2016 Writer Award
Don Tate
Like Ezra Jack Keats, Don Tate came to write his own children’s book after a high-profile career as an illustrator. The first book he authored, It Jes’ Happened, earned an EJK Book Award Honor in 2013. His books focus on African-American history, vividly revealed through indelible characters whose stories of resilience and resistance resonate for a wide audience. An Iowa native with an extensive background in publishing and design, Don lives with his family in Austin, Texas.
Photo credit: Sam Bond Photography
Illustrations © 2015 by Don Tate. Permission to reprint granted by Peachtree Publishers
Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton
Peachtree Publishers
Born a slave, George Moses Horton secretly taught himself to read and won acclaim as a poet. The first black writer published in the South, he paid his master for time to write and protested slavery in verse. 2016 Illustrator Award
Phoebe Wahl
Phoebe Wahl’s work is easy to find: She sells her printed designs on Etsy, illustrates magazine covers, and show her paintings and sculptures on her websites. She works primarily in watercolor, collage and textiles—hands-on mediums she uses to explore themes of home and nature in an imaginative, folk art-like style. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, Phoebe returned to the Pacific Northwest where she grew up, and lives in Bellingham, Washington. Sonya’s Chickens is her first book.
Photo credit: Kaitlyn Bouchard
Sonya's Chicken
Tundra Books
Sonya cares for the chickens on her family’s farm, until one night, a hen disappears. Her dad explains why a fox would steal her hen, and she learns that all creatures have a role to play in the natural world.
2016 Honor Books
Writer Honor
Megan Dowd Lambert
A Crow of His Own
Charlesbridge
A new rooster takes over for a farm favorite, and stumbles while trying to impress. Finding his voice will be something to crow about!Fun Facts
Megan Dowd Lambert
From: Bennington, VT; Now: Amherst, MA
6 Word Memoir: Family and books get me through.
Activities: Reading, of course! By myself and with kids.
Distractions: I am an expert at dealing with distractions because I have 7 kids, and my best tool for getting stuff done is my planner, with built-in weekly to-do lists.
Other Awards:
- 17th Annual Massachusetts Book Award Must Read Picture Book/Early Reader and a 2017 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People: Real Sisters Pretend, illustrated by Nicole Tadgell
Upcoming: April and Mae. 7-book early reader series, 2022×Writer Honor
Julia Sarcone-Roach
The Bear Ate Your Sandwich
Knopf Books for Young Readers
How did the sandwich disappear? It’s a funny story, with a twist you won’t see coming.Fun Facts
Julia Sarcone-Roach
From: Midwest born, Virginia grown; Now: Brooklyn, NY
6 Word Memoir: Painter, sandwich eater, painter of sandwiches
Activities: I love taking a walk, observing nature, and people. It can be inspiring, relaxing, and sometimes there are raccoons!
Procrastination: Sometimes I engage in “useful procrastination” by researching details of a current project. Recently I have been watching videos of squirrels eating ice cream.
Upcoming: A new bear book featuring woodland creatures and an ice cream heist.
×Illustrator Honor
Ryan T. Higgins
Mother Bruce
A grumpy bear finds himself imprinted as the “mother” of four just-hatched baby geese. Now he’s stuck with them for life. Can he help his fledglings fly away?Illustrator Honor
Rowboat Watkins
Rude Cakes
Chronicle Books
Welcome to a topsy-turvy world where cakes have bad manners and monsters have good ones. This tale is bratty, zany and unexpectedly sweet.Fun Facts
Rowboat Watkins
From: Philly; Now: Brooklyn, NY
6 Word Memoir: What I meant to say was
Activities: I love reading under my dog + pretending I know how to garden.
Where do you work?: In a former sweater factory. What? Ask my wife. (sigh...)
Upcoming: Mabel: A Mermaid Fable, March 24, 2020.
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