Award-winning books teach kids about disabilities
by Beth
It happens every year. On the second weekend in June, the little neighborhood I call home here in Chicago is overtaken by over 100,000 bookworms.
My neighborhood is called Printers Row. A long time ago it was Chicago’s “bookmaking hub,” and every summer it celebrates that history by hosting the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest.
Spending a weekend surrounded by books and authors and bookworms reminded me of something I’ve neglected to do here on the blog: let readers know about the Schneider Family Book Award winners this year!
Every year the American Library Association gives the Schneider Family Book Award to authors and/or illustrators who have excelled with their “artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” From a press release about this year’s winners:
For the category of books for children age 9-13 the jury chose two winners listed alphabetically by author:
“Close to Famous” written by Joan Bauer and published by Viking, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Twelve-year-old Foster dreams of growing up to become a famous celebrity chef despite her reading disability. Can the quirky townsfolk of tiny Culpepper help Foster succeed?
“Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures,” written by Brian Selznick and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic.
Rose and Ben are deaf children living 50 years and worlds apart, yet both marvel and connect with the world around them. The American Museum of Natural History links their separate stories – one narrated in text, the other through cinematic illustrations.
For the category of books for children age 14–18 the jury chose “The Running Dream,” written by Wendelin Van Draanen and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
When sixteen-year-old track star Jessica loses her leg in an accident, she is devastated believing she will never run again. Rehabilitation forces Jessica to confront disabilities and rethink her physical limitations.
Confession: I haven’t read any of these books. Not yet, anyway. But The Running Dream sounds particularly interesting. Being around all these bookworms for an entire weekend was contagious. I caught the bug! Time to download the audio version and start listening.