The American Horticultural Society (AHS) and the Junior Master Gardener Program (JMG program) in 2005 created national awards for excellence in children’s literature known as the Growing Good Kids Book Awards. For the 17th year in a row, they have honored the best new children’s books about gardening, nature and the environment.
The awards for 2022 were announced at the annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium held in Richmond, Virginia this year. The annual symposium brings together educators, landscape architects and designers, staff at botanic gardens, non-profits, and others from around the country who are working to engage children with gardens and the natural world that surrounds them.
Since the first symposium was held nearly 30 years ago, thousands of teachers have participated and have, in turn, gone on to educate over a million children, with the goal of cultivating tomorrow’s gardeners. And thousands of gardens and landscapes designed specifically for children and the way they play, explore, and interact have been created all over the world.
This year, there were four winners of the Growing Good Kids Book Awards. The four books recognized as “engaging, inspiring works of plant, garden and ecology-themed children’s literature” are:
(1) Let’s Pop, Pop, Popcorn! by Cynthia Schumerth, illustrated by Mary Reaves Uhles (Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 2021);
(2) Little Dandelion Seeds the World by Julia Richardson, illustrated by Kristen & Kevin Howdeshell (Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI 2021);
(3) Saguaro’s Gifts by Kurt Cyrus, illustrated by Andy Atkins (Sleeping Bear Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 2021); and
(4) The Wall and the Wild by Christina Dendy, illustrated by Katie Rewse (Lantana Publishing Ltd., UK, 2021, distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., Minneapolis, MN).
A listing of all the winners over the past 17 years is viewable on-line.
Interested in submitting a book for consideration for the 2023 Growing Good Kids Book Award? Nominations for books published in 2022 must be received by May 1, 2023. The primary requirements for consideration for the annual Growing Good Kids Book Award: (1) the power of the story to engage children, effectively promote an understanding of and appreciation for gardening and the environment, and convey a positive message effectively; (2) the power of the illustration and design to appeal to children, represent the story effectively, and promote an understanding of and appreciation for gardening and the environment.
(Frank W. Barrie, 10/18/22)
