"Growing Good Kids" Awards 2008

On July 26th the Junior Master Gardener Program and the American Horticultural Society handed out their annual "Growing Good Kids" book awards for "engaging, inspiring works of plant, garden, and ecology-themed children's literature." The honored books are

The Old Tree, by Ruth Brown

If I Were a Tree, by Dar Hosta

The Runaway Garden, written by Jeffrey Schatzer and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

Mother Earth and Her Children, written by Sibylle von Olfers, illustrated by Sieglinde Schoen Smith, and translated from the German by Jack Zipes

Be sure to check out the "Growing Good Kids" lineup of classics, too, which includes Miss Rumphius, The Carrot Seed, The Lorax, and The Ugly Vegetables.

image courtesy of Candlewick Press

Comments

[Susan Taylor Brown]

I didn't even know about this award so I am very grateful to your post. Now I'm going ot have to look up all the older winners too. Thanks!

[Susan T.]

Susan, I've discovered some good books through this award and the classics list, too.

The "Mother Earth and Her Children" book is beautiful; the illustrations come from a quilt.

[Becky]

I haven't read any posts in so long, and have just started poking around and catching up as things quieten down around here. And great new look, Susan!

I had to say something about the "Mother Earth" book. I bought it as a baby present for a friend who has a newborn and also two older children (three and five) -- something for the whole family to enjoy at storytime. It's rather reminiscent of the Elsa Beskow books, and I love the quilting aspect -- one of the new baby's grandmothers is an ardent quilter... Oh, and I had a hard time getting it away from my 10yo daughter so I could wrap it!

[Susan T.]

Hey, Becky! I'm glad you chimed in on the Mother Earth book, which is lovely indeed.

[BookMoot]

I saw the Mother Earth quilt at the International Quilt Festival last November. It was the most breathtaking quilt I have ever seen. I got an autographed copy of the book there too.

[Twyla]

I know someone who wrote one of these type books...how do they submit for the award?