SCBWI Announces the Winners and Honorees of the 2015 Golden Kite Awards & Sid Fleischman Award
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is proud to announce the recipients of the 2015 Golden Kite Awards and Sid Fleischman Award. These awards, which are the only ones of their kind to be judged by a jury of author and illustrator peers, are given for excellence in five genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Book Text, Picture Book Illustration and Humor (the Sid Fleischman).
“The SCBWI is gratified that the Golden Kite Awards have achieved such high visibility in our community and in the public eye,” SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver stated. “Our hope is that by recognizing excellence, these books will prosper and live to influence a generation of readers.”
The award winners and honorees are as follows:
Golden Kite Award Winners
FICTION
Revolution by Deborah Wiles (Scholastic)
NONFICTION
The Family Romanov; Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming (Schwartz and Wade Books)
PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus illustrated by Melissa Sweet (Eerdmans), written by Jen Bryant
PICTURE BOOK TEXT
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream written by Kristy Dempsey (Philomel Books), illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Golden Kite Honor Recipients
FICTION
Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon (Dial Books for Young Readers)
NONFICTION
Freedom Summer; The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi by Susan Goldman Rubin (Holiday House)
PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION
The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee (Beach Lane Books)
PICTURE BOOK TEXT
The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall (Nancy Paulsen Books)
2015 Sid Fleischman Award for Humor
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen (Candlewick Press)
About the 2015 Golden Kite Award Recipients
The Golden Kite Fiction Award goes to Revolution by Deborah Wiles. This harrowing story centers on the 1964 Civil Rights movement and one young girl’s summer that will change her life forever.
This year’s Nonfiction Award winner, The Family Romanov; Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming follows the salacious history of events surrounding one of the great Russian royal families.
The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant wins the Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration. Words have never been so beautifully illustrated as in this descriptive visionary’s tale.
A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream written by Kristy Dempsey, illustrated by Floyd Cooper receives the Picture Book Text Award. Janet Collins, the first African-American prima ballerina, dances her way into the hearts of young readers in this inspiring picture book.
About the 2015 Honor Book Recipients
Dory Fantasmagory receives the Honor Book Award for Fiction. Dory’s rambunctious nature riles up mischief and adventure in this delight for young and old.
The Honor Book Award for Nonfiction goes to Freedom Summer: The 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi by Susan Goldman Rubin, depicting the exhilarating events that stunned the nation during the summer of 1964.
This year’s Honor Book for Picture Book Illustration goes to Marla Frazee for The Farmer and the Clown (Beach Lane Books), the endearing tale of a lost clown learning the ropes and love of a farm until his circus troupe returns.
The Picture Book Text Honor Book Award goes to The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall. Where do babies come from? The baby tree of course! Join one little boy’s trip around the neighborhood to discover where babies come from.
The Sid Fleischman Award for Humor
Named for the late Newbery-winner Sid Fleischman, the SCBWI is pleased to offer this eponymous award to authors whose work exemplifies excellence in the genre of humor, a category so often overlooked by other award committees in children’s literature.
The 2015 Sid Fleischman Award for Humor goes to Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen. Cynthia must save her best friend from the clutches of the dangerously cute new school librarian that just happens to be a daemon in this smart and funny romp.
About the Golden Kite Award
The Golden Kite Awards, given annually to recognize excellence in children’s literature in the previous calendar year by an SCBWI member to author and illustrator winners in four categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Book Text, and Picture Book Illustration. The Golden Kite Awards and the Sid Fleischman Award for Humor will be presented to the winners at the Golden Kite Luncheon during SCBWI’s 44th Annual Conference on Writing and Illustrating for Children, taking place in Los Angeles, California from July 31-August 3, 2015. An Honor Book plaque is also awarded in each category. A list of previous Golden Kite Award winners and Honor Books is available on the SCBWI’s website: www.scbwi.org.
About SCBWI
Founded in 1971, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is one of the largest existing writers’ and illustrators’ organizations, with over 22,000 members worldwide. It is the only organization specifically for those working in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film, television, and multimedia. The organization was founded by Stephen Mooser (President) and Lin Oliver (Executive Director).
