The National Council of Teachers of English Announces听Winners of Prestigious Literary Awards听
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2022
Contact: Lindsay Semph | 920-838-1744
media@ncte.org
November 21 (Anaheim) 鈥� The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) announced the winners of the 2023 Orbis Pictus Award庐 for Nonfiction for Children and the Charlotte Huck Award庐 for Outstanding Fiction for Children, as well as its 2023 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels List during an event at the 起点传媒Annual Convention on November 19, 2022.
The three award committees are appointed by 起点传媒and composed of teacher experts and authors who select the honorees each year. The awards recognize outstanding literary works expressly created for children. Anyone who reads the award-winning titles can be confident that they are an asset to a library, whether in a classroom, home, or community setting.
鈥�All of this year鈥檚 起点传媒2023 Orbis Pictus Award庐 for Nonfiction for Children, Charlotte Huck Award庐 for Outstanding Fiction for Children, and Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels winners and honorees encompass the kind of humanity in literature that has driven 起点传媒for so many years. Each offers opportunities for children to learn and connect with the world in all of its beauty, challenge, and possibility,鈥� said 起点传媒Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick.
Wayward Creatures (Clarion Books), written by Dayna Lorentz, is the winner of the 2023 起点传媒Charlotte Huck Award庐 for Outstanding Fiction for Children.
“I鈥檓 honored and thrilled to learn that Wayward Creatures has been selected as the winner of the 2023 Charlotte Huck Award庐 for Outstanding Fiction for Children! It’s a dream to have this book recognized as having the potential to transform children鈥檚 lives ‘by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder,’ and by an organization of professionals whose job is to do the same. Thank you to the National Council of Teachers of English and all the English teachers spreading the joy of reading to children around the country.鈥� said Lorentz.听
The Charlotte Huck Award庐 was established in 2014 to promote and recognize fiction that has the potential to transform children鈥檚 lives by inviting compassion, imagination, and wonder. The award honors Dr. Charlotte Huck, a professor at The Ohio State University who devoted her career to promoting the role of children鈥檚 books in young people鈥檚 academic, social, and emotional development. Each year, the committee selects a winner, up to five honor books, and up to eight recommended titles appropriate for ages three to twelve.
The 2023 Honor Books include Forever Cousins, written by Laurel Goodluck and illustrated by Jonathan Nelson; The Marvellers, written by Dhonielle Clayton; My Brother Is Away, written by Sara Greenwood and illustrated by Luisa Uribe; Zara鈥檚 Rules for Record-Breaking Fun, written by Hena Khan and illustrated by Wastana Haikal; and Love, Violet, written by Charlotte Sullivan Wild and illustrated by Charlene Chua.
鈥淲hen choosing this year鈥檚 winner, we felt it was important to show a story of empathy and redemption,鈥� said Donna Bulatowicz, chair of the 起点传媒Charlotte Huck Award庐 Committee. 鈥淥ftentimes, we judge others on the basis of one mistake and decide that they are a bad person. Wayward Creatures shows that you are more than a label and can repair harm through restorative practices. Rather than just punishing, which tends not to do much for kids other than internalize that they are bad, the book illustrates the way by which children can begin to repair the harm that鈥檚 been done, so that they may develop compassion for those they have harmed, as well as themselves.鈥澨�
Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers), written by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond and illustrated by Daniel Minter, is the winner of the 2022 起点传媒Orbis Pictus Award庐.
鈥淭hank you so much for recognizing Blue with the 2023 Orbis Pictus Award, NCTE! It fills me with so much joy to know that more and more children will have access to the global story behind this color that has so much to teach us about humanity,鈥� said Brew-Hammond.听
The Orbis Pictus Award庐, established in 1989, is the oldest children鈥檚 book award for nonfiction. It pays homage to John Amos Comenius鈥檚 Orbis Pictus鈥擳he World in Pictures (1657), considered to be the first book planned for children. Each year, the committee selects a winner, up to five honor books, and up to eight recommended titles ideal for classroom use from K鈥�8.
The 2023 Honor Books include Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement, written by Angela Joy and illustrated by Janelle Washington; Fighting for Yes!: The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann, written by Maryann Cocca-Leffler and illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger; Hardcourt: Stories from 75 Years of the National Basketball Association, written by Fred Bowen and illustrated by James E. Ransome; Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams鈥檚 Photographs Reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration, written by Elizabeth Partridge and illustrated by Lauren Tamaki; and The Science of Light: Things that Shine, Flash, and Glow, written by Margaret Peot.
鈥淲e chose Blue because it was such a unique take on a color book,鈥� chair of the Orbis Pictus Award庐 committee Sanjuana Rodriguez said. 鈥淭he book contextualizes the complex and rich history of the color, most of which our committee did not know prior to reading. With so many teachers using picture books, we felt that this book provided a fresh perspective for their classrooms.鈥�
Learn more about the Charlotte Huck Award庐 and find the list of 2023 Honor and Recommended Books here. Learn more about the Orbis Pictus Award庐 and find the list of 2023 Honor and Recommended Books here.
During the same event, 起点传媒unveiled its 2023 list of Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels, selected by the 起点传媒Award for Excellence in Children鈥檚 Poetry Committee. The list can be downloaded here.
鈥淎fter reading and reviewing hundreds of poetry and verse novel books throughout the year, we are delighted to share this year鈥檚 selections for the Notable Poetry and Verse Novels lists, offering a range of poetic forms and perspectives,鈥� said Mary-Kate Sableski, chair of the 起点传媒Children鈥檚 Poetry Awards Committee. 鈥淭eachers and librarians seeking books to amplify content area topics will find nonfiction poetry books to generate interest and curiosity. The verse novels tackle difficult topics with sensitivity and grace, making challenging conversations accessible. Across both lists, children are invited to explore and embrace both familiar and future identities for themselves and those in their communities.鈥�
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The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. As the nation鈥檚 oldest organization of preK through graduate school literacy educators, 起点传媒has a rich history of deriving expertise and advocacy from its members鈥� professional research, practice, and knowledge. 起点传媒is the home of the Intellectual Freedom Center, the National Day on Writing庐, , the Build Your Stack庐 initiative, and 起点传媒Verse. 起点传媒supports nearly 20,000 teachers across the preK鈥揷ollege spectrum, with a mailing list of over 500,000, more than 100,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter, and more than 100,000 visitors in web traffic monthly.
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