Known collectively as the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award, the New Writer Award was established in 1985 and the New Illustrator Award in 2001 to recognize and encourage emerging talent in the field of children’s books. This year, we would like to congratulate Phoebe Wahl for winning the New Illustrator Award for Sonya’s Chickens! Check out her interview here.
Sonya’s Chickens
Written by Phoebe Wahl
Hardcover | 32 Pages | Ages 4-8
ISBN: 978-1-77049-789-4
“A father’s thoughtful explanation provides a helpful perspective for a child’s loss…. There’s an old-fashioned feel to this simple story and its timeless illustrations, created with watercolor, collage, and colored pencil and reminiscent of Goodnight Moon in mood, design, and palette…. Both words and illustrations emphasize comfort and the security a family can provide…. A reassuring story about death in the natural world, thoughtfully designed and illustrated.” — Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews
Congratulations to Don Tate for the New Writer Award and to all the Honor Book creators: Megan Dowd Lambert, Julia Sarcone-Roach, Ryan T. Higgins, and Rowboat Watkins!
The EJK Book Award is given annually to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. A distinguished selection committee of early childhood education specialists, librarians, illustrators and experts in children’s literature reviews the entries, seeking books that portray the universal qualities of childhood, a strong and supportive family, and the multicultural nature of our world. Click here for an 11 x 17-inch EJK Book Award poster to display in your home, classroom, library, or store!
