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William Allen White Children's Book Award
The Purpose
The William Allen White Children's Book Award, established and directed by Emporia State University, was founded in 1952 by the late Ruth Garver Gagliardo, a specialist in Children's Literature, to honor the memory of one of the state's most distinguished citizens by encouraging the boys and girls of Kansas to read and enjoy good books. The White Award Program is supported in part by the Trusler Foundation. Each year a Master List is compiled by the Book Selection Committee which represents educational institutions in Kansas as well as Kansas educational and professional organizations concerned with children. Books must be nominated for the Master List by a member of the Book Selection Committee. Nominations of books are not accepted from authors or publishers. Suggestions for nominations may be submitted by interested Kansans to the Executive Secretary of the William Allen White Children's Book Award Program at the following address: William Allen White Library To be eligible for inclusion on the annual White Award Master List, a book must have been first published in English in the United States, Canada, or Mexico within the calendar year immediately preceding the year when the Master List is selected. Only books by authors who reside in the United States, Canada or Mexico are eligible for inclusion on the Master List. Fiction, poetry and non-fiction are eligible. Textbooks, anthologies and translations are not eligible. Criteria considered by Book Selection Committee members in selecting titles for the Master List include qualities of originality and vitality, clarity, factual accuracy in the case of non-fiction, sincerity of the author and respect for the reader as well as acceptance by children. Committee members are urged to ask themselves: "Is this book good enough? Does the author have something to say and is it said well and with spirit?" It is not intended that every child would necessarily read every book on the Master List. The books are selected for fourth through eighth graders. Since certain books may not be of interest to all grade levels, the copies of the Master List which are sent to the schools indicate recommended grade levels for each book. Boys and girls in the fourth through the eighth grades in Kansas schools are encouraged to read as many books as possible from the Master List. When a student has read two books, he or she is eligible to vote for the annual White Award winner. Bookmarks, which reproduce the Master List, are sent to all elementary schools, junior high schools and special schools in Kansas during the summer for distribution to the students. Bookmarks are also sent to public libraries in Kansas. Not all books, which are selected for the annual Master List, are intended to be read aloud. However, teachers, librarians and parents are encouraged to read aloud appropriate books to boys and girls in the fourth through the eighth grades. Sample ballots, which can be reproduced, are sent to all schools with students in the fourth through eighth grades. Some schools set up voting booths for the balloting. Each participating student may vote for only one book. Participation implies that each student has read some or all of the books on the Master List. Voting takes place annually during March. Votes are recorded by each school or district on the official voting report form furnished by the White Award Program. The forms should be received by April 1 by the William Allen White Children's Book Award Program at the following address: William Allen White Library The winner is announced later in April. The White Award Medal, which is made of bronze, was designed by Elden Tefft. The medal is presented to the author of the winning book at a luncheon or dinner, which is held in the fall or winter by a host organization, which is represented on the White Award Book Selection Committee. Many of the Master List titles are available in Large Print, Braille or Talking Book format for the blind, visually impaired or physically handicapped who cannot hold, handle or read printed material. The availability of these materials is indicated after each title on the bookmarks by following code: B - Braille Information about sources for these formats is available from: Library Media Specialist or Director |
