Delphinator

=Ezra Jack Keats New Writer and New Illustrator Awards for Children’s Books=

The Ezra Jack Keats Book Award is an annual award presented by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation to a writer and an illustrator of outstanding picture books for children (age 9 and under). The award was established in honor of the late picture-book creator to recognize and encourage early talent in the field of children’s books. Recipients must have previously published no more than three picture books.

The New Writer Award was first presented in 1986, then given biennially from 1987 through 1999 and annually thereafter; the New Illustrator Award was added in 2001. From 1986 through 2011, the award was co-presented by the New York Public Library. As of 2012, the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, at the University of Southern Mississippi, hosts the award presentation at the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival in April, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Also for the first time in 2012, the selection committee recognized Honor Books for writing and illustrating.

Winners receive a cash award of $1,000 and a medallion at the award ceremony, and their books are expected to carry an Ezra Jack Keats Book Award seal on the cover upon reprinting.

Criteria

Books submitted by publishers for the New Writer and New Illustrator Awards are expected to be in the spirit of Ezra Jack Keats. They must:

• highlight the universal qualities of childhood and the strength of the family
• reflect the multicultural nature of our world
• unify illustrations and text
• avoid stereotypes
• be respectful of the child’s intelligence, sensitivity, curiosity and love of learning
• display freshness and originality of story and literary expression
• display freshness and originality in artistic style and expression

Recipients

Year	Award	Recipient	Title
2012	New Writer	Meg Medina	Tía Isa Wants a Car
2012	New Illustrator	Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw	Same, Same but Different
2011	New Writer	Laurel Croza	I Know Here
2011	New Illustrator	Tao Nyeu	Bunny Days
2010	New Writer	Tonya Cherie Hegamin	Most Loved in All the World
2009	New Writer	Garmann's Summer	Stian Hole
2009	New Illustrator	Shadra Strickland	Bird
2008	New Writer	David Ezra Stein	Leaves
2008	New Illustrator	Jonathan Bean	The Apple Pie that Papa Baked
2007	New Writer	Kelly Cunnane	For You Are a Kenyan Child
2007	New Illustrator	Kristen Balouch	Mystery Bottle
2006	New Writer	Mary Ann Rodman	My Best Friend
2006	New Illustrator	Yunmee Kyong	Silly Chicken
2005	New Writer	Janice N. Harrington	Going North
2005	New Illustrator	Ana Juan	The Night Eater
2004	New Writer	Jeron Ashford Frame	Yesterday I Had the Blues
2004	New Illustrator	Gabi Swiatkowska	My Name is Yoon
2003	New Writer	Shirin Yim Bridges	Ruby's Wish
2003	New Illustrator	Sophie Blackall	Ruby's Wish
2002	New Writer	Deborah Wiles	Freedom Summer
2002	New Illustrator	Jerome LaGarrigue	Freedom Summer
2001	New Writer	D.B. Johnson	Henry Hikes to Fitchburg
2001	New Illustrator	Bryan Collier	Uptown
2000	New Writer	Soyung Pak	Dear Juno
1999	New Writer	Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen	Elizabeti's Doll
1997	New Writer	Juan Felipe Herrera	Calling the Doves (El canto de las palomas)
1995	New Writer	Cari Best	Taxi! Taxi!
1993	New Writer	Faith Ringgold	Tar Beach
1991	New Writer	Angela Johnson	Tell Me a Story, Mama
1989	New Writer	Yoriko Tsutsui	Anna's Special Present
1987	New Writer	Juanita Havill	Jamaica's Find
1986	New Writer	Valerie Flournoy	The Patchwork Quilt