Alexandria, VA: Five children’s books published in 2005 received the 2006 “Growing Good Kids – Excellence in Children’s Literature Award” July 29 at the American Horticultural Society‘s National Children & Youth Garden Symposium in St. Louis, Missouri. The award honors engaging and inspiring garden and ecology-themed books for children.
The award-winning books are: Earth Mother by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Walker); Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt)(publisher interview); Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein (HarperCollins)(author-illustrator interview); Our Apple Tree by Görel Kristina Näslund, illustrated by Kristina Digman (Roaring Brook); and The Tree Farmer by Chuck Leavell and Nicholas Cravotta (VSP Books).
The “Growing Good Kids” book award program was developed jointly by the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) program, part of Texas A & M University’s Cooperative Extension Service, and the American Horticultural Society (AHS), a non-profit educational organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. The award program debuted last year with a list of 40 “classic” children’s gardening and nature books published in the last century.
“These are exemplary kids’ books that serve to cultivate an understanding and appreciation of plants and the natural world,” said Randy Seagraves, national curriculum coordinator for JMG. Of the 2006 award winners, Seagraves adds, “Titles were nominated by very large and small publishers from around the country, and only five were selected by a panel of experts to receive this recognition. We are excited to bring more attention and, hopefully, larger audience of kids, to these deserving titles.”
See more information about the “Growing Good Kids” book award program.
The American Horticultural Society (AHS), founded in 1922, is an educational, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that recognizes and promotes excellence in American horticulture. One of the oldest and most prestigious gardening organizations, AHS is dedicated to “making America a nation of gardeners, a land of gardens.” Its mission is to open the eyes of all Americans to the vital connection between people and plants, to inspire all Americans to become responsible caretakers of the Earth, to celebrate America’s diversity through the art and science of horticulture; and to lead this effort by sharing the Society’s unique national resources with all Americans.