Origin and purpose of the award:
The Gryphon Award of $1,000 is given annually in recognition of an English language work of fiction or non-fiction for which the primary audience is children in Kindergarten through Grade 4. The title chosen best exemplifies those qualities that successfully bridge the gap in difficulty between books for reading aloud to children and books for practiced readers.
The Gryphon award was conceived as a way to focus attention an area of literature for youth that, despite being crucial to the successful transition of new readers to independent lifelong readers, does not get the critical recognition it deserves.
The award is sponsored by the Center for Children's Books at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
Award Committee:
The award committee will consist of 4-6 members drawn from the youth services faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, the editorial staff of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, local public and school librarians, and the library and education community at large.
Announcement of the Gryphon Award:
The winning title of the 2008 Gryphon Award for Children's Literature was announced on February 1, 2008.
The Gryphon Honors:
Each year the Gryphon is awarded, an Honors List of best titles for transitional reading will be compiled by the Gryphon Award Committee. Books must be nominated for the honor list by a member of the award committee.
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2008 Gryphon Award Book:Billy Tartle in Say Cheese! by Michael Townsend (Knopf, 2007) 2008 Honor Books:Spiders by Nic Bishop (Scholastic, 2007) Rufus the Scrub Does Not Wear a Tutu by Jamie McEwan, illustrated by John Margeson (Darby Creek, 2007) |
2007 Gryphon Award Book:
The True Story of Stellina by Matteo Pericoli (Knopf, 2006)
2007 Honor Books:
Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea by Chris Butterworth, illustrated by John Lawrence (Candlewick, 2006)
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything by Lenore Look, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf (Scholastic, 2006)
Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon (Blue Sky Press, 2006)
2006 Gryphon Award Book:
Stinky Stern Forever by Michelle Edwards (Harcourt, 2005)
2006 Honor Books:
Babymouse: Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm (Random House, 2005)
Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley, photographs by Nic Bishop (Scholastic, 2005)
Jigsaw Pony by Jessie Haas, illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu(Greenwillow, 2005)
2005 Gryphon Award Book:
Little Rat Rides by Monika Bang-Campbell (Harcourt, 2004)2005 Honor Books:
Down Girl and Sit: Smarter Than Squirrels by Lucy Nolan, illustrated by Mike Reed(Marshall Cavendish, 2004)
You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Michael Emberley (Little Brown, 2004)
2004 Gryphon Award Book:
Bow Wow Meow Meow: It's Rhyming Cats and Dogs by Douglas Florian (Harcourt, 2003)
2004 Honor Books:
Snowed in with Grandmother Silk by Carol Fenner (Dial, 2003)
Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist: Lunch Walks among Us by Jim Benton (Simon "& Schuster, 2003)
Award Criteria:
Selection criteria for the Gryphon Award include but are not limited to:
- excellence of presentation for target audience
- distinctive literary quality and appropriateness of style
- for non-fiction, the presentation of information including accuracy, clarity and organization
- exceptional integration of text, illustration, and design
Eligibility and Terms:
- Books to be considered for this award must be published in the calendar year preceding the presentation of the award.
- The award is given for a single publication, not for the body of an author/illustrator's work.
- The work must be notable and contribute to the world of children's literature.
- Only original works written for children will be considered.
- Textbooks will not be considered.
- Books should be written for an audience of children grades K-4
- English language works of fiction and non-fiction are eligible.
- The book must be a self-contained entity, not dependent on other media (i.e., sound or film equipment) for its enjoyment.
- In the event of a dispute as to eligibility, the committee will decide whether a book is eligible.
Entry (for 2009):
Publishers may submit English language books with scheduled first-run publication dates between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008. Entries may be submitted as finished proofs, bound galleys and bound manuscripts.
Please send 2 copies of each submission to:
The Center for Children's Books
501 E. Daniel Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Attn: Gryphon Award Committee
Submissions must be postmarked by December 31, 2008.
Additional titles may be nominated for consideration by members of the Gryphon Award Committee.
