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Award Winning Books
By Miriam Ramos
Does your child love to read about animals? Then check out the
ASCAP’s list of award winning books. Among them you’ll find a book
about saving the mountain gorilla population, a tale based on the
true story of two male penguins living in New York City's Central
Park Zoo, and many more wonderful books to enjoy.
For the sixth year, the ASPCA® Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award
celebrates books with humane themes. The award is granted annually
in each of nine categories (Fiction: Companion Animals, Ecology/
Environment, Humane Heroes; Nonfiction: Companion Animals,
Ecology/Environment, Humane Heroes; Poetry; Illustration and Young
Adult). The book award program has expanded to include The ASPCA®
Henry Bergh Young Adult Award, The ASPCA® Henry Bergh Illustration
Award and The ASPCA® Roger Caras Achievement Award.
Norman Bridwell, author of the world-famous Clifford The Big Red
Dog® book series and twelve other authors and illustrators were
honored at the Sixth Annual ASPCA Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award
ceremony on June 26th at the American Library Association annual
conference in New Orleans. Norman Bridwell, was honored with the
first-ever ASPCA® Roger Caras Achievement Award. This award honors
an outstanding individual or organization that has inspired children
and made a contribution to the animal community through literature,
actions or other means.
The 2005 fourteen award-winning titles include a historical story of
a heroic horse that refuses to retire after his firefighting days
come to an end; a book, with simple text and colorful illustrations,
that teaches the basics of kindness to animals; a book that brings
real-life baby birds to life on the page in detailed, Audubon-like
drawings; and the inspiring story of a boy that with the help of his
dog takes on the challenges of moving and making friends.
All of the winning titles for 2005 and for previous years are
included in the ASPCA on-line children’s annotated bibliography,
Kids, Animals and Literature. This searchable database of hundreds
of children’s books allows parents, educators, and students to find
accurate and humane literature on animals and the environment. The
bibliography includes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry written for
preschoolers through young adults. Reviewed by ASPCA staff and
qualified volunteers, the user-friendly database provides brief
reviews and useful resources for each book.
With summer upon us and children out of school, this year’s award
winners along with titles from our on-line bibliography are a
wonderful addition to any summer reading list. There is a wide-range
of books to help children further develop their reading skills while
learning about animals. Parents can choose from an extensive list of
age-appropriate books with humane themes and accurate information
about domestic and wild animals for their children to learn from and
enjoy.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®)
is a national organization providing education, awareness, legal and
legislative programs nationwide. Through humane education, the ASPCA
develops materials and programs that teach children and adults about
animals and foster kindness to, respect for, and acknowledgement of
the value of all of the living beings that share the Earth.
For information on the book award and other ASPCA educational
materials visit
www.animalessons.org. The following are the 2005 ASPCA
Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award and Honor winners.
Non-Fiction Companion Animals:
Tails Are Not for Pulling (set) by Elizabeth Verdick
Free Spirit Publishing
Honor
ER Vets: Life in an Animal Emergency Room by Donna M. Jackson
Houghton Mifflin Company
Non-Fiction Environment and Ecology:
Scientists in the Field series:
• Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes by Pamela S. Turner
• The Prairie Builders by Sneed B. Collard III
Houghton Mifflin Company
Non-Fiction Humane Heroes:
The Least of These by Joan Harris
West Winds Press
Fiction Humane Heroes:
Magnus at the Fire by Jennifer Armstrong
Simon & Schuster
Fiction Companion Animals:
Dog Sense by Sneed B. Collard III
Peachtree
A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin
Scholastic
Fiction Environment and Ecology
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Simon & Schuster
Poetry:
So What’s It Like to Be a Cat? By Karla Kuskin
Simon & Schuster
Young Adult:
Defiance by Valerie Hobbs
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Illustration:
Winner, 2005 ASPCA® Henry Bergh Illustration Award
Earth Mother by Ellen Jackson illus. by Leo & Diane Dillon
Walker & Company
Honor
Cool Time Song by Carole Lexa Schaefer illus. by Pierr Morgan
Penguin Putnam
Miriam Ramos is the Director of the ASPCA Humane Education
Department and has worked with the ASPCA for ten years. |
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