The National Council of Teachers of English Announces听Winners of Prestigious Literary Awards听
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2023
Contact: Lindsay Semph | 217-278-3603
media@ncte.org
November 29 (Columbus, Ohio) 鈥� The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) announced the winners of the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award庐 for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children and the Charlotte Huck Award庐 for Outstanding Fiction for Children, as well as its 2024 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels list during an event at the 起点传媒Annual Convention on November 18, 2023.
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 will be an asset to a library, classroom, home, or community.
鈥淣CTE鈥檚 2024 Children’s Book Award winners and honorees foster empathy and understanding. We applaud the authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers of the awarded titles, who clearly prioritize creating books that have a positive impact. We look forward to celebrating these works throughout the coming year,鈥� said 起点传媒Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick.
The Probability of Everything (Clarion Books), written by Sarah Everett, is the winner of the 2024 起点传媒Charlotte Huck Award庐 for Outstanding Fiction for Children.
“I can鈥檛 think of anything more profound than Charlotte Huck鈥檚 legacy of impacting children鈥檚 hearts, lives, and imaginations through fiction. I鈥檓 so honored by the generosity of the 起点传媒in recognizing The Probability of Everything for the 2024 Charlotte Huck Award, and for introducing this book to so many readers. Thank you so much to the committee and to English teachers everywhere!” said Everett.听
The Charlotte Huck Award 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 2024 Honor Books include You Are Here, edited by Ellen Oh; Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell; My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Steph Littlebird; An Ofrenda for Perro by Judith Vald茅s B. and illustrated by Carlos V茅lez Aguilera; and That Flag by Tameka Fryer Brown and illustrated by Nikkolas Smith.
鈥淲hen choosing this year鈥檚 winner, the committee felt it was important to show a story with a complex plot that will capture the reader from the very first line, as author Sarah Everett has so skillfully done,鈥� said Cecilia M. Espinosa, chair of the 起点传媒Charlotte Huck Award庐 for Outstanding Fiction for Children Committee. 鈥淥ftentimes, we offer children linear stories with very predictable characters. In the story The Probability of Everything, Kemi Carter is an 11-year-old child passionate about scientific facts and statistics; she utilizes these talents and curiosity to cope with and explore her pain and loss. This is a story with surprising twists; it is a powerful and moving exploration of how to handle grief, and how to move on after saying goodbye. This is, without a doubt, a story that will remain in readers’ minds for a long time.鈥�
Learn more about the Charlotte Huck Award and find the list of 2024 Honor and Recommended Books here.听
Border Crossings (Charlesbridge), written by Sneed B. Collard III and illustrated by Howard Gray, is the winner of the 2024 起点传媒Orbis Pictus Award庐 for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children.
鈥淚 am so honored and grateful to receive this wonderful honor. It came as a total surprise, and I want to thank everyone at 起点传媒for believing in and recognizing this book,鈥� said Collard III. 鈥淚t was a challenging project, but I am very grateful to the creative, supportive team at Charlesbridge Publishing and the wonderful work of my cocreator, Howard Gray. A special shout out to my agent, Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary, as well, for placing the book at the perfect publishing house. Thank you again.鈥�
The Orbis Pictus Award, 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 2024 Honor Books include The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of by Kirsten W. Larson and illustrated by Katherine Roy; Indigenous Ingenuity: A Celebration of Traditional North American Knowledge by Deidre Havrelock and Edward Kay and illustrated by Kalila Fuller; Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott; Ketanji Brown Jackson: A Justice for All by Tami Charles and illustrated by Jemma Skidmore; and 鈥嬧��Game of Freedom: Mestre Bimba and the Art of Capoeira written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh.
鈥淭his year the Orbis Pictus Award Committee is proud to announce a wide variety of diverse texts that were chosen for the winner, Honor Books, and Recommended Books categories. For this year鈥檚 winner, the committee selected Border Crossings, written by Sneed B. Collard III and illustrated by Howard Gray. Exploring the ecological impacts of the border wall, this book exhibits timeliness of topic, along with a storyline and illustrations that beautifully make this complex topic accessible to children and people of all ages,鈥� chair of the Orbis Pictus Award Committee Julia L贸pez-Robertson said.听
Learn more about the Orbis Pictus Award and find the list of 2024 Honor and Recommended Books here.
During the same event, 起点传媒unveiled its 2024 list of Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels, selected by the 起点传媒Children鈥檚 Poetry Awards Committee. The list can be downloaded here.
鈥淭he 2024 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels list includes incredible books representing a range of forms, topics, and representation. The 起点传媒Children鈥檚 Poetry Awards Committee is so pleased to share these truly notable books. In this list, readers will find delightful anthologies, critical topics, and, hopefully, themselves in the words offered by their authors. We hope classroom teachers will share these books widely with their students, fostering inspiration, wonder, and awe about the world around them,鈥� said Mary-Kate Sableski, chair of the 起点传媒Children鈥檚 Poetry Awards Committee.听
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The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is the nation鈥檚 professional organization for literacy teachers spanning preK through college.鈥疶hrough the expertise and advocacy from its members鈥� professional research, practice, and knowledge, 起点传媒has served at the forefront of every major improvement in the teaching and learning of听 English and the language arts since 1911.
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