son was going to kindergarten, and I felt like the 5-year-old—he wasn’t afraid, but I was nervous. My son said, ‛Mom, that’s not how you are!’ He didn’t even notice how nervous I was.” Hyewon (pronounced Hay-won), who grew up in South Korea and went to graduate school in New York, wrote and illustrated three previous books: The Twins’ Blanket, There are No Scary Wolves and Last Night. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.
Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten!
Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux
The playful use of color and size capture the emotional highs and lows of the first day of kindergarten for both mother and child.
Fun Facts
Hyewon Yum
Hyewon Yum
From: Seoul, Korea; Now: Brooklyn, NY
6 Word Memoir: Wish I could cackle more
Activities: Reading and watching movies
Neat or messy: I clean my desk every 3 months.
Other Awards:
- Golden Kite award: Clever Little Witch
- Charlotte Zolotow Award: Saturday is Swimming Day
- Society of Illustrators’ Founder’s Award: There Are No Scary Wolves
Upcoming: Lion Needs a Haircut, May 5, 2020
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2013 Award Honorees
Writer Award Honoree
Mara Rockliff
My Heart Will Not Sit Down
knopf
A young girl in Cameroon learns about people going hungry in her teacher’s village—New York—because of the Depression. How her village tries to help is based on true events.
Fun Facts
Mara Rockliff
From: All over; Now: Lancaster, PA
6 Word Memoir: History is the fun stuff too!
Activities: Talk to friends around the world in Esperanto
Distraction: I procrastinate by filling out questionnaires.
Other Awards:
- Cook Prize and Orbis Pictus for Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France
Upcoming: Jefferson Measures a Moose, August 2020×Writer Award Honoree
Jennifer Lanthier
The Stamp Collector
The lives of a boy who loves stamps and a boy who loves books connect fatefully in a universal tale of oppression and hope, inspired by true events.
Fun Facts
Jennifer Lanthier
From: Toronto Now: Toronto
6 Word Memoir: Brevity was never my strong suit!
Activities: Running and gardening
Neat or Messy? I am messy on an epic scale. As a reporter, I was once told by my managing editor that I was single handedly responsible for the newsroom being in violation of the fire code.
Other Awards:
- The Crystal Kite: The Stamp Collector
- Golden Oak: The Stamp Collector
- 2017 USBBY Outstanding International Book, Hurry Up, Henry
Upcoming: A screenplay×Writer Award Honoree
Don Tate
It Jes’ Happened
Bill Traylor, a former slave, became a self-taught artist at 85. His simple, powerful drawings survived thanks to an admiring young artist, who made sure the world took notice.
Fun Facts
Don Tate
Don Tate
From: Des Moines, IA; Now: Austin, TX
6 Word Memoir: In-person introvert. Online extrovert. Text me.
Activities: Swim. Bicep curl. Coffee with tiny pies.
How do you deal with distractions: Complain to my wife.
Other Awards:
- SCBWI Crystal Kite, a Christopher and a Texas Institute of Letters book prize: Poet
Upcoming: William Still’s Freedom Stories: Father of the Underground Railroad: Nov. 2020×Illustrator Award Honoree
K.G. Campbell
Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters
Lester is a neat, meticulous boy with an elderly cousin who knits him horrible, outlandish sweaters faster than he can ruin them. Then he meets a troupe of clowns...problem solved!
Fun Facts
K.G. Campbell
From: Kenya In Between: Scotland Now: California
6 Word Memoir: Write. Fridge. Draw. Fridge. Nap. Repeat.
Activities: I'm an adventurous cook (though draw the line at anything alive). Big fan of historical fiction (especially mysteries) and plan to write my own.
Procrastination: I procrastinate with a lot of ambitious cooking, and reading historical mysteries.
Other Awards:
- Golden Kite Award: Lester's Dreadful Sweaters
- Socal Kids Lit Council Excellence in Picture Books: Dylan the Villain
- Christopher Award: Flora & Ulysses
Upcoming: The Zombie Stone and August of the Zombies, second and third installment of the Zombie Problems, 2021×Illustrator Award Honoree
Sanjay Patel
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth
In this playful tale from Hindu mythology, the elephant-headed god Ganesha loves candy and has a friend named Mr. Mouse—yet somehow he manages to write the epic poem the Mahabarata.